Help me compile the perfect "in a month" list for yosemite

Kevin Worrall wrote:

As to the start of Stoners - I always thought there could be a straight up variation before the first pitch traverse, linking to the end of the second pitch traverse off the belay, FWIW. It would probably be 5.11 and about 50 ft of new climbing. The last bolt on that first pitch was the first bolt I ever placed, I was 18, and I had run it from the bolt before the traverse. I was about 40 to 50 feet out, in ground fall territory, Largo barking instructions from the turf. We added the bolt after the crux moves on a later effort.

Awesome Kevin! It’s such a cool climb! Cool story

Pretty difficult to imagine a better or longer day of 5.8 climbing than Royal Arches linked with the South Face of North Dome. I think that South Face is the best 5.8 in Yosemite. If it was on the valley floor it would be more popular than Nutcracker— the climbing is just as good and the route is much longer. That’s besides the views, exposure, and solitude that you get high above the valley on South Face. It also should have comfortable temperatures in June. 

Carried a pack the first time I climbed Royal Arches, bivied on top of Washington Column ,& climbed South Face of North Dome the next morning .The views of Half Dome & the Valley are Grand & there are no crowds after the Arches .Great  two day trip with the finish down North Dome Gully.

Lots of good suggestions so far.

ryan climbs sometimes wrote:

Stoner highway or any other middle face route(unique rock/ afternoon shade good weekend routes)

I really enjoyed the slightly off-piste Middle Cathedral routes: Quicksilver, Freewheelin', Stoner's Highway and Space Babble (in rough order of difficulty). I can't give them an unqualified recommendation as they are all quite necky in places (respectively around E2/3, E3/4, E4 and E5) but they have holds so are well suited to British climbers. The more familiar Central Pillar is quite good and DNB is a great, big, day out. The Middle has fine views of El Cap. and is mostly in the shade as Ryan and others have said. 

Which East Buttress are people talking about? There are (at least) three! The Middle one is good but ridiculously popular, the El Cap. one might be wet but if not it is very good.

I'm surprised no-one has suggested Freeblast. Good climbing in a spectacular situation, it's really cool to be up there in the middle of the cliff. It seems rude not to do one route on El Cap. and as its unlikely to be The Nose or - unless things melt very quickly - East Buttress this would be a good bet. It goes quickly so if you get an early start you can be finished before the sun gets on you.

Edit:

Wade's other suggestions are good. The West Face of El Cap. was one of my best ever experiences, a big day out and the more featured rock is great to climb on. I tried The Vortex (Fifi Buttress, but not on MP, any reason for this?) before it had gone free and it was excellent climbing as far as we got. The formation is in the shade until early afternoon and, by all accounts, the routes here are modern classics.

duncan... wrote:

I can't give them an unqualified recommendation as they are all quite necky in places (respectively around E2/3, E3/4, E4 and E5) but they have holds so are well suited to British climbers. 

Ah but this is where I'm a-typical, I'm best in offwidths and Cracks, never really loved the slopey big moves between breaks that are typical on grit. I've been working on my crack skills for well over half a decade to get ready for yosemite. 

Freeblast looks fun as a crash course into the weirder style of yosemite, if I take to it fast it'd be good to go for something like the nose French free. 

Speaking of weird yosemite climbing, does anyone have any recommendations for things like dihedrals and hard squeeze chimneys to get on? I know there is the usual for the squeeze but is there anything single pitch at 11 and up?

 I know there is the usual for the squeeze but is there anything single pitch at 11 and up?

Cream, Stepping Out, Scab Laborer on The Devils Dancefloor, Cromagnon Capers near Reeds, Wild Turkey on the Audubon Buttress, Final Exam, Edge of Night behind Camp, Rixon’s East, 1096 are all 1 pitch wide.

For multi pitch, Basket Case, Plumb Line, Mental Block, Left side of Slab Happy Pinnacle, Crack of Doom, Crack of Despair are 5.10, also Left side of The Slack. For spectacular squeeze, both sides of The Worst Error, rated 5.9, but runout and burly. Entrance Exam at Arch Rock is another “5.9” chimney. Chingando, and I’ll emphasize Left side of Reeds - I think it’s super classic, and shaded in the am. The Good Book and The Crucifix have good 5.10 offwidth pitches, also.

5.11 dihedrals include (there are dozens):

•  The Tube (Pat and Jack, 11a; mostly sun but maaaayyybe afternoon shade; some trees at base)
• Moratorium (link to East Buttress El Cap if dry; beware recent el cap rockfall in area, morning shade)
• superstem 5.11a, shultz's ridge, same rockfall concern
• New Dimensions (if bird closure lifts), arch rock, morning shade 

Also, has Ho Chi Minh Trail been mentioned? It's shady-ish and you want the long days in may/june because it's long. I did it in May 2017, also a wet year (though not this wet) and it was dry.

Yin Yang has a 10d corner and a 10a offwidth, shady side, next to Mañana, a great finger crack, close to Vanishing Point. If you want a challenging 11 flare/roof, there’s The Lizard King at the toe of Lost Brother, single pitch, if you want weird, rarely done, and shaded. Demon’s Delight, Soul Sacrifice, Haunted House, Hairline, Flight Attendant, Medicine Man and Energy Crisis are oddball off the grid classics.

that guy named seb wrote:

Freeblast looks fun as a crash course into the weirder style of yosemite, if I take to it fast it'd be good to go for something like the nose French free. 

If a push ascent of The Nose is a possibility, a better warm-up might be something with a mix of free and aid like the S Face of Washington Column. This very roughly 30% of the time and effort of The Nose so if you start at first light (~5am) you could aim to finish the route by mid-morning and miss the worst of the heat. A Dolt run would fulfil a similar role though obviously blowing the onsight and, as Wade said, try not to add to the congestion!