favorite 5.8s in the valley

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HighTraverse

Trad climber

Bay Area

Jun 16, 2010 - 06:07pm PT

Hi August West
on Selaginella
I agree with you. Not really runout.

Why lieback when you can grovel the chimney?
Always seemed like a good idea at the time.
And I love liebacks.

One man's fist crack might be another woman's OW.
The right side crack at the base swallows a man's climbing shoe (and won't let go......ask me how I know).
So call it WIDE fist or narrow OW. It's strenuous for 5.8. So 5.8+ or 5.9? Didn't say it would shut a 5.8 climber down, just might make you work a bit harder than you expected.
I'm negotiable.

Anyway you do it, with the Commitment linkup a fine 5.8 day.

donini
There are a few Valley 5.8s that give several pitches of fine climbing at grade.
You're probably too busy putting up routes like Basket Case to pay them any mind. Not that there's ANYTHING wrong with that!

gonzo chemist

climber

Crane Jackson's Fountain St. Theater

Jun 16, 2010 - 09:17pm PT

A bunch of people have mentioned Commitment. But I also think that The Caverns is pretty fun. Its a little wander-y at the top.

All in all, though, I have to agree with donini, that the 5.8s at the Gunks tend to be a little more engaging.

-Nick

Perseus

Big Wall climber

Jun 16, 2010 - 09:20pm PT

My last time in the valley, I did The Caverns - a good amount of choss, but not your typical route. A lot of variable climbing with some really cool features.

The Golden Needle was awesome!! The second pitch has some fantastic jamming and committing liebacking - enjoyed it immensely!

HighTraverse

Trad climber

Bay Area

Oct 4, 2011 - 03:23pm PT

Bump
and where the Heck is Fireplace Bluffs? Is it the large dome visible above the Old Big Oak Flat Rd west of Audobon Buttress? And how do you find Audobon Buttress?

Brokedownclimber

Trad climber

Douglas, WY

Oct 4, 2011 - 03:42pm PT

I'll just chime in here (late, as usual) with the valley 5.8's that I enjoyed.

Manure Pile Buttress: After Seven, Nutcracker

Glacier Point Apron: Harry Daley Route, Point Beyond

Church Bowl: Bishop's Terrace

Five Open Books: Try Again ledge (tricky start, and a PG13), Commitment (has a few 5.9 moves).

"On my list" to do sometime: Trial By Fire, Nurdle, Ejesta, Golden Needles, and Church Bowl Lieback.

Melissa

Gym climber

berkeley, ca

Oct 4, 2011 - 03:57pm PT

Via Aqua

Barbarian

Trad climber

The great white north, eh?

Oct 4, 2011 - 04:29pm PT

Thinking about trying to lead Harry Daley this year .. how much do people use offset nuts / cams on the first pitch ?

It goes just fine with plain old Stoppers. Never needed anything else there.

HighTraverse

Trad climber

Bay Area

Oct 4, 2011 - 05:23pm PT

It goes just fine with plain old Stoppers. Never needed anything else there.

For the traverse: small stoppers, at least one opposition stopper placement, IIRC. Excellent practice in protecting a thin, horizontal crack. Don't fall anyway.
Small TCU's C4/C3 Camalots help-a-lot these days.

wstmrnclmr

Trad climber

Bolinas, CA

Oct 5, 2011 - 04:24am PT

A lot of people have mentioned the Harry Daley route with Point beyond after. Don't mix it up with Point Beyond Direct which is a whole other world. I think Clint Cummins mentioned it up thread as having one bolt on the slab and run out. He's right on and the climbing is 5.9+ to a weird corner move protected by the weirdest home made ring bolt contraption ever seen. NOT for the beginning 5.8 or even 5.9 leader.

rhyang

climber

SJC

Oct 9, 2011 - 11:32pm PT

Rodger, you will love Ejesta and Nurdle. Just did Golden Needles and Commitment this weekend. Really nice routes.

Another party on Nurdle (did it last spring, did it again this weekend)
Link up with the 5.8 second pitch of Knob Job for a great time. Rap off with a single 70m or two ropes.

Sweet double cracks on Golden Needles
(another one where a 70m will be good for the rap)

Great 5.8 crack on Commitment's p1

Murcy on second pitch of Commitment, just below crux roof (that one was MINE :)

zeta

Trad climber

Berkeley

Topic Author's Reply - Oct 9, 2011 - 11:47pm PT

great pics rhyang....glad you like Golden Needles. It's a great 2nd pitch!

murcy

Gym climber

sanfrancisco

Oct 10, 2011 - 09:55pm PT

Yeah, after a little off-road action in the land of dispersed camping,

Rob and I played on Golden Needles,

Nurdle (first time for me, very fun), but clearly not the first time for this soloist bringing up a rope to play on nearby routes,

Sherrie's Crack (top-rope) (I was content to hang-dog my way up the evil tips part to get to the great hand crack),

Generator Crack (which oddly seemed much more exhausting than it did two weeks ago when Joey F. took this picture of the crux lowering-without-throwing-up),

and Commitment, with very nice leads of the cruxes by Robert.

More was planned but I was super out-of-it and unwilling to push it. Turned out that my night chills and drenched sweats were not sleeping-bag mismanagement after all, but some kind of cold/flu fever deal (my first in 3 years, and it starts 2 days after I get a flu shot--coincidence?), so I am glad to have held up for at least a good passel of awesome routes.

rhyang

climber

SJC

Oct 10, 2011 - 10:08pm PT

Last time I got a flu shot I felt sick the next weekend too. Kind of wondered if something wasn't quite right .. glad we went home when we did. Get well soon !

Brokedownclimber

Trad climber

Douglas, WY

Oct 10, 2011 - 10:39pm PT

Rob-

I've done Commitment, but many years ago. I also enjoyed The Surprise, and have done it both ways, the traverse to the right on p.2 (1980) and also the 5.10a finish (1981). Try Again Ledge is O.K. after the first 20 feet or so, which is a bit spooky and hard to protect. Your pictures of Golden Needles and Nurdle make them look very attractive. I still need to do Hanging Teeth and The Caverns on the FOB.

Rodger