Paria Point, Sunlight Buttress. In October, Ron Olevsky, Steve Johnson and I completed a new route on the east face of Paria Point in the Kolob Canyon section of Zion National Park. We had attempted this line three years earlier but were forced to retreat in a snowstorm. The route takes a direct line up the obvious buttress to the right of Wind, Sand, and Stars. Although only nine pitches long, we spent five days on the route, drilling approximately 50 bolts by hand. There are two or three bolts at every belay; several of the pitches are bolt-protected face climbing as well. The climbing is spectacular and varied, with many fine crack pitches in addition to the face climbing. This route can be done as a hammerless aid climb at a 5.8 C2 standard, or it can be done mostly free at 5.11 AO (a few points of aid on bolts). With a little cleaning and work it will probably go all free. Regardless of how it is climbed, it is one of the best long routes in the Southwest. It's probably the best descent route for climbs on Paria Point, too. IV, 9 pitches.

Charlie Fowler, unaffiliated