What was your first climb in Yosemite Valley?

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Adamame

climber
Santa Cruz
Mar 1, 2011 - 04:38pm PT
Back in 96 I rolled into The Valley with Sharma and his Dad. Ron met us at Camp 4 and showed us around the place. Chris had a hair-raising ascent of Thriller with only one of those old BD spot pads at the base. We walked to Nutcraker and then climbed that with a couple cams and a set of nuts, for my first climb in Yosemite. Then the next day we toproped Midnight Lighting and failed in a quite miserable way.
Slater

Trad climber
Central Coast
Mar 1, 2011 - 04:38pm PT
Lena's Lieback 5.9 - super slippery.

I think...? Wasn't momentous.
murcy

climber
sanfrancisco
Mar 1, 2011 - 04:47pm PT
C.S. Concerto with my kid, guided by some zen bandit.
xtrmecat

Big Wall climber
Kalispell, Montanagonia
Mar 1, 2011 - 04:49pm PT
Grant's Crack on a soloist. I was trolling for a partner for something a wee bit bigger. Worked too.

Burly Bob
doughnutnational

Gym climber
its nice here in the spring
Mar 1, 2011 - 04:52pm PT
Caverns in spring of 1974 with Garry Zaccor. 5.7 A1
JEleazarian

Trad climber
Fresno CA
Mar 1, 2011 - 04:56pm PT
Right Side of Monday Morning Slab, June of 1969. We were so intimidated by the Valley aura that this took us several hours to climb. There was still a small snowpatch at the base.

John
Zander

Trad climber
Berkeley
Mar 1, 2011 - 04:57pm PT
Snake Dike, awesome day! I was pretty tired afterwards, which contributed to me taking my first leader fall on Nutcracker the next day. I fell at the bulge with the crack through it. Didn't know how to jamb. Lead the mantle no prob. There are mantles at IR in Berkeley.
A good weekend all around.
Z
Gooney

Trad climber
Longmont, CO
Mar 1, 2011 - 05:14pm PT
Made the long trip from Boulder in 1978 with this tick list in mind:

Nutcracker
La Cosita, right side
Coonyard Pinnacle
East Buttress, Middle Cathedral

Got them all, hexes and stoppers only. Best part was the international scene in Camp 4.
steelmnkey

climber
Vision man...ya gotta have vision...
Mar 1, 2011 - 05:29pm PT
Chouinard-Herbert on Sentinel (big wall style).

In Friday night, climbed Saturday, topped out Sunday just before dark. Onsighted the descent via headlamp and drove back to the Bay Area that night. Got two hours sleep, flew back to Phx and went to work.
ron gomez

Trad climber
fallbrook,ca
Mar 1, 2011 - 05:40pm PT
Royal Arches, even got the traverse lead and the Rotten Log was still there.
Peace
drunkenmaster

Social climber
santa rosa
Mar 1, 2011 - 05:42pm PT
something on swan slab
gonzo chemist

climber
Crane Jackson's Fountain St. Theater
Mar 1, 2011 - 05:44pm PT
After Six. Followed by After Seven. In full-on summer heat. We didn't learn our lesson. The next day we went and did Nutcracker. We were rejoicing that we were the only ones on the climb! But by the third pitch, when it was about 97 degrees, and no shade to be found, we understood why. Didn't bring any water to sip on, and a late night of heavy drinking didn't help matters. We were toast after we finished that climb.

Fond memories, for sure!
le_bruce

climber
Oakland: what's not to love?
Mar 1, 2011 - 05:59pm PT
Great photo, Brokendown.

After Six, then After Seven and Nutcracker, in 2005 with me wife - great day to revisit in the memory banks.

I remember feeling so nervous stepping into the first moves of After Six's first pitch, a regular tornado of butterflies whipping through me. Feels like yesterday.
scuffy b

climber
dissected alluvial deposits, late Pleistocene
Mar 1, 2011 - 06:45pm PT
Sunnyside Bench, regular route. Second was Monday Morning Slab.
These were guided. I guess my first rappel was Monday Morning.
paul roehl

Boulder climber
california
Mar 1, 2011 - 06:56pm PT
Sunny Side Bench reg. route and MM slab west side with Bruce Price in 1969. First climbing experience ever... seemed overwhelming. Don't know if Bruce is still around. He was a remarkable guy just slightly crazy. Sometimes a single experience can just turn your life around; I'm still thankful for that day.
StahlBro

Trad climber
San Diego, CA
Mar 1, 2011 - 06:59pm PT
Bishops Terrace in the early '70's. I think we used all hexes.
JEleazarian

Trad climber
Fresno CA
Mar 1, 2011 - 07:03pm PT
Onsighted the descent via headlamp and drove back to the Bay Area that night.

That's pretty impressive, steelmnkey. Doing a wall for your first Valley climb is, too, but I thrashed around in daylight the first time I got down from Sentinel. I can't imagine trying to do it by headlamp, particularly finding those third class slabs to the east of the creek.

John
Mike Bolte

Trad climber
Planet Earth
Mar 1, 2011 - 07:08pm PT
Nice thread nutjob.

1975; Pitch 1 of After 6 with Bill Frey. Seemed way slippery and hard for 5.6. Then we did Jump for Joy on the buttress next to it protected with little tiny stoppers after you climb left out of the bathtub-like thing. Then After 7 to the top of Manure pile. Coming from North Carolina climbing, it seemed incredible to be able to climb six pitches on what seemed like an insignificant little cliff given all the magnificent walls everywhere you looked.
d-know

Trad climber
electric lady land
Mar 1, 2011 - 07:09pm PT
not in
the valley
but aqua knobby
was my first flavor
of yosemite
climbing.


eye opener.
bobinc

Trad climber
Portland, Or
Mar 1, 2011 - 07:13pm PT
Would have been some Apron climbs. Must have been something easier than the two I remember: Shuttle Madness (I took 2 leader falls and emerged about a pound lighter due to the road rash) and Son of Sam. Probably about 1982 or so.
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