Temple of Sinawava, Soul Craft. On December 12, Karen Hilton and I completed the first ascent of Soul Craft (VI 5.11 A4+) on the steep wall left of the Monkeyfinger route. In ca.1,100 feet, only the first pitch and last 35 feet went free; the remainder of the route yielded to moderate and difficult aid. We gave the “+” rating for the potential ledge fall on pitch 5. In typical Zion fashion, the climbing was quality and fairly sustained. It was possibly the last wall to be done before the initiation of the park’s backcountry permit fee. For the descent, we rappelled the Monkeyfinger route. Two anchors were added at the second and fourth (counting from top to bottom) Monkeyfinger stations on the way down.

Paul Turecki