Routes in United States of America for selected grade

One of the best 5.9 routes in the Valley! This stunning route can be identified by the twin crack system of the second pitch just left of the bear bins. Amazing climbing. Most parties rap at the top of the 5th pitch using double ropes. A 70m rope will need to be extended to reach on the first rap (top of 5th pitch).

On the tick list of most aspiring climbers, The Nose is a long, sustained and beautiful climb. An incredible line straight up an intimidating wall with many memorable pitches. The Nose can be done big wall style, or it can be done "Nose In a Day"(NIAD) style.

The climbing has a surprising amount of splitter cracks with many pitches of sustained hands/fists cracks. If you are aiding, it can be done with some mandatory 5.9 climbing and mandatory C2 sections. Much of the C2 on The Nose is actually quite soft for the grade due to the abundance of fixed gear and long pieces of tat which avoids some of the more difficult sections. Don't underestimate the difficulty of a summit however, you need to have many technical skills dialed, such as pendulums, hauling, lowerouts etc. in order to make it. You also need to move fast, most parties bail not because they don't have the ability to do a single pitch, but because they are moving to slow. Practice lots and move quick.

Speed Records

• 1975 : Jim Bridwell, John Long, Billy Westbay : 17:45
• 1984 : Duncan Critchley, Romain Vogler : 09:30 (approximate)↪
• 1986 : John Bachar, Peter Croft : 10:05 ↪
• 1990 : Hans Florine, Steve Schneider : 8:06
• 1990 : Peter Croft, Dave Schultz : 6:40
• 1991 : Hans Florine, Andres Puhvel : 6:01
• 1991 : Peter Croft, Dave Schultz : 4:48
• 1992 : Hans Florine, Peter Croft : 4:22
• 2001-10 : Dean Potter †, Timmy O'Neill : 3:59:35
• 2001-10 : Hans Florine, Jim Herson : 3:57:27
• 2001-11 : Dean Potter †, Timmy O'Neill : 3:24:20
• 2002-9-29 : Hans Florine, Yuji Hirayama : 2:48:55 ↪
• 2007-10-4 : Alexander Huber and Thomas Huber : 2:48:30 ↪
• 2007-10-8 : Alexander Huber and Thomas Huber : 2:45:45
• 2008-7-2 : Hans Florine, Yuji Hirayama : 2:43:33 ↪
• 2008-10-12 : Hans Florine, Yuji Hirayama : 2:37:05 ↪
• 2010-11-6 : Dean Potter †, Sean Leary : 2:36:45 ↪
• 2012-6-17 : Hans Florine, Alex Honnold : 2:23:46 ↪
• 2017-10-21 : Jim Reynolds, Brad Gobright : 2:19:44 ↪
• 2018-06-06 : Alex Honnold, Tommy Caldwell : 1:58:07 ↪

A nice lead, though many seem to skip the first bolt, and start right of it to climb to 2nd bolt.

Starts from a tree up the same 3rd class ramp as Munginella, but after having traversed further across the ledge the ramp reaches. Or can be reached from right as well by descending, then re-ascending around the foot of the cliff.

5.7 hand crack with V at top to ledge; move left a few feet then 5.9 fingers crack to second anchor.

Climb the bolted face between the chimney and the crack.

Starts on the right face of the big corner and continues up the arete.

1. 130ft (5.6) Up into an awful tight squeeze chimney. Maybe a better alternative is to start 20 foot right and climb up through blocks. Belay on massive ledge with massive bolts and chains.

2. 100ft (5.8) Move across to the chimney and double crack system. Ignore the chimney on the left with the bolt (that’s “Black Sun”). Instead, on the right is a double crack system, the left crack is probably best. Climb over some loose blocks at the top to a comfy ledge with bolts and chains.

3. 100ft (5.9) Layback up the corner, the crack widens and you move into and find a bolt, the crack narrows and you’re forced out for the crux which is protected by a bolt, you’ll stem with thin footholds and gratefully reach a large calcite hold for your left hand. More wide crack/chimney above before being forced out on to the right face just before the belay, bolts and chains.

4. 80ft (5.8) The obvious line is straight up the off-width crack. However, easier climbing up right to join the North Chimney route, climb flakes up to rappel chains.

When looking at the East Wall, this is the obvious, nearly straight up and down, bottom-to-top crack line. When you see it, you know it. Climb the crack. Keep climbing it.

The left-most bolted route.

The first bolt is high, very high. Most of the climbing to it is easy -- 5.2/5.3 stuff, but unless you're quite tall and reachy, one very high up (15' or so) 5.7ish move must be done to clip the first bolt, making the start very committing.

crack narrows from hands to fingers as you climb, then gets very thin when you approach the anchors. Most climbers commit to the awkward off width on the left wall when the main crack thins out. Gear gets very thin at the top.

Great line at Wall Street. Bring 0.5 to 3 for this one, maybe some nuts.

Featured in Climbing magazine's "America's Best 100 sport climbs" (Oct 2015). The rock is a little hollow in places, but well bolted. All pitches have a 5.9 crux which makes this route a sensational journey up a beautiful wall.

The bolted route between Red Riding Hood and Physical Grafitti, starting off raised platform left of Physical Graffiti.

P1) 70ft, 5.9, steep juggy wall. 8 bolts.

P2) 80ft, 5.8, slabby friction climbing. 8 bolts.

P3) 70ft, 5.8, a little friction, then steep juggy finish to anchor. 8 bolts.

Descent:

Option 1) climb a 4th pitch of low 5th class past 2 bolts to another anchor, maybe 30 foot, then walk off climber's left and down the descent gully.

Option 2) Rappel from the top of pitch 3, 2 x 60m ropes reach the ground with about 1 foot spare, make sure your 60m ropes are 60m!

Option 3) Rappel the route with 3 single rope rappels.

One of the few hand cracks at T Wall that's on a face. A burly start to pull the overhang followed by very sustained and challenging hand crack. A must do.

Bouldery off the ground to cruisy moves through to the third clip.......have fun at the top.

This is it. THE classic red rocks route. And it's just as good as everyone says it is. Original route description said 18 pitches, but it can be done in as little as 11 with some boldish soloing in the upper segments.

1. 5.8 Start at the base of a steep, gray face Climb past a couple bolts up to a ledge with a few small trees. Continue up a white face, over a small roof, and past a slabby bolt-protected move to the belay. If you place a lot of gear, rope drag will be terrible. So, either use a lot of long runners, run it out, or do it in two pitches.

2. 5.6 Climb up the chimney to easier terrain. This is your warmup for the more serious chimneys above. Belay at the base of the major chimney system.

3. 5.9 Follow tricky 5.8 flakes up to the "real" chimney section. Grunt, squirm, and slither your way to the belay 170 ft above. This is probably the most cardiovascularly tasking pitch of the entire climb. Conservation of energy and minimization of effort is critical.

4. 5.9 I think this is the hardest pitch of the climb. Paste your foot on the slippery chimney wall that's angling the "wrong" way, arm bar in the off-width at the back of the chimney, and worm your way up to a good bucket. Continue over some tricky blocks and cracks to a beautiful 15' hand crack. Belay on a nice (but small) ledge with bolts.

5. 5.9 A tricky mantle starts the pitch off. Then, the climbing turns to "feet/knees to back" chimneying. Finish at the top of the tower. This is a really fun pitch.

6. 5.7 Switch into face climbing mode, and cruise the bolt-protected 5.7 face above. Pull the 5.7 roof, and head right to a good ledge.

7. 5.9 Move the belay right to the base of the "Elephant's Trunk". Head up the Trunk (5.6), past a two-bolt anchor, and up a steep 5.9 face to another two-bolt anchor. The climbing here is exquisite. There are good holds everywhere, but it's steep and really exposed.

8. 5.9 Climb up another beautiful face/dihedral to an alcove with a two-bolt anchor. More steepness and exposure!

9. 5.8 Follow the dihedral for 170 ft or so to a two-bolt anchor. This pitch is fun cruising.

10. 5.9 Continue up the dihedral to a 5.9-ish roof. Pull it, step left, and belay. The roof is probably not 5.9. People think it's that hard because they're so tired by this point.

11. 5.6 Fly up easy terrain to the end of the technical difficulties.

12. 5.4 Climb up the right facing ramp to a flat, bushy ledge. Best simulclimbed on a shortened rope.

13. 5.4 Climb up the right facing ramp to a flat, bushy ledge. Best simulclimbed on a shortened rope.

14. 5.4 Climb up the right facing ramp to a flat, bushy ledge. Best simulclimbed on a shortened rope.

15. (4th Class) Head across the slanted ledge to the giant pine tree. Easy but very exposed.

16. (2nd Class) Unrope at the tree and scramble to victory.

5.9 hand crack to bolt anchor.

Approach: Follow signs for Regarden wall. The route starts at a ledge with a tree about 15ft higher than the trail, just before the start of Rewritten.

P1: Starts on the short dihedral with a pin about 20ft up, then traverse left and pull a roof. This is a bit intimidating. Traverse back rigth and belay at a tree on a ledge.

P2: Step left and up into the dihedral and then onto the face. Belay on a ledge with a big tree a bit higher.

P3: Climb under the tree and left on cracks and a corner past a ledge with loose rocks, go over the bulge and climb to a big ledge with a broken band that takes some big pro and nuts.

P4: Traverse right about 15 ft and up a dihedral, then arrive at the left side of a huge overhang with a horizontal crack. Traverse right using some pins and the crack for pro (watch for rope drag after the roof!). Then up a thin dihedral to a slanted ledge with a big loose rock. Do not use this rock for pro! It will come down! Use a crack on the floor and a pin on the left wall.

P5: Up the thin crack which you can protect with a #.3. Fun! Then step right around the corner into a wall with a bunch of pins. Either bring lots of slings or skip some of the pins. The moves are delicate here but not hard. After this section you will see a series of bolts that go straight up, this is a direct finish that goes at 5.10. The standard route goes diagonally left on a runout slab, then unto a corner with a pin. You can belay here with some crartive placements a bit higher or continue up to the summit (not recommended, lots of drag).

P6: Up the beautiful exposed arete to the summit of Tower I.

Descent: From the summit traverse right (facing the opposite way of the climb) down to a tree with a sling. Rappel from here to a trail. From there follow the trail down to to a big ledge with big trees that’s the top of Ruper. From there go up a bit through a V notch, then down to a gully with big boulders, Continue down this gully for about 100ft to the end and look for rap rings on the wall on the left. Rap down with 60m rope (barely makes it) to the top of the Upper Ramp. Up the small wall in front to a tree and then down over the ridge to a rap station. 2 single 60m rope raps to the bottom. Then follow the trail left back to the base.

All belay anchors are bolted.

1. (5.8) 7 bolts. Climb P1 of 'Adventurous 9904'[301696386].

2. (5.9) 9 bolts. Clip a bolt and step across the top of a leaning chimney. Follow the bolts traversing up and left.

3. (5.9) 9 bolts. Continue traversing left around an exposed face, ignoring the bolts leading up for 'The Unforgiven'[16799941] and 'Tears of Rage'[19225339]. Top anchor is also the top of rappel #3.

4. (5.9) 10 bolts. Follow bolts up and right past a tricky arête to easy slab.

5. (5.9) 5 bolts. Easy slab leads straight up to jugs on a headwall and anchors up on top.

Descend with 60m rope in 4 rappels.

1. Rappel off the back (east) side above a 3rd class gully and walk over to chains above the west face.

2. Rappel to anchors at the top of pitch 3.

3. Rappel most of the length of the rope and look for anchors to the right.

4. Rappel to the ground.

Consult a topo (e.g., Watts guide) and know the descent before you start. Climbers have been injured and rescued after rappelling this route from the wrong anchors.

A balancy face climb between the dihedral and the arrette.

1. 40m (5.9) More of a crack pitch than a chimney, it looks intimidating for the grade. A low crux leads to the chimney and a double crack system. Straight up with lay-backing & jamming, well protected throughout, bring plenty of cams. There is a higher crux just before the belay through a bulge. DBB.

2. 30m (5.9) A short and awkward off-width section just above the belay, bring a BD#5 to protect and ignore the manky old bolt. Continue up chimneying and passing a few loose chockstones. Trad belay with small to medium cams, although there may be fixed pitons in-place.

3. 30m (5.7) Continue chimneying up, and exit to the right to a loose gravel chute with large loose boulders. Climb over these to a saddle and join the Kor-Ingalis route. Not great gear, but body belay behind boulder is fine.

4. 15m (5.6) Nice climbing up flakes trending left to the top and rappel chains.

Pro to 2".

The splitter right trending crack to the right of 'Nutcracker'. Solo 30' up to the top of the shield, then dubious gear to get started in the incipient crack (take great care here - this is the crux and it's poorly protected). The crack widens as it goes right, offering bomber gear, but the slab underneath is very polished, making this a long and sustained pitch at the grade.

An easy start up a flake, easy slab traversing left under the roof. Use some runners and get ready for it - fire up the long, left arching hand crack. Layback or Jam - its up to you, either way its great!. A 4 inch piece is handy at the top.

Miss Prissy don't know nothin' about birthin' no babies

First bolted route on the left as you enter the corridor.

9 bolts, finishing at a set of chains.

Starting just right of "Electric Coolaid", climb the right sloping crack until it turns vertical and peters out in the slight scoop in the face, then follow two bolts up and leftwards to the shared anchor.

Great line which stars in a corner. Crux is the upper section on the left of a small dihedral on an awkward bulge. Lieback with high feet until you can reach good feet on the right side of the column. Then cruise on jugs to a 2bolt anchor.

Start with the left leaning dihedral. Shares last bolt and anchor with Eight Flake.

Ascends the curving arete right of Double Cross, pulling a roof on large holds halfway up. Enter a gulley, step right over blunt lip onto slab beneath roof, and head straight up clipping three bolts and a pin en route to a two-bolt anchor. Some discrepancyon the grade, but it's a safe lead.

Many find this one a touch easier than its neighbors