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Routes in Matthes Crest
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Anduril T 5.10- 6a 18 VI+ 18 E1 5a PG13 |
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Matthes Crest Sphinx, The T 5.8 5b 16 VI- 15 HVS 4c |
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Matthes Crest Traverse - South to North T 5.7 5a 15 V+ 13 MVS 4b |
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North Ridge of Matthes Crest T 5.8 5b 16 VI- 15 HVS 4c |
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| Type: | Trad, Alpine, 470 ft (142 m), 4 pitches, Grade III |
| FA: | Greg Barnes, Karin Wuhrmann, Florence Scholl, Maki Grossnick |
| Page Views: | 3,512 total · 21/month |
| Shared By: | Phil Esra on Jul 19, 2010 |
| Admins: | Mike Morley, Adam Stackhouse, Salamanizer Ski, Justin Johnsen, Vicki Schwantes |
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Access Issue: Latest updates on closures, permits, and regulations.
Details
Please visit climbingyosemite.com/ and nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/… for the latest information on visiting Yosemite, including permits, regulations, and closure information.
Yosemite National Park has yearly closures for Peregrine Falcon Protection March 1- July 15. Always check the NPS website at nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/… for the most current details and park alerts, and to learn more about the peregrine falcon, and how closures help it survive. This page also shares closures and warnings due to current fires, smoke, etc.
Yosemite National Park has yearly closures for Peregrine Falcon Protection March 1- July 15. Always check the NPS website at nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/… for the most current details and park alerts, and to learn more about the peregrine falcon, and how closures help it survive. This page also shares closures and warnings due to current fires, smoke, etc.
Description
This is a fun way to start the Matthes Crest traverse. It avoids the regular Matthes Crest start, which can be quite crowded, but it takes much longer to climb, so can only be used to pass the slowest parties.
The climb is mostly knobby face moves on big crystals. The rock quality is good but not great--as of 2010 (3 years after the FA) the route needs some more traffic to break off the most fragile crystals. Lots of edging on knobs for feet, so wear your stiffest shoes.
The topo in the Supertopo guidebook is accurate and easy to follow. (We forgot to bring ours and had a bit of an adventure; the rock quality tends to be poor off route.)
The climb is closer to Narsil than it appears on the topo. The slings at the top of Narsil are just barely visible from the right edge of the Anduril belay ledge (as of 2010 they are red, making them easier to spot).
The Supertopo rates the 1st pitch crux as 10b. It is a very tightly bolted roof, with a bolt immediately below and above; anyone taller than 5'2" or so can clip the bolt above before getting over the roof. Slightly soft for Yosemite 10b--definitely not an old-school sandbag.
The Supertopo calls a short (vegetated) section on the 2nd pitch "flaring hands," and rates it 10a. It's noticeably easier than an old-school sandbagged Yosemite 5.9 (e.g., Phobos/Deimos, Reeds Direct). Make sure to stay on the right-side arete and crack on this pitch; the rock deteriorates badly on the left side near the top, and the climbing is harder too. The anchors are on the right side and are not visible until more than halfway up the pitch.
The climb is mostly knobby face moves on big crystals. The rock quality is good but not great--as of 2010 (3 years after the FA) the route needs some more traffic to break off the most fragile crystals. Lots of edging on knobs for feet, so wear your stiffest shoes.
The topo in the Supertopo guidebook is accurate and easy to follow. (We forgot to bring ours and had a bit of an adventure; the rock quality tends to be poor off route.)
The climb is closer to Narsil than it appears on the topo. The slings at the top of Narsil are just barely visible from the right edge of the Anduril belay ledge (as of 2010 they are red, making them easier to spot).
The Supertopo rates the 1st pitch crux as 10b. It is a very tightly bolted roof, with a bolt immediately below and above; anyone taller than 5'2" or so can clip the bolt above before getting over the roof. Slightly soft for Yosemite 10b--definitely not an old-school sandbag.
The Supertopo calls a short (vegetated) section on the 2nd pitch "flaring hands," and rates it 10a. It's noticeably easier than an old-school sandbagged Yosemite 5.9 (e.g., Phobos/Deimos, Reeds Direct). Make sure to stay on the right-side arete and crack on this pitch; the rock deteriorates badly on the left side near the top, and the climbing is harder too. The anchors are on the right side and are not visible until more than halfway up the pitch.
Location
The route is 200 or so feet below and right from the notch of the standard Matthes start. The scrambling is exposed, and you're on a loose surface until you start traversing right to the obvious pair of Narsil/Anduril ledges.
Protection
The first 3 anchors are bolted, and the 4th is a giant sloping ledge on top of the Crest that takes #1 Camalots (with other good options if you're out of #1s). The hard moves are very well protected, either by bolts or solid pro. Sling gear liberally to avoid rope drag as the route works its way right. If you are going to solo the entire Crest, you can probably get by with a set of medium nuts (BD #6-#10) and single set of cams (BD #.75-#3). We also found a useful placement for a BD#.3 and a #5 (both pitch 4). The #5 was also useful for a belay anchor on the far right of the start ledge.
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