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Top Three 5.11 and 5.12 multi-pitch climbs in America?

Original Post
20 kN · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Feb 2009 · Points: 1,346

Sport or trad. At least six pitches, but doable in a day. No grade VI wall stuff. What are they? So far I am thinking Astroman for 5.11 and Moonlight Buttress for 5.12. What else?

Ryan Williams · · London (sort of) · Joined May 2009 · Points: 1,245

Anything on The Hulk. Maybe the Diamond as well.

camhead · · Vandalia, Appalachia · Joined Jun 2006 · Points: 1,240

Hard to narrow down to three. Rainbow Wall in RR, Grand Wall in Squish, and Sendero Luminoso in Mex would be up there.

B Gilmore · · AZ · Joined Nov 2005 · Points: 1,260

Tague Yer Time, Black Canyon should definitely be on the list.

chuffnugget · · Bolder, CO · Joined Sep 2011 · Points: 0

Levitation 29

Guy H. · · Fort Collins CO · Joined Jan 2001 · Points: 8,318

Freeway in Squamish

Luke Cormier · · Britannia Beach, BC · Joined Oct 2012 · Points: 75

University wall to the roman chimneys (squamish) has gotta be on the list. The steepness of the first two pitches is mind blowing and the rock quality is outstanding, I haven't been up the chimneys yet but the look amazing in photos and follow the natural weakness up the left side of the grandwall

Tony B · · Around Boulder, CO · Joined Jan 2001 · Points: 24,665
Guy H. wrote:Freeway in Squamish
Are we talking 'The America's' or the US?

Speaking of which:
camhead wrote: Sendero Luminoso in Mex would be up there.
That just came up in conversation with a pal. Remember the Letter to the Editor about that one? "The shining path or the road of the lost?" opined one reader of the mags who noted the bolts next to gear placements. Kurt Smith of course replied (or was it Brad Jackson?) that the gear was bad and the crack full of Cacti...
Which may or may not be true.
The funny thing is last week I was talking about what was controversy 17 years (?) ago and just got nominated for the list of the best routes in the grade on the continent...
Tony Hawk · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jul 2009 · Points: 0

The Rostrum, Yosemite

Naked Edge, Eldo

D11, the Diamond

gotta be something from the Needles right? some might be a bit less than 6 pitches though.

clay meier · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Dec 2008 · Points: 350
mountainproject.com/images/…

thats the best 5.11 Ive climbed
Luke Stefurak · · Seattle, WA · Joined Jan 2006 · Points: 2,573

I've mainly climbed on the West Coast so I'd say:

Rainbow Wall
The Rostrum
Positive Vibrations

I put togeather a bunch of beta for most of the long routes I've done in the 5.11 and 5.12 range:

dreaminvertical.com/2013/02…

The blog post has more beta versus quality info but there are links to a ton of trip reports.

I think that all of the routes in the post are awesome. Here is a list in "difficulty" order.

•Free-rider – 5.13-, El Capitan – Yosemite, CA
•Regular NW Face – 5.12, Half Dome – Yosemite, CA
•Sheer Lunacy – 5.12+, Zion, UT
•Astroman – 5.11+, Washington Column – Yosemite, CA
•Original Route – 5.12-, Rainbow Wall Red Rock, NV
•Chouinard-Herbert – 5.11+, Sentinel Rock- Yosemite, CA
•Hotline – 5.12, Elephant Rock – Yosemite, CA
•Tradewinds – 5.12-, Incredible Hulk – High Sierra, CA
•Free Blast – 5.11, El Capitan – Yosemite, CA
•Astro-Hulk – 5.11, Incredible Hulk – High Sierra, CA
•North Face- 5.11+, Rostrum – Yosemite, CA
•Cloud Tower – 5.12- Red Rock, NV
•Positive Vibrations – 5.11-, Incredible Hulk- High Sierra, CA
•Levitation 29 – 5.11+ Red Rock, NV

My favorite from last year was The Flying Buttress out on Merriam Peak. Four high quality pitches of 5.11 in the backcountry.

john strand · · southern colo · Joined May 2008 · Points: 1,640

FreeBlast is up to 11+ ? it was easier at 11a

Romantic Warrior- needles

Autobahn- half Dome

Lab Wall Direct- cannon, nh

20 kN · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Feb 2009 · Points: 1,346

How about this, what is the best 5.11 and 5.12 multi-pitch crack lines out there? So Astroman and the Rostrum for sure. What else?

Glenn Schuler · · Monument, Co. · Joined Jun 2006 · Points: 1,330

How about a little South Platte love? Childhoods End on Big Rock is as good as they come.

Luke Stefurak · · Seattle, WA · Joined Jan 2006 · Points: 2,573

Right. 5.11 for the Freeblast. I am just bad at slabs. I've done done all pitches clean on "harder" routes but still need to send those two free-blast slabs. Soon!

I hear some good things about cracks out at Calaveres Dome.

Check out this TR from Supertopo:

supertopo.com/tr/Silk-Road-…

- Luke

JCM · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jun 2008 · Points: 115

A few more routes that I have not been on, but surely most deserve a place on the list, are:

Primrose Dihedrals (5.11+)
University Wall (5.12-)
The Northern Lights (5.12-) (the latter two since we hav alreayd let Canada join the list.

Peter Franzen · · Phoenix, AZ · Joined Jan 2001 · Points: 3,730

It'd be a crime to not include the Grand Wall in Squamish.

Brian Prince · · reno · Joined Mar 2010 · Points: 2,727
Peter Franzen wrote:It'd be a crime to not include the Grand Wall in Squamish.
Do people care that it has two bolt ladders? The only thing it doesn't have goin for it imho. I haven' climbed many 11 or 12 trad classics but I imagine Abracadaver in Cochise would make it. Somethng else in the desert too should probably get the ol' nod.

That cal dome route looks freakin great. Thanks for the link
Abel Jones · · Bishop, CA · Joined Dec 2010 · Points: 576

Im surprised nobody has mentioned the West Face of El Cap. Definitely ranks up there in my top 11s and can pretty easily be done in a day (although I slept on thanksgiving ledge for fun). I also thought sunspot was better than positive vibes on the hulk. Grand wall was not nearly as good as freeway in Squamish, not even as good as Alaskan highway which would be awesome and rank up there as one one of the best if linked into the Calling. Oh Squamish. Good call on Silk Road to Karakoram, the road almost makes the list as is... can't wait to do that link.

Guy Keesee · · Moorpark, CA · Joined Mar 2008 · Points: 349

Still waiting for a second.....

One can do the climb in a day....

http://www.mountainproject.com/v/despairadoes/107028776

camhead · · Vandalia, Appalachia · Joined Jun 2006 · Points: 1,240
Brian Prince wrote: Somethng else in the desert too should probably get the ol' nod.
True. Unfortunately, not too many tower routes are more than 6 pitches; most are 3-5. Fine Jade definitely should get mentioned in any discussion of classic 5.11 multipitch.

Anyone know of any classic 5.11 routes in Zion? Most of the good ones I can think of are .12s.
Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

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