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Jennie
Trad climber
Elk Creek, Idaho
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Apr 24, 2011 - 09:56pm PT
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Great photos.
Is NW ridge of Sir Donald 5.5 Kyle? I climbed the ridge with my dad in my late teens. I remember very steep steps and high exposure but no climbing much higher than class 4 or low 5.0. Maybe we weren’t on the traditional route (??)
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TGT
Social climber
So Cal
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Apr 24, 2011 - 09:59pm PT
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It may be 5.5 now.
I haven't chimed in because all may favorite 5.4's and 5.5's are now 5.6 or better.
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Mighty Hiker
climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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Apr 24, 2011 - 10:15pm PT
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You can call it anything from class 3 to 5.5. Partly depending on conditions, style, fitness, and experience, a bit depending on route. In good conditions, it's a generic "class 5".
It's a long climb to do in a day, roped-up.
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donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
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Apr 24, 2011 - 10:17pm PT
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I love easy, long routes. The Exum Ridge on the Grand is a favorite- probably climbed it 50 times.
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mike m
Trad climber
black hills
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Topic Author's Reply - May 2, 2011 - 07:40pm PT
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There is a great 3 pitch 5.2 that goes up the center formation.
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scuffy b
climber
dissected alluvial deposits, late Pleistocene
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If it ever looks like it's going to be 5.6 or easier, I just skip that part.
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Michelle
Social climber
Candy Mountain
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omg, a thread about my climbing mission! I for years I was in the search of easy climbs that were fun and in beautiful places. I wish I had pictures of a couple of the other places I found.
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gonamok
climber
dont make me come over there
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hell yea, the sierra is a wonderland of easy 5th class climbing and any of it is great. White maidens on tahquitz is a classic. Easy climbs rule
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Gene
climber
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The real question, of course, is 5.5 or below with a less than a 20 minute approach.
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caughtinside
Social climber
Davis, CA
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Lots of that in Joshua Tree... it's much more fun if you just call it 3rd class.
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Michelle
Social climber
Candy Mountain
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I'm with Gene!
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Guck
Trad climber
Santa Barbara, CA
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I usually skip those climbs, but take note of the good ones as I want to have fun climbing in my eighties.
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EdBannister
Mountain climber
13,000 feet
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Rick Carlson did the trough at Big Rock (5.5 or 5.6) in roller skates.
The angle of the brake pad matched the low angle of the slab, or so he reasoned... he put those babies on, and walked up the 150 feet.
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tom Carter
Social climber
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May 28, 2011 - 06:48pm PT
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Ed - There must be photos of that feat somewhere???
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mike m
Trad climber
black hills
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 1, 2012 - 11:06pm PT
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Anybody climbed some good easy rock routes lately. No trips to Custer State Park this year but did solo some easy spires and cracks about a half hour bush whack west of Mt. Rushmore sort of to the south east of Oltons Shoulder.Though a little hard for this thread the Beckey route on Ambush in the Winds is a very cool route. It is really only one long pitch but ha a 600-700 foot approach that is occasionaly in the 5.5 range but on beautiful rock with wildflowers growing all over it. It then has a stout long 5.6 pitch with great crack climbing inside a huge chimney. You then finish with a thousand feet more of occasionally 5.5 terrain. You finish right on top of the tower. Many hundreds of possibilities to climb on the upper part of the route we did not rope up for the top but going one way or the other could have easily gotten us into terrain that would have been more challanging. I would immagine the Wind River Range has about as much good terrain in this range as about anywhere.
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Moof
Big Wall climber
Orygun
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Right On - Burly 5.5
Eye - would be 5.6 at any more recent crag
Bong is a great 5.4, and my go to example of what a 5.4 should feel like
Knapsack crack is a great 5.3, no matter what Chris Mac tries to rate it
Upper Right Ski Track is best done New Years Eve, after hazing the rangers of course
I could go on...
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KabalaArch
Trad climber
Starlite, California
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Maybe I missed it, but the Burnette Bolts (aka "Salathe Bolts") Pinnacles NM boasts a technical rating of 5.6. Bill R's observation was that you had to be a very solid .10a climber to lead it, notwithstanding; this was my 2nd climb and on my very first day. A Best Partner named Tom Carter led it...1975 or so; we went on to form friends in High Places together from frankly humble beginnings at Indian Rock, Berkeley.
I've already posted about whom I think was the FA: Floyd Burnette.
I was too stupid to be 'scared...at least of anything or anyone but my Leader!
About 1975. Never looked back, although I now wished I'd done so.
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rgold
Trad climber
Poughkeepsie, NY
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Here's my 5.5 and below Gunks list. But there is an explosion of good routes if you bump up to 5.6!
Trapps 5.5
Horseman
Jackie with second pitch of Classic
Middle Earth
Ursula
Trapps 5.4
Andrew
Hawk
Sixish
Trapps 5.3
Beginner's Delight
Minty
Trapps 5.2
Northern Pillar
Near Trapps 5.5
Layback
Near Trapps 5.4
Gelsa
Near Trapps 5.3
Yum Yum Yab Yum (maybe should be 5.4?)
Millbrook 5.5
Old Route (For the history---this is where it all started in the Gunks with Fritz Wiessner's 1935 ascent. In retrospect, not a classic but still worth the experience. While you are plugging your hand-size cams in, remember Fritz had a few blade pitons and maybe the equivalent of a 3/4" angle, a hemp rope, rope-soled shoes (espradrilles), and two inexperienced climbers for companions. There would have been absolutely no possibility of any help if the party got into any kind of trouble.
Don't be too surprised if the climbing starts to feel more like 5.7---I didn't found a 5.5 way up it when I did it...)
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Mark Hudon
Trad climber
Hood River, OR
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Horseman has to be the best 5.5 in the world! When Kauk went to the Gunks way back when, I told him not be dumb and climb only hard routes and not to miss Horseman, High E and Shockley's Ceiling.
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