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cultureshock
Trad climber
Mountain View
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Topic Author's Original Post - Jul 29, 2011 - 05:10pm PT
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So I'm looking for some Fall valley psyche. I know this topic has been rehashed over again but I want to step outside the box. I'm hoping for good tales, stories and photos (the things I really love about supertopo).
Everyone talks about Astroman and the Rostrum... There have to be more great 5.11 multiptiches in Yosemite! Same with the 5.12. I've heard good things about Hotline, Crucifix... Expand my horizons! Tell me a story!
One thing is that I'm looking for at least 5 pitches, so Moratorium, SxSW should be sadly be "overlooked". I have heard good things about Deamon's Delight, but again it is on the short side...
I tend to favor jamming and cracks over face climbing. I did read about a great 5.12 bolted route on middle cathedral near the Bircheff-Williams. the name escapes me.
Anyways, no more blabbering!
Already on my todo list are:
West Face of El Cap,
Chouinard-Herbert
I've heard mixed things about Beggars Buttress and Freestone (Geek Tower)
Any obscure favorites? Things off the beaten path, or maybe just ones not listed here.
Thanks in advance!
Luke
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bhilden
Trad climber
Mountain View, CA
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Jul 29, 2011 - 05:47pm PT
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Ho Chi Minh Trail - Middle Cathedral
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Levy
Big Wall climber
So Cal
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Jul 29, 2011 - 06:06pm PT
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Freestone ~ amazing, bold climbing on terrific stone. The wide stuff up high is not too bad.
Windfall ~ Obscure but very high quality. You can do the 1st 3 pitches in a single 60M pitch.
Blind Faith ~ Super proud, not too bad with modern wide gear.
Hotline ~ A great odyssey on an amazing chunk of stone. You can do it at 5.11 & A1 if you cannot free the traverse which is short but tough.
Galactic Hitchhiker ~ I have not done this but the topo sez it's 39 short pitches long.
Burden Of Dreams ~ this route is really cool looking but it has some really tough moves. V8? perhaps?
I can't remember the name of the thing over right of Leaning Tower. The Vortex perhaps? done in 1982 by Holtcamp & Zieche. Many hard pitches up to 5.12.
Ribbon Candy ~ A Coz /Woody route that looks good and has a 5.11c hand crack on it!
Sean Jones' route in the same area called Gates Of Delirium.
The bolted 5.12 on Middle is called The Grand Wazoo and was done by Perry Beckham, et al.
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Mark Hudon
Trad climber
Hood River, OR
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Jul 29, 2011 - 06:10pm PT
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Yellow Wall? up right of Bridalveil Falls? Never done it but the topo looks cool. Don't forget the S. Face of Watkins, awesome route.
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JLP
Social climber
The internet
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Jul 29, 2011 - 06:32pm PT
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What is the supposed "scary" pitch like on Freestone? Do C3's or offsets have any effect here? What kind of climbing?
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Levy
Big Wall climber
So Cal
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Jul 29, 2011 - 06:57pm PT
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The scary part of Freestone is runout face climbing above tiny wired nuts & a crappy fixed pin driven straight up into an expando flake. I recall 5.10+ moves 25' out from gear and the moves were kind of frictiony. I don't think offset aliens will help but you never know. The first moves past the first bolt are slick & thin 5.11a. The 5.11b corner up high is also a bit slick & has some pinscars in it. One of the better free routes I've done in Yosemite for sure.
Another route I thought of is Warbler's route on Basket Dome. It's 5.12b, 8 or 10 pitches, but I cannnot recall the name.
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Elcapinyoazz
Social climber
Joshua Tree
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Jul 29, 2011 - 07:13pm PT
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Power Point.
Lost in Translation.
Free version of Electric Ladyland (confusingly called "Crosstown Traffic)has a single 13 move and a bunch of 5.12 (6 pitches out of 12 or 13)
Might as well do the RNWF on Half Dome free, not exactly unknown.
The Moratorium is killer, don't let the want for another pitch keep you from doing it, if you REALLY need more pitches just keep going up the E Butt of El Cap.
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k-man
Gym climber
SCruz
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Jul 29, 2011 - 07:42pm PT
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Sean Jones told me of an awesome .11c route he did in the Ribbon Falls amphitheater (not Gates). No bolts, just an incredible free climb.
Has Ribbon Candy seen a 2nd?
There's some cool multi-pitch face routes behind the chapel, worth checking out (they're in the guide).
RNWFHD.
Gemini, plus others over there. Rob also did a wild route on Higher Spire, goes left off that Robbins aid route, just before the Chimney of Horrors.
Waiting on that new guide!
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Darryl Cramer
Social climber
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Jul 29, 2011 - 08:17pm PT
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I always wondered about the "Vortex" over by the Leaning Tower.
It pitches out in the Meyers guide as:
11a
10b
10a
9
11c
12
11b
11b
12
10c
Never heard anyone talk about except Bob Yoho who just said "Holtkamp liked it."
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JLP
Social climber
The internet
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Jul 29, 2011 - 09:05pm PT
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The scary part of Freestone is runout face climbing above tiny wired nuts & a crappy fixed pin driven straight up into an expando flake. I recall 5.10+ moves 25' out from gear and the moves were kind of frictiony. I don't think offset aliens will help but you never know. The first moves past the first bolt are slick & thin 5.11a. The 5.11b corner up high is also a bit slick & has some pinscars in it. Which pitches? Topo shows a crack system with no bolts on p3, calls it "thin & scary". p1,2,4 are reported as face climbing. Which pitch did Yugi fall off of?
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wayne burleson
climber
Amherst, MA
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Jul 29, 2011 - 09:22pm PT
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I think it was Pitch 4 on Freestone that was a bit freaky.
That water-polished
brownish rock is a bit unusual for the Valley. I backed-off
on an early attempt with a strong team that I will not name...
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fosburg
climber
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Jul 29, 2011 - 09:32pm PT
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I bet Holtcamp "liked" (pre-facebook) that Eric Zschiesche was able to fire those 5.12 pitches on Vortex. I think Surette said it was classic. An undervalued awesome 5.11 is Demon's Delight, I think.
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Lurking Fear
Boulder climber
Bishop, California
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Jul 29, 2011 - 10:48pm PT
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I don't know about unknown, but Crucifix with Mary's Tears is my favorite multi-pitch route in Yosemite. I've done most of the usual suspects for comparison.
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tahoe523
Trad climber
Station Wagon, USA
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Jul 29, 2011 - 11:33pm PT
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West Face of El Cap: keep this at the top of your to do list. It'll rock your socks off.
The Crucifix via Power Point to keep it at your desired grade.
The Chouinard-Herbert is an adventurous gem. A rad day out if you can get another pair of your buddies to do the Steck-Salathe. You can hear each other pretty much the whole way up and top out and go down the gully together. The Afro-Cuban flakes will demand your attention. And don't let the 5.8 OW fool you. Yeowch.
South Face of Mt. Watkins because I want to read more TRs from this climb.
Quantum Mechanic for that 5.12/5.13 route to work toward.
Have fun and keep posting your awesome TRs!
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Tom
Big Wall climber
San Luis Obispo CA
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Jul 29, 2011 - 11:48pm PT
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Almost nobody goes out to Elephant Rock. Hotline is among the easiest things over there. The routes are committing because you rap down from Highway 41, and then climb back up to your car. If you flub, you have to bushwack up garden-variety dirty poison oak 5.7 choss.
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WBraun
climber
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Jul 30, 2011 - 12:56am PT
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Hotline is among the easiest things over there.
Almost every time I look over there and watch someone lead the first pitch they're hang dogging around up there.
So I guess that makes it easy .....
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Matt
Trad climber
primordial soup
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Jul 30, 2011 - 01:38am PT
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wrt ribbon candy, i know of at least one party that did it, so yes on the 2nd, pbly several by now.
you know, therz a lot of good climbers around...
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ß Î Ø T Ç H
Boulder climber
bouldering
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Jul 30, 2011 - 01:59am PT
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Don't know if this fits your criteria, but ... http://www.stanford.edu/~clint/yos/milestone.htm (copy and paste the whole URL)
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Clint Cummins
Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
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Jul 30, 2011 - 02:13am PT
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Luke,
http://www.stanford.edu/%7Eclint/yos/
lists many such climbs:
 Long, Hard and Free - 80 routes - 10 or more pitches, 5.11 and harder
Long, Moderate and Free - 21 routes - 10 or more pitches, 5.10 and easier
Midsize, Hard and Free - 17 routes - under 9 pitches, at least 3 pitches 5.11 or harder
That's around 97 routes which meet your 5.11-5.12 and multipitch requirements (minus a few that are harder).
They can't all be crowded. :-)
Get busy with the West Face of El Cap, like Shino said!
It's not exactly obscure, but it's uncrowded and it's right up there in quality with A-man, plus the climbing is quite different.
Shade until afternoon - a good summertime route unless there are t-storms.
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