Your favorite chimney... Tell me where and why

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Stephanie Bergner

Trad climber

Planet Send

Topic Author's Original Post - Apr 30, 2012 - 01:57pm PT

North Chimney route on Castleton Tower in Moab. It was storming. I could feel the cold gusts of air and I could hear the rain but I was so deep in the chimney that I was completely protected from the elements. It was so surreal and cool.

Hardest chimney? Jimmy's chimney on the For Desert Rats Only route on one of the tombstones in Moab. I climbed so hard I almost puked. It was awesome.

Reeotch

Trad climber

4 Corners Area

Apr 30, 2012 - 02:15pm PT

Those chimney pitches on Epinephrine are classic! You start off on some 5.9 OW, then you get to chimney for almost 2 full rope lengths. In some places it gets rather wide and rather run-out which certainly spices things up a bit!

crunch

Social climber

Apr 30, 2012 - 02:17pm PT

This is a cool one, so cool it's.....it's.....

It's Cooler than Jesus!

http://www.mountainproject.com/v/cooler-than-jesus/105718447

JEleazarian

Trad climber

Fresno CA

Apr 30, 2012 - 02:43pm PT

I always loved the chimney names at Suicide, particularly Hot Buttered Rump and Flatman Chimney, but my favorite chimney climb will probably always be Church Bowl Chimney, because it was simultaneously my first Valley chimney, my first Valley lead, and my first Valley fifth class lead (even though I almost did it fourth class). At the time, I thought anything fifth class must be of tremendous difficulty, and surely only those of rarefied ability could do them. That climb made me realize that my mytholization (if that's a word) of Yosemite climbing might be in error, and that even I could participate in such an amazing sport.

The fact that all of this occurred on the day of the first moon landing in July of 1969 just added to the good memories.

John

ydpl8s

Trad climber

Santa Monica, California

Apr 30, 2012 - 02:50pm PT

Certainly one of the ones that has a spectacular position (been up there and looked at, but never actually been in it). It's one of my favorite ones to look at:-)

Photo courtesy Dave Stewart and mp.com

Clint Cummins

Trad climber

SF Bay area, CA

Apr 30, 2012 - 02:51pm PT

Probably the chimney behind El Cap Spire on the Salathe' Wall.
Airy start but very easy, and there is even a crack for pro after awhile!

The first time I led it, I was looking down at the potential landing if I plunged, and spied a sleeping bag!
One of my partners had brought no bag, and had a cold night at the Alcove.
So he got to sleep much better the rest of the way up.
When we got down, one of my friends told me he saw a note/cartoon on the Camp 4 board about a lost sleeping bag on the Salathe'.
So we inquired at the site if they had a spare stuff sack for sale! :-)
The former owner was not around, so we just tossed the bag into their tent...

Second time up, we were behind 2 other parties, and they were scared of the chimney and led some bogus corner off to the right to avoid it.
Very strange - if you are not confident on chimneys, why would you even go up on the Salathe'?

Stephanie Bergner

Trad climber

Planet Send

Topic Author's Reply - Apr 30, 2012 - 03:22pm PT

Crunch: How about that drive in though? It's a doozy!

Mark Hudon

Trad climber

Hood River, OR

Apr 30, 2012 - 03:25pm PT

The one behind the Spire is awesome. Great position. Isn't there some beautiful, clean 5.8 or .9 chimney up on the NW Face of Half Dome? You can see through to Direct route? That one is pretty cool.

paul roehl

Boulder climber

california

Apr 30, 2012 - 03:26pm PT

Hey John E., funny but I was also in the Valley when the first moon landing happened. I was in camp 6 and working at the Ahwanee also did my first roped climbs that summer.

Favorite Chimney? Goliath at suicide was a humbling experience. I still don't believe it's 5.7. After relating its difficulty to someone all they could say was "man you must really be out of shape." I wasn't.

MisterE

Social climber

Apr 30, 2012 - 03:44pm PT

The chimney on "The Pirate" (5.10d) at Cathedral Rocks in Sedona.

It's well protected and burly, and you end up overlooking the Mace at the top.

MisterT leading:

Elcapinyoazz

Social climber

Joshua Tree

Apr 30, 2012 - 03:46pm PT

Where: Narrows, Steck-Salathe.
Why: Because you've already finished the pitch before the narrows, and presumably lived through it.

Where: P1, Rostrum.
Why: Because it has a cool exit, it's easy, and you're about to embark on another 750' of the best crack route imaginable.

Where: P1, Middle Parallel Space, Vedauwoo.
Why: A bitchin perfect handcrack splits the front wall providing gear and feet, and you get to wrestle with some actual OW to access the chimney, but at a moderate grade.

Where: P1, DNB.
Why: Because it reminds you that 5.7 can still be hard and the old guys were tougher than you are.

JEleazarian

Trad climber

Fresno CA

Apr 30, 2012 - 04:01pm PT

Nice post, El Cap!

I particularly appreciate your comments on the Narrows, since I, too, think the previous chimney is my personal crux, and the first pitch of DNB, because it reminds me that not all 5.7's were created equal.

John

Clint Cummins

Trad climber

SF Bay area, CA

Apr 30, 2012 - 04:29pm PT

"All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others"
:-)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_Farm

Stephanie Bergner

Trad climber

Planet Send

Topic Author's Reply - Apr 30, 2012 - 05:01pm PT

SOLD on Rostrum and that Sedona route.

moacman

Trad climber

Montana

Apr 30, 2012 - 05:20pm PT

Grillmair Chimneys on Mount Yamnuska, Bow Valley Alberta....You'll just have to climb it to find out why....

Stevo

Elcapinyoazz

Social climber

Joshua Tree

Apr 30, 2012 - 07:31pm PT

Oh yeah, this one:

Photo credit Bryan G via Mtn Proj.

Where: Behind Short Circuit, The Valley.
Why: Protected, novel, cool hang.

Where: Heart of Darkness corridor, Joshua Tree.
Why: Because it's ridiculous, and you've probably just finished climbing Heart of Darkness which is fantastic.