"50 Worst Climbs of North America"

Most of these are out west.

Good.

P Bwrote:

Offering up North Chimney beneath the Diamond. Racing multiple parties in the dark at 4am while simuling/freesoloing is uniquely terrifying. Rocks kicked loose, flying by you left and right was an experience I won’t forget nor do I look forward to repeating… 

The Diamond looks amazing, but North Chimney shows its true colors in fractured, loose rock from far away.

It's not so bad when you are in there alone but I do not enjoy being in there when people are simuling! Running a rope across it makes it way more dangerous to anybody else in there. Safest to only pitch out a distinct crux if someone in the team needs it. Last time I was up there, two teams were simuling and one team passed the other team. Terrifying!

Dave Aliewrote:

My Grinchiest hot take is that Ancient Art (or stolen chimney or whatever) deserves to be on this list. 

Cleanest route there actually! If you do any of the other fisher routes your pangus will crawl back into your stomach they are seriously muddy/scary. But ya that zone def deserves to be on the list. 

Breaking the rules since I haven’t done either of these two but the descriptions are too good to pass up.

https://www.mountainproject.com/route/117005328/mr-bones-wild-ride

https://www.mountainproject.com/route/105831481/esp

A Herderwrote:

Cleanest route there actually! If you do any of the other fisher routes your pangus will crawl back into your stomach they are seriously muddy/scary. But ya that zone def deserves to be on the list. 

Haha for sure. And oddly enough I'm a little more down with that because it's so clear what's coming and you get exactly what's advertised. There's a time and a place for making those types of bad decisions, it's like climbing on the Rotwand wall or eating at Panda Express. Ancient art, on the other hand, has a reputation for being a actual, unironic classic and that really grinds my goat. 

My sources from this are pure evil: 

1) Dolofright

2) Echo Tower

3 East Face Texas Tower

4. Technicolor Corner, Sedona (Kill Kingsbury tour)

ChossKingwrote:

My sources from this are pure evil: 

1) Dolofright

What's your rationale? The objective danger, the poor condition of the fixed hardware or the climbing itself?

F r i t zwrote:

What's your rationale? The objective danger, the poor condition of the fixed hardware or the climbing itself?

Climbing is amazing on this thing, just the danger and fixed gear. Its a classic of the spicy climbs for sure. -CK

Sounds like someone got scared. I didnt think the hardware on dolofright was too bad. The only real sketchy part felt like the mantle type move above the 2nd pin about 25 ft off the deck. The handhold you use has cracks through it. The pins looked good, but if they pulled, yould probably deck. After that i thought the first pitch protected pretty well with hardware that inspired enough confidence to keep going.  100% a classic in every way. 

Also the inscription on the last bolt is a nice cherry on top. 

Here's a candidate...

Are there any rock routes in the South Fork? That is some of the crumbliest choss I have ever touched. If you look at it the wrong way or prod almost anything it will just just collapse. Getting to ice climbs there can be sketchier than the actual ice, which is usually fun and fat.

Caleb Mattsonwrote:

I'm not sure I'm qualified to speak on the worst routes in North America, but as far as single pitch sport climbing goes The Mark Cartier Memorial Route at Smith Rock has got to be the most unpleasant route I've ever been on.  (all respect to Mark, but the route is no fun).  Kind of squeezed in there too

Mark was a good guy 

There's a 35 foot 5.10- vertical line at Powerlinez which appears to follow a crack system starting about 8 feet up. As it turns out, the crack is actually a shallow line of broken-out kitty litter that I wouldn't trust with a cam even if it were deep enough. I broke a hold about 15 feet up and desperately grabbed a small rail which miraculously held while I barn-doored and somehow pulled back on. The crack system gives way higher to sharp pockets which also don't yield gear and are filled with dust. I strongly considered lowering at about 30 feet where I finally found the only piece, a vaguely square pocket that fit a #1 cam pointing straight out, but I wasn't psyched on the piece enough to lower on it. Topout at 35' was a desperate scrabble through grass, dust, and loose fist sized rocks that I tried not to rain down on my belayer as I beached-whaled while pulling out clumps of grass and groveling in dirt.

I suspect this was an FA but I refuse to name it and am not adding it to Mountain Project. 0/10, dangerous and unfun crumbling choss that is just tall enough to maim you if you fall. If you are unfortunate enough to encounter a route by this description, I recommend dropping from the bottom of the "crack" and potentially breaking an ankle rather than continuing on and potentially dying.

There's not a convenient way to build a TR anchor either.

Sheep rock in NorCal. Poor man’s Maple Canyon… think less cobbles and more of the stuff that’s in between, in this case it’s mud. Exfoliates under the power of finger nails. The rock gets worse the higher you go. Some routes only make it 15’ feet. Many bolts are spinners. Has a special place in my heart. Spent many a winter day there bc everything else was covered in snow.

The darker rock a few feet above my hand is unclimbable. This route is a heinous one move wonder called Cuervo. 

Stephen Szyszkiewiczwrote:

The worst route Ive had the pleasure of climbing is https://www.mountainproject.com/route/105761925/slicer at Shelf Road. This thing starts off with a bouldery couple moves to the first bolt over some big rocks on the ground making spotting tricky. Then you are treated to a weird sharp slabby section until bolt 2, where you have deck potential the whole time. Some loose blocks greet you as you go higher, and then it finishes on a ledge, where the natural climbing is over and youre well out of sight of your belayer, but the anchors are another 10 feet or so up so you get to risk your ankles to climb a few shitty moves. Once you surmount this youre greeted with the jankiest anchor I've encountered at shelf

Have seen some blood left behind on the start of this one. 

You should put the Squamish bouldering pinch rock in. if you are unfamiliar, it is a goofball sized rock. Pick it up with 1 hand = v4

Sam Beeduhlwrote:

Here's a candidate...

This could be a good candidate however as the title suggests, 50 Worst CLIMBS of NA.  Scrambles, Pebble Wrestling, and Bouldering would qualify for a different list.

All of the Quincy Quarries

Eliot Hackwrote:

All of the qunicy quarries

Ouch, that hurts!!!! Though, sadly, pretty accurate. However, from the late 60s thru much of the 80s, I spent/wasted many hours there---and despite the 'less than aesthetic' surroundings, graffiti ( not as bad then as now), highly polished rock, the 'eliminate' nature of the climbing, I shared many enjoyable experiences with good friends ( some sadly gone now), was able to hone my slab technique, and overall had a great time there--some of the actual climbs, while short, are still quite good. This just goes to show that one can get good value even from unlikely locations.

The Peahastin Pinnacles in Central WA. Sandstone that is more sand than stone.