Name this YV Obscurity #2

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Ed Hartouni

Trad climber

Livermore, CA

Topic Author's Original Post - May 16, 2006 - 12:30am PT

OK, now after the Ski Jump we were psyched, but ablegable was very coy and would not reveal the next climb on his list until after breakfast on Saturday, May 6. By the way, ablegable is a wonderful cook, he believes in keeping very good care of his partners on such a trip, the more so if the obscurity list is being ticked.

Guess this summit... the features across the Valley are obvious, the one just left of ablegable's head is Sentinel Rock

Cheers...

Ed Hartouni

Trad climber

Livermore, CA

Topic Author's Reply - May 16, 2006 - 12:38am PT

no, not Lost Brother...

Jaybro

Social climber

The West

May 16, 2006 - 12:38am PT

Lostbro?
-oops

aldude

climber

Monument Manor

May 16, 2006 - 12:49am PT

Pohono Pinnacle?

Ed Hartouni

Trad climber

Livermore, CA

Topic Author's Reply - May 16, 2006 - 12:51am PT

aldude is right!

I'm working on the trip report... post it very soon!

O5 could be something like, "Spireview point" or Pohono pinnacle"

Ed Hartouni

Trad climber

Livermore, CA

Topic Author's Reply - May 16, 2006 - 02:03am PT

Trip Report: May 6, 2006
Ed Hartouni & ablegable

Sentinel Area

route description from Roper's Climber's Guide to Yosemite Valley 1971 ("green guide") page 226

Pohono Pinnacle - North Face

II, 5.6. George Sessions and Felix Knauth, August 1958.
Pohono Pinnacle is a small, sharp point located 1,400 feet above the valley floor and directly above the Pharaoh's Beard. Start at the lower right-hand corner of the north face and work up and left via class 4 ledges, class 5 jamcracks and a chimney to the bowl just below and left of the summit. Wander up the bowl, then climb a moderate chimney to the obvious notch behind the pinnacle. A short scramble then leads to the top. Descent via the West Slope.

The climb follows the trees just illuminated by the sun cutting across the North Face pictured below. The pyramidal summit is also seen, with the "bowl" on the left side, the climb goes up and around the back.

From the base the climb looks like this, following the obvious vegetable line up the cliff.

It is a wonderful outing, up crack systems which connect a set of ledges, something like 6 or 7, all the way up to the bowl. The climbing is full on old school 5.6, be prepared for every type and style of 5.6 crack climbing, fingers, hands, offwidth, squeeze and chimney. ablegable going up a chimney, heel-toe:

We'd climb some, then walk some, then climb some more. All this in the shade of the south side cliffs. A very pleasant climb that day with interesting difficulties. On the pitch before entering the bowl, the last pitch of the face, ablegable stands atop the final "jamcrack"

The last pitch was 200' (with some sneaking up by the belayer) up wide crack and a final chimney which would have been really heady had it not had a great crack inside leading up to a chock stone. Getting through the chockstone hole was akin to only one other thing I've ever done in my life (at the beginning of it on the first day). We dumped all the gear for the down climb and went up on the summit. Basking in the warm sun, having a bite to eat and enjoying the views.

There was a summit register! the first entry was 1960

Reading through the register was moving for me, it made a connection to the past rarely experienced... there was Bill Amborn and Harry Daley recording their Northwest Corner climb!

And then there was Chuck Pratt in 1968

and Eric Beck!

Now us!

We're looking for a pro-deal from Budweiser...whaddya think?

The last ascent in the register was Coiler's in 1999... also of the N. Face

The descent was ugly, but I wrote about it in the [url="http://www.supertopo.com/climbing/thread.html?topic_id=191498#msg191896"]Ennui[/url] thread... except we didn't get the rope wet in the end...

It was a "Great Climb"... getting that high that easily.

Careful if you go, there is a lot of loose stuff on that route, and you have to be mindful of climbers down at the base... not too hard to knock stuff off.

And we didn't even see a soul up there! but we heard some!! apparently going up the 4th class or maybe the NW Corner. ablegable made sure to leave them a greeting by putting a rock in each of their left shoes... anyone want to fess up?

Wonder

climber

May 16, 2006 - 02:09am PT

Ed, your stuff rocks. I always loved going to obscure and off the path routes and bridges and railings.

Karl Baba

Trad climber

Yosemite, Ca

May 16, 2006 - 02:42am PT

I'm curious now. How did you descend? Could a soloist just downclimb?

Any routefinding issues?

peace

Karl

Ed Hartouni

Trad climber

Livermore, CA

Topic Author's Reply - May 16, 2006 - 02:51am PT

Karl,
we blew the descent on the West Face and had to rap low down... we went too far south. My guess is that if you stick closer to the NW Corner you can find the "fourth class" descent. As far as solo, there are probably a couple of spots where you'd have to suck it up really big time. My guess is that you could probably reverse the climb if you didn't mind down climbing chimney and some wide stuff.

It is also feral... so be careful if you go up there all alone.

Roger Breedlove

Trad climber

Cleveland Heights, Ohio

May 16, 2006 - 08:00am PT

You are nuts, Ed. Well, so to speak, anyway.

But your appetite for the whimsical is astounding. And outstanding.

Good TRs. Curious that Pratt and Bauman and then Beck and Cohen would climb it in 1967 and 1968. Both ascents were early in the season, so maybe it is climbable early. Or, maybe they were just trying to establish which route in the Valley was the “worst route in the Valley.”

Best, Roger

Tarbuster

climber

right here, right now

May 16, 2006 - 10:51am PT

nice ed, got any TR's for split pinnacle?

Chris McNamara

SuperTopo staff member

Oct 28, 2008 - 09:56pm PT

Just added this climb to the route database

http://www.supertopo.com/rockclimbing/route.html?r=yoponfac

Lynne Leichtfuss

Social climber

valley center, ca

Oct 28, 2008 - 10:19pm PT

Perfect TR....Beer, Beautiful Pics and Boss Summit Reports. What a life !
Lynne

SteveW

Trad climber

The state of confusion

Oct 29, 2008 - 01:59pm PT

Great report, Ed.
Especially the photos of the register.
I wish I'd taken some of when I first climbed Castleton
Tower in 1977. The original register, Kor & Ingalls
plus many other real big names. At the time we were the
42nd ascent. Probably as close to history as I'll ever be.
Thanks for the memories.