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Classics Climbs
Don't cut your roadtrip short without baggin' these.
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 Northeast Ridge of the Pinnacle (III 5.7), Mount Washington, NH
While New Hampshire’s rounded topography makes long ridge routes scarce, there are some gems, including the seven-pitch Northeast Ridge of Pinnacle Buttress (the Pinnacle), in Mount Washington’s Huntington Ravine. The peak is infamous for extreme weather and record-breaking winds.  Traitor Horn (5.8) Tahquitz Rock, Idyllwild, CA
In 1941, Roy Gorin and William Shand made the FFA of Traitor Horn, which zigs up the west face of the sweeping, 800-foot Tahquitz Rock. Gorin had only one leg, having lost the other at age 6 — remember that as you fight to straddle the slick horn on pitch three, your quads quivering with fatigue.  Ham and Eggs (V 5.9 AI4), Ruth Gorge, Alaska
With moderate climbing on a grand alpine wall, the 3,000-foot Ham and Eggs has become an entrance exam for aspiring alpinists. While the hike from the glacier was once the most dangerous part, Talkeetna Air Taxi pilot Paul Roderick in the 1990s pioneered the “Root Canal” dropoff, about 100 yards from the toe of the climb.  Living On The Edge (II 5.10c) Snow Canyon State Park, Utah
Just north of the Suburbs of Saint George, Utah, you’ll find Snow Canyon State Park. Named after the Mormon missionaries Lorenzo and Erastus Snow, this quiet zone has approximately 75 sport and trad climbs, from one to six pitches, on Navajo sandstone formations reminiscent of Zion.  Yellow Brick Road (5.9+) - Wizard Needle, California
Every story you've heard about the Needles (California) is true: the place does feel haunted, and the climbing is that good. Towering cones of granite claim the horizon of this wonderland, perched at 8,000 feet in the Sierras near the edge of the Kern River Wilderness.  Recom-Beast (III 5.9) - Cathedral Ledge, NH
North Conway, tucked beneath the Moat Mountains of northern New Hampshire, is a climbers’ utopia. It’s a small town (pop. 2,000) bustling with climbing life: everywhere, climbers bike to morning guiding gigs, and then take coffee fuel-ups at The Frontside Grind before reeling off a half-dozen afternoon pitches ...  Irene's Arete (III 5.8 or 5.9+) - Disappointment Peak, Wyoming
Walking the edge in Grand Teton National Park for climbers, Disappointment Peak holds anything but. The southern wall of this 11,618-foot mountain in the heart of the Tetons boasts clean lines, stellar views, and sunny exposure.  Mucho Pumpito (II 5.10b) Vinales Valley, Cuba
The best 5.10 in The world — it’s a big claim for a two-pitch sport route in western Cuba. Yet that’s the consensus among those who’ve climbed on the elbow-deep pockets of Mucho Pumpito, in the island’s Valle de Viñales. As the British climber and writer Mikey Robertson effervesced, “Mucho Pumpito is the best 5.10 I’ve ever done, and in the top five of all climbs.”  Razor's Edge - Superstition Mountains, AZ
A dacite-core formation, the Hand was first climbed by desert and wall master Bill Forrest circa 1965, with Gary Garbert and Ky Punches. The men raced up the tower 45 minutes, using only hexagonal machine nuts for pro, via what’s now known as the Razor’s Edge.  The Nose (5.8), Looking Glass, NC
No need for haulbags, speed records, or poop tubes on this Nose. Looking Glass Rock's beloved romp is a rousing moderate on granite every bit as good as the Valley's . . . if one succumbs to far-reaching comparisons.  Sea of Holes (II 5.10- R)
It’s a bit hard to call an R-rated route “classic” — you don’t want people whipping off and breaking their legs and whatnot. But then again, most R-rated routes aren’t the Sea of Holes, the two-pitch jug ladder up an eye-pleasing convex buttress on the Front Side, at Hueco Tanks.  Comic Relief (III 5.10b)
In 1983, Ed Webster and Chester Dreiman, two peerless Black pioneers, ducked into morning shade in the SOB gully. Their goal? A clean, grey thousand-foot buttress walking the thin line between spectacular multi-pitch trad and begging for a tasty epic.  Dark Shadows - Red Rocks, Nevada
Hiking into the shady north fork of Pine Creek Canyon, to climber's right of the 1,000-foot, pyramid-shaped Mescalito formation, you'll enter a pristine wilderness that becomes darker and cooler with each step. One of Red Rock’s best climbs, combining fun face and steep cracks, Dark Shadows is in deep shade all day ...  Vertigo, Cannon Cliff, New Hampshire
For as long as it’s sat high above Franconia Notch, in New Hampshire’s White Mountains, Cannon Cliff has been slowly but surely losing its battle with gravity. If you have any doubts, just look at the giant talus slope running more than a half-mile along its base ...  Lotus Flower Tower (V 5.10)
Hardly anyone has actually freed the crux 16 th pitch (rated 5.10c, but more like stiff 5.11) of the LFT since Steve Levin, Mark Robinson, and Sandy Stewart made the FFA in 1977. It’s a dirty, wet roof. A perfect hand crack beckons to the left, however the topo calls this temptation A1 to 5.9 R. If your ethics allow it, just stay on route, pull on a piece and get it over with. |
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