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Yosemite

PostPosted: Tue Oct 06, 2009 3:14 am
by dfrancom
Heading to the Valley with my soon to be wife. What moderate to easy multi-or single pitch climbs can we do? I can lead about 5.8 trad. Also, any recommendatons on the best all-around climbing guide book? thanks!

PostPosted: Tue Oct 06, 2009 6:28 am
by SpiderSavage
Manure Pile Buttress (AKA Ranger Rock) next to El Cap picnic area on the north side. After Seven and After Six are both very high quality moderate climbs that protect well.

Also it is very fun to go to the base of El Capitan right up under the Nose and put your hands on the wall and look up. Over to the left of this there are some moderate one pitch routes. Plus you can go home and say you CLimbed (on) El Capitan.

PostPosted: Tue Oct 06, 2009 7:21 am
by mungeclimber
climb El CAP!!!

aka Pine Line 5.7 1 pitch - fun route

PostPosted: Tue Oct 06, 2009 3:21 pm
by rhyang
Supertopo's Yosemite Valley Free Climbs is quite detailed, but not as comprehensive. The falcon guide to Yosemite Valley (aka the Reid guide) has more climbs in it, but less detail and some would say better if you are kind of burned out on the four star classics and want to go looking for an "adventure" :)

snake dike?

PostPosted: Tue Oct 06, 2009 3:58 pm
by dfrancom
how about snake dike? how does the runout 5.4 compare to normal modern ratings? is it true 5.4 on the upper pitches. I think this would be a really fun way to summit Half Dome.
thanks for your helps guys!
Dingus Milktoast wrote:You may want to test yourself on one of the classic Yosemite 5.8 'grade' routes:

Bishop's Terrace. With a 200' rope you can do it in one pitch (take a full rack). Fingers, hands (on MY the HANDS!), a little easy wideness, steep finish, solid pro... rap anchor; need two ropes.

Good for an afternoon or evening cool down/trial. If you can send that crack comfortably you are at the Yosemite 5.8 grade level.

The other routes mentioned are good ones. Nutcracker (Suite) may get mentioned to you - a classic Royal Robbins route on Manure Pile, to the right of After 6 and After 7. Its not an expecially difficult line but its 5 pitches and the crux is the last one and if you actually fall from the crux you stand a good chance of breaking an ankle (as have many). I'm just giving you a heads up - if you DO want to do Nutcrack, do Bishop's Terrace first, see how you do.

DMT

PostPosted: Tue Oct 06, 2009 4:23 pm
by Guyzo
Listen to Dingus.

You might go to the Five Open Books...... lots to do and a really cool place to hang.

or just go start working on "Midnight Lighting" ..... :wink:

Have tons of fun.

Re: snake dike?

PostPosted: Tue Oct 06, 2009 4:44 pm
by dfrancom
Isn't it possible to attache purusiks to the cables for the way down? If we get an early start and climb fast with good weather? Super topo says you can bail at any point on the route with two 50 or 60 meter ropes. I plan to bring my twin 70 meter lines.

I fugure 14 miles won't be too bad compared to a one day ascent of Ganette peak 36 miles round trip (green river lakes entrance), my legs still hurt from that one. I like to suffer!

Dingus Milktoast wrote:
dfrancom wrote:how about snake dike? how does the runout 5.4 compare to normal modern ratings? is it true 5.4 on the upper pitches. I think this would be a really fun way to summit Half Dome.


Well.... its October my friend. The cables are down and we are one storm away from winter. Its a bugger of an approach and going down the cables when the poles are down is not for the timid. I'd say save this one for next year and do it when you have 14 hours of sunlight to burn.

DMT

PostPosted: Tue Oct 06, 2009 4:45 pm
by Franky
Man, Bishops Terrace is a sweet climb. Head down to pat and jacks and check out nurdle too.

PostPosted: Tue Oct 06, 2009 5:26 pm
by rhyang
I've never climbed the Snake Hike this late in the season, but my understanding is that the HD cables are still up, and are usually taken down after Columbus Day -- Oct. 12th this year -

http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/conditions.htm

You probably want to bring gloves for the cables .. I thought it was the scariest part of the whole thing :)

The first 2 pitches are IMO the crux .. a 5.7 friction traverse (well-protected by a bolt) was what made me pause the most. The next 6 pitches after that were pretty easy & knobby fun. I have heard of people trying to tie off knobs, but we didn't bother. Obviously though you don't want to fall on these because of the runouts. There is a free supertopo guide to the route here -

http://supertopo.com/freetopos.html

PostPosted: Tue Oct 06, 2009 5:32 pm
by JHH60
Swan slab is a nice place to start. You can warmup at the main slab area near the oak tree and move right to climb Claude's Delight. If you lead up the first pitch of that (5.7) you can toprope the first pitch of Lena's Lieback (5.9) and Goat for It (5.10a). If you're lucky you might see the local bobcat. You can then walk over to Sunnyside Bench and do the 3-pitch Regular Route (5.4) which is fun.

Re: snake dike?

PostPosted: Tue Oct 06, 2009 5:33 pm
by dfrancom
point well taken, I forgot to include that my fiance is a climber with long multipitch experience. The crazy attract each other I guess.

Dingus Milktoast wrote:
dfrancom wrote:I like to suffer!


It wasn't you I was thinking about brother.

You will have to take your own decisions, of course!

Cheers and good luck with your trip
DMT

PostPosted: Tue Oct 06, 2009 5:52 pm
by John Duffield
Dingus Milktoast wrote:That's good news! (I thought they came down after Labor Day weekend) I was thinking a friend of mine might like to go up there with me for a look see.

DMT


Ha ha!!!! Lolli!!!

PostPosted: Tue Oct 06, 2009 8:28 pm
by Hyadventure
I climbed snake dike on Saturday. The cables were up. It’s the easiest .7 I’ve been up. I’m a 5.8 trad leader like you, but I’m not at all freaked out by slab like so many others. I was able to class 2 the majority of the 7th and 8th pitches. There are some airy traverses, and most of the dike doesn’t take pro, but all the crux moves either take pro or have a bolt. I climbed in approach shoes, with a small rack of cams and slings. I lead 1,3,5 and simu climbed 7 & 8. 11 hours round trip, which included 2 hours wait to get on route, but I’d plan more time (12 to 14); the others in my group were very strong hikers/climbers.

PostPosted: Tue Oct 06, 2009 8:43 pm
by fatdad
OMG, you waited TWO hours to get on Snake Dike?! That just seems crazy, but I guess the unfortunate thing is that if you've already done the hike, you're kind of committed.

Anyways, I think dr has gotten remarkably few responses to his original question, so let me offer the following:

Harry Daley Route, 5.8, 2 pitches
Bishop's Terrace, 5.8
Lots of one pitch stuff at Knob Hill
Nutcracker, 5.8 (it's about 5 pitches, but hey, it's the Nutcracker)
Jamcrack Route, 5.7 (1st pitch only)
Pine Line, 5.7
Little John, 5.8 (3 pitches)
Commitment, 5.9 (3 pitches with only a couple moves of REALLY soft 5.9 that you can yard past)
Snake Dike is well worth doing if time/conditions permit
Munginella, 5.6 (3 pitches)
After Six (5.6, 3 or 4 pitches)

Lots of other stuff at that level, especially at Manure Pile, but I'm just blanking right now.

PostPosted: Tue Oct 06, 2009 9:01 pm
by Hyadventure
We left the valley at 10:30 thinking everyone would be on route by the time we got to the base. When we arrived at the base, before 1:30, there were 3 teams waiting and one just off the deck. We didn’t get on route till about 3:15. The climbers that had just gotten off the ground apparently left the valley at 5 am. This was my first time climbing in Yosemite.

Nice list; I'm printing it for my next trip to the valley.