Yosemite Point Buttress

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Larry

Trad climber
Reno NV
Topic Author's Original Post - May 6, 2004 - 10:30am PT
Is the Yosemite Point Buttress route an OK route? Reid gives it no stars but that doesn't mean much to me. The only person I know who's climbed it thought it was a piece of schist but she and I have disagreed about route quality in the past.

I have a fairly high tolerance for chimneys & decomposed rock. Can anyone who's climbed it give an opinion on its quality?
Ben Wah

Social climber
May 6, 2004 - 12:05pm PT
The approach is long; the descent is longer; there is much decomposed rock; it gets full sun all day.
Karl Baba

Trad climber
Yosemite, Ca
May 6, 2004 - 05:20pm PT
I thought it was a piece of crap (by Yosemite standards) at the time. I was probably off-route for 4 or 5 pitches though.

And it's an adventurous piece of crap with a stellar view, good exercise and good adventure.

Ya just have to be in that kinda mood. Just thinking about it makes me kinda want to go back.

Peace

karl
Fingerlocks

Trad climber
where the climbing's good
May 6, 2004 - 06:22pm PT
Way to go Karl. That's the spirit.
rockermike

Mountain climber
Oakland
May 6, 2004 - 08:46pm PT
I climbed it 2 or 3 times back in the day ('79 or '80). I used to really like the route though others disagree. Chimneys, choss, tricky route finding all sound true to my fading recollection. But the last couple of pitches clean up to a nice hand crack in an amazingly spectacular location. You can do the descent in the dark and you may well have to.
Larry

Trad climber
Reno NV
Topic Author's Reply - May 6, 2004 - 08:53pm PT
Any pointers on finding the start?
Clint Cummins

Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
May 7, 2004 - 04:06pm PT
>Any pointers on finding the start?

Assuming you want to do the Direct version:

Gain Sunnyside Bench (via various methods), and traverse to its far left end. Climb a tree there to get past a short steep section off the Bench. Up the gully and slabs towards Lost Arrow Chimney. At a nebulous point where you can see open ground over to the right, head up and right towards the lower/right of 2 corner systems, as pictured in the guidebook (1987 guide p.207, 1994 guide p.155). Solo up this corner system (low class 5) to the crest of the buttress, where the first 5.8 pitch will be directly above you. Allow a couple of hours for this approach. If you are going up there this time of year, brings lots of water and 2 good headlamps.

For the original route, consult the description in the Roper guide.

Have fun,

Clint Cummins
weekender

climber
Oaklanc CA
May 7, 2004 - 07:02pm PT
Standard long 5.9 adventure route that goes to the rim. What more could you want? Very scenic and the top out is cool.
Karl Baba

Trad climber
Yosemite, Ca
May 10, 2004 - 02:34am PT
The single coolest move I remember from YPB is at the beginning of Pitch 3 you hand traverse around a corner into a chimney. Pretty wild.

It got dark on us at the end and the last pitch wasn't obvious with headlamps. I climbed left, and then had to downclimb, then went straight up and then had to downclimb, finally, went a bit right and hit the top.

Let us know how it goes

peace

karl
Larry

Trad climber
Reno NV
Topic Author's Reply - May 10, 2004 - 12:54pm PT
"Do you know who first free climbed the YPB?"

I don't have reference materials handy, but I don't even know who did the FA. I remember a pic of Steck on it though.

I'm interested in knowing about the FA and the FFA. If I had to guess about the FFA...sometime in the early to mid sixties. Sacherer, Pratt, Robbins, Roper...? Or some unsung climber?

"It's a rim free climb. How many of those have you done anyway?"

Well, lessee. Not that it matters, but: Royal Arches ('75), Piton Traverse on the Column ('75), E. Butt El Cap ('85), Astroman ('85), Salathe Route on Half Dome ('93). These old bones may not be up to the YPB.

Which is longer/harder overall, Steck/Salathe or YPB?
Brutus of Wyde

climber
Old Climbers' Home, Oakland CA
May 10, 2004 - 01:13pm PT
YPB is the DNB of the south-facing walls.

One of the best moderately long routes in the Valley, right up there with Lost Arrow Chimney.

I give it 2 thumbs up. The rotten chimney below the top of the pedestal is great, and the route has numerous other memorable pitches, some of which Dingus mentions: the two off the pedestal, the wild hand traverse lower down that goes around a corner into a slick, flared bottomless chimney...

Sat out a 6-hour rainstorm atop the pedestal one time, climbing off the top in the dark... 24 hours 3 minutes from sleeping bag to sleeping bag... almost a full-credit day.
Ctgunkie

Trad climber
New Canaan, CT
Aug 30, 2004 - 05:57pm PT
Clint - I was wondering about this climb recently and saw your comment that you assume he was referring to the Direct version. Is there another version? I don't have the Roper guidebook. I remember reading in his Camp 4 history some story about doing a traverse. What is the traverse and is that a worthwhile outing?

I was looking for something with less awfulwidths...

Thanks for any beta!
Larry

Trad climber
Reno NV
Topic Author's Reply - Aug 30, 2004 - 08:48pm PT
I'm glad someone brought this topic back up.

My partner and I glassed the route extensively this spring. We saw what looked like a couple of large rockfall scars, especially a round one very near the rim.

From what we could tell, the tree at pitch 7 in the Reid topo has been decapitated about 40 feet up.

We intended to do the approach the day before the climb, so we wouldn't get lost on the big day. But it rained; that, along with uncertainties about a changed route due to big rockfall, our inability to match the (glassed) route with the topo and our general wimpiness led us to not even try (yet).

Any comments about changes in the route due to rockfall?
Clint Cummins

Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
Sep 2, 2004 - 03:05am PT
Ctgunkie wrote:
------

>I was wondering about this climb recently and saw your comment
>that you assume he was referring to the Direct version.
>Is there another version? I don't have the Roper guidebook.
Yes, the original YPB started in a gully to the right. The YPBD was a start which was added later. The Roper guidebook describes them nicely.

>I remember reading in his Camp 4 history some story about doing a traverse.
>What is the traverse and is that a worthwhile outing?
Well, I have the Roper guidebook(s), but not his Camp 4 history, so it seems we will be unable to communicate on this using the books....

>I was looking for something with less awfulwidths...
There aren't any offwidths on it (except on pitch 2, which you can avoid by doing a couple of hard moves using cracks on the face to its left). There are many chimneys, including one (pitch 3) which is quite flaring. As other posts have mentioned, you normally access this by a fun hand traverse, although you can actually skip the hand traverse and enter the flaring chimney at a slightly higher point.

Personally, the part I disliked most on the route was the rotten chimney leading to the Pedestal. The belay anchor we used was rather poor.
Link

climber
Yosemite, CA
Sep 4, 2004 - 01:28pm PT

There's a fixed #4 camalot on pitch three, makes for a killer foothold.

Don't miss the down climb at the start of pitch... something around five? Leaves the corner and goes right. Face climbing off the pedistal was a bit spicy, but the hard crack up above is wonderful.

-Link
Brutus of Wyde

climber
Old Climbers' Home, Oakland CA
Sep 5, 2004 - 01:24pm PT
Link, is that a #4 camalot or a 4.5 camalot!?

Tom McMillan left my new 4.5 on that pitch after I oversunk it. First (and only) route I carried it on, no less. Be interesting if it was still there, after all these years (it was within 6 months of when BD started marketing them.)

Brutus

PS

If you used that fixed piece as a foothold, you get penalty slack.

And *I* think the Rotten Chimney was the best pitch on the route, if only for entertainment value. Gotta love a climbing technique that pressures everything into place!

:)
Link

Trad climber
Yosemite, CA
Sep 7, 2004 - 02:51pm PT

Nope, just a good old crunched #4, not coming out any time soon. Unfortunately the leader's rope seems to get jammed against one of the cams, can create a bit of a "problem." If someone wants to bring some tools, there's definitely a cleaning job to be done.

-Link
DrDeeg

Mountain climber
Mammoth Lakes, CA
May 3, 2009 - 12:09am PT
First FFA was by Sacherer and Telshaw in summer '64. See Ed's list
http://www.supertopo.com/climbing/thread.html?topic_id=268647&tn=0

the original aid route went up the dihedral, but Frank & Don climbed a crack about 20 feet left, a sustained but straightforward jam.

Descent is long, but it's on a trail. If benighted, you can still feel your way down.
Gene

climber
May 3, 2009 - 12:15am PT
The book of Roper (1971) credits Yvon Chouinard and Tom Frost with the FFA in 1960 by a variation "destined to receive very few ascents." Said variation "is overshadowed" by one done free by Frank Sacherer and Don Telshaw in 8/1964.
Captain...or Skully

Social climber
North of the Owyhees
May 3, 2009 - 12:16am PT
Best choss climbing in the Valley, per Ben-Wah.
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