North America, United States, Utah, Zion National Park, Mt. Moroni, The Road to Cumorah

Publication Year: 2006.

Mt. Moroni, The Road to Cumorah. In April, Chris Rowins, Dave Jones, and I climbed a new nine-pitch route on Mt. Moroni. The Road to Cumorah (IV 5.11 Cl) begins at the far east end of the of the southwest face. We started in a short, clean, left-curving aid crack, which soon turns into a three-inch jam crack. Higher, Chris led a short, chossy 5.10 pitch to the base of a dark, mottled chimney. I exited this sparsely protected slot early, to a belay just below a 350' section of easy 5th class. This section had some big ledges. Above, Dave led a beautiful double finger-crack pitch in a right-facing corner to an intersection with the old Southwest Face route. We followed a left-slanting corner section (one short 5.11 bulge) to a shoulder behind the top. A 5.7 face pitch led to the small, airy summit. We descended by rapping Voice from the Dust. The only aid on our climb was on the first pitch.

Brian Smoot