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The Hourglass Wall Climbing

Climbing Area Map

Routes in 6. The Hourglass Wall

L › R R › L A › Z

	Blue Collar T A3
	Golden Corners (Blue Collar Free) T 5.12+ 7c 28 IX 27 E6 6b
	Hourglass, Right, The T 5.10a 6a 18 VI+ 18 E1 5a

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Elevation:	5,398 ft	1,645 m
GPS:	37.73437, -119.64593 Google Map · Climbing Area Map
Page Views:	4,859 total · 31/month
Shared By:	Bryan G on Jan 15, 2012 · Updates
Admins:	Mike Morley, Adam Stackhouse, Salamanizer Ski, Justin Johnsen, Vicki Schwantes Page Updates (admin only)

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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.

Description

Dubbed The Hourglass Wall, after the most obvious formation on the wall, an obvious, 350 ft tall, hourglass shaped exfoliation slab situated at the base of the wall to the right of the Ribbon Falls Amphitheater. The Hourglass formation hosts three independent routes. The face to the left of the formation hosts the aid route Blue Collar, the free route Golden Corners and to it's left Chockstone Chimney.

Getting There

It's a bit of a hike, but the Hourglass is worth it. Park at the woodyard on the right side of North Side Drive a bit past El Cap Meadow. Leave the dirt road as you would for Gold Wall and follow cairns and faint climbers trails through the forest along the west bank of Ribbon Creek. At some point you will need to cross the creek and continue through the forest and up a final steep section of loose dirt to reach the base.

It's easy to lose sight of the Hourglass on the approach, but there is a long, arching roof several hundred feet higher up on the wall that you can usually see through the trees. Use this arching roof to orient yourself, as the Hourglass is directly below it.

If you do this climb when Ribbon Creek is not running the approach will be significantly easier. You can follow the Ribbon Creek drainage for most of the approach before cutting right up the hillside just before you reach the base of the cliff.