Wondering if we can come up with a list of "perfect tens" at the Gunks. My guess is that this list stacks up favorably with any other crag in the country. Let's start:

1. Erect Direction: a powerful line pumps through brilliant white rock on improbably outstanding holds.

2. Fat City: just gotta love walking past the shale bank on Undercliff Road looking out at the Nears and thinking "I climbed that."

3. Double-issima: Big jugs and wild rides. Positive holds and positive gear the whole way...and it keeps going! Horizontals like these only grow here. Don't miss the third pitch, it's a spanking after the crux.

4. Transcontinental Nailway: a scary start keeps the rabble away, a big roof is the price of entry, then super cool moves and a little runout top out caps this outstanding single pitch route.

5. Birdcage: A little bit of everything - stemming, jamming, traversing, and (of course) a roof.

6. Tough Shift: a great finger crack start, a huge reach left, and a yikes runout to the final roof.

7. Mother's Day Party: two cruxes - one fingery and the other powerful! Safe, but you'll go a bit above gear at numerous times on this climb.

8. Face to Face: a real multi-pitch treat with a long easy first pitch, a short and hard hand traverse on p. 2, and a third pitch for the ages.

9. Interstice: lots of climbing on this overlooked Mac Wall route. Interesting moves demand precise footwork and a calm head all the way through the final finger tip traverse.

10. Feast of Fools: Who hasn't climbed Limelight and saw the corner to their right and though "someday." When it is that day, this is as athletic, pumpy, and committing as it gets. The first pitch roof gets the glory, but the second pitch has difficult face climbing and (if dry) the the pitch offers up uncharacteristically steep 5.6 to the top.

Honorable mention: Simple Suff. This route climbs too much like granite for me to include it on a Gunks list, but this sustained corner is sure to offer a workout.

Face to Face is the only climb on the list that ive climbed so far, but it is probably the nicest 5.10 that Ive ever climbed.

Falled on account of strain maybe?

Falled for sure as one great long pitch. Great route.

I would definely add Graveyard Shift. Probably the best pitch on the Mac Wall.

Not to mention fellow Mac Wall climbs Coex and Star Action. There's also The Winter, Frustraion Syndrome, Matinee, Nosedive, Wegetables, Time Eraser and plenty more.

entire double-issima in a single pitch is pretty hard to beat. probably gets my vote, although i haven't done every 10 in the gunks.

Stirrup Trouble is great.

A few more to the list...some very memorable and some maybe perfect...in no particular order

Transcontinental Nailway
Ridicullissima
Nurse's Aid
Feast of Fools
Mother's Day Party
Nosedive
Retribution
Coexistence
Matinee
Try Again
Birdie Party

Can't wait until fall!

Ridic to High E in one! BAM!

1 - FCD - two quality pitches that test technique and nerves.

2 - ED - 3 quality pitches

3 - F2F - definite surprise awesome 10

4 - Transcon - keeps giving the whole pitch, some moves to keep you on your toes.

5 - stirrup trouble - see above

6 - welcome to the gunks - see above

7 - Matinee - two great pitches of 10 with pretty significantly different character - solid gunks route.

8 - Frustration Syndrome - really nice moves to start, a cool corner, and nice little roof.

9 - The Winter - nice bouldery start with some good technique to get through the corner.

10 - Wishbone - one of the gunks' sweetest roofs.

I forgot about Stannards Roof. That one is pretty darn fun.

ten thousand restless virgins

"Resistance", "Co-Ex", "Feast of Fools", and "Double-issima" get my vote.

Welcome to the Gunks, Coexistence, and P38 get my vote. Erect Direction really wasn't anything special to me.

i always thought "star action" was a gunks classic... full out dyno on 5.10 trad?! s'always stuck w/ me...


oh, and feast of fools!

How about P38