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Yosemite
Big Wall Climbing Info
Yosemite is big wall paradise. The walls are enormous, the rock
solid, and the weather ideal. Below I have offered a primer to
help you plan a Yosemite big wall adventure. I have also included
some personal tips and techniques and the gear I am currently
using. Enjoy!
— Chris McNamara
P.S. email me if you have
any beta that should be added to this page
Yosemite
Big Wall Skills
Yosemite offers short practice aid routes, 3000-foot A5 nightmares,
and everything in between. No matter what you plan to climb, you
will need basic free climbing and aid climbing skills before you
arrive in the Valley. Train in both a climbing gym and your local
crag and read our How
To Big Wall Climb Forum Post.
Consider purchasing Road
to The Nose, a guidebook that offers advice on training for
Yosemite big walls and also includes numerous topos for moderate
routes. For a more complete selection of big wall routes, check
out Yosemite Big
Wall SuperTopos.
Good
Practice Aid Climbs
Here are some El Capitan base routes to hone your aid skills
and get you familiar with Yosemite granite. All these climbs are
included in the Road to The
Nose
guidebook. Also, here are some Southern
California practice areas
|
Route
|
Rating
|
Pitches |
Source
|
Description
|
| Pacific
Ocean Wall Base |
C1
|
1
|
|
The
Pacific Ocean Wall is an intimidating climb with a very moderate
first pitch. This is a great first aid climbing lead. |
| North
America Wall Base |
C2
|
1
|
|
This
pitch offers sustained nut and small cam placements with a few
"aid boulder problems" below the anchor. |
|
El
Cap Tree
|
C2
5.7
|
4
|
|
This
wandering and adventurous climb leads to El Cap Tree, an
80-foot
ponderosa, the only major tree on El Capitan. |
| Dihedral
Wall Base |
C2+
|
2
|
|
These
two pitches ascend the lower portion of an enormous 600-foot
dihedral. They are sustained and involve some tricky placements. |
| La
Escuela |
C1
|
1
|
|
A
great first aid lead. Some of the placements are a little awkward
but they are generally secure. |
Good
First Big Wall Climbs in Yosemite
Below are five moderate Yosemite big walls. None of these climbs
is easy and you will need to have your aid skills wired before
attempting one. Most of these climbs are included in the Road
to The Nose guidebook.
|
Route
|
Rating
|
Pitches
|
Source
|
Description
|
| Washington
Column, South Face |
C1
5.8
|
10
|
|
A
popular first wall. This climb is probably the easiest Grade
V wall and is usually crowded. |
| Leaning
Tower, West Face |
C2F
5.7
|
11
|
|
Probably
Yosemite's shortest Grade V wall but also the most overhanging.
Most of the crux sections have fixed gear and there are many
bolt ladders. |
|
The
Prow
|
C2F
5.6
|
12
|
|
A
steep and popular route. While most crux sections are fixed,
the exposure and thin crack systems make this climb challenging
both mentally and physically. |
| Lost
Arrow Spire Tip |
C2
5.7
|
2
|
|
A
true Yosemite classic climb. While only two pitches long, the
exposure will make you feel like you're halfway up El Capitan. |
| Skull
Queen |
C2
5.8
|
13
|
|
A
more difficult and less crowded variation to the South Face. |
Brief ad break: please help support this site by checking out
the Yosemite
Big Walls guidebook.
There is a free
sample dowload here
Good
Long and Moderate Big Wall Climbs
After climbing a few shorter big wall routes, you may be ready
to tackle the biggies: Half Dome and El Capitan. Listed below
are some of the most classic Grade VI big walls in Yosemite. Even
if you are too cheap to buy one of our rock climbing guidebooks,
please take a look at the list of climbs to develop a good tick
list of great Yosemite climbing routes. But, please consider supporting
our efforts by buying one of our SuperTopo
itinerary packs—you won't be disappointed! Check out
our list of Yosemite's 40+ best big wall climbs
|
Route
|
Rating
|
Pitches |
Source
|
Description
|
| Half
Dome, Northwest Face |
C1
5.9
|
23
|
|
My
(Chris McNamara's) favorite route. Loads of quality free climbing
in a spectacular location. Most of this route can be climbed
at 5.9 or easier. |
| The
Nose |
C2
5.9
|
31
|
|
Considered
by many to best rock climb in the world. Period. |
|
Salathé
Wall
|
C2
5.9
|
35
|
|
Almost
as classic and slightly harder than the The Nose. Many memorable
pitches and ledges. |
| Lurking
Fear |
C2F
5.7
|
19
|
|
One
of the more moderate and shorter routes on El Capitan. The first
half requires mostly aid climbing and the second half requires
mostly free climbing. |
| Zodiac
|
A2
5.7
|
16
|
|
The
most moderate route on El Capitan's overhanging southeast face.
Spectacular exposure and easy hauling. |
Climbing
Safety
More than 100 climbing accidents occur every year in Yosemite. The
two documents below include some helpful information to help you
avoid an accident.
Climbing
Ethics
The document below contains a number of tips that all big wall
climbers should adhere to in order to keep Yosemite the climbing
paradise it is today. Also, here is a great thread on making a
poop
tube or big wall waste system and a discussion
on big wall passing ethics.
Favorite
Big Wall Links
 Tuan's
Mountaineering Page
John
Middendorf's Big Wall Page
Bigwall.com
Live
El Cap Cam
Paul
Brunner's Useful tips for first timers
Fish
Products
Brief Commercial Interruption: If you are thinking about buying
some of the gear mentioned in this article, we would appreciate
it if you would try our Gear
PriceFinder before you buy. It won’t cost you anything
extra, will probably save you 10-50% and it does help support this
website and keep this content free.
Chris
McNamara's Aid Rack
Here are the two aid racks I use most often on Yosemite big walls.
I have also included a checklist of what to bring on multi-day
walls. I did not include a rack for a sample A4 nailing route
because nailing racks vary wildly depending on the route. Keep
in mind that everyone prefers different gear and my rack not necessarily
the best rack for you. Also, I tend to go light and you will probably
carry more cams, nuts, pitons, etc. Shere a detailed description
of basic
wall gear and protection or a description of haul
bags, portaledges, and bivy gear
If you click on any of the following links and make a purchase,
a portion of sale comes back to us to help keep the site running: Altrec EMS Moosejaw Mountain
Gear Mammoth Gear Backcountry Patagonia REI
Anchor
Conditions
Since 1997 the American Safe Climbing Association has replaced more
than 800 bolts in Yosemite. Some anchor information is available
for certain climbs on the route
beta pages. For the most up-to-date information on each route’s
anchors conditions, visit the ASCA
web site.
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