Climb Ratings

[SEF]

After a recent attic trip, I ended up browsing the “Rock Climbing Leavenworth and Index a guide” by Rich Carlstad and Don Brooks, copyright 1976. Forgot I had it. It makes for interesting reading, especially ratings compared to the latest guides. Some climbs are still rated the same, but many are not. Those that are not are most always rated easier then than now.

 

For your entertainment, here are some selected routes from the Leavenworth section:

 

Castle Rock

Damnation Crack 5.8

Dan’s Dreadful 5.10+

Crack of Doom 5.8+

 

Midnight Rock

Easter Overhang 5.9

Nightengale 5.10 A0

South Ramp 5.9

Wasp 5.10

 

Snow Creek Wall

Outer Space 5.8+

Remorse 5.8

 

Peshastin

Bomb Shelter 5.10+

Butter Brickle 5.8+

Lightning Crack 5.8+

Vertigo 5.7+

 

Nothing in the book is rated higher than 5.10+. Only Snow Creek Wall is listed up the Icicle although today's most popular roadside TR's were popular even then. As you probably knew, the trend does seem to be toward rating the same climbs harder over time.

[kevin_page]

Here's how some of the same routes were rated in the "Guide To Leavenworth Rock Climbing Areas" by Beckey and Bjornstad, copyright 1965.

 

Castle

Dan's Dreadful 5.7-A3

Nose 5.3-A2

Canary 5.7

Saber 5.3

 

Midnight

Nightengale 5.7-A3

Easter Overhang 5.8-A3

South Ramp 5.7-A3

Wasp 5.5-A2

 

Snow Creek

Outer Space 5.9

Remorse 5.7-A2

Orbit 5.8-A3

 

Peshastin

Bomb Shelter 5.6-A3

Lightning Crack 5.8-A1

Vertigo 5.7

Nirvana Ridge 5.9

 

This guide states in the introduction, "with 5.10 being the ultimate difficulty possible." There are 4 climbs with 5.9 ratings and zero rated at 5.10. This guide demonstrates the era it was written in well for me with the description for South Ramp on Midnight Rock which was my first 5.10 lead on granite in 1984. It recommends 29 pitons, suggests a time of 7 hours and was rated 5.7-A3.

[Cpt.Caveman]

I bet Beckey would rate Crack of Doom 5.6 if he could

[Dru]

Its kool Nirvana Ridge has stayed 5.9 the whole time. That must be why Kurt named his band after it.

[Peter_Puget]

Hey Dru what about Jimi? As in What if 6 were 9?

 

PP

[Dru]

Jimi's message is dont worry about sandbags. "If a 6...turned out to be a 9...I won't mind".