Famous/Iconic Big Wall Pitches

What are some famous or iconic big wall pitches?  Pitches like the Changing Corners of the Nose or Thank God Ledge on Half Dome. 

Pitches i’ve never climbed, but i consider ‘iconic.’

Hook or Book Pitch- Sea of Dreams

Shield Headwall

Monster offwidth

Wings of Steel?

The Nipple- Zodiac (only one i’ve done)

*paging Mark and Kevin*

The answers are going to be divided into two catagories: (sections of) pitches and features.

Sections of pitches will be things like The King Swing, Monster Off width, Hook or Book, Kor Roof, The Carrot, Rubber Band Man, etc

Features will be things like The Canoe, El Cap Spire, The Cyclops Eye, The Errors and Terrors on LA Spire, Thank God Ledge. 

Free climbing the pancake flake

The Hollow Flake

The Ear

The Salathe Headwall

“The most spectacular lead in American climbing” the pitch leading out of the Black Dihedral on the NA.

The Great Roof

The Groove and The Triple Cracks on the Shield

The Nipple on the Zodiac

When it was a nailing pitch, the 3rd pitch of the NA was badass and a real hard man pitch. 

Compressor pitch 

Mark, care to elaborate on what you think makes those pitches special?

I'll also add the dihedral pitches (or pitch if you can do it in one) of Moonlight Buttress.  The Rocker Block is pretty unique, and jumping off of it then climbing that huge pitch is just insane.

5th pitch of the trip 

Tony Brengoszwrote:

Mark, care to elaborate on what you think makes those pitches special?

This has inspired me to write something about the Salathe Wall.

Hold on, this may take a couple of days.

You'd think the only walls are in the Valley.

Organasm roof

final headwall Sheer Lunacy

Touchstone, just about any pitch

Space Shot final ropelength

Monkeyfinger Crack

roof pitch, Gentleman's Agreement

pitch 5 Sunlight Buttress

Archangel, headwall pitch above diagonal

the last 50m of the Bell Tower

Masterblaster

Triple cracks on the shield, lunar x headwall were the two most classic I've been on that weren't on the nose

I never did the rubber band man though, I bet that takes the cake

I’ve done the RubberBand Man pitch twice. Max led it the first time on South Seas and I led it recently on Tempest.

i tried it a few times before Skot Richards yarded me over to the anchor as hard and he could and then let me go. I had the haul line clipped to my haul loop so I was facing where I needed to go and everything. I had a big hook clipped to my harness and after he let me go I screamed across the face, hooked some flake at the far end and stuck it!  It was freaking cool! 

^thats what I'm talking about!

Check out the Salathe Wall post. 

The most memorable pitches I have lead are:

zodiac: black tower and nipple pitch, mark of Zorro

Mescalito: molar traverse

shield: roof, triple cracks

Nose/triple direct: pancake flake, great roof, final headwall

cieneguita wrote:

A pitch Todd Gordon bought gear for but never did.

or second pitch of Swoop Gimp

Good for Todd.

I can't understand nailing sandstone when there is a perfect cam crack 6' to the left.

Sprayloard Overstokerwrote:

Good for Todd.

I can't understand nailing sandstone when there is a perfect cam crack 6' to the left.

Because cam jugging C1 is boring but thin nailing is fun

The 10 Best Pitches I’ve climbed on El Cap.

The Sunkist Headwall

The crux pitch of Genesis

The first A4+ pitch on Reticent

The pitch before “The Wing” on Native Son

The pitch up to “The Eyrie” on Reticent

The pitch after The Carrot on Tribal Rite

The pitch after the roof on The Shield

The Spoon on Iron Hawk

The Monster from the very bottom (I didn’t lead this one)

The Ear

I really enjoyed the whole of the Atlantic Ocean Wall and Tempest

Fail Fallingwrote:

Because cam jugging C1 is boring but thin nailing is fun

Sorry Kev, I can't justify scarring something so fragile and call it "fun" . Even on granite it might be an unjustifiable squeeze job unless it connects to something independent higher up, imo.

And YES nailing is fun, when required.

Sprayloard Overstokerwrote:

Sorry Kev, I can't justify scarring something so fragile and call it "fun" . Even on granite it might be an unjustifiable squeeze job unless it connects to something independent higher up, imo.

And YES nailing is fun, when required.

Using your own logic one might think drilling and bolting scars the rock when there is plenty to climb already. At least its Ok when you do it right?

M Mwrote:

Using your own logic one might think drilling and bolting scars the rock when there is plenty to climb already. At least its Ok when you do it right?

Yep, as far as I am concerned of course. Climbing is individual like that.

But a bolt is added because I deem it necessary to have the quality/degree of protection necessary to match the climb when I am doing the FA and for the others I would like to enjoy the route. I don't recall squeezing in a buncha bolts next to spiltter cracks (that are better lines too) and leaving scars behind in the patina. So I think I am making better choices.

Sorry, I just disagree that thin crack should have been nailed. I think it was perfect Art unscarred and the impact of even one nailing ascent would be pretty profound in such rock. You might be able to nail it once in granite and not even be able to tell it was nailed. I wouldn't have a problem with that.