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Beyond Lunacy

5.11c, Trad, 900 ft (273 m), 7 pitches,  Avg: 3.3 from 36 votes
FA: 2008: Eric Gabel, Linda Jarit, Kevin Willow, FFA 2009 Chad Suchoski, Mike Cane
California > Yosemite NP > Yosemite Valley > Lower Merced Ri… > At. Reed's Pinn… > Reed's Pinnacle
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Description

A fun adventure to the top of Reed’s. Good climb to do during Fall and Winter months. If it has not rained or snowed for over a week, there is a good chance the route will be easily climbable. Since it is only seven pitches, it does not require an alpine start. The protection is adequate and quality of climbing is really good. The 11c crux could be easily aided with a few tiny cams. A nice addition to the area.

Pitch 1: 150 ft 5.10c: The super classic Lunatic Fringe. Climb a right leaning hand-crack for about 25 feet and continue up to double cracks. Do a reachy transition from left to right (crux for many) and continue up. It varies from thin to perfect hands and after a wide pod becomes thin for a few moves. Fortunately the thin sections are not very sustained and there are good stances to place gear. As the crack narrows down make a step left to a jug.

Pitch 2: 80 ft 5.10c: From a bolted belay step left into a thin crack and stem/jam through most difficulties. Thank yourself for bringing a 0 and 00 C3 piece, or something else that fits. Delicate moves take you to a flexing “thank god” jug. Few more cruxy moves bring you to easier ground. This pitch is pretty fun and delicate. Easier face climbing take you up and left, past a tree, to another bolted belay.

Pitch 3: 160 ft 5.9: Step left and around a corner to a right leaning handcrack in a corner. It is not long and you pass a big grassy ledge before reaching another system. Great crack in a corner on the left, and another good looking one just to the right. I took the left crack and loved it. Continue past another ledge and up a short chimney with a crack in the back.

Pitch 4: 170 ft 5.10c: Make a few committing moves to the top of a good knob and clip a first bolt. Continue up clipping a few more till holds disappear for a few moves (crux). Friction up and left to an arête and pass a roof. I traversed the roof from left to right. Continue up easier knobs and do a few more difficult moves till you reach the belay (bolted).

Pitch 5: 180ft 5.10b: From the belay step right and up an arete. You can either sling the knobs for pro or place gear in a right facing corner around. Sling a knob above the roof and figure out the sequence to the top of this knob (crux). Don't knock your sling off the knob in the process, like I did. Easier climbing takes you past a few more knobs and a piton. Clip another bolt before an easier roof and climb pretty much straight up a sea of knobs to another bolted belay.

Pitch 6: 130 ft 5.11c: Climb up from the belay towards a left leaning underling. Traverse under it and get into a chimney. Stem out of the flare to pass a roof into a traversing edge. Crank through this not so juggy section and onto a good ledge. Shake out and prepare yourself for first knuckle jamming, stemming and lie backing up a left facing corner (crux). FFA was done with it wet and it was rated 5.11c. Seemed like a 5.11b when dry. Thin gear is really nice to have here. After you are done with the crux continue left under an overhang. Watch your feet and don't slip on the munge.

Pitch 7: 90 ft 510.d/5.11a. From the belay climb over an overhang and establish yourself on a knob from which you can clip the first bolt. Mantle to the top of the bolt and clip another one. Last cruxy move will put you above the difficulties. Make a small traverse left to a pod and mantle up to easy slab. Don't fall here and hike up to a tree with rap slings. If you intend on going to the top bring some more webbing to back up the slings that by now been roughed up by the animals. Or at least back up the anchor for the first (hopefully heavier) person to rappel. Enjoy the views from the top of Reed's and get down in time to buy some beer, or prune juice.

DESCENT: Two 60 M ropes. Rappell the route. Webbing on top of the formation might be damaged by animals, so bringing some extra might be nice.

Location

Whole two minutes above the parking for Reed's.

Protection

Standard rack up to BD #2. 0 and 00 C3s are useful. Basically bring a few tiny cams.

Photos [Hide ALL Photos]

Nick Strong cruises his flash up and hangs out before the summit.
[Hide Photo] Nick Strong cruises his flash up and hangs out before the summit.
Hummock traverse after the crux
[Hide Photo] Hummock traverse after the crux
Beyond Lunacy
[Hide Photo] Beyond Lunacy
Feeling good after the first two pitches of Beyond Lunacy!
[Hide Photo] Feeling good after the first two pitches of Beyond Lunacy!
Reeds Pinnacle. Route goes up the middle. Starts from the white streak and continues up.
[Hide Photo] Reeds Pinnacle. Route goes up the middle. Starts from the white streak and continues up.
Nearing golden hour
[Hide Photo] Nearing golden hour
Beyond Lunacy, crux pitch
[Hide Photo] Beyond Lunacy, crux pitch
Crux of route. Was dry, felt like 5.11b
[Hide Photo] Crux of route. Was dry, felt like 5.11b

Comments [Hide ALL Comments]

Sirius
Oakland, CA
 
[Hide Comment] Pitch 4: 170 ft 5.10c: Make a few committing moves to the top of a good knob and clip a first bolt. Continue up clipping a few more till holds disappear for a few moves (crux). Friction up and left to an arête and pass a roof. I traversed the roof from left to right. Continue up easier knobs and do a few more difficult moves till you reach the belay (bolted).

We just went more or less straight up from the second or third bolt, following the bolted line closely, which doesn't bring you to the arete proper but leads you through some great moves.

Instead of traversing the roof from left to right, you come straight to its center through a cruxy, steep friction sequence that ends with a hold-your-breath reach for a glory jug. Small cams can be placed under the rooflet here, and then more jugs to a left-leaning finger crack and eventually more juggy plates. Best part of the pitch! Mar 27, 2014
[Hide Comment] I did it the same way Sirius, on the first accent. Strait up to the bolt. We cleaned that left side arête when we were up there a year later and now people are doing it that way too. I haven't tried it yet.

- Eric Gabel Jun 22, 2014
Mark Straub
Fort Collins, CO
 
[Hide Comment] Great extension to Lunatic Fringe! Varied climbing and interesting climbing throughout the first five pitches. The first 5 pitches are good, well-protected climbing that make for a great 5.10 multipitch outing.

We found the last 2 pitches to be good but not great- they had short sections of fun, challenging climbing broken up by dirt clod stemming and lichen smearing. More traffic would probably clean these up. Hopefully this route becomes more popular, it deserves to! Oct 17, 2017
B Gilmore
AZ
 
[Hide Comment] PSA: piton from P5 is now missing, I clipped it, tugged on the draw and it popped out. Not a deal breaker if you've made it this far on the route, it's just a couple more moves to a nice shiny bolt. Super fun route with varied climbing. Apr 27, 2021
jake w
mammoth lakes, california
[Hide Comment] Under the roof before the knob mantle on P5 there is a microwave-sized block that is barely hanging on. Be careful May 16, 2021
Austin Roe
Sonora
 
[Hide Comment] Piton above sling horn on pitch 5 is gone. It's a run out section now. Still good. Mar 15, 2022
Robert Carroll
Oakland, CA
[Hide Comment] A key knob popped off under my foot near the second bolt on p4. That pitch is probably at least 10d now. May 12, 2022
Jason Beals
San Luis Obispo, CA
 
[Hide Comment] Ha! I was wondering why the second bolt of P4 felt so tough (@Robert C)! Was the knob before or after the second bolt? Either way, sticking right after B1 was the wrong move (for me) and led to a fun little fall on lead. Good for the head ;)

Route description by OP on point, by the way. Great post!

One thing I will say beta-wise is in the Sloan guide there is "5.9 R" on P5 but I did not think this is accurate. If there was 5.9 on P5 it would have been between the two roofs (maybe). After the .10a roof it is literally a "Sea of Knobs" (as mentioned previously), much less exposed and similar to the "Sea of Holds" on Intersection Rock which is heady and rated nowhere near 5.9. I didn't even think that I was going through 5.9 when I did it and I was in the rain! Also, anyone have thoughts about why Sloan rate the end section of P4 .10c? I thought I followed the bolts and I was climbing on jugs...

As for general comments: great route overall! The crux pitch was literally dripping wet when we got there, and as a budding 5.10 leader, I grudgingly rapped down at the top of P5 (the left facing corner looked so tasty!!) as the stream of water at the .10d face move didn't seem so promising. Will have to go up again, I guess; great reason to get back on the rock! The first two pitches were some of my favorite I have done in the valley thus far! Pumpy Lunatic Fringe has ample opportunity to rest for those familiarizing themselves with the grade (i.e., me) and does a great job to mentally prepare you to commit through the delicate dance of the P2 crux! Overall wonderful climbing, highly recommended; I will be coming back! Jun 8, 2022
Peter Nocka
South Lake Tahoe, CA
 
[Hide Comment] Re the missing knob on pitch 4: Found myself surprised to be making what felt like 5.11- yosemite slab moves above the first bolt. Upon reading the previous mopro comments it makes sense as there's a knob sized scar right where you would love a good handhold. The good news is that the moves are well protected by that first bolt, so long as you keep you feet sorted around the rope. The bad news is that the next bolt is pretty far left, leaving your partner unprotected for the hardest moves on the pitch. If they fall the swing is clean and safe but they would have to tension further left and climb the dirty groove to get back on route. Overall plenty safe, but inconvenient.

Also grabbed a jug flake on the second pitch crux and had to practically push it back into place as it peeled away from the wall, careful there and check your holds!

Brought the 0 and 00 C3s but never place anything smaller than .2 X4 or black totem and felt very well protected on pitch 2, however we only climbed the first four pitches. Maybe those teeny tinys come in handy on the higher pitches. Anyways don't let the recommended tiny cam beta keep you from checking out this climb if you don't have them. Thanks for a cool route Eric, you're a legend! Oct 31, 2022
Austin Donisan
San Mateo, CA
 
[Hide Comment] You can rap every pitch with an 80m. Only p5 is a rope stretcher, but is doable depending on your rope or tolerance for shenanigans (and if you line up the rope correctly through the knobs; be sure to head skiiers left of the bush).

The crux of P4 is still after the 2nd bolt even with the missing nob lower. Also going straight up the slab after the 4th bolt is better climbing than going out left.

A #0.1 is nice for P5.

Sloan topo corrections:
P4 has 4 bolts below the roof and 2 above it
P5 has 2 bolts: 1 below the low roof and 1 above it May 15, 2023