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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 will be adding more in the future.
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 all the "how to" books on aid climbing you
can find. 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.
|
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’
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
are 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. |
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 guidebook, 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.
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
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 bring on multi-day walls.
I did not include a rack for an example 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, buts, pitons, etc.
| Rack
for all clean routes (Example: The Nose) |
Rack
for mostly clean routes (Example: Zodiac)
|
Misc.
gear for multi-day walls: |
1
set of nuts
1 ea offset brass nuts #1-3, 2 ea #4-6
1 set of Leeper cam hooks
2-3 sets of Aliens to orange (1.75”)
2 sets of Camalots #1-#3
1 #4 Camalot
1 60m x 10mm lead line
1 60m x 9mm static haul line
Gri Gri
Petzl Mini Traxion
Petzl ascenders
Metolius lightweight 4-step aiders
1 spectra daisy chain
Five Ten Guide Almighty's
Five Ten Ascents
Petzl Ecrin Roc helmet
single gear sling |
ALL
CLEAN ROUTE RACK PLUS:
1-2 sets of all Black Diamond hooks (some pointed)
2 sets of mid-sized Leeper cam hooks (I don't use the smallest
and largest sizes)
4 keyhole hangers
4 wire rivet hangers
A5 hammer (no longer made)
5 copperheads (#2-3)
1 birdbeak or Black Diamond Pecker
1 Knifeblade
3 lost arrows (#1-3)
2 baby angles (1/2”, 5/8”)
2 sawed angles (3/4”, 1”)
2 spectra daisy chains
2 Metolius 4 step aiders
Fish double gear sling
tie-off loops
|
A5
Cliff Cabana double portaledge
Metolius Half Dome haulbag
A5 Grade IV Haulbag
3/4 ensolite pad
North Face Climber’s Sleeping bag
stuff sacks with clip in loops
big wall spoon (spoon with can opener built in. hard to find)
poop container (non PVC)
handy wipes
Petzl Tika headlamp
leather gloves with fingers cut off
lightweight shell jacket
small knife
wide-brimmed cloth sun hat
digital camera
duct tape
|
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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