A flaring hand to offhand crack that is way flakey.  This crack is rather fun, has lots of great moves but felt way insecure, and Oh yes...was not a 5.8.  The book calls it a 5.8, I will go with 5.10a.  Very steep and very flaring with nary a rest.  I had a hard time picking out a crux as most of the climb was cruxy.  This climb rated 2 stars due to the length (great), rock quality (not so great, but would be better if more people climbed it), tree in the middle of the route (I climbed through it, also not so good), and consistency of the grade (great).  Get on this route.  It could use a better anchor system.

Lowe Variation

Dire Direct

Ellsworth-McQuarrie Route

Gin and Tonic

The Gendarme

Arm and Hammer

Cymbals Of The Sun

Demon's Dance

Butcher Knife

Regge Pole

Winged Warrior

An old climb that's likely the manufacturing facility for choss in the Wasatch. Tip toeing around loose blocks, and a cool head may very well be more valuable than specialized cams on this route.

But really why are you drawn to this route? Likely you're gaping at the massive roof of pitch 2 aren't you? Maybe it's that splitter wide crack of pitch 3. Or maybe you thought that approach pitch would be cake. Either way you've been sucked in to the vortex of The Gendarme.

Pitch 1) Climb a myriad of cracks up and left at the base of the SW corner of Middle Bell. Aiming for a ledge system slightly left of the prominent roof. Belay off cams and a bush. 5.9R

Pitch 2) The real meal deal. Climb up and right off the belay placing a few cams before you find a bolt protecting a tricky slab traverse to gain the base of the crack leading to the roof. Once to the roof there's only way thing to do. You'll be CUTTING LOOSE at the lip on your onsight attempt damn near guaranteed. This pitch actually has decent rock, and sports the steepest perfect hand crack I've ever come across in the Wasatch. Belay at 2 bolts. 5.11

Pitch 3) Pull through a bush or two to gain the "bushless" section of the wide crack. Heel-toe, arm bar, chicken wing, and thrutch your way up this gloriously long wide crack pushing your lone #6 along for the journey. Belay from a bush on top of the gendarme itself. 5.8

Rappel from the top belay bush to a stainless steel Smoot anchor on his new 5.11 face climb to the right of "Easy Way Up". 2 double rope raps will get you down.

Unsure of if this has been freed in the past. Mark Evans freed the crux onsight 11/26/2017.

The bolted line on the mottled face just right of the

Ellsworth-McQuarrie

route. This route starts at the belay ledge at the top of the

Ellsworth-McQuarrie

2nd pitch and climbs 2 pitches to meet back up with the

Ellsworth-McQuarrie

route.

From the

Ellsworth-McQuarrie

belay ledge, climb up and right to clip your first bolt. Six bolts up this face and 100' of somewhat spacey, 5.10 climbing on crumbly rock brings you to another ledge (where the next

Ellsworth-McQuarrie

belay is located). Continue climbing up a thin crack (a .4 can be placed here). The piton at the top of this crack is missing so bring micros and cross your fingers. Traverse to the right and clip the next bolt. Four more bolts and up through the 10d crux brings you to the 2 bolt belay. A few more bolts and some gear will bring you to the

Ellsworth-McQuarrie

pitch 5 anchors. A 60 meter rope will get you down fine.

Don't let the crumbly rock deter you! It's not quite as bad as the top of

Ellsworth-McQuarrie

. Get out there and test your finesse on those flexing flakes...

This route follows a really striking line up the Middle Bell Tower, but has really bad rock up high.  Easily pick this route out by looking for the obvious continuous dihedral which goes through 2 huge roofs. Good rock quality is found for the first 2 pitches, but it gets much worse after passing the Arm and Hammer exit.

P1) Incredible roof traverse pitch.  This pitch is 3-star quality, and has good rock.  Easily climb up to the monster roof, then traverse the roof right for 40 feet of fun climbing.  A set of chain anchors ends this pitch immediately after finishing the roof, or link with the second pitch. (5.7)

P2) Squeeze.  Good rock, but this is an unpleasant squeeze chimney.  Grunt up this passing 3 old bolts on the right face.  The crack can be somewhat protected with a #4 camalot.  Of the 3 bolts, the first looks like a nail with a wingnut attached, the second has a hanger, and the 3rd is bashed into the rock (and completely unusable).  The first can be used if slung with a small stopper. This pitch ends at a nice ledge with a 3 bolt anchor, or can be combined with pitch 1. (5.7)

P3) Climb up the variable sized dihedral through deteriorating rock for 100 feet to another ledge with a 2 bolt, 1 piton anchor. (5.7)

P4) Climb up a rotten crack, which quickly reaches a squeeze chimney.  Another bad bolt on the left face, then grunt upwards.  Clip another odd bolt on the right face, then traverse slightly left to a sealed up crack (possibly protectable at the start by very small gear).  Continue up this unprotectable bad rock to a 2 bolt anchor. (5.6)

P5, P6) Rock gets even worse.  I chose to rap the route from here.  If not, this next pitch goes up a steep unprotectable bush and dirt filled choss groove to the second big roof.  The roof looks easy, but unpleasant to reach.  Another pitch apparently climbs through a rotten corner to the top.

Descent) It is possible to rap to the ground from the top of P4 using only one 60m rope.

An amazing route. This is the route with the famous "Zion Curtain". Killer route, great exposure, and nice belay ledges. Ellison had a damn good eye. Make sure you do the pitch above the "Zion Curtain." Go to the small tree, don't traverse left into the gully, at the end of this pitch. If you do traverse, you can lower off some junk chockstones. This route deserves loads of stars!!! this route is free climbed at .11c or aided at 5.10a AO

The pitch after the Zion Curtain has a very short section of crumbly rock but is other wise stellar. DO NOT veer left into the gully to finish this pitch like so many people do. Step up slightly to the right to come up under the roof. Traverse left under the roof and finish at bolts just above the small tree. Super fun finish and still only 5.8, roof protects with a .75, after passing the roof you can use either a #4 or #3 Camalot for pro. Extend both pieces for drag and consider lowering from the anchor to back clean before the second comes up.

Rappel is possible with one 60 meter rope if you rappel to climbers right to gain a bolted anchor on Butcher Knife. (You can skip the first, or do two short rappels, knot the ends). Rap straight down from there to another bolted anchor. Subsequent rappels will hit the same anchors you came up on. Do it this way and your rope won't hang up.

This audacious Bell's Canyon classic is a must do for those who love slab. Pat Maloney and I did it years ago and had to marvel at almost every bolt and position while climbing (getting ourselves up!) this amazing route that Ellison and Smoot created. It is stout and brilliant, yet rarely discussed compared to Arm And Hammer or other MidBells routes. As it is significantly harder than its neighboring Middle Bell routes and lacks the tension traverses, perhaps it has been ignored.

The Ruckman Guide topo is gospel for describing the pitch by pitch play by, but expect it to be about the only exclusively slab multi-pitch route up there....or maybe even in the Wasatch? The first pitch of the McQuarrie Route brings you to the business located just above the huge roofs.

Pitch #1: Climb the first pitch of the Ellsworth -McQuarrie to a chockstone belay in the dihedral which is approximately 20m below the bolted belay up higher for Arm and Hammer/Butcher Knife. 5.7.

Pitch #2: Traverse leftward on thin slab climbing moves out the blank granite face passing 3 bolts to a faint left facing dihedral (bolt protected) to a two-bolt belay. 5.11++, 30m.

Pitch #3: Continue straight up past a bolt to "The Crescent" (a prominent feature which is climbed on its right side for A&H and BK) passing some fixed protection on its left side. It also accepts small micro-Camalots. Join the other routes to pass two more bolts to "Pedestal Ledge". 5.9, 50m.

Pitch #4: The other two aforementioned routes go left or right at this point. Cymbals climbs directly above up amazingly thin slab climbing passing approx 6 bolts to a two-bolt belay. 5.11+, 40m.

Pitch #5: Continue straight up past the BK traverse passing 3 bolts, then trend left to the left side of a big roof (same roof tackled in the middle by BK. Belay under the roof with at least one bolt and gear. 5.9+, 30m.

Pitch #6: Surmount the roof to a bolt and more slab ( a thin crack is available for a short distance) to more bolt protected slab to a belay (shared with BK). 5.10d/5.11a, 30m.

Either continue to the exit pitches of Butcher Knife or rappel the route with two ropes.

This route ascends the seldom explored west side of clean slab between the Regge Pole and the McQuarrie Route.

P1:  Climb the first 40' of the McQuarrie route to the large featured slab on the left (below a big roof). Traverse left across the slab to where the roof ends, move farther left to a gear belay at a wide crack beneath the big slab above. 5.6. This belay can also be approached from directly below via 5.5 climbing.

P2:  Face climb up the poorly protected face (5.7) to a flake and higher to a bolt. Aid climb past a short bolt ladder (4 or 5 bolts) to a tiny green corner. Free climbing up this leads to a semi hanging belay, 5.11... great pitch.

P3: Edge up to thin cracks and flakes past a fixed pin or two and follow these to the belay atop Pedestal Ledge on Arm and Hammer, 5.10a.

P1 Climb same 5.7 start as A&H

P2 Do the traverse to the crescent ledge

P3 Head right and down climb a bit to make upward progress passed two bolts. Then head right to a right facing corner and up to a third bolt. Make some dicey slab moves and up to the anchors.

P4 Long pitch with a lot of rope drag so use slings. Traverse 30' left to a ledge where a crack splits the face and turns right under a roof. Follow the crack to a belay station and head for the wild roof split by a finger crack. Pull the roof and head to a bolt and pull the second roof. Follow the crack up to a left angling crack and on to the top anchors.

This rarely done test piece, has only had a hand full of ascents. The upside down offwidth on the 2nd pitch gave the route the reputation it now has. Lots of falls have been taken here!  More chimney climbing leads to some chockstones at a wide, rotten section near the top. Climb the face to the east here.

Winged Warrior is named after the winged horse Pegasus of Greek Mythology. You'll be riding high above the Wasatch on this one! This climb has the most "big wall" feel of any climb I have done in the Wasatch. With some low angle approach pitches starting from the lowest apron of Middle Bell, all varieties of climbing up rope stretching pitches are encountered until reaching the upper apex tower pinnacle. Plan on a long day, it doesn't seem to be an exaggeration to call this a Grade IV.

I had long looked at this line, yet though seemingly striking and obvious, history was lacking. A two bolt belay appears under the dihedral pitch on page 399 of the Ruckman Guide. In conversations with Les Ellison after finding ancient bolts in certain sections on the wall, we learned of an unreported 60's ascent by Jeff Lowe. His route, typically, was long, bold, and ahead of its time.

Pitch #1: From the lowest point on Middle Bell, climb weaknesses past some bulges through a swath through bushes to a two-bolt belay. 5.5, 25m.

Pitch #2: Continue straight up using the bush trimmings as markers to another two-bolt belay ledge. 5.6, 30m.

Pitch #3: Follow a groove/crack to a nice ledge and two-bolt belay immediately under the first prominent roof. 5.5, 33m.

Pitch #4: Climb a hand crack, up a steep shallow corner passing an old two-bolt hanging belay to a 3-bolt belay ledge. 5.10, A0, 40m.

Pitch #5: Climb out left, surmount a flake and gain more ground up the wild and steep groove/flake system. The Lowe route continues right up these grooves. WW moves more directly up slightly trending left at this point past bolts to the "railroad tracks", a pair of thin cracks that lead to the  base of the Great Dihedral. 5.9, A1. 58m.

Pitch #6: Layback up the wide right facing corner to hands, eventually moving left to a two-bolt belay ledge. The only crack of its kind in the Wasatch? 5.9+, 56m.

Pitch #7: Climb directly above the belay to the left arete of the tower pinnacle. Follow more than 13 bolts and fixed protection up the slab to a 3-bolt belay. This pitch may likely be the only entirely new and independent pitch from the Lowe route. 5.10, A0. 55m.

Pitch #8: Scamper the final moves up the decomposed rock past a drilled piton to the tower's tiny top. A drilled piton was added to Lowe's single anchor found here. 5.5, 2m.

Rappel the route.

Description

Location

Protection

Routes in Middle Bell Tower