I've never done the 2nd pitch...But the 1st is brilliant!

Solo up the bushy, easy pedestal and continue or belay (yellow/extra red Alien sizes)...

(at the start) It may look short but it's hard and it does get bigger... Crux red Alien-size jams and layaway/stems come right off the ledge. After punching it to a stem-stance the crack keeps growing in width. At midway, you get some fun and steep hand jams around blocks to a weird wide section in a corner. A couple grunt moves later and you'll be rounding the top to the funky anchor on the right wall.

Rap off to the ground is about 125'...Or check out the upper part if you're curious.

Leanie Meanie

Torque Converter

Dirty Little Secret

Supplication

New Dimensions

English Breakfast Crack

Entrance Exam

Cosmic Messenger

Midterm

Klemens Escape

Inner Sanctum

Mad Dogs Direct

The Bin

Gripper

Application

Sidetrack

Anticipation

Goldilocks

Blotto AKA Axis

The Principle

The first time I was on this climb was mid June in 100F heat.  Perhaps not the best conditions, because I only got hotter as I got higher.

The climb starts with the technical crux, a polished finger crack.   Thankfully this is short and leads to a very good ledge and rest.   If you ever want to hear sticky rubber squeak, this is your climb!

What follows is a great hand jamming sequence, up to the midway point of the climb.   The crack slowly widens to wide hands, then to off width and finally to a polished chimney.

When you reach the anchors, take deep breaths and marvel at this classic climb, and wonder why size 8 friends never caught on.

Awesome thin, curving splitter that tests a variety of thin jamming skills.  Because of the angle and trees at the base - you can't see how good it looks until you're in it.

Easy ramp to start which leads to a 5.9 face traverse left to gain the main crack.  From here you'll have to engage that torque converter all the way to the chains (I have very minimal understanding of what a torque converter actually does..) or something like that.

It's not as dirty as the name implies, but it does have a couple bushes growing out of the crack which will shower you with pollen as you climb past them. This isn't a hidden gem or anything but it's worth getting on if you're waiting for a party to finish up on Anticipation or Supplication. Not a bad climb to practice 5.9 OW technique, or you can lieback. It'd probably get climbed everyday if it was at Swan Slab.

At the top of the crack belay on the large ledge to the left. Then make a short downclimb to the ground. Hike down the hill and back to your stuff.

One of the few thin cracks at Arch rock.

Climb first 20 feet junk to tree where the clean left facing corner starts.

Fingers and off fingers jamming in the corner to the small flare to the 2 bolts ancors

One of the first rap-bolted lines in Yosemite. Begin by climbing up past the tree below Supplication, then move right and begin climbing up the fist-crack corner (Application). Place a high #4 Camalot and make a thin move out right onto the face to reach the first bolt. Then another thin move to the arete. Climb up the arete which is steep and a bit pumpy for a brief section. Then climb through another thin crux near the top.

Good climbing, great position.

Even though it's not that long of a pitch, you need 2 ropes to get down because the route traverses out over exposure.

This is where it all began for the magical Valley grade of 5.11...Only makes sense why John Bachar made the first solo statement on this stellar line.

I usually do the route in 3 pitches (linking the traditional 2nd and 3rd pitches together).

P1. Behind the tree and up the crack! Blue Camalot size jamming over a cornery bulge is that crux. Belay on the obvious ledge below a big block (5.10-).

P2. Surmount the block and jam up a 5.7 corner and up toward the dark flared chimney (wet in early season). Place hand to fist size pieces in the crack in back using long slings and chimney upward passing some face holds. If you went right side in, then you'll have to do a tricky turn to the right and play off the double cracks as you squeeze up at the same time. The corner opens up above into a sort of alcove (where you could set a hanging belay out right)...At the top/left of the alcove and just right of the arete/prow is this flake type thing which you must jam a 5.10- move over using a not so secure hold. Once over that it's easy body flare to a big pod. Belay under the sweet looking clamshell corner crack.

(5.10)

P3. Its obvious what to do from here...Jam, stem and layaway the quickly narrowing crack which is good to the last drop. Increasingly thinning finger to tips locks in the slightly leaning corner make you strive for good body positioning to glide through the last move. (5.11-)

Rappel climbers right down Klemens Escape with a 70m rope. Two 33m rappels gets you to the ground. Or you can rap off Gripper with 2 50M ropes.

This route is similar to Midterm in that it calls upon many different techniques from fingers to chimney. The first pitch has the wide, the second involves steep, gorgeous finger jamming with an interesting and awkward finish.

Taken from supertopo. Feels like 5.10 and is good Steck Salathe training. Awkward moves around blocks occasionally interupt classic chimney climing. You may want to bring extra wide gear for the chimney runouts.

P1. Scramble up detached blocks to the ledge with thin trees.  From the flake to the right, face climb up and left unprotected 5.8/9 to your first piece of gear about 10' above the ledge/30' above ground.  More wandering past optional rp's and a hidden pin lead to the main crack.  Follow this to belay on the ledge above.  The crux is a well protected thin section near the start of the crack.  5.11a.

P2.  The better pitch of the two.  Climb the obvious hand/fist flare. At the top, traverse right to a tree with rap slings.  5.10b.

2 double rope raps bring you down.  I don't know if a single 70m works, it might be close.

This climb is reached via the first two pitches of New Dimensions.

Climb the first two pitches of New Dimensions (5.10) then traverse 10ft right on the thin ledge to bolted anchors.

Head up the obvious hand to wide hands crack until you reach a tree at the top. Splitter hand cracks don't get much better than this! It starts out slightly overhanging then gently eases back.

Combined with the first two pitches of New Dimensions this is a great route on it's own, or worth tagging while you rappel New Dimensions.

Above the splitter route Supplication is a bolted arete that is very worth checking out if you’re in the area. The route goes at 11a if you use the crack to the left and apparently 11c if you forgo the crack.

This is the direct finish to English Breakfast Crack.

Climb the 2nd p. of English Breakfast, instead of going left at the end for the Crux of Eng. Break., continue straight up for 9 bolts.

Balancy stemming right away is the crux, but with an 11+ bulge up higher.

140' of high quality climbing from the anchor at the top of the 1st pitch of Eng. Break.!

Hand size start . Than 5" nice crack leaning left.

in the crux- short section where knee does not fit. Clean ow but dirty finish.

Unusual  for  Yosemite  ow- Right side IN

Pitch 1. This pitch is the business. Climb the flare that ends with a hardish (.9) move to a sloping ledge, enter the chimney with some difficulty, move right from the chimney to a thin hand to fingers corner. This exit goes at 10b, but what really gets you is the physical climbing below. Belay at the tree. Pitch 2. Climb some 50 feet to a ledge where you can see a hand crack about 15 feet to the right. Pitch 3 is one of the best 5.9 hand cracks in the Valley. A true jewel.

This clean crack is often overlooked. Big fists in a mostly clean corner on 2nd pitch ending at a new bolted anchor/rap station. Stars for the 2nd pitch. Can link P1 and 2.

This is a great way to finish Midterm and keeps the burly factor going all the way to the top of Arch Rock.

The second pitch of this climb is easily the best pitch of this grade at Arch. Apparently there is also a loose pitch 3, but no one ever does it.

Pitch 1: This pitch is really an approach pitch and the climb would be better if you could avoid it. Start on the dirty  face with a long right facing corner and another left facing one on either side of you. Climb the face to a tree (5.8) and then traverse left into an obvious fist crack. Belay at the base of the main corner (5.9).

Pitch 2. Climb the thin hands in the corner, and start stemming as the crack narrows down. It helps to have tiny fingers (11a). Move right (10+) and up to hole under a roof with thin hands in the back. It is possible to get a hands free rest by leaning the back of your head on the rock in the hole. Move up on thin flaring hands and a good undercling jug and then right into the final  corner. A huge reach gains you a finger lock (11b). The pitch remains sustained.

This is a short but powerful finger tip lieback crack.  Most of the moves are 5.11a with a short .12a section up high.  All falls are clean and on good pro.  The chains at the top are difficult to reach unless you climb high and clip them from the side.  Great for running laps.  Part of the strong fingers training circuit.

The route mostly right facing flake with different jamming. Boldery start on left  from pedestal and easier start on right   to establish in the crack. Than layback over small rooflet and than strangely strenuous  overhanging hands and thin hands to the last roof. There are a big distance between tight hands jams at the crux, so work with your feet and body position to reach them.

In the end of the roof fixed gear and slings allowed you to be lowered with 70 m rope. The other choice - continue traverse (~10-15 feet) right to to bolts anckor ( presumably  crux of the route, but I did not tried )

This is a really hard "boulder problem" of a climb where the shortness of the route concentrates the difficulty.  Begin at the start of Goldilocks, then move up and right to the first bolt.  Go around the arete to a very thin flake system and follow this to the anchor.

The crux is basically between bolts 1 - 4 and involves shouldery gastons, sidepulls, power crimps, and opposition off mediocre feet.  Can be TRed by rappelling the first pitch of English Breakfast Crack.

I've seen this listed between 12b and 12c.  It could be a style thing, but the climb felt stout for the grade.

Description

Location

Protection

Routes in Ad. Arch Rock