Yosemite Point, East Face. Over the Memorial Day weekend, T. M. Herbert and I completed the first ascent of the east face of Yosemite Point. The route starts about 300 feet right of the regular Yosemite Point Buttress route. At the end of the first day, after having climbed 700 feet, we reached a spacious bivouac spot on top of the "rabbit ears,” two prominent formations easily visible from the valley floor. The climbing up to this point consisted of varied, interesting free climbing, with some direct aid. On the second day we continued up two pitches of direct aid to an overhang, which turned out to be the crux of the climb. One bolt placed us at the left end of the roof, where we were able to make a pendulum to a deep slot about 40 feet long. Two more bolts were required to get out of this slot and into a wide chimney which we followed for 200 feet to a hole. This convenient hole enabled us to make a fifth-class traverse to a ledge beneath a roof with a nasty-looking flared chimney. Two more pitches of mixed climbing, some third class, led to a large pine tree and the top, which was reached at dark. Rating: NCCS V, F8, A3.

Gordon Webster, unaffiliated