50 greatest single pitches

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Travis Haussener

Trad climber
Salt Lake City
Topic Author's Original Post - Jul 19, 2013 - 01:04pm PT
It's Friday sure I'm gonna die...and I couldn't find this elsewhere (maybe I just didn't look hard). I'm a youngen but so far two I'd put on there

Blue Sun (Indian Creek)
The Coffin (Wasatch)
nopantsben

climber
Jul 19, 2013 - 01:42pm PT
pancake flake - 5.9 - the nose.
femme blanache - 5.13 - ceuse
the Wing - A3 - native son
flake pitch - 5.10 - grosse mauer, heiligkreuzkofel
arete paulette - 5.11 - berdorf
incredible handcrack - 5.9 - indian creek
the one with the roof - 5.10 - lightning bolt cracks - north six shooter
the ear - 5.11 - moses tower
tanti auguri - 5.11 - verdon
equinox - 5.12 - joshua tree
illusion dweller - 5.10 - joshua tree
figures on a landscape - 5.10 - joshua tree
waimea - 5.10 - rumney
pitch 30 - 5.10 - the nose
the nipple - A2 - the zodiac
the rurp pitch - A3 - tribal rite, el cap
who's gonna win the war? - A3 - native son
running man - 5.11 - red rocks
spring break - 5.11 - red rocks
diagonal crack - 5.11 - positron, gogarth
right wall - 5.11 - wales
left wall - 5.10 - wales
archangel - 5.9 - stanage
fern hill - 5.10 - peak district
the axe - 5.11 - cloggy, wales
pitch 1 - 5.11 - locker vom hocker, wetterstein
quergang - 5.10 - cassin , cima ovest
arabe dement - 5.9 - verdon
poincenneur de lila - 5.13 - ceuse
orecchio del pachidermo - 5.11 - valle dell'orco
blow job - 5.12 - zillertal
5 sterne - 5.13 - zillertal
flake pitch - 5.7 - hochgrubachspitze, wilder kaiser
pitch 3 - 5.11 - kaum zeit zu atmen, hochkönig
hand crack - 5.9 - the door, baffin island
banana crack - 5.10 - pilier cordier, chamonix
changing corners - 5.11 - astroman
sacherer crack - 5.10 - el cap
the door - 5.13 - cadarese
bobby brown - 5.12 - berdorf
albatross -5.11 - pfalz
fight gravity - 5.12 - frankenjura
byzanthium - 5.10 - llyn, wales
pacemaker - 5.11 - sharpnose point, england
snake dike - 5.5 - half dome
skorpion - 5.12 - dschungel, austria 46
chrystal ship - 5.13 - zillertal
butterballs - 5.11 - yosemite
speed of life - 5.11 - tuolomne
climbing thorugh the hole on the reg nwf - 5.10 - half dome

wow , writing that list was a good ride through memories! i could do 46 without much pausing to think, had to dig for the last 5.
i included the ratings to see what shows up most often, and it is 5.11. interesting.
archangel, fern hill, and waimea are also the only very short ones (10-12 m ), but those also have some of the best moves..
there is a bunch of long routes that i thought were super good, but where no pitch in particular stood out.
Mark Hudon

Trad climber
Hood River, OR
Jul 19, 2013 - 01:47pm PT
The pitch above the Coral Sea on Native Son.
The middle Headwall pitch on Sunkist.
The pitch above The Carrot on Tribal Rite.
guyman

Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
Jul 19, 2013 - 01:48pm PT
Coffman Craig, Top of Palm Springs Tramway.

A 160 foot long, one pitch climb.

"It's Always Something" 5.11

You do everything, Chimney to pure Friction

All at 5.11
Doug Tomczik

climber
Bishop
Jul 19, 2013 - 02:31pm PT

 The first pitch of Hades at Suicide
 The Phoenix
weezy

climber
Jul 19, 2013 - 02:33pm PT
damn, ben. how the hell do you get around so much with no pants on?

travis, you need to get on up to lone peak cirque. tons of great pitches to be had up there.

don't have time for 50 but i'm throwing the last pitch of Infared in the mix. the third pitch fist crack is awesome too. hell, the whole route kicks ass!

edit: also, the crux of Desert Shield in zion. brassies for daaaaaays...
RyanD

climber
Squamish
Jul 19, 2013 - 02:50pm PT
Blue sun is one of the 50 "greatest" pitches I've climbed for sure. Will think of some & get back to u.
crøtch

climber
Jul 19, 2013 - 03:16pm PT
Any pitch on Thin Ice or Airy Interlude, The Needles
Warmup Handcrack, Indian Creek,
Steve Carruthers, Indian Creek
Sinestra, Indian Creek
Pente, Indian Creek
Big Guy, Indian Creek
Quarter of a Man, Indian Creek
Broken Tooth, Indian Creek
Chimney Pitch (70m link), RNWF HD
1st Stoveleg pitch
Narrows, Steck Salathe
Ahab
Pitch after 1st traverse, NEB HCR
5 Gallon Buckets, Smith
Last Chance, Smith
The Space Between, Trout Creek
Exasperator, Squamish
Pitch off of Surf's Up Ledge, Snowpatch Spire

I'll probably never climb this pitch but man would I like to! Check out the corner at the 5 minute mark on this video. http://vimeo.com/52701319#
nutjob

Sport climber
Almost to Hollywood, Baby!
Jul 19, 2013 - 03:28pm PT
This is going to be individual lists of 50 favorite pitches, tailored to the ability and opportunity/awareness of each poster. I've actually done very little climbing in comparison to the world of opportunities, and will limit my submissions according to what I think might be considered (even if only briefly) for a global list:

P2 on Hawkman's Escape
P2 Reed's Direct
P (2,3,4?) on Snake Dike - the runout face to main Dike, and long runout Dike
the arete pitch on Traveler's Buttress, looking down the spine. Or maybe substitute with a similar (better) pitch on Via Aqua near Yosemite Falls.


Honestly though, I don't think anything I've climbed would make the top 50 pitches in the world, after the number of striking ridgelines and buttresses and faces and crack systems I've seen in pictures. If we're talking Yosemite Top 50, I've got a decent chance of having done at least one.

Edit: Doh, the Narrows! How could I forget! That should certainly be in an all-time classic list, maybe even on a global scale. Boo-ya, I got one.
apogee

climber
Technically expert, safe belayer, can lead if easy
Jul 19, 2013 - 03:30pm PT
Dave's Deviation, Tahquitz
Spider Savage

Mountain climber
The shaggy fringe of Los Angeles
Jul 19, 2013 - 03:45pm PT
If you try you could find all 50 at Joshua Tree.

Todd is probably climbing one right now.
newAAC

Trad climber
Denver, Colorado
Jul 19, 2013 - 04:29pm PT
Wine and Roses, Fremont Canyon
Killer, Sinks
Supercrack and Foops, Gunks
Little Twin Owls finger crack, Lumpy
Whimsical Dreams, Turkey Rocks
Outer limits, Yo
Equinox, JTree
Black Dagger, the diamond
Dream of Wild Turkeys, Black Velvet, RR
......

gotta echo Quarter of a Man in the Creek
Dropline

Mountain climber
Somewhere Up There
Jul 19, 2013 - 04:34pm PT
P1 of Coex 10d Gunks
Any pitch of Enduroman 11c Gunks
Road Warrior 11d Gunks

P2 of Mindbender WI6 Willouhgby
Seamstress

Trad climber
Yacolt, WA
Jul 19, 2013 - 04:39pm PT
Less elite -

The last pitch of Outer Space (5.8 or 5.9) at Snow Creek Wall is just an amazing crack.

They Died Laughing (5.9) is one of my all-time favorites at Cathedral - along with The Layback pitch on Recompense (5.9) - and I hate laybacking on lead but I'll fight for that pitch every ascent. Let's not forget that jamcrack last pitch of Diedre (5.9), surprisingly not pumpy if you stem it.

I agree with Exasperator (5.10) at Squamish. Split Pillar (5.10) spit me out once, and I can't wait for another spin.

Love Unconquerable Crack (5.9) at Ragged. ShadowLark (5.9) at the Small Cliff, Ragged Edge (5.10), Subline (5.10), Reflections of FAll (5.9) East Peak and Pegasus (5.8) at Cathole

JT - Bird of Fire, Rubicon, Illusion Dweller. All perfect 10s for me.

The crux pitch of Red Dihedral (5.10)is gorgeous.

Pitch 3 of Tranquility (5.10) on the South Buttress of Whitehorse

Zambesi Hatchet Head (5.7) overlaps, face, crack, so much variety in such a small space.

The last pitch of High Exposure (5.6)- can you say fun while hyperventilating on an easy climb? And how many people line up for this fun?

Old Town (5.7) on Cadillac Mountain in Acadia - pink granite, near the sea, fabulous stemming

Solar (5.9) on Devil's Tower - both pitches!

crøtch

climber
Jul 19, 2013 - 04:41pm PT
How did I forget

Thank God Ledge
Rudder

Trad climber
Costa Mesa, CA
Jul 19, 2013 - 04:48pm PT
1st pitch -- figures on a landscape - 5.10 - joshua tree
nopantsben

climber
Jul 19, 2013 - 05:08pm PT
i forgot the flakes pitch on the vampire in tahquitz! will edit my list now ;)
Josh Higgins

Trad climber
San Diego
Jul 19, 2013 - 05:09pm PT
In the Needles:

Scirocco (done as one pitch)
Pyromania MUST be on this list!!!

Indian Creek:

Slice and Dice

Kalymnos:

Trella (before the stalagtite broke)

Taipan Wall in Australia MUST have at least one, but it would be a hard choice!

Are we talking single pitch climbs, or does a single pitch on a multipitch count?

Josh
Nkane

Trad climber
San Francisco, USA
Jul 19, 2013 - 05:21pm PT
The best of the best - aesthetics, rock quality, movement, position:

The Line - P1&2 linked - 5.9 - Lovers Leap
Ants Line - 5.9 - The Trapps
Godzilla - 5.9 - Lower Town Wall
Bonnie's Roof - P1 - 5.9 - The Trapps
High Exposure - P2 - 5.6 - The Trapps
They Died Laughing - 5.9 - Cathedral Ledge
Scarface - 5.11 - Indian Creek
OZ - The Corner Pitch - 5.10 - Tuolomne


Pitches I haven't climbed, but included because come on!

The Predator - 5.13b - Rumney
K Cracks - 5.6 - Pingora
Travis Haussener

Trad climber
Salt Lake City
Topic Author's Reply - Jul 19, 2013 - 05:33pm PT
Great list so far, to edit any pitch counts although the "outside North America" stuff is very unfamiliar to me...keep em coming

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