North America, United States, California—Yosemite Valley, 1983

Publication Year: 1984.

Yosemite Valley, 1983. Here is a list of some of the new routes climbed in Yosemite last year. Due to the large number of excellent climbers who visit Yosemite from so many different areas, the list is by no means complete. Arch Rock Area. Up and left from the main Arch Rock is a white wall with three prominent cracks. The left crack (5.10 - ) was climbed by Werner Braun, Don Reid and Rick Cashner, the center (5.11) by John Bachar, and the right (5.10+ )by Braun and Doug McDonald. Headhunter (5.10 - ) ascends the face of Devil’s Dance Floor, above Highway 120, past three bolts in two pitches. It was climbed by Bachar and Cashner. Isotope (5.11 - ) is the thin crack left of Chingando, climbed by Bachar, Braun, Dimitri Barton and Ron Kauk. Spring Fever (5.11) is a crack on the face of an orange open-book right of Cro-Magnon Capers, done by Cashner and Reid. The Promise (5.11 - ) is a previously at tempted line up the center of the Footstool formation, done by Bachar and Barton. Another slab route at the base of El Capitan is Champagne On Ice (5.11), next to the start of the Waterfall Route, and climbed by Steve Snyder. Fool’s Gold (III, 5.10 - ) starts by climbing a pillar to the right of the Gold Wall, then works around into the amphitheater, eventually joining the West Portal Route. It is about ten pitches and was done by Reid and Cashner. The Token (5.11 + ) is a one-pitch bolted route on Glacier Point Apron to the right of Sailing Shoes, climbed by Scott Burk. At least three new face routes were done on Middle Cathedral Rock last year: Pieces of Eight (5.10 + ) lies between Powell-Reed and Paradise Lost, eventually joining the latter after eight pitches. It was climbed by Burk and Snyder. Ticket to Nowhere (5.10) was climbed by Bob Gaines, John Mallory and Tom Callahan, and lies between Black Primo and Quicksilver. Exodus (5.10) was done by Jay Smith and Gary Anderson and climbs the face right of Orange Peel. Nightmare (5.11) is a continuation above Pink Dream, climbed by Bachar and Cashner.

Several new big wall routes were done too, the most difficult of which is The Arctic Sea (VI, 5.10, A5), a 15-pitch route between Zenith and Bushido on Half Dome, climbed in ten days by Duane Raleigh and Tom Cosgrove. Other long routes include Star Drive (5.10, Al), to the right of Vain Hope, climbed by Mike Corbett and Steve Bosque. The same pair climbed Mideast Crisis (VI, 5.8, A4) on Washington Column between East Face and Great Slab. Finally, Chris Friel and Fig climbed Rainbows (VI, 5.10, A4), a route between the Lost Arrow and Yosemite Point Buttress.

Alan Bartlett. Yosemite Mountaineering School