I'm going to yosemite for a few day and would like to do some small aid routes. I plan on doing the Left Side of the Folly (5.9 A3?), have any beta? i can handle A3 but the top looks like chimneys, are they protectable? what do i need to protect them? are the hard? Do you know of any other short aid routes? thanks for any beta

Happy Aiding Ben

-- Ben (Benbuilds@aol.com), October 04, 1999

Answers

Hike up behind Curry to the base of Staircase falls, I believe? There you will find some thiiiiin cracks that are perfect for LA's and KB's. I soloed Old A3 which was a ball. Old A5 looked cool as well. Details are, believe it or not, in Reid's Valley Free Climbs book. Have a ball.

-- Dave Hill (dfhill@engr.psu.edu), October 08, 1999.

The left side of Negative Pinnacle (just left of the 3rd class start to the Nose) is a two pitch A3 climb. There is a rappel sling at the top of the first pitch. Plenty of big trees at the bottom to make a belay station if you are soloing. I have not done this, but I looked at it and asked someone who has done it. He said it is all aid although the bottom looks like it could be free climbed at 5.10 level. It is a straight forward inward leading dihedral with many wide and thin cracks. I do not know what makes it A3.

I did try the Center of Negative Pinnacle A4, but gave up mid-pitch because it was extremely thin and I did not have any copperheads at the time. This one is true A4 with thin expando flakes. You will need all the tricks for this (copperheads, thin flake cam hooks, etc.). Good luck.

-- Mark A. Fletcher (mfletche@turnerdesigns.com), October 14, 1999.