In February 2020, Jacob Dickhausen, Andrew Park, Pasquale Verrastro, and I headed up Spring Canyon, a seldom-visited portion of Zion National Park, east of the Altar of Sacrifice and behind the old Zion History Museum. After hours of bushwhacking through rough terrain and examining multiple options for new free routes, a beautiful southwest-facing wall with an obvious line screamed, “Climb me!”

After a few feet of vegetated rock at the base, the dihedral crack cleared and was clean for hundreds of feet. Higher up, we repeatedly deployed four- and five-inch cams as the crack headed into a monster chimney ending with a short roof. After this incredible and exposed exit, a comfy belay awaited before the crux of the route. Forty-five meters of tips to hands took us through the short lieback crux and onto an exposed face and arête sequence to the final belay stance. 

The last pitch begins in an overhanging dihedral protected by two bolts and sporty moves. The exposure kicked back in as the pitch transitioned onto a clean, dead-vertical panel with a one-inch crack. Atop the crack, a stem box led to the final anchor on a sunset-worthy ledge. Italian Cowboy (1,000’, 7 pitches, 5.12+) is a clean and striking line that stops just short of the top of the wall, due to deteriorating rock quality and lack of cracks. The route has five protection bolts in seven pitches.  

After several days spent establishing the line, and on the last day before the park was shut down due to COVID restrictions, I freed every pitch while Pasquale supported the ascent. 

— Rob Pizem