Sabertooth
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| | Difficulty:3A II R (v5a1 II) Raps:1-2, downclimbable by the very skilled, max ↨25ft
Red Tape:Permit required Shuttle:None Rock type:Sandstone | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Best season: | Spring or Fall
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36.9290, -111.0723
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WaterflowIntroduction[edit]
Approach[edit]
Descent[edit]
Sabertooth is completely downclimbable if you are very good at downclimbing.
To get into the canyon, you can probably downclimb right at the head of the slot. We did not do this because it was full of water and we were trying to stay dry. A second option would be to use a fiddlestick off of a bush on the LDC side.
The first section looks intimidating, but it is just contains some mellow R-minus stemming.
In the second section you will encounter some R rated stemming about 25 feet off of the deck. The movement is never very difficult.
Soon you will arrive at an AWESOME subway section. Take your time here and take some photos.
The final drop will be a 25 foot rappel for most people. It is downclimbable by the very skilled. If you absolutely must leave webbing, be sure to situate it in a way that does not leave a rope groove, something that should be easy to figure out.
The finish is a simple walk-out into West Canyon.
Time: We completed this loop in 4 hours in exploration mode (slow and very careful). I would expect to spend about 2.5 hours on this route again.
Rappels: One possible 30 foot rappel at the start. One probable 25 foot rappel at the end.
Mandatory Equipment: Fiddlestick, 1X100 feet of rope, 50 feet of webbing, standard rappelling gear.
Neoprene: None required. You can stay completely dry if you are exceptionally good at stemming.
Please play fair and do not add bolts to this route. We were able to ghost Sabertooth with almost zero effort.
Exit[edit]
Red tape[edit]
Hiking in this area requires a permit from the Navajo Nation. I recommend mailing your permit request a few weeks in advance, along with a very polite letter explaining your trip itinerary. Permit information can be found here:http://navajonationparks.org/permits.htm
Beta sites[edit]
Super Amazing Map : Sabertooth
https://amazingslots.blogspot.com/2017/05/west-canyon-beta-lake-powell.html
Trip reports and media[edit]
http://amazingslots.blogspot.com/2017/04/west-canyon-2017-approach-flight.html