This is the second installment of a list of what I am calling "educational climbs." Based on an idea in Dan Duane's book "El Capitan," these are, in my opinion, good routes on which to learn traditional skills in practice. This is not a list of classics, though there are classics among them. For example, I have left out such classics as Steck-Salathe on Sentinel in Yosemite and Solid Gold in Joshua Tree. The educational climbs below are the climbs that you should do to help get good enough to do the big classics or eventually the big walls. I also have left out climbs like Rosanne on Fairview in Tuolumne. Your skills already have to be in place before you attempt serious climbs like that. These educational climbs then are climbs that are reasonable for the developing climber to stretch their skills on. If you lead these climbs in good traditional style, you will definitely learn technique, anchors, protection, etc. On the other hand, climbers should not restrict themselves to these climbs. You should be doing lots of different routes to solidify your skills.
In Part 1, I listed my picks for educational climbs in the 5.6-5.8 difficulty. I think one could be a very happy recreational climber without ever leading above 5.8. However, being able to lead harder climbs opens up a much broader range of classic traditional routes. This is probably best illustrated by the large number of 5.9 climbs that I see as educational. In fact the list was so long and varied that I decided to break it into two parts, into short and longer routes. By separating them, I found that I could also compare difficulty much more easily. Within short climbs, a comparison of say Needles & Spoons and Dixie Peach is pretty clear. But how would one compare Needles & Spoons to say East Buttress of Middle Cathedral? Needles & Spoons is technically more difficult and sustained. But the East Buttress has a whole separate level of difficulty associated with route finding and commitment. So I have attempted to roughly order the climbs by difficulty, with the easier ones listed first, within each category. Here then are my picks for educational climbs in the 5.9-5.10a range:
5.9 Short Routes
Lena's Lieback, Swan Slab, Yosemite
Lieback flake
Dixie Peach, Stately Pleasure Dome, Tuolumne
Delicate climbing up shallow corner and across bolted face
Aqua Knobby, Pywiak Dome, Tuolumne
Steep corner climbing and some face
Stick to What, Echo Cove??, Joshua Tree
Thin bolted face climbing
Shuttle Madness, Glacier Pt Apron, Yosemite
Awkward start leads to excellent hand jamming
Truck n' Drive, Lembert Dome, Tuolumne
Thin face climbing, with run-outs
Pope's Crack, Echo Rock, Joshua Tree
Solid crack climbing
Invisibility Lessons, Future Games Rock, Joshua Tree
Steep crack climbing, hand jamming
Scimitar, East Wall, Lover's Leap
Corner climbing with delicate moves
Black Widow, Low Profile Dome, Tuolumne
Steep knob climbing pockets
Sunnyside Jamcrack, Sunnyside Bench, Yosemite
Crack climbing, thin and steep at times
Touch and Go, Echo Rock Area, Joshua Tree
Steep corner climbing
Needles & Spoons, 1st pitch, Pywiak Dome, Tuolumne
Sustained knob climbing with bolts
The Line, East Wall, Lover's Leap
Steep dike climbing with crack protection
Reed's Direct, pitch 1& 2, Yosemite Valley
Steep, strenuous jamming to short flare
5.9 Longer Routes
West Crack, Daff Dome, Tuolumne
Boulder move off ground lead to varied crack climbing
Lower Cathedral Spire, Regular Route, Yosemite
Few moves across blank face, protected
Regular Route, Fairview Dome, Tuolumne
Crux on 1st pitch is a few moves up polished face
East Buttress, Middle Cathedral Rk (5.9 A1), Yosemite
Varied and long, crux is small roof with crack.
One Hand Clapping, Black Wall, Donner
Interesting, varied crack climbing
Touch & Go, Black Wall, Donner
ditto
Eagle Buttress Right, Lover's Leap
Crux is a wild mantle
Higher Cathedral Spire, Regular Route, Yosemite
Blank face where arete fell off is major difficulty
Cryin' Time Again, Lembert Dome, Tuolumne
Lots of steep, varied climbing
Angels' Approach to Lucifer's Ledge, Glacier Pt Apron, Yosemite
Thin face climbing with bolts
Crescent Arch, Daff Dome, Tuolumne
Flared chimney, hand crack, delicate lie-backing
Traveler's Buttress, Main Wall, Lover's Leap
Steep dikes with15' of difficult flare on 2nd pitch
Central Pillar of Frenzy, pitches 1-5, Middle Cathedral, Yosemite
Awkward corner, steep cracks, burly roof and wide crack
5.10a
Maxine's Wall, 1st pitch
Thin, bolted face climbing
Peruvian Flake, Base of Royal Arches, Yosemite
Thin crack climbing
Arete Butler, Base of Royal Arches, Yosemite
Well-bolted face climbing
Great Circle, Daff Dome, Tuolumne
Easy crack to thin, bolted face, little bit run-out
Y Crack, Base of Royal Arches, Yosemite Valley
Somewhat steep crack climbing
Darth Vader's Revenge, Low Profile Dome, Tuolumne
Steep knobs, well bolted.
Mama Woolsey, Hidden Valley CG, Joshua Tree
Thin crack to thin face climbing, somewhat run-out
Loose Lady, Houser Buttress, Joshua Tree
Well bolted face climbing
Exorcist, Hall of Horrors, Joshua Tree
Steep crack to bolted face moves.
Heart and Sole, Echo Rock, Joshua Tree
Delicate bolted face climbing to corner.
Hospital Corner, Main Wall, Lover's Leap
Steep corner stemming with cracks
Church Bowl Tree, to bolts, Church Bowl, Yosemite
Steep, polished crack climbing.
I initially continued the list with climbs in the 5.10b category, and I think there are some really good educational climbs in that range, like Sherrie's Crack and New Dimensions, pitches 1 & 2. Perhaps I will continue the list in another installment. Or perhaps Part 3 will include climbs to move into big wall climbing. Let me know what you think of my choices for educational climbs and what you would like to see in Part 3.
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