Top 50 classic routes in North America

What routes would y’all put in the top 50 today I’ve only climbed 3 of the top 50 from the 1979 book. Castleton tower in Moab, middle cathedral rock east buttress and Fairview dome north face in the sierra. 

no

Double Cross

Randy Vannurden wrote:

no

Seems far more engaging than the typical MP drivel. 

To the contrary: 

yes

Little Devil. 

https://www.mountainproject.com/route/105758724/little-devil

Positive vibrations

Roper’s 50 list and the consensus of star ratings here on MP are going to be your best sources. I doubt many will chime in with their own lists. Way to sneak that spray in though. 

I climbed with Allen Steck at PSOM in 1977 when he & Roper were compiling  Fifty Classic Climbs & bought it when it was published in 1979. John Fischer later told me that he asked them  not to include any Palisades routes because he did want  the crowds that would result.  There is a great picture on page 290 of John leading  the Southwest Face of Clyde Minaret . When John &  I later climbed that route ,we bivied at the route base & were shocked by the all the lights we saw below from other approaching parties .

The list was 50 Classic Climbs, not THE TOP 50 MOST Classic Climbs. It's sampling the buffet from the around the continent. It also kinda does a crappy job doing even that.

The word classic  means historic or memorable. Over  30+ years of climbing. I have come to realize the some of the climbs we thought were great are actually choss piles.  So maybe memorably bad. And then there is a matter of personal  climbing style. Many east coast climbers think  Moby Grape is a classic. I find it memorably loose and chossy. I have only done a hand full of multi pitch routes at red rocks, in my opinion  they were all  better.

“Classic” is inherently subjective, so it is not at all surprising that folks vary in their ideas of what constitutes a ‘classic’ climb. For me, aesthetics (of the location, the line, and the climbing itself) , history or impact ( some brand new climbs are recognized as classic) are all significant factors, but there are ‘intangibles’ as well that make one climb stand out for some individuals but not necessarily for others.

Also, while one would presume that a ‘classic’ label should stand the test of time, that is not always the case, at least in terms of climbing,—-styles and attitudes change, as do the mountains and crags themselves. For example, climate change has rendered a number of former classic snow and ice climbs into dangerous, unaesthetic rubble piles—look what happened to the Marmolada glacier a couple of weeks ago.

So Steck and Roper’s 50 Classics was a good selection of some of the better climbs on the Continent ( with a few clunkers and sandbags thrown in) 50+ years ago—and most of them are still well worth doing. No doubt, though, that a 2022 version would likely be quite different.

Alan ,Thanks fir saying what  I was trying to say much more eloquently. 

I like the idea of one hard climb and one moderate from each state that has climbing but its doomsday for any climb that gets mentioned in  a book like that... 

Here's an alternative list that is fun to argue about: https://www.lamountaineers.org/NAC/browserf/other/climlist/clindex.htm

I would say they're terrible on ice climbs, partly because none of them seem to have been to New England. 

IRRC, based on their criteria: 1) Significant Summit/Peak, 2) Historical Significance, and 3) Climbing Quality

I'm surprised that these are not on the list:

1) Southeast Buttress, Cathedral Peak. John Muir climbed it and it's a very striking peak with good climbing.
2) The Trough, Tahquitz. This was the 5.0 for the YDS. Striking peak and the quality is pretty good for the grade.
3) The Open Book, Tahquitz. Lead on Wooden Pitons, striking summit, and the "first" 5.9 in North America to be freed.
4) Nutcracker, Yosemite. Like seriously... how is this not on the list and Royal Arches and Travelers Buttress is!? Climbing history and quality is rich with this one.
5) Regular Route, High Cathedral Spire, Yosemite. BITD if you wanted to be "somebody" this was the Test Piece! Hell of a striking summit as well and I've heard this is the largest spire in NA (Not sure if it's true...).

Honorable Mentions:
6) Matthes Crest, Yosemite. I think should have been considered I do not know if there is any historical significance.
7) Owen Spalding, Grand Teton. I recently heard that American Mountain Guiding more or less started at the Tetons (no clue if this is true or completely biased).
8) Seneca, WV.  This fin is mind-blowing for the East Coast and is rich with climbing history.  During WWII the military used this as a training ground for a potential invasion into Italy.

Dave Cramer wrote:

Here's an alternative list that is fun to argue about: https://www.lamountaineers.org/NAC/browserf/other/climlist/clindex.htm

I would say they're terrible on ice climbs, partly because none of them seem to have been to New England. 

I’m more familiar with the Canadian objectives, and I think it’s a pretty good list.

The mountains chosen are all stunning, and the routes they’ve chosen are some of the classic lines (even if they aren’t the best quality).

As far as ice goes, Borgeau Left is an odd inclusion. I’d have gone with Nemesis or The Sorcerer instead. Polar Circus is the quintessential Rockies ice route though. 

The same classics that are in the book. . .

México is part of "North America" and should have at least one spot in the 50 classics.  So much development there since the Roper-Steck list.

ClimbBaja wrote:

México is part of "North America" and should have at least one spot in the 50 classics.  So much development there since the Roper-Steck list.

How many states in Mexico have good climbing? Why not have at least one for each state with good climbing? Many Mexican states are geographically huge, are they not? Listing just one for a country as large and diverse as Mexico seems unfair to me.

Ricky Harline wrote:

How many states in Mexico have good climbing? Why not have at least one for each state with good climbing? Many Mexican states are geographically huge, are they not? Listing just one for a country as large and diverse as Mexico seems unfair to me.

Fifty Classic Climbs of Mexico

Fifty Classic Climbs of the United States

Fifty Classic Climbs of Canada

Fifty Classic Climbs of...any of the other ~20 North American countries that has Classic climbing.

With the Internet (web tech and such) it would be quite a bit easier to compile these lists. And if the routes are submitted by people from each country, that would save you travel time and money; but wouldn't be as much fun as when Roper and Steck did it, admittedly.

50 Classic Variations of Southeast Buttress of Cathedral Peak