good morning -

I'll be in yosemite this april for a wedding -- mine -- and have gotten the okay from the wife-to-be to climb before the big event. I climb regularly in joshua tree and am comfortable leading 5.8 routes. My question is: what routes might be best for this trip? I am interested in medium length routes, no aid pitches, that are in the 5.8 or 5.9 range. Basically, what would you recommend for the first time to the Valley. Thanks very much in advance.

-- dell bleekman (dbleekman@getty.edu), February 26, 1999

Answers

Lessee...Classic 5.8-5.9 in the Valley? There are a few of those.

Snake Dike 5.7 Bishop's Terrace 5.8 Braille Book 5.8 Nutcracker 5.8 E. Butt of Middle 5.10c (5.9 A0) Little John Right 5.8 After 6 5.6

This is just the tip of the iceberg...Check out some of the links on Tuan's page for other suggestions. Dave

-- Dave Hill (dfhill@engr.psu.edu), March 04, 1999.

I would highly recommend "The Nutcracker" 5.8, but even though this is only 6-7 pitches long, I would plan on spending all day due to other parties on this popular route (see my reply to Nutcracker Beta question). This is probably the most popular multi-pitch climb in Yosemite for good reason. Make sure your plan for an all day climb - second rappel rope, headlamp, water, food, etc. The approach from the parking lot is less than five minutes, but don't let that fool you as you can be benighted on this climb due to many factors, mostly crowds. There are other good multi-pitch climbs in Yosemite, but many of them take 30 minutes to several hours for the approach, with exceptions of El Capitan base climbs and Glacier Point Apron climbs. Good luck!

-- Mark A. Fletcher (mfletche@turnerdesigns.com), March 08, 1999.