Most iconic 5.13s in North America

Goliath, Enchanted Tower!

p hodges wrote:

Goliath, Enchanted Tower!

Seconded

Ultrasaurus in the flatirons looks pretty aesthetic 

p hodges wrote:

Goliath, Enchanted Tower!

Boring choss pile-jug haul, that is probably no harder than .12c.

Ultrasaurus does look proper. 

Trying to think of worthy limestone lines. Struggling...

Maybe Galactic Emperor? Fun moves and great rock, very aesthetic as well.

The Perfect Child, 13a, The Horn

Picture:

https://www.instagram.com/momentumclimbing/p/BFlzzxUIc8Z/

Not super famous since it is so remote, but sure is pretty.

for the creek, i would say tricks are for kids is considerably more iconic than 6 star.  if i could show up as superman for a day, tricks is the one i would do.

Another Squamish one, Free Will on the big show is just so cool looking. The big show is just epic

There are some pretty damn iconic 5.13s at Moores Wall, NC. I will probably never climb the grade, but this video of Seth Tart on Survival of the Fittest is bad ass. Glass Menagerie is probably the most well-known 5.13 in NC
https://vimeo.com/112403219

https://www.mountainproject.com/route/109730482/survival-of-the-fittest

Adam Gallimore wrote:

There are some pretty damn iconic 5.13s at Moores Wall, NC. I will probably never climb the grade, but this video of Seth Tart on Survival of the Fittest is bad ass. Glass Menagerie is probably the most well-known 5.13 in NC
https://vimeo.com/112403219

https://www.mountainproject.com/route/109730482/survival-of-the-fittest

Whoa, that's like a trad version of Predator.

China Doll? Or is it considered 5.14? 

Max Tepfer wrote:

Only because it's more convenient. (both to climb+and photograph)  I'd guess that Rude Boys is probably the most broadly known 5.13 at Smith, but I'd agree with Andrew that the Backbone is probably an objectively cooler pitch than either that or Darkness by all metrics.  If you're truly filtering by 'iconic' as opposed to good, then Rude Boys probably wins out over Darkness or the Backbone, but if you put more weight on quality, (position, good rock, good flow) then it'd be the Backbone>Rude Boys.  Darkness should probably be dropped because it's not particularly visually unique.  Someone only vaguely familiar with the Dihedrals, likely won't be able to tell the difference between it, Heinous, and To Bolt.  Also Full Spank has been done by many people at this point.

City Park would be a good one to add to the list.  I'm not sure how visually notorious it is, but it's reputation/history certainly puts it in the running.  Also, is 6 star crack really 13d?

I suppose you could also make an argument for Churning seeing as that's where the Metolius logo comes from, but most people don't actually know that. Though, any 5.13 climber at Smith is going to get on it. 

I will concede to you since you're located in Bend and probably have climbed at Smith much more than me. 

Xan C wrote:

Trying to think of worthy limestone lines. Struggling...

Maybe Galactic Emperor? Fun moves and great rock, very aesthetic as well.

That’s rated 14a in most guides 

Xan C wrote:

Trying to think of worthy limestone lines. Struggling...

Maybe Galactic Emperor? Fun moves and great rock, very aesthetic as well.

The problem is that North America really does not have that kind of limestone. I mean, I love Rifle and Wild Iris, but Ceuse they are not. 

Frank Stein wrote:

The problem is that North America really does not have that kind of limestone. I mean, I love Rifle and Wild Iris, but Ceuse they are not. 

Thankfully good schist can be even better ;)

Fallen Arches in Little Cottonwood Canyon 5.13a

JCM wrote:

The Perfect Child, 13a, The Horn

Picture:

https://www.instagram.com/momentumclimbing/p/BFlzzxUIc8Z/

Not super famous since it is so remote, but sure is pretty.

I tried this rig many years ago, before the fire and was so emotionally fried I bailed off of it. It was bolted on lead so if I remember after moving off the arete it was 15 feet between bolts and the hard moves were all the last move before clipping the next bolt--about v6 boulder problems with 30 foot falls--about 5 of them. After I barely pulled the move to maybe the 2nd to last bolt I was done. The next day I think I watched a guy about at the same level on-sight it. Way braver than I was (or will ever be)

I vote for Apollo Reed at NRG.

Frank Stein wrote:

The problem is that North America really does not have that kind of limestone. I mean, I love Rifle and Wild Iris, but Ceuse they are not. 

Euro limestone is what got me hooked on climbing.  To me, some of the welded tuff and conglomerate areas climb the most similar to good Euro limestone.  There is just not as much of even that, as there is limestone in Europe.