As climbers our pursuits are typically decorated by a number of terrifying moments which we (well most of us) encounter. It usually first starts out, as it did for me, as an unnerving toprope, where someone (friend, family member, guide) is showing you the ropes…no pun intended. I can still remember the cold 5.9 sport route that my friend took me on, which after what seemed like hours of insecurity I finally completed, hanging on the rope 10’s of times still never trusting it completely.

From there it was my first lead, then my first lead on gear, then my first take on gear, my first self-built gear anchor, my first fall on gear, my first fall on little gear and so on. Progressivity I’ve honed in my skills albeit to an extent to get to the…crappy…level I’m at today.

Well, given my circumstances, not very social, GF and main partner who is in medical school, against my better judgment, I went out and purchased a silent partner. And after one terrifying fall (see paragraph 1 and 2) with a toprope backup, I was now an expert soloist (no not really but I felt an n of 1 was good enough). So after several uses here Little Cottonwood Canyon I took my wonderful partner down to the desert for some climbing.

First we started on Chocolate Corner, still afraid of falling I got a little French free to get around the short tight tight hands section.

3 reds and a screamer, looked like a good anchor to me

The route in its entirety...sorry no butt shots

Then we went over and put up generic crack.

Then my whole anchor blew out...no not really this is just after I disassembled it.

Best friends forever!!

I wanted to do supercrack but my SP insisted on IHC so I obliged him. I ran it out a little...but he didn't mind.

We then went over to a gang top-roped supercrack and decided we'd had it for the day and headed back to SLC for some powder skiing.