Crescent Arch 

Crescent Arch is fantastic! The Supertopo guide bumps up the rating to 5.10b to reflect a single, well-protected move on the 4th pitch. Both my partner and I felt that the real crux of the route is the sustained 5.9 climbing throughout, rather than any single move.

As for rack, bring lots of wires. We carried a #4 camalot and never placed it.

Agreed, Mike. I didn't find the move on pitch four to be 5.10b. Seemed easier and it was, indeed, well-protected. The sustained laybacking at 5.9 on the whole route really is the crux of this route. It's fabulous.
Near the top of the second pitch is a great belay ledge about 20 below the fixed pins and "recommended" belay. If I did this route again, I'd take two BD #3s for the belay on that fine ledge rather than continuing up to that miserable hanging belay on two crappy-looking pitons and gear. I'd highly recommend the same thing for anyone else. I hated that belay stance!

One of my favorite cragging routes. Aesthetic, sustained and a little burly.

P1: easy 5th to a big ledge below a bulge that pulls into a short squeeze chimney. Belay at the ledge, not at the fixed pins 12 feet up recommended by supertopo.

P2: go up the squeeze at .7, clip the pins with a long runner, traverse out the roof into the slick corner. Awkward fingers and hip scumming up, then out another roof. 100', lots of sustained .9.

P3: off the ledge with the hangarless bolt, up and out the roof, then up another slick corner with very awkward hands. Up to a huge ledge. sustained awkward .9, 60 feet.

I combined 2 and 3 no problem with a 60m rope and a double cam rack with a single #3. ledge is huge and comfy.

p4: guidebook crux. mostly .7 and .8 slab. Hard part is getting gear in the seam on the corner/roof. It's there, but it's thin and placing it can be strenuous. The crux move felt like .10a slab, and is well protected on both sides. Then fun knob climbing past a pin to the belay.

p5: easy 5th to the top.

Descent: follow cairns to the east side of the dome. Big ledge with a tree. Chains on top of a huge block. 2 raps with a 60m to the ground. maybe 1 rap with a 70?

Agreed that the sustained .9 is harder than the single crux move.

This is a HARD 5.9, long and sustained. The feet look (?) ok but don't feel it. Getting out of the chimney was taxing. The nice thing is you can put in enough gear. I continually thought I would run out of options but a standard rack seemed to work out fine. Thank god I convinced my partner to do the final roof thing move...I took a hanging belay in the corner before the traverse out right.

• my palms are sweating onto the keyboard thinking about this route*

My first tuolumne climb. I was seething fear.

Belay at the ledges as suggested in this description- the first time I did it years back, I rigged an aweful hanging belay under a roof. Rating of 9+ is acurate. I don't think that a single 70m will reach the ground from the top chains (haven't tested it though). Climbing is awkward but fun. No #4 needed.

"i was seething fear" that's f'in' awesome! just awesome!!!

The crux is definitely the awkward corner. The "10b" move felt like one of the easier moves on the climb. On a dome of great routes this is one of my favorites.

I agree with TylerW the 10b move felt easy, the crux is probably one of the enduro lower pitches or the gear placements on the fourth pitch. We belayed on the outside of the first roof just past the piton belay, then belayed at the ledges for pitch 2 and 3. The fourth belay was set just after the 10b move so there was no rope drag for the 5.8 face above. Then the fifth pitch went up the 5.8 face and 5.5 slab to the top. Micro cams were helpful. Enjoy.

Super enduro! I would recommend climbers to be solid at 5.10 before leading this stuff (at least--you might enjoy it more!). Everything from the so-called 5.7 sections to the 5.9 sections seemed stout for their grades. Supertopo and Falcon occasionally have one letter grade difference wrt ratings on specific sections of this route, and at times I disagreed with them all! Some sections felt harder or easier than rated in the topos.

Other pro notes: we carried a #4 and placed it twice on lead + used it in a belay anchor once. One set of small wires is good enough; a set of microcams will be more useful and easier to place and clean imo.

The 5.8 and 5.9 lie backs were way harder than the supposedly 10B arch pitch. The arch was a breeze after the lower climbing. Slick feet, great position, beautiful arch, epic finish on Daff, doesn't get much better. I would want to be a solid 5.9 leader before tackling.

Definitely the best route on DAFF dome. Especially when people are waiting in line to do West Crack and no one's Crescent!!

Fantastic route! The guidebook is wrong by calling P4 the crux, it's actually on P2 but with good protection the whole way. Did the route in 6 pitches, but you can scramble up the last one to make it a 5 pitch route. Great exposure the whole way, lotsa fun.

Heady, especially if your polished slab technique isn't up to par. The crux had strenuous placements, and seemed more intimidating than difficult.