The Silent Line is the free version of the Gold Wall. It has been freed in its entirety by Dean Potter at 5.13a, but since 99% of folks (myself included) will aid the crux, I've posted it here as 5.10 C1.
Once you've arrived at the base of the wall (see area description), look for a flake system with a slung horn about 25' up. Up and left of the slung horn, you'll see a line of bolts leading to a splitter crack system. This is the route. There is another partially bolted route in the vicinity, about 100' right of Gold Wall/Silent Line. This follows a splitter crack to a bolted arete to bolted anchor. I haven't done this pitch, but include it here as a reference point.
P1: Climb up flakes, past the slung horn/hole, and then traverse left to the bolt line. Climb the bolt ladder directly (A0), and then make some thin aid or free moves (5.11 or C1). I believe the free line clips the first bolt and then traverses right on some cool looking knobs. Looks difficult and bold. Either way, end at a 2 bolt anchor, 90'.
P2: A burly pitch, definitely the crux of the route if you're climbing at 5.10 C1. Difficult moves up a flaring crack with pins scars greet you just off the belay (5.11 or C1), and then an unrelenting flared groove provides insecure free climbing or awkward aid. Big cams (#4 camalots) might be nice if aiding. Ends at 2 bolts, 120'.
P1 and 2 Link with a 70m rope, and it's probably a good idea if you want to free the 5.11 at the start of the pitch, other wise you'd be whipping onto you're belayer.
P3. Climb straight up, pass right around a chockstone with a tree at the top, and continue up a flaring fist crack. Keep an eye out left, because you're going to leave the main crack system here and traverse left on face holds to a small RF corner. The 2 bolt anchor for "Gold Wall" will be above you, and the 2 bolt anchor for Silent Line is visible to the left. Make the fun traverse left (5.10), and gain the flared crack, following it to the anchor. 90'
P4: The Money Pitch! More tricky groove climbing above the anchor gives way to a beautiful splitter, starting as fingers, passing a large tree (optional belay) and widening to fists. Its mostly glorious hands, though, so enjoy it! 200', 5.10.
P5: Another wild and enjoyable pitch! Go up a flared hand crack and enter the maw above, a huge triangular chimney leading into the massive roof. Enter the dark recesses of the chimney, and when all appears to be lost, an exit appears! Slither out a slot, and pull up into a hand crack. Revel in the exposure, be amazed at how somehow you're rope doesn't get stuck (backcleaning gear in the final handcrack is advised), and enjoys this totally unique pitch! 2 bolt anchor, 90', 5.9.
P6: Up flaring hands, fists, OW and chimneys. Very fun, although you might be getting tired of handcracks. 2 Bolts, 90', 5.10.
P7: More of the same, 5.9, 110', to a small ledge with a tree and a fixed stopper anchor. P6 and 7 link with a 70m cord.
P8: Traverse left off up a groove, past some big flakes, and into a huge flake/chimney system. At the top of the chimney, the angles lessens as you scramble up easier grooves. When you get to the ledge with trees, traverse right to a slung tree anchors, and enjoy the spectacular view of Ribbon Falls. Even though you could hear it the whole time, and occasionally felt some spray in the air, the falls have been hidden for the entire route until now!
This is where we stopped, and I think most people will as well, especially if they plan to rap the route. If you want to continue, it looks like dirty, low-angle climbing.
Descent: We rapped the route. Supertopo mentions that there is another descent option if you want to top out, involving walking west and rapping a gully. Sorry I don't have more info.
To rap the route, you'll need 2 ropes, or a 70m and some shenanigans for the top rap.
First the beta for 2 ropes:
Rap from the tree atop P8, straight down to the fixed stopper anchor atop P7, 140'. Continue down the route, entirely on nice new ASCA bolted anchors. Passing the huge roof, you'll use 2 stations on Gold Wall, since Silent Line is too far left.
Beta for a single 70m rope: From P7 down, you're fine with a 70m, although be careful on P2, we had a skinny, stretchy rope and barely made it. If you rapped from P7, you wouldn't be missing too much climbing-wise, just a 5.9 chimney, but you would be missing the awesome view of Ribbon Falls. It is possible to rap from P8 with a 70m if you traverse hard left, back into the chimneys you just climbed, and get to a slung chockstone. One rap from here gets you back to the fixed stopped anchor atop P7.
You're rack depends on how much you plan on aiding. A party comfortably climbing Yosemite 5.11 can get by with a single rack to #3 Camalot, with doubles #0.4 to #2.
If you plan to aid the 5.11 and some 5.10, bring extra small gear (hybrid aliens useful), extra #2-3 Camalots, and a #4 Camalot.
Bring a full set of wires including RPs, again offsets are useful.
Western North America
supertopo.com/tr/Gold-Membe… supertopo.com/tr/Gold-Membe… May 20, 2010
Oakland, CA
on the road
Tamarisk Clearing
Chattanooga, TN
It is easy to rap from P7 to P2 with a 70m rope. At the P2 anchor fix a single 70m and it will reach the ground. Have the first person rappel and tie the second rope (which you left at the ground) onto to the rope that you just rappelled. (60m or 70m should work for the second rope)
The person at P2 can pull up the second rope and do a 2 rope rappel to the ground. Dec 12, 2012
Maine
San Francisco, CA
The traverse left on the 3rd pitch felt WAY reachy. I had to ninja stem and stretch my body completely horizontally, then cut my feet and swing wildly. Probably a 5.11- move. My wife at 5'1" had to do some 5.12 face climbing on imaginary holds to span the gap. The finger crack at the start of pitch 4 also felt closer to 11- than 10a. The rest of the pitches would be worth doing if they were in the middle of a good route, but stacked on top of one another, it just felt like one giant human-grinder that you are squeezing through.
Hold on to the ends of your ropes when you rap. It seems like lots of parties got theirs eaten by the cracks. Mar 16, 2015
Bellingham, WA
Yosemite, CA
Regarding rappelling: stations were added around 2015 to facilitate one rope rapping with a 70m rope. The rap from the first anchor (the first belay, right off the ground) is 125', so folks would fix the rope and have the first person rap to the ground, and then the second would rap to a horn (more like a big piece of the mountain you can tie webbing through) 15 - 20 feet off the deck, and make an additional, short, rappel to the ground. It sounds like someone has removed the webbing from the horn, so folks are lugging up a second rope, which they leave on the ground, and then have the first person rappel the fixed rope to the ground and attach this second rope, which the second person pulls up and two-rope raps from the first anchor to the ground. That works, though it seems easier to just bring a piece of webbing to leave on the horn - apples and oranges I guess.
Really amazing climb in a stellar location. Woot!
Erik
Rockclimbyosemite.com - Yosemitebigwall.com Aug 6, 2017
San Carlos
I've been chased off a route by a peregrine once. I've never seen an aggressive crow in 28 years of climbing in the valley.
This is a great route. I'd like to come back, but not get... murdered.
Also we left a really old green alien and a shiny biner up there. If anyone goes up there and feels like it, could I get my biner back?
Update: apparently this would have been a raven, not a crow. Nevermore. Jun 20, 2018
Estes Park, CO
SLC, UT
Boulder, CO
SLC, UT
Northern California
Sonora
San Mateo, CA
The top 2 rappel anchors only have old tat on the bolts; they could use quicklinks and rings.
The guidebook rack is definitely a bit heavy. I didn't find the extra hand size pieces necessary if you're comfortable with 15' spacing on sinker 5.9 hands. The #5 could be placed on every pitch, but it was pretty unnecessary. If I were to climb it again:
1x 0.3-0.4
2x 0.5-3
1x 4
Set of offset cams for pitches 1-4
Offset nuts for pitches 1-2 Nov 3, 2021
Yosemite
Tucson, AZ
Oakland, CA
1st - spectacular route with spectacular rock quality! really clean rock all through. Big thanks to those putting in the work for such nice bolted belays and an easy rap route.
2nd - if it's possible to get lost, i'll do it... for the approach, there's a dirt parking lot immediately after the meadow, this isn't the lot. Go to the next one on the right that is labelled with a "V7" mile marker to the right of the road. Hike on the east side (right side) of the parking lot and you'll see the old paved road. The trail is really nice and not bad at all. A few hundred feet from the top there's a left going (westward) switchback with a flat segment and a cairn marking a split to either continue left and turn right to go uphill. The left fork takes you to Silent Line, the right fork goes to the Amphitheater and Gates of Delirium. I of course went the wrong way and then wrestled trees and manzanita for 10 minutes to get back left to Silent Line.
3rd - to counter the comparison with Central Pillar of Frenzy, this is just as a spectacular route, but waaaaay more physical, so just don't want people thinking that this will feel as relaxed as CPoF. Besides the thin aid sections and the splitter hand crack of p4, the entire thing is essentially a flaring offwidth (protected with a hand crack in the back), so it'll be much more enjoyable if you have some basic wide skills. Having said that - it's completely easy to protect, and easy to pull through any section if you need to, so it's great to practice your wide skills and with all bolted belays there's minimal commitment. It felt much more like the NEB of Higher Cathedral Rock than CPoF (and with bolted belays, probably a good warm up for the NEB).
4th - bring knee pads!!! lots of knee scumming through those deep flaring cracks
5th - as much work as it is... it's 100% worth it to belly-crawl out of that window - have definitely never done anything like that before. so rad
6th - don't need a #5 unless you're doing P8. you might want 2x#4s for P2, but otherwise you could get by with doubles to #1, triples of 2-3s, and a single #4. I did use three small metolius offsets (2/3, 1/2, and 0/1 i think?) and a black totem was really nice too!
Thanks to all for all the bolted rap anchors, made for a really nice experience! our single 70m got us down to the top of P2, and then someone had a fixed line that let us get back to the base, but you'd likely need a tag line or some cord as Erik mentions to get from anchor of P2 to P1. Oct 25, 2024