What Are Some Of The Most Overrated Climbs in Yosemite/Tuolu

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The Warbler

climber

the edge of America

Dec 9, 2012 - 11:39am PT

Damn Kevin, you are trashing half of my favorite routes.

Gotta laugh at that Tork.

I admit, by nature, I tend to stray from, if not run from, popular opinion and pursuit.

Midterm is too slippery, uniform, and stuffed back in a slot for me. I think Anticipation, TKO, Gripper are all better.

I did the second ascent of Central Pillar, and did the whole original 8 pitch route. Compared to other routes on MCR, it didn't seem that great. I agree that 2 and 3 are good, 1 1/4 pitches might be great, but that's just one an a quarter pitch out of 8 pitches..... MCR is for face climbing ;-)

Reeds Direct pitch 2 is splitter, yeah, and super clean, but repetitious easy moves, and the crux of that pitch is slightly awkward to me. The last pitch crux is short and unexposed.

Ahab's not hard???? Shuts most people down.

That's just it - if you do it right it's not that hard. Intimidating, yes, but overrated difficulty wise, or should I say rep wise, IMO. Great pitch, though, one of the best at Base of El Cap.

New D is a bit overrated quality wise and difficulty wise, I think. It's got good, fairly hard climbing, but it's cut up by ledge systems, and the upper half and crux has easier climbing not far to the right. Not saying it isn't a good route, just that I don't feel it lives up to its stellar reputation. I think The Biscuit is a way better route, for example.

Chief

climber

The NW edge of The Hudson Bay

Dec 9, 2012 - 11:45am PT

Kevin (Fosburg)

How the hell are you?
You're taking some of the proud off our Rostro-Man day, one of the best days of climbing I've ever had!
I do agree though, that compared to Butterballs, the Rostrum finger crack is a softer 11c.
Josh is generally stout and anything by Lechlinski/Gilje is likely a full heads up sandbag.
Hope you're well!

Perry

David Wilson

climber

Dec 9, 2012 - 11:57am PT

crux pitch on rostrum
rostrum 11b pitch up high
fish crack ( but i just TR'd )
chingando
crack a go go ( tricky though )
manana
vanishing point
catchy
any pitch of SS if rated 5.10
+ 1 for peruvian

-1 for cramming - hardest 10d i've done in yos
-1 for ahab - also seemed really hard
-1 for top pitch new D

snowhazed

Trad climber

Oaksterdam, CA

Dec 9, 2012 - 11:59am PT

Quality wise- American Wet Dream

Grade wise.... there are soft grades in the park?? If so they must be changed- we have a rep to maintain

Tork

climber

Yosemite

Dec 9, 2012 - 12:37pm PT

Kevin, now I have to rethink my idea of heading south to check out some of that stuff you've been developing. Our differences are scaring me away.

IMO the amount of technique plus mental and physical relaxation required to do Ahab earns it's hard reputation.

wstmrnclmr

Trad climber

Bolinas, CA

Topic Author's Reply - Dec 9, 2012 - 12:57pm PT

Snowhazed....Also depends on which guidebook you look at. Anything other then Supertopo is what I'm basing ratings on. Supertopo has definitely softened up the grades by upgrading many climbs and in my opinion, screwing up the system because they are way different. It seems as if Supertopo is trying to match trad with sport grades to get the gym crew a more realistic view of what their getting on which I think is not a bad idea except it messes with established rating systems for areas.
And the Warbler has put up some of the most heinous sandbags in the valley. So I would think that anything he says is easy is normal for mere mortals. Get on Quicksilver sometime and let me know if you think it's 5.9.

The Warbler

climber

the edge of America

Dec 9, 2012 - 01:36pm PT

You have to take my words with a grain 'o salt, Tork.

My perspectives are undeniably filtered through some forty years since I was doing those routes.

I do remember getting worked over by Ahab on my first go at age 17, I got up it, but the difference btw that day and the next a year later was so dramatic it struck me that it wasn't that it was hard, but that I just didn't know how to climb that well the first time.

Most of the routes I've done in SD are sport bolted and from steep slab to slightly overhanging. Nearly all on really good rock. With my ankle I make sure ledge and groundfall possibilities are minimal. It's old man friendly, IOW. And super pleasant in the dead 'o winter.

On a certain level that stuff in Southern Yosemite looks similar... Not saying this is up to that level of quality and setting, but the routes, scale, features, and protection are along the same lines.

Edit: If we had rated Quicksilver 5.10, it would have been downrated (by some) for sure. Not that that's the reason we rated it 5.9, it just doesn't have any 5.10 moves on it, IMO. Unless you get offroute of course.

I could see rating it 5.10 as a warning of sorts to the uninitiated.

Still sometimes wish we had put 2 or 3 times the bolts on that so more climbers could enjoy it, but it is what it is...

chill

climber

between the flat part and the blue wobbly thing

Dec 9, 2012 - 03:55pm PT

Warbler wrote -

There's way more underrated routes, especially quality wise.

Climbers are like people - most of them do what all the rest do...

Clearly your time would be best spent climbing elsewhere, the Valley is not worthy of you.

donini

Trad climber

Ouray, Colorado

Dec 9, 2012 - 04:28pm PT

We climb on immutable (with a few exceptions) rock features that were sitting there long before apes evolved into humans. Affixing numbers (grades) to them is a very recent game we play. "Climbs" are neither over or under rated, the arbitrary numbers we give them are transient and will fade away into history.