Top 20 Tahquitz/Suicide Climbs on Mtn. Project

Flower of High Rank 5.7

Also, pretty hard to beat Moondance.

Moondance is excellent, but not destined to become a trade route.

But what does Henny know?

But, it seems that most people do the same routes and haven't experienced some true gems.

Hell, you gotta leave the Paisano on there just because any list of classic climbs should have at least one that's going to flake out the chaff, cut the fluff, and separate the men from the boys. reference: Hummingbird Ridge

That is (sorta) exactly the reason why Fingertip Traverse deserves a place on the low end of this list. Seriously.

Etude and Seasons End are two of my favorites at Suicide. Its been almost 20 years since I have done either of the two but I remember them fondly as being pure fun to lead.

....another good link-up was/is Looking Backwards to My Pink Half of the Drainpipe.


And Sketchy? What the hell kind of route name is that, anyways.....?!?

Bird, you're such a ass.

applying a list of 20 to tahquitz-suicide seems just a bit trivializing.

I know, f*#king MP.com coming over to the Taco making us talk about their lists. I think MP.com is a socialist company!

the richness of climbing's history there rivals yosemite's. dig into that history and find your place in it.

Yeah, I'm gonna find my place in history on this thread. You know, with pics and stories of the FA's, the FFA's, my place in history is pretty much assured (as is yours).

everyone has different talents on the rock and responds differently,

If there were only some more approachable sport climbing in Idyllwild, it would see good climbers come around.

i'd like to see supertopo discussions become just a tad less trivial.

I know, talking about routes that I dream about and looking at pictures of the past, present, and framing myself in a photo of the future is so... unfulfilling and trite.

one way for that to happen would be for important people to lend more weight when important subjects come up

Do you know what it took to get Dr. F in this thread rather than that one ->... The gods wept!

as far as i'm concerned, supertopo is not the place for me to tell everyone how i fit into a trivial list of 20.

Trust me, we all know how you fit.

Murf

LOLZ! That ought to cover it!

my other gripe is with russ. i don't think we don't need adbots arising within supertopo.

But Gaines, who's been up there for like 65 years

I think this topic brings out the difference between conservatives and liberal/progressives

If route was put up with very poor pro, and is on the verge of being a death trap, and only the most expert climbers can repeat it...
It should be fixed, as a gift to the climbing community.

at I'm curious about is there a particular route the collective hasn't done yet or know of anyone doing? One that jumps to mind for me is the Frightful Variation 11d. to the right of Angels Fright. I'm sure there is more to the name then what I remember, but it's in the Wilt's guide.
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The Frightful Fright was one of the last old aid routes left at Tahquitz when I caught wind of it sometime in the last 70s. Seems like we did most everything in that area that was natural and obvious including a direct finish to Blankity Blank. Then I went up and took a close look at Frightful Fright with Eric E. We both thought it would go but - it was just a short but clearly grim section on (I think) the first pitch. But the thin crack was plugged up with some old fixed gear so we had to spend that first exploratory dicking around hammering and cleaning stuff to free up the finger locks and I remember relocating one of the pins so the crux was well protected. I went back up there with Mike Lechlinski and we both did it right off but it felt hard.

Some years later I saw that it was rated 5.11d and always wondered who repeated it how they ever arrived at that rating.

PS: And the 5.11d rating for Race with the Devil is just silly talk. That's a 5.12 start if ever there was one and a normal 5.11 leader would sh#t a cinder block trying to on sight this one. I remember leading this right after Tony did it and thinking I was basically soloing the first pitch.

Speaking of Red Rain, you people must not be seeing the bomber nut right after joining the Cross.

Flakes-STH-Flakes-The Price of Fear is a great linkup. Batcrack-Crucifix-Field of Dreams is a step up from that.

The Newf_proof_roof is not, AKA Paisano Overhang

Then I went back a few years later and Henny had yanked all the holds off the thing and it felt like mid 5.12.

Wonder if it ever gets done these days??

Sheesh, ya gotta watch everybody around here like a hawk.

And how about a super obscure route (only 15 feet long), that being the mantle off the ledge on the Hernia. That one is grim hard and dangerous. And worthless.

who did the first f-s of Insomnia?

Tony chipped holds on a route at the Needles that is the same as the Rappel line from the top!!!
I forgot the dome,

But you can see that they were chipped, they found a chisel at the bottom, and it was Tony's FA.

Someone else must know the details better than me.
Please post up.

We would speculate that the reason his Hardest Route on the Planet was called "The Grand Illusion",
Maybe it would be the hardest route if he actually did it all free, but it was just a grand illusion.

aint no way Yaniro chiseled routes. uh uh. total bullshitt.

the stonedmasters got some bad weed if thats what they think

Bob, I think you should bump the rating up a letter on The Crucifiction, seems marginally harder nowadays than it was right after you put it up. Or maybe I'm just old, not sure. You picked a plum with that one. Like all the non-name routes over there I wonder how much it gets done. People are missing a good one if they haven't done it.

aint no way Yaniro chiseled routes. uh uh. total bullshitt.

All with Vibram soled shoes (didn't own RDs, PAs or EBs). No chalk bag, smooth soles, sticky rubber or cams and we made most of our own nuts. Do I get extra credit old school bonus points?

I also think that Field of Dreams is harder than rated in the guide. Harder than any other slab I've tried to lead. I don't search out slab so I don't have a huge amount of milage on harder slab, but I don't avoid it. I'd call that pitch 5.12a. I've redpointed Stairway to Heaven, but not Field of Dreams.

Bob, I think calling it 12a would suffice, probably what I would give it. If it's still a little stout so be it, at least it's the right number. An exact science it's not. All I know is I've been over there recently a few times with some good slab climbers. Common consensus was it's not 11d, it's harder. Brilliant climbing up that polished runnel, hoping to pull that knob down to you.

One of the original pins on The Magical Mystery Tour used to be over to the left where the guide shows the original route going. After the FFA I think Matt went back and did something more direct but I don't know specifically what. Kind of moot now, but it would be interesting to know what Matt did before things settled into their current state.

On pitch 2, where the original route moved left, I added a bolt under the roof for a more direct (and logical) line back in 1994 (It's on the topo and noted in the text in the 2001 guide) which made a lot more sense since the original route basically traversed all the way left, off the slab and into a corner before moving back right. It's only 11a over the little roof, so maybe Matt went back up there and did it without any pro, but I wasn't aware of it at the time.

Bob, when you did the Incision were there any bolts already on the seam?

you remember BG, mallery, Callaghan and me in the 80's ?

11c rating of Crucifix