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Yawn, The 

The Yawn 

5.9

   
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Type: Trad, 4 pitches, 400 feet
Consensus: 5.10a [details]
FA: TM Herbert and Gordon Webster, June 1965, FFA: Phil Bircheff & Jan Ebeltoft, July 1969
Season: summer, fall
Submitted By: Adam on Dec 31, 2006

You & This Route  |  Other Opinions (10)
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BETA PHOTO: The first pitch (stay right of the corner).

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Description 

Find the HUGE chimney/corner. The second pitch holds the crux offwidth/weirdness. 3rd pitch (5.7) hands! If you have huge hands!


Location 

You can't miss it. Huge corner on the far east side of the face.


Protection 

Bring a bunch of big cams.



Photos of The Yawn Slideshow Add Photo
Jose following pitch 2

Jose following pitch 2

Jose leading the "handcrack in a corner that climbers dream about" (according to the Don Reid guide). Pitch 3.

Jose leading the "handcrack in a corner that climb...

Wide pitch from the belay. This climb is SICK!

Wide pitch from the belay. This climb is SICK!


Comments on The Yawn Add Comment
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By Tyler Logan
From: Moreno Valley, CA
Aug 5, 2008
rating: 5.10

Anyone who sees this route up close will be impressed by it, even if they have no desire to climb it. Amazing line. Route-finding on the first pitch is tricky (no, you don't just find the corner and climb it). The standard start begins right of the corner and climbs up broken, somewhat-vegetated cracks and ledge systems to the quality crux headwall (which is still right of the true corner). Route-finding on the 2nd pitch is a no-brainer. Follow the steep, intimidating wide crack as it goes from surprisingly positive jams to awkward, leaning nothingness. The Reid guide describes the final pitch as a "crack in a corner that climbers dream about." I'd say the 2nd pitch is also the kind of pitch climbers dream about, but I'd call these dreams nightmares.

I'd say the 2nd pitch ranks with Reeds Direct in the Valley as a top contender for hardest 5.9 of all time.

Gear is excellent. Bring a lot of 3" for the final pitch, and consider taking a couple large cams for the offwidth.

By George Bell
From: Boulder, CO
Aug 5, 2008
rating: 5.9

Good training for climbing the Salathe Wall on El Cap.

By Rob Dillon
From: '81 Sunrader
Aug 19, 2008

A bunch of big nuts would really keep your rack light and bomber on this routes' knobby, convergent flakes. Hardly any small ones, though.

By Bryan G
From: Yosemite
Oct 3, 2011

I got off route on the first pitch. Climbed into the main corner too soon and found myself beneath an 8-foot long offwidth roof.

The 3rd pitch is a spectacular rope-stretcher and can be protected entirely with passive pro if you're inclined to dust off the hexes. Seriously though, this pitch is as good as anything I've climbed in Tuolumne (ranking up there with Blue's Riff, Speed of Life, the corner pitch on Oz, and the final pitch of 3rd Pillar).

By trying hard
From: East side Sierra
Nov 6, 2012

This climb is awesome. The most valley like climbing I have done in the meadows. Pitch 1 is a bit tricky route finding though a fun roof and into a wide section. The 2nd pitch is burly awesome, and the 3rd is just straight up mean 5.7. This is one of the most beautiful rock formations to look up at from the base. When you get up close you cant help but get exited about this climb.

This is a majorly overlooked climb in the meadows and if you are looking to climb hard valley pitches, this is great starter and training climb.