Yosemite Sport Climbs and Top Ropes New Book

[ChrisMcNamara]

We just released a new book for Yosemite Sport Climbs and Top Ropes It is written by Chris Van Leuven and myself and it has 200+ routes all over Yosemite Valley from old classics to new stuff. As usual, we could really use you help getting the word out since our marketing budget is $0. Especially because we need to pay the printer soon! We are offering a special offer for the next week or so: buy the eBook and get a free print book (ships today). here is the deal

 

You can download the table of contents, intro, map of the Valley and get all the other details at the link above and you can also see a list of all the climbs

 

 

Please tell a friend and help us spread the word about this. Post on other climbing forum, tweets, facebook... everything helps us a lot. Thanks in advance!!!

[Raindawg]

Sport climbs don't belong in Yosemite Valley.

Top-ropes? O.K. But keep your metallic highways out of America's national treasures.

[pink]

what's up dawg?

[stevetimetravlr]

Dawg, you are talking to THE MAN. Chris Mac has done more climbing and big walls then you have even thought about. If anybody can publish a book like this, its him.

Yosemite is for everybody. Keep your negative attitude and BS to yourself. Chris Mac might be to nice a guy to kick your ass, but I can't vouch for everyone else.

[Raindawg]

Dawg, you are talking to THE MAN. Chris Mac has done more climbing and big walls then you have even thought about. If anybody can publish a book like this, its him.

Yosemite is for everybody. Keep your negative attitude and BS to yourself. Chris Mac might be to nice a guy to kick your ass, but I can't vouch for everyone else.

 

Whatever, dude. I know who Chris is...and I own his truly awesome Yosemite big wall book. (And his new book also looks beautifully produced.) But I have no respect for the messy disease of "sport climbing" spreading or being promoted on national lands.

Here's a random (and honestly-stated) example of one of the climbs featured in the book: "Cookie Monster":

 

"On the first ascent, this route was boldly led on RPs and nuts and rated 5.12c. The climb was downgraded to 5.12a after it was bolted. With bolts, the route changed from a seldom-repeated trad lead to probably the most popular 5.12 sport climb in Yosemite. While there is occasionally talk among locals of chopping the bolts, this has yet to happen."

 

ANOTHER BOLD,CLEAN CLIMB DUMBED DOWN FOR THE MASSES.

and it makes me WANT TO HURL!!!

(Kind of reminds me of Dan's Dreadful Direct on Castle Rock up here in Washington...except the locals actually finished the job.)

 

However...

DO BUY THIS HIGH-QUALITY BOOK FOR THE TOP-ROPES.

 

By the way "stevetimetravlr"...you don't like my perspective? Don't subscribe to it. Are you surprised that not everyone agrees with you? There are plenty of us. Kick my @ss because you disagree with my opinion? Is that a threat? Real mature! It's hereby publicly noted.

[JosephH]

Going to the Valley to sport climb is like going to a whore house to masturbate.

[Pilchuck71]

Going to the Valley to sport climb is like going to a whore house to masturbate.

 

Shit! Then I have been doing it wrong the whole time?

[stevetimetravlr]

Raindawg,have you EVER done Cookie Monster? Now or before or anytime? Or do you just like to jack off your mouth on the internet like Joseph instead of actually climbing?

 

Edited July 5, 2010 by stevetimetravlr

[JosephH]

Have you EVER done Cookie Monster? Now or before or anytime? Or do you just like to jack off your mouth on the internet like Joseph instead of actually climbing?

You might not just be jacking off your mouth in this context if you could get up my routes, as it is you're flapping your lips. But then lately you have been coming off just like the sort of victimal, play-it-safe putz who would go to the Valley to clip bolts.

[pink]

Have you EVER done Cookie Monster? Now or before or anytime? Or do you just like to jack off your mouth on the internet like Joseph instead of actually climbing?

You might not just be jacking off your mouth in this context if you could get up my routes, as it is you're flapping your lips. But then lately you have been coming off just like the sort of victimal, play-it-safe putz who would go to the Valley to clip bolts.

 

[Pilchuck71]

My post had nothing whatsoever to do with "Cookie Monster" Steve. It was more of my lament in throwing away all that cold cash!

And as far as climbing goes...nope, don't do it. It is dangerous.

Sorry to disprupt the sword fight.

Continue.

Edited July 4, 2010 by Pilchuck71

[Off_White]

Going to the Valley to sport climb is like going to a whore house to masturbate.

 

And how much time have you logged in the Valley Joe? You've declared that crack climbing is boring and repetitive, which suggests that maybe you haven't climbed down there much.

 

Kinda funny that ya'll don't want those people sitting at your lunch counter if you ask me, especially given that those who feel strongest about the issue don't climb down there much. I assure you that gear protected routes are alive and well in Yosemite Valley, and as popular as ever.

[JosephH]

Just once and wasn't clipping bolts, but personally don't care much of climbing granite. The only thing I thought looked really interesting was the left half of Sentinel. But hey, I don't need to be a Valley regular to make the statement I did, it would be no different if we were talking Eldo or the Gunks - go to any of the three to clip bolts and you're missing the point entirely. Are you saying clipping bolts is what you go to the Valley for? Are you advocating for sport climbs in Black Canyon or on Cannon as well (oh, and please do feel free to take mod liberties with my forum name if it makes you feel better about the conversation or yourself). Either way it's pretty cute of you to leap in and champion someone who deliberately chose to be a complete putz in this conversation - personally I'd like to think it's not a matter of you feeling the need to 'stick together' with them, but who can say.

[pink]

joseph, by and large you're an enigma.

[JosephH]

Yeah, yeah, from one enigma to another...

[el jefe]

good work on another useful and excellent guidebook, chris. just ignore the clucking of old hens like joseph and raindawg. those guys are caught in some kind of weird time warp.

[Off_White]

Yeah Joe, I forgot, it was granite you found boring, not crack climbing. I'm curious what all you did in the Valley that left you cold. There is some great featured face climbing there, shorter 1 and 2 pitch outings rather than big routes, but plenty difficult and thoughtful. If you ever contemplate going down there again, hit me up and I'll get you a list of things that might change your mind about granite.

 

The point is that climbing is not any one thing. No, I don't personally go to the Valley to sport climb, but that doesn't mean no else does, or that they shouldn't. I know folks who've gone there for two weeks and only brought a bouldering pad. Not my thing, but that doesn't mean that past time is illegitimate or should be banned in Yosemite.

 

The Valley is a great place to understand that clipping bolts does not equal sport climbing, there are plenty of ground up lines with drilled protection that offer as much thrill and challenge as most people can handle. That's a point you, and to some extent Raindawg, persistently resist grasping. There have been sport climbs there for quite awhile, but the fact that Supertopo has only come up with 200 routes by including things you can top rope, in a place with that much stone, suggests that its hardly a sport mecca.

 

Oh, and I'm not championing anyone, rather I'm standing behind the idea that different people can have different climbing experiences, that diversity makes us all richer.

 

Temporarily embellished titles is a different subject entirely, one not appropriate in this forum. Suffice it to say you're an unlikely recipient of that sort of very rare attention.

[denalidave]

Yeah Joe, I forgot, it was granite you found boring, not crack climbing. I'm curious what all you did in the Valley that left you cold. There is some great featured face climbing there, shorter 1 and 2 pitch outings rather than big routes, but plenty difficult and thoughtful. If you ever contemplate going down there again, hit me up and I'll get you a list of things that might change your mind about granite.

 

The point is that climbing is not any one thing. No, I don't personally go to the Valley to sport climb, but that doesn't mean no else does, or that they shouldn't. I know folks who've gone there for two weeks and only brought a bouldering pad. Not my thing, but that doesn't mean that past time is illegitimate or should be banned in Yosemite.

 

The Valley is a great place to understand that clipping bolts does not equal sport climbing, there are plenty of ground up lines with drilled protection that offer as much thrill and challenge as most people can handle. That's a point you, and to some extent Raindawg, persistently resist grasping. There have been sport climbs there for quite awhile, but the fact that Supertopo has only come up with 200 routes by including things you can top rope, in a place with that much stone, suggests that its hardly a sport mecca.

 

Oh, and I'm not championing anyone, rather I'm standing behind the idea that different people can have different climbing experiences, that diversity makes us all richer.

 

Temporarily embellished titles is a different subject entirely, one not appropriate in this forum. Suffice it to say you're an unlikely recipient of that sort of very rare attention.

Well said Off. Thanks!

[JosephH]

Off, it has nothing to do with the Valley per se. I've climbed Gunks, Cannon, Whitehorse and Cathedral, N.C., and RMNP as well. About the only granite I like is the Gunks and that's only because of the roofs and horizontals. Bottom line for me is outside of the Gunks, granite just has very little monkey compared to highly textured sandstone (or limestones, though I find them harsh in hand texture). I'd take southern sandstone over any granite area I've seen as for me the physical body movement over granite is boring by comparison. RR and Eldo make a good second call, though Eldo isn't particularly textured and RR is fragile with very undeveloped ironwork.

 

In the end you just don't find monkey stuff like this on granite:

 

 

 

 

 

 

And while I don't have that lovely stone to climb out here, it long ago defined my both my climbing and interest in stone. Basalt isn't all that featured either, but I've adapted to what's here in PDX and have found it enjoyable enough and even eeked out a bit of monkey here and there.

 

Look, I have no doubt doing a sport/TR book was a great business decision for Chris given clipping bolts defines climbing for about 85% of the demographic and only few of them are ever going to buy a big wall book. This sport / TR book on the other hand they'll be buying - it could even end up his best seller by a long shot in the end. And hey, I like the guy, he always comes off as a nice guy and the shoes I wear climbing for about 95% of my climbing are courtesy him.

[markwebster]

I looked at cookie monster last year while doing Outer Limits. That thing is a very, very stout lead with or without bolts. While it is sad that it was bolted after being led on gear, that is by no mean the norm down there.

 

As Off said, crack climbing is alive and well in the valley. In my limited vacation trips down there over the last few years I've seen no sign that the traditional crack climbs are getting bolted.

 

If you want to climb ground up bolted routes in the valley, head to the apron, or Middle Cathedral. There are many routes with huge runnouts all over those areas. We wandered up Goodrich Pinnacle 2 weeks ago for 5 pitches. Holy crap, talk about runnouts. There was one bolt in the 5th pitch...not counting a nest of stacked rusty pitons. My partner James wanted to keep going up...but I got the hell out of there. Talk about a death route.

 

I don't think that book will increase the bolting too much. Sport climbers are out there, and they have their drills, but the valley tends to be self policing.

[JosephH]

I don't think the book will drive significantly more bolts in the near term, my comment was just that going to a trad area to clip bolts misses the point.

[stevetimetravlr]

It doesn't miss the point. Multipitch climb all day, and then sport climb or boulder in the evening to wind down. Many of the older bolted climbs in the Valley can be pretty scary, and most of the newer ones are in obscure places like Schultz's Ridge base, etc. that were rarely visited before and the routes not do-able with traditional gear.

The Valley is cutting edge and has a strong contingent that keeps it honest, finger on the pulse. A couple guys from Washington that don't climb there taking potshots and making snide comments, well its frankly embarrassing.

[JosephH]

Well there you have it, we'll have to agree to disagree. It doesn't matter whether it's the Valley, Eldo, or the Gunks, or the North Cascades for that matter - heading there to sport climb is missing way wide of the mark.

[el jefe]

come on, steve, if you go to the valley you have to either trad climb or sport climb, you can't do both. we can't be having any of this variety/different styles sort of shit going on. you have to pick just one thing and go with it.

[orion_sonya]

...

Here's a random (and honestly-stated) example of one of the climbs featured in the book: "Cookie Monster":

 

...

 

Random example??