Chouinard-Herbert
5.11c,
Trad, 1400 ft (424 m), 15 pitches, Grade V,
Avg: 3.1 from 68
votes
FA: FA: 1962 Yvon Chouinard and T.M Herbert FFA John Long, Pete Minks, Erik Erickson 1976
California
> Yosemite NP
> Yosemite Valley
> Valley S Side
> M. Sentinel Rock
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Details
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Description
P1: 5.6 Climb up easy steps on the left edge of the Flying Buttress. Bolted Anchor.
P2: 3/4th class ramp. Link first two Ps by simul-climbing. Two Bolts
P3: 5.8 Chimney
P4: 5.8 Hand crack. Move out onto the front of the pinnacle. Link P3 and 4 with a 60M rope.
P5: 5.10C From the top of the pinnacle, move right off a ledge towards a vegetated crack. Clip several pins on your way upwards. Bolted Anchor.
P6: 5.11B Move right on some 5.9 slab towards a corner system with pitons in it. Move up 5.11B l/b or C1 for about 25 feet. Bolter anchor.
P7: 5.10A Many pitons. Mantle and l/b a very enjoyable face below a left angling and facing crack system.
P8: 5.10A Move up 1-2 inch crack system (careful, loose rock) and move right over several blocks and ledges. Bolted anchor.
P9: 4th class move right for awhile then left when terrain allows.
P10: 5.9 Climb towards obvious pillar. The right side of the pillar is splitter hands (easy) and will leave you at an anchor with one bolt and one piton (ackward belay). Link P9 and 10 with a 60M rope.
P11: 5.11A Off the pillar, climb the strenuous 5.8 OW crack to a roof. 5.11A. Move upwards to another short roof. 5.10+. Bolted anchor.
P12: 5.11C or C1 Afro-Cuban Flakes. Climb up a 5.10A dihedral to many pitons that traverse to the right. When you reach a thin crack going up, continue up this crack (5.10A, airy!)to a bolted anchor.
P13: 5.8 Climb a chimney/crack system. Trad anchor.
P14: 5.4 ramp/chimney. Trad anchor/tree anchor. Link P13-14 with a 60M rope.
P15: Climb up easy crack to the summit.
Route notes: All anchors are new ASCA bolts, most have two bolts some have just one with a piton to back it up. This is a top-notch route that has great climbing in the middle. The approach pitches and last couple are less than amazing, but the heart of the route is phenomenal.
Location
Start up the Four Mile Trail for about a mile, then 30 meters before the first creek, find a climbers trail on the right side (south) of the trail. Scramble upwards following the climbers trail for about 10-15 minutes until you reach an obvious ramp. Leave any extra gear (backpacks, water, etc) here. Continue up the 2nd class ramp, with occasional exposure, until you can look up and see the Chessman Pinnacle. From here choose the easiest looking approach towards the pinnacle. The terrain is 4th/easy 5th so roping up is a good idea. A rope length will bring you to the base of the pinnacle. Now, the actual climbing begins.
Protection
Double set of Cams #.3-2 camalot, one #3
Supplement alients for camalots, they are very useful on most pitches for pin scars
1 set of nuts (optional)
15 draws (some quick draws, some trad draws)
[Hide Photo] Route Overlay for Chouinard-Herbert.
[Hide Photo] Chouinard Herbert with Merrill, early 90's. Such a classic
[Hide Photo] To get to routes on N Face (e.g. Chouinard-Herbert) you have to scramble up this. The goal is to find a 4th/low 5th way. We took the ramp in the photo and it seemed to work okay.
[Hide Photo] Pitch 5 lined with a bunch of old pins that have the intials YC on them...cool
[Hide Photo] Pitch 11 or so. Maybe the best pitch on the route. 5.8 OW to 11a roof to 10+ layback to one seriously shitty hanging belay before the Afro Cuban flakes
[Hide Photo] Looking up from base of Chessman Pinnacle. For Pitch 1 we went right near Flying Buttress, then cut back left on a ramp. Seems like there are several options, some grungier than others.
denver, co
No mention of the Afro/Cuban flakes? That pitch is at least 5.11c and not mentioned.... This description is off. Aug 25, 2008
Minneapolis, MN
I definitely missed something. Initially I only had time to post up to P11 and decided to come back to it when I had more time. Now the description is accurate, complete, and up to date. Thanks for the concern. Aug 27, 2008
Down there somewhere
Boulder, CO
The left of two belay bolts at belay 6 (top of .11b/c layback) was loose. It is a new good bolt (rawl 3/8) and I was able to tighten it a bit by hand, but somebody needs to take a wrench and snug it up a bit. Aug 4, 2012
Oakland
San Francisco, CA
The two belays below and above the 11a pitch are the worst/most cramped belays I've ever hung on/stemmed through. The one below has a nice pedestal, but the only bolt is at your ankle level if you stand on it and the crack is too far to the side. The pin is gone, but you can back up the bolt with a #1 cam (don't leave the #2 here, since it's nice to have 2 hand-size pieces for the wyde). The belay at the top of the 11a pitch is a nice new pair of bolts that were placed 4 feet shy of the small stance and the original manchor that is still there consisting of 3 pins and an ancient tattered sling.
A note on the approach. I've tried 3 different options. The best way to go is if you identify a very polished and clean-looking OW that is about 60 feet below the start of Steak-Salad. Start a little higher than that by hiking up the sandy slope up to the big tree for 20 feet, then scramble up and back left aiming toward the top of the said polished OW, that at it's top turns into an easy gully. You end up climbing up a mossy 5.5 handcrack to a ramp with the tree at its top, then slide down into the gully or campus the edge of the ramp around the tree. That will get you to the bolted anchor that is mentioned in the nice approach topo that someone posted.
Go light on the rack, just bring 15 draws for all the pins. I kept running short on them with 12. Singles from green alien to #3, with the second #1 and #2 camalots will get you to the top if you are into a minimalist rack. Leave the stoppers in the trunk. If you find my 0.5 cam on the approach - congratulations! Oct 14, 2014
Citrus Heights
Still a great Yosemite challenge (there is no 5th class on the approach or you are doing it wrong) with a full day or two in a real "mountain" atmosphere.
Ask me to tell you about the 2 days I spent on the bivy ledge with a concussed partner, verglas making rappelling impossible and ice sheets raining down.
Then we topped out. Feb 21, 2017
Bishop, CA
Approach: Same as Steck-Salathe until you hit the sandy slope. For Steck you go all the way up the slope then trend right under the wall. For C-H go a bit up the slope and keep your eyes peeled up and left for a chimney/trough feature that is about 100ft tall. It shows obvious wear on the rock of being climbed. Go up this at ~5.6 with some loose mangy rock. Then ascend 4th class cracks/ledges for a bit. Go up an easy 5th slab trough feature. Above this we found fixed hand lines to ascend. At this point you can easily ID the pillar and 5.7 ledgy start to the climb.
Mainly, find the trough/chimney left side of sandy slope and then ascend whatever is most direct and easiest to base of route. It wasn't that difficult to figure out. It just takes a little while.
Descent: Go off summit weaving through manzanita tunnels directly to saddle behind sentinel. Descend lowest point of saddle to the left/East into gully. Hang skiers right down the gully weaving through trees midway then leave trees back into gully when obvious and slowly trend to middle of gully as you near the creek.
At creek find easiest way to cross then hang left towards valley floor. At this point you will be on a series of slabs. Weave down the slabs staying about dead center between both creeks. Don't be swayed by easy looking options far left or right, they lead to bullshit. You are aiming for a patch of trees in the middle of the slabs. Eventually do a 20ft ish 4th down climb then go down and skiers left on obvious dirt trail which goes behind a large tree then to a 3rd class dirty trough. Once down the trough the route finding trickery is mostly over. Head down and skiers left on whatever is easiest eventually trending around the face of the Sentinel and meeting back up with the approach climbers trail.
There are numerous ways to descend, but this is the fastest/easiest way I've found.
Go get it! It's a wonderful free climb. Jun 14, 2017
NC
Oakland, CA
>At the top of the long 5.9 pitch there is only one bolt and it's awkwardly below the pinnacle you want to stand on. A #1 to the right seems best to back it up
>There were 2 pins over the lip of the AC flakes which made moving through the crux nice (book shows nothing)
>The top of the AC flakes pitch has a good bolt and piton for your anchor (book shows nothing) Oct 3, 2022
San Luis Obispo, CA
Sloan has marketed this as cruiser aid climbing (for 5.9 climbers) on "clip-able fixed gear every body length", but he must have been referencing the Afro-Cuban flakes because P6 necessitates thin pieces to be aided or (realistically) protected after the first couple of moves (like Michael has commented above). Additionally, not sure what others remember, but one #3 gives the "5.8" (you decide how many '+'s) off-width a little habanero kick to boot..For those that don't mind peace of mind in wide cracks, another #3 or #4 would render a more jalapeƱo-style experience.
On another note, I ended up on a crazy adventure bail mission last July requiring the Sentinel's version of the King Swing to get down on rappel... I'll never forget tripping over myself and repeatedly sprinting across the moonlit granite slab, in effort to gain just a few more inches to narrowly grab my partner, awaiting ropeless at the top of P6. Beautiful, emerald-green spirits, contrasted in the night's sky, swimmingly greeted me upon my safe return atop Chessman pinnacle, the end of my impromptu learning experience mostly concluded.
Still, I remain inspired & enthusiastic to return to this remarkable route ;)
Alas, it is Grade IV for a reason, for it is one of those historic routes that evokes an adventurous atmosphere when climbing past pitons left from the (first?) ascent(s) in the seemingly-distant past.
"I started climbing when men were men... and we nailed 5.8" --TM Herbert (excerpted from Sloan)
Go take a walk on the wild side and join Yvonne, Herbert, Long, et. al, and many others in spirit on this incredible rock! May 4, 2023
Venice