Coolest Moderate Climbs on Earth

[ashw_justin]

What about stuff in the Sierras and such? Teleross and lunger made Postive Vibrations look and sound pretty cool. Is that neomoderate?

[sk]

easier than moderate but totally fun was the pioneer route on monkey face. the exposure was great and the intro do jugging lines and a huge free rap made it thrilling beyond all measure.

 

single pitch my fave has to be cruel sister. I still have not climbed that clean but it's awsome. i have the scars to prove it.

 

goal for the far future is Kunza Corner. maybe some day and if not i will keep walking by and thinking it lovely.

[Dannible]

I'll only list climbs that I've done because there are way too many to choose from that I haven't. Most of these were pretty physically hard for me, but I've never had nightmares about them and while I was climbing them I never felt like I was in trouble, so I'd say they were moderate overall. For alpine climbs the location (how perty and remote) matters almost as much as the climbing.

 

NE Ridge of Forbidden

Rebel Yell

NEB of Slesse

2006 route on the East Face of Gunsight

Gunsight Traverse

Single pitch: any of the 4 or 5 star cracks at the Smoke Bluffs in Squamish.

 

[ken4ord]

Here is my list of favorite moderates that I have been on.

 

Moby Grape, Cannon, NH

Whitney Gilman, Cannon, NH

Black Dike, Cannon, NH

High E, Gunks, NY

Modern Times, Gunks, NY

Recompence, Cathedral, NH

Repentance, Catherdral, NH

Dracula, Frenkenstein, NH

Ciley-Barber Route, Katahdin, ME

Diedre, Cathedral, NH

Direct Complete Exxum, Grand Teton, WY

CMC Route, Tetons, WY

West Ridge, Forbidden, WA

Complete North Ridge, Stuart, WA

The Book, Yosemite, CA

Angel's Crest, Squamish, CAN

North Ridge, Mt. Kenya, Kenya

 

 

 

[billcoe]

If you've been climbing for a while and can't even toprope a mid-5.11 even by french freeing, then you would fall into a category of what I would chose to call "Easy" or "Beginner".

 

*cough* cough*. Can we put an "old" exclusion in there? So it would read, "Easy" or "Beginner, or Old".

 

I'll add my dream route.

 

West Face of El Cap, on sight, ground up, no falls in a day. Unfortunately, when I was getting up that grade ground up no falls on sight, and after driving down with a stronger partner, we hiked to the base and he bailed. I tried the whining, tried the crying, tried the begging, I think I even tried the yelling. (we're still buds though to this day) One of the nice things about this site is seeing others fly up the thing in good style, was reading David Triplett and Ben Priestleys run up the route in a day last year for instance. Vicarious happiness.! I'll most likely get to do some climbing with Ben this year too, so it's all good.

 

 

 

Now I have other priorities and a big to do list so I'll most likely never get up that route, but it isn't off the list, just cause I can't get to it. [/snivelling and whining]

________________________________________________

[AlpineK]

I'm a big fan of the low angle slab at the UW Rock.

[mattp]

Got a photo of the crux on Modern Times?

[ktaylor]

I just spent a week in RR and I second the vote for CC. Did anyone mention Epinephrine? I don't think 5.9's get much better than that...

[ktaylor]

as long as there aren't ten parties on it...

[dt_3pin]

WI3 (in condition) it's not technically very difficult.

 

That's rad.

[counterfeitfake]

dreamer is the best moderate rock climb i've done in the NW

 

I was just gonna say, Dreamer. Dreamer is ILL.

[Cairns]

Andy is that Oscar in that pic?

 

 

Yes.

 

I think Clyde Minaret should be probably be included on any definitive list of cool moderate climbs.

 

Also, for diversity sake, some boulders.

 

[hemp22]

If looking for classics to aspire to, I'll add:

The Rostrum

Cloud Tower

 

Maybe not quite so lofty:

Incredible Hulk - Red Dihedral, Positive Vibrations, or Sun Spot Dihedral.

Devil's Tower - Assembly Line & El Matador

Grand Wall

[TeleRoss]

A few of my favorites:

 

Godzilla/City Park/top out

S. Face Prusik

N. Ridge Stuart

Serenity Crack/Sons of Yesterday

Beckey/Chouinard

Epinephrine

Illusion Dweller

Central Pillar of Frenzy

Complete Exum Ridge

Irene's Arete

 

Most of these are on the easy side of "moderate"

 

[G-spotter]

113 posts and not one "the coolest moderate climb is the one having teh mostest fun" ?

[counterfeitfake]

113 posts and not one "the coolest moderate climb is the one having teh mostest fun" ?

 

the coolest thread is the one not having that joke

[Blake]

I think the best PNW rock climb that fits the original definition of "Moderate = .11c or easier" would be Freeway.

[ivan]

Andy is that Oscar in that pic?

 

 

Yes.

 

I think Clyde Minaret should be probably be included on any definitive list of cool moderate climbs.

 

Also, for diversity sake, some boulders.

 

holy shit, is that in the green zone?

[Winter]

a barbed wire approach is WAY harder than moderate you chest-beating wankers!

[powderhound]

If you've been climbing for a while and can't even toprope a mid-5.11 even by french freeing, then you would fall into a category of what I would chose to call "Easy" or "Beginner".

 

*cough* cough*. Can we put an "old" exclusion in there? So it would read, "Easy" or "Beginner, or Old".

 

I'll add my dream route.

 

West Face of El Cap, on sight, ground up, no falls in a day. Unfortunately, when I was getting up that grade ground up no falls on sight, and after driving down with a stronger partner, we hiked to the base and he bailed. I tried the whining, tried the crying, tried the begging, I think I even tried the yelling. (we're still buds though to this day) One of the nice things about this site is seeing others fly up the thing in good style, was reading David Triplett and Ben Priestleys run up the route in a day last year for instance. Vicarious happiness.! I'll most likely get to do some climbing with Ben this year too, so it's all good.

 

 

 

Now I have other priorities and a big to do list so I'll most likely never get up that route, but it isn't off the list, just cause I can't get to it. [/snivelling and whining]

________________________________________________

 

Well bill starting next January I will be living close to Yos, and will be looking for good partners to help me complete my Yos list, pretty sure we can work something out. Sounds like my style of climbing, ground up, onsight, no falls, lots of smiles and splitter cracks.

[kevino]

dreamer is the best moderate rock climb i've done in the NW

 

I was just gonna say, Dreamer. Dreamer is ILL.

 

Pictures?

[billcoe]

Well bill starting next January I will be living close to Yos, and will be looking for good partners to help me complete my Yos list, pretty sure we can work something out. Sounds like my style of climbing, ground up, onsight, no falls, lots of smiles and splitter cracks.

 

Thread drift coming, do not look if you are easily offended.

 

Well Bryan, now I got publicly called out. Ouch. A careful read of my words will have you seeing that I was trying to weasel out of it. I know @3 dudes going down next week who can get up that kind of route easily, but bagged off going despite being asked 4 or 5 times.....cause I'm busy, have a full dance card, and a different tick list.....I'd need 2 solid weeks on Yos granite before I would (or could) launch up a route like that, as old and out of shape pretty much defines my middle name right now, but primarily or additionally I sadly don't have that kind of time right now blah blah blah I'm out of excuses as of now:-)

 

Like all my buddies went up to go do Lotus Flower Tower few years back: I couldn't go due to time restraints and being a dad, which as it turns out wasn't a bad thing as they had total shit weather for 2 weeks, came back with some nice pics in that you can almost see the tent through the snowflakes with them bivied on the ledge 1/2 way up in a full on whiteout-blizzard and some stories of sliming up a running water mossy unprotected chimney at the start. That's on my list too anyway, but didn't have time then. Might have time next year for one of these routes but I heard I'll be even older then. (thats an unconfirmed rumor)

 

You are going to be so damn strong living next to Yos, Needles and Pinnacles......damn thats awesome. I'll try and block some time for a valley trip next year, lets co-ordinate it so some of your PDX bros and hoes can show (John F just Pm'ed me about this route too for instance). I have some friends who regularly get sites in time sequence and head down, some are there right now.

 

And now....back to our regular programing.....

[Chad_A]

Maybe I haven't read closely, but has Jefferson Park Glacier and the NF of Hood been forgotten?

 

As far as ice goes, I'd put Guiness Gully as the ultimate classic.

[rbw1966]

Zebra Zion

[ivan]

Zebra Zion

X2 - and not moderate for a wanker like me!

 

ah, but how about this for a secretive smiff gem - the mines of moria!