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6710 Hits
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74.01% Score
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4 Votes
Page Type:
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Route |
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Route Type:
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Ice Climbing, Mixed |
Season:
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Winter |
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Time Required:
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Less than two hours |
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Difficulty:
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WI3-4 |
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Number of Pitches:
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1 |
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Grade:
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I |
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Overview
This area is alternately known as the Kitty Litter Wall or the Pipe Dream area. The climbing is fairly reliable, and is typically WI3-4 in nature. This is also a great place to learn how to climb easy mixed routes.The standard route up the flow is ~150 feet, WI3-4 and follows the path of least resistance up the flow, typically staying to the left of center.
Two mixed climbs have been done to the left of this ice flow. The first is Itchy and Scratchy (WI3, M2-3), which climbs just to the left of the ice and then traverses right onto the ice after the third bolt. Additional information is available on mountainproject.com for this mixed route.
The second mixed route is further left, and is called Scratch and Sniff. This M3 lines has 3 protection bolts to a bolted anchor. Again, additional information from local climbers and the first ascentionist is available on mountainproject.com.
The two mixed routes to the left of Pipe Dream (Itchy & Scratchy M2-3, WI3; Scratch & Sniff M3).
The Pipe Dream climb.Getting There
From the mouth of Provo Canyon, drive east to Canyon View Park. Enter the park (on your left) and go left at the roundabout, past a public bathroom. Leave your car and head west down a footpath that leads down-canyon. Follow the path until you come to a bridge that crosses the river. Cross the bridge and continue west on the footpath for another several minutes. Soon the ice should come into view (this will take slightly longer than you expect). Head off the trail right, toward the ice, which is on a wall with lots of orange oxidation to the right of it.Other Ice and Mixed Climbs in the Area
Apparently the upper tiers of Pipe Dream occasionally freeze during cold snaps, allowing for a longer route. The upper pitches are reportedly easier than the first.There are also several mixed routes available in this area, described in Wasatch Mixed as "The Litter Box." Routes range from M3 to M5, getting harder as you move right. Some of the routes are for toproping only, others have bolts, and one or two have been lead on traditional gear. Apparently the routes are between 40 and 60 feet high, though I have not yet done any of them.
The mixed climbs to the right of the Pipe Dream climb, in the "Litterbox area." Click the picture for additional details on the routes.Guidebooks and Conditions
Some sparse information on this climb can be found in the Ice Climbing Utah guidebook by Dave Black. Some of the mixed routes mentioned are mentioned in Doug Heinrich and Nathan Smith's guidebook, Wasatch Mixed. However information on the two mixed routes specifically detailed on this page is only available via MountainProject.com.Conditions reports can be found occasionally during the winter in the Utah forum on Summitpost, or on Mountainproject.com's forums or Utahclimbers.com's message board:
Summitpost Utah/Southwest Forum
MountainProject Northern Utah forum
UtahClimbers Ice & Snow forum
Wasatch Avalanche Conditions are available at:
Utah Avalanche Center Conditions Page
Essential Gear
Standard ice climbing kit: two technical tools, a rack of screws, helmets. Quickdraws if doing the bolted mixed routes.****NOTE: Helmets are absolutely mandatory in this area. The mixed routes described here are still plagued with quite a bit of loose rock, and there is a fair amount of natural rockfall from above and high up on the cliffs. EVERYONE should be wearing a helmet at all times when climbing in this area.****