What are your most memorable pitches?

For me, the first pitch of Honeymoon Chimney on the Priest definitely stands out. That OW was so heinous... It took me forever to climb that thing; my foot got stuck at one point, my helmet got stuck at one point, and I wanted to throw up :)

What's your most memorable pitch or pitches?

P3 of Kor's flake. It was my first climb and lumpy, and it was my partner's return to that area after he watched someone fall to their death off sundance, so our goal for the day was not to die. anywho, we sort of linked p1 and 2, building our anchor before the fixed anchor. My partner took the 3rd pitch, and he only clipped the anchor with a quickdraw, then preceded to run it out. 15 feet before the fixed rope, with no gear below him, the rope got stuck mid crux. Epic ensued, involving me escaping the anchor, soloing to where the rope was stuck and free it before the pump clock ran out. thankfully, we reached our goal for the day, and enjoyed the final 2 pitches!!

I came up with a top 3

1. The final pitch of Ancient Art, Moab, Utah. Sooo freaky and awesome, especially in 50 mph wind. The summit photos you commonly see look like they could be a "trick shot" where the feature is really only just off the ground, on a side of a hill or something. But no, it actually is more exposed than it looks. There's a video of people base jumping off it somewhere on youtube.

2. Hair Lip, Idyllwild, CA. I'm surprised there's no photos of it on here and I don't have any either. Basically it's a angling arete/roof lip which you smear and edge your way up. Just left is a steep and blank face which forces you out onto the lip of the roof which is amazingly featured but so very exposed. Pretty much the definition of what makes a good "line" - it's the path of least resistance AND the path with the most exposure.

3. Pitch 2 of Blues Riff, Tuolumne, CA. It starts with a short 5.11 fingers crux, but once you're through that nonsense the real fun begins. A perfect lieback flake on a gently overhanging wall goes on for what seems like forever. It also just happens to take perfect handjams so you can stop to place gear with ease. The flake is rated 5.10 but really it's just super sustained 5.8. The lieback is so unbelievably moderate for how steep it is you'll feel like a superhero...unless of course, you pump out.

edited to say: These are my FAVORITE pitches, and also some of the more memorable ones. I'm not really sure how to choose a most "memorable" pitch since I remember a lot of climbs quite well. Maybe Midterm at Arch Rock, Yosemite. That was quite an exhausting 130 feet of rock I won't soon forget...

Every inch of every pitch of the Russian Arete with a head full of LSD. Such fun.

One of the most memorable pitches for me has to be following the late Walt Shipley on the crux pitch during the second free ascent of "On the Edge", on Half Dome. The route starts on the shoulder a ways left of the Snake Dike and basically traverses the top margin of the face above the Arctic Sea and other right side routes. The crux pitch is a completely sideways, overhanging, poorly protected shoebox squeeze chimney. Walt placed two knife blades on the lead for protection and flashed the lead. On the follow, I quickly gave up trying to bang the pins out and struggled to overcome my wild fear of falling out sideways into space at the top of the NW face. Walt was indeed a master, and all his skills and cool were needed and appreciated that day!

The second pitch of High Exposure about 30+ years ago.

Stu Ritchie wrote:One of the most memorable pitches for me has to be following the late Walt Shipley on the crux pitch during the second free ascent of "On the Edge", on Half Dome. The route starts on the shoulder a ways left of the Snake Dike and basically traverses the top margin of the face above the Arctic Sea and other right side routes. The crux pitch is a completely sideways, overhanging, poorly protected shoebox squeeze chimney. Walt placed two knife blades on the lead for protection and flashed the lead. On the follow, I quickly gave up trying to bang the pins out and struggled to overcome my wild fear of falling out sideways into space at the top of the NW face. Walt was indeed a master, and all his skills and cool were needed and appreciated that day!

Stu, I just read your and Derek Hersey's article about climbing Stratosfear, sounds like some pretty memorable pitches on that one! Care to tell any stories?

So many memories it's difficult to narrow them down to five, let alone one. "Memorable" for me is in most cases synonymous with very enjoyable, but in some experiences it's tantamount to an epic or having a close-call. This account is from one of the latter:

I was leading pitch two, up the steep gully, of Ames Ice Hose (in Jan 98) and had two solid tools in (lucky for me). I was about 10 feet above my last screw and moved my feet up. I looked up slightly towards my tools and was about to take out my lower tool to swing again, when a plate of ice smashed against my brow and nose.

It must have come from people on the headwall above. I blacked out for probably a second or two and came to hanging by my leashes (hooray for those leashed days), both feet still planted, but in a crouched position coz I'd just moved my feet up. Blood trickled onto the ice around my knees and feet and I immediately fumbled for my screws, placing one at my waist. I remember thinking, "Crikey, I wish I had an ice-pack to help stop this bleeding.".... duh!!

It took me about 10 minutes to stop the bleeding and luckily I was on 70 degree ice, so I was able to lean into the ice and press my face against it. Aahhhh! I scared the crap out of my belayer (who had been hiding in a small ice cave at the top of pitch one) when he arrived at the belay. He wondered why the heck it'd taken me so long to climb the pitch. We finished the route and I LOVED the headwall above... at the final belay I was so happy with the climb I hardly remembered the panic I'd felt earlier... but I had a swollen, cut brow and very tender nose for about a week after that.

I followed Charlie Fowler on the first pitch of Honeymoon Chimney, because he was friends with the guys at Chouinard, they had loaned him every (prototype) Camalot in existence at the time; stylin'..
But one of the funniest things that ever happened was the first time I did the Naked Edge. I had just passed the crux on the last pitch and was reaching for the wide crack, when I pivoted on my right toe, ground the texture right off the rock- my foot shoots off like the cork from a champagne bottle, flipping me in the process. I stopped, upside down, hanging even with Dave Light at the belay, who says, "what'd ya do that for?"...Good Times!

Rocktology on Elephant Head in So. AZ. provided two of my most memorable pitches. On the third pitch, above the bolt, with the wall totally covered in lichen and the only possible pro visible up above a shallow groove, I spent over half an hour climbing up and down until I was sure I could reverse every move, then finally climbed to the groove. The pitch remained intricate and challenging all the way to the belay.

On the fourth pitch, the hardest and scariest climbing, with the most lichen, is at the end. The pitch wanders all over, and I was out of runners. On the last few pieces (none of which inspired any confidence), I used in succession, my nut tool cord, my chalk bag cord, and finally the tag line as runners, then sketched through slabby, lichen-covered 5.10 moves. I don't know if I've ever been so happy to get a belay.

Years ago on the Southern Arete in the Black, I was leading and literally in the midst of pulling the crux roof in unbelievable position 2000 feet up, when suddenly my nether regions were being drenched with water. My camelback hose had become caught in the gear sling, ripping off the bite valve, drenching me and my belayer with all my remaining water. I was able to keep it together and pull the move.

Lots of others....

Pitch 4 of Sunspot Dihedral on the Incredible Hulk, most memorable for me. You encounter everything good you can imagine about dihedral climbing on this long pitch. Locks, jams, classic stemming, liebacking, featured faces, committing crux on small gear, exposure, setting.... doesn't get any better in my opinion.

P1 of Figures on a Landscape. So much mystique when I stepped onto it for the first time.

Hollow Flake pitch on Salathe. It was 1981. I had omly been climbing for about 3 years and was primarily an aid specialist in those days. My best leads to that point were maybe mid-5.10 (with good gear). Biggest piece of gear we had was a #4 Friend. To top everything off, a "gentleman" from France or somewhere similar, passed me when I was about 2/3 of the way up the pitch. The only good thing was the fact he had cigarettes! You just can't buy that kind of fear at the corner store!

Tristan Higbee wrote:What's your most memorable pitch or pitches?

all of them

Bryan Gohn wrote: 3. Pitch 2 of Blues Riff, Tuolumne, CA.

I love this pitch! A great climb on the Cookie Cliff of Tuolumne.
I was doing both pitches in one, and honestly at the first crux (of the first guidebook pitch, 10c!) had to do an up-and-down once or twice to finally commit to the awkward moves up there. Sitting on the belay ledge relaxing, I thought that didn't bode well for the 11 fingers crux above me. However, the wall had just gone into the shade and I sat there, cooling off, staring at Tenaya Lake, and regained pretty much all my wits. I fired the rest off easily. What a pitch, what a day.

Most memorable pitches? Hmmm, good question.
Some were memorable because they epitomized what many of us seek in climbing; quality moves on good stone in a great setting with fun partners (Ideal).
Some are remembered because they were terrifying and I managed to live through them without injury (Terror).
Then again, some were memorable due to the sense of exploration and the adventure of a first ascent (Adventure).

My most memorable "ideal" routes include my teenage ascents in The Tetons of Durrance Ridge on Symmetry Spire with Dave Halls, my friend since grade school. It basically felt like one long pitch since we only placed gear at the belays. Climbing Exum Ridge on The Grand with a half a dozen of my best friends from high school. On that climb, The Friction Pitch is indelibly imprinted on my mind.

Some pitches were so terrifying that one would think they'd be suppressed deeply within the subconscious, but they somehow stand out, like soloing The Yellow Spur in Eldo while the wind was blowing at 80 mph on the final arete. Doing a 150' runout on a FA on the north side of The Maiden.

A couple of adventuresome FA trad pitches at Devils Head hold fond memories for me. Io (11a) on the north side of The Headstone with my brother. Super quality and well protected.
To the Fire Wind (originally 12a with two unprotectable crux moves)on The Star Castle. It was so dicey, it took me four hours to lead the 80' pitch by climbing up and down, up and down, to get the moves wired to send. Once I finished the pitch I hauled up the drill and bolted the two previously unprotectable crux moves. Without the bolts I know I wouldn't have ever gone back to do that cool route again.

In short- the ones that I lead clean... but BARELY. THe ones that made me think, made me work, put me 'in the moment' there and then. The ones that made work and relationships disappear for a moment, the ones that left me thinking about them for a long time.

These will be different for everyone.

Well There are alot, and you put no limit on how many.... So I'll just start with a few to be fair, but I will be back!

Both of these are from the same pitch, just posting 2 pics for perspective.

One-Way Sunset. Led it, fell off, got back on and finished it. Exquisite climbing.

Mr. Clean. Followed it free, clean and chalkless.

Second pitch of Aerial Book. Led it with one skid. After my partner followed it clean, he lowered me to TR it. I skidded in the same place.

Top pitch of Over the Hill. Just beautiful.

The Fang. After regarding it as an icon of impossibility for 20+ years, followed it without desperation or air time.

Allen Hill wrote:Every inch of every pitch of the Russian Arete with a head full of LSD. Such fun.

is this true? i've been wanting to give climbing while tripping a try. i figured i would let my partner do all the leading that day. could you post some tips and maybe healthy reminders on ways to help insure my not dying?

Top pitch of Lakeview at Skytop in the Gunks. It was just the perfect ending to the perfect day. Miss climbing at that place alot.