Extra Texture, Island in the Sky

Lat/Lon: 37.1933°N, 113.6425°W Click for Google Map
Extra Texture is a sport route on varnish located between Stepping Out and Little
Nightmare Music on the upper tier of what we call the Sand Dunes area of Island in
the Sky, which is of course directly across from the sand dunes in Snow Canyon
State Park. An unprotected traverse left on “sharp” varnish will test the nerve of
even a seasoned climber. The start and finish are easy with the crux in the middle of
this 70’ route that leads to chains just above Stepping Out’s first chain station and
left of a cave of sorts. When rapping, you can top rope Stepping Out’s 1st pitch if you
don’t want to lead it. It is not advisable to top rope Extra Texture without the draws in
to protect a fall. If one person is climbing, he/she will need to be lowered and re-
climb the route to clean it. It is that long of a traverse left.

Extra Texture is a funky climb that I did twice, but don’t necessarily recommend. It
took me awhile the second time before I realized I had done the route before. That
rarely happens, but in this case I must not have remembered it for a reason. That
being said, it is a 5.7, albeit 5.7R, and thus if you have family members or friends
who are not all that adept to climbing, it is a doable route. I am not sure why Olvesky
bothered with it or what he was thinking regarding this zig zag of a route, but I
suspect it was designed to access Stepping Out between the 1st and 2nd pitch.
Stepping Out’s 1st pitch is the crux of its route and requires gear versus the rest of
the route which is pinned like Extra Texture.

The 2nd tier is lined up such that you can go up and down what we call the Sand
Dunes area of Island in the Sky and climb both sport and trad single pitches if you do
not want to commit to a multi pitch route. Several of these routes are sport and
several are trad. This Island in the Sky is not to be confused with a feature of the
same name in Canyonlands National Park north of Moab.

Snow Canyon State Park is a state park of 7100 acres just north of St. George, Utah.
Island in the Sky has a minimum of 64 published routes from 5.5 to 5.12b. It is a
significant piece of rock (small mountain) situated at the south end of the park that is
broken down into eight different climbing sections along its west wall. In the winter it
keeps one busy when many of the other spots don’t look so inviting. The Sand
Dunes area is one of the warmer climbing options during the winter months being
slightly angled to the southwest.

Route Description/Approach
Extra Texture is just one of 20 published climbing routes that make up the “Sand
Dunes” area towards the south end of Island in the Sky. Park at the West Canyon day
use parking lot. Walk south on paved road for about 100 yards and head east across
the wash to an obvious scree slope for access to the second tier. There is some
light scrambling required and even an aid chain to assist in bypassing Twist and
Shout to the north, a popular 5.7 route on the lower level. Once above that hand chain
below the 2nd tier traverse back right until you are below an obvious thin crack that is
Stepping Out’s first pitch. It might be hard to see the chains from below, but you will
notice the pins for Extra Texture to the left. There is also one pin at the start of the
crack for Stepping Out.

1st Pitch- (70’) 5.7R/ Start just left and below Stepping Out . Locate a pin that you
really don’t need and head up straight on easy ground through a corner and locate
the 2nd pin. From there start to traverse aggressively out left aiming for the remaining
pins as you spot them amongst the varnish which can be a challenge. Eventually the
angle eases up and it is a race to the chains above and left of the cave. There are
more pins that continue to your left that represent Will’s Rush, the first established
route in Snow Canyon. As before mentioned, it is not advisable to top rope Extra
Texture without the draws in to protect a fall. If one person is climbing, he/she will
need to be lowered and re-climb the route to clean it.

Essential Gear
60 m rope. 5 draws. No opportunities for gear, it is slightly run out. Red chalk only
please!

Notes: Extra Texture is a funky climb that I did twice, but don’t necessarily
recommend. It took me awhile the second time before I realized I had done the route
before. That rarely happens, but in this case I must not have remembered it for a
reason. I am not sure why Olvesky bothered with it or what he was thinking regarding
this zig zag of a route, but I suspect it was designed to access Stepping Out between
the 1st and 2nd pitch. Stepping Out’s 1st pitch is the crux of its route and requires
gear versus the rest of the route which is pinned like Extra Texture.