Stonequest 

The bolts on the first pitch have been replaced, plus a new anchor- all 3/8". The first bolt on the second pitch was added by a member of the first ascent party several years ago.

All the bolts are now 3/8. Thanks ASCA! All rap anchors have chains.

Great stances every 200'! Unfortunately, route was put up on 50m ropes. What would it take?....

It is what it is.

And what it is, is a sweet climb.

Did this Sat...well protected through the crux but certainly some spacey section. FUN!

Incredible route! A little spicy for the budding 5.8 leader... about 20 ft btw bolts near the 5.8+ crux sections. Tops out on a very cool ledge (actually top of the pinnacle) with a great view of the Merced River. What a day!

Josh and I replaced the anchor to the first pitch of the Center Route which was done in 1970 by Price, Yates and Anderson. The anchor had been removed a few years ago by a member of the FA of Stonequest which was put up many years later.

The first 100' of Stonquest is actually the start to the Center Route. At the end of the crack move right about 10' to the anchor. This first pitch is only about 5.6/7, protects well and a nice alternative for those not up to the upper pithes of the Center Route or Stonequest. Can rap with a 60m rope but watch the ends of your rope that won't quite touch the ground.

Excellent route. A couple of comments....
Big thanks to Jeff and Josh for replacing or beefing up the aging hardware on this thing; very much appreciated. The climbing and rock on this route is varied, consistent, and outstanding; hand cracks, seams, featured face, and runout smearing are all here.

One of the comments above states that this route may be a little heady for the budding leader. I would actually say that this route is not a good route for a new leader at all. I think that any of the climbing that is 5.8 is nearish to a bolt, so the crux climbing is not a problem. However, the route (in particular the second pitch) has a ton of 5.5-5.7 climbing where there is easily 20-25 feet between gear. On top of this, the gear that keeps the runouts under 25 feet is good, but small and may not be obvious to newer leaders who aren't savvy with creative nut work. This means that the 20 foot runouts could easily become 40 foot sections. I found my HB offsets to be clutch pieces; sizes between 4-7 turned mediocre nut placements into pretty bomber gear in several locations that even my smallest zero cams would not fit. That said, the rock is beautiful and if you are comfortable running 20 feet of friction off of belays, then don't hesitate to get on this because it is a stellar route.

A classic. We had it to ourselves yesterday in t-shirts. There's nothing like Yosemite in winter.

Using a 60m we were able to link the last two pitches with about 20 ft of simul-climbing. I'm guessing that with a 70m these would link w/o problem.

I agree with the comment above about this route not being for new leaders. It is important to have a very cool head to stay on top of this route.

Otherwise, the sun was already there as early as 9am and stays all day. Approach is short, views are terrific and the rappel is straightforward. It is a pretty good climb.

And thank you to whoever added new bolts at the anchors!