Ten climbs in your past...

1) Matterhorn, Hornli Ridge, Solo -- When I started climbing, I thought it would be awesome if I could ever climb this thing, even guided. Seven years later, I soloed it easily. I'll remember this one forever.

2) Alpamayo, Basque-French Route -- Waited out 4 days of bad weather at high camp and waded through thigh deep snow to get this one done. First climb with moderately high technical difficulty at altitude.

3) Mt Tasman, North Shoulder -- The culmination of a massive alpine season in NZ. We were the kings of the NZ alpine scene that year, climbing 6 major alpine routes in a place notorious for horrible weather.

4) El Capitan, East Buttress -- A long, memorable free route on an iconic piece of rock. Now I just need to improve my aid game.

5) Crimson Chrysalis, Red Rocks -- The first big climb I did with my wife (then girlfriend).

6) High Exposure, Gunks -- The definitive climb at the place where I learned the art of trad.

7) Elephant's Perch, Regular Route -- Amazing climb, with a not-so-amazing botched descent.

8) Grand Teton, Upper Exum -- First big car-to-car alpine day.

9) Yellow Spur, Eldorado Canyon -- The start of an epic 3-month road trip with my wife (then girlfriend).

10) Mt Rainier, DC -- The one that started it all.

here are a few:

E. Butt Middle Cathedral - Yos, w/ Matt. Fun, long, and classic and we had the route to ourselves. Many good memories in Yosemite with my old friend Matt. Though he was my trad mentor early in my climbing career, we climbed this route like partners and buddies.

Yellow Spur - Eldo, w/ Russ. Great line with a fun partner. I remember being so proud of myself committing to the difficult direct start as well as the crux. Russ’ encouragement and excitement was so empowering.

Lowe/Weis Route (Moonlight) - Zion, w/ Casey. With a nice 2-day ascent pace, this was my first real intro to wall style climbing, and first time sleeping in a portaledge on a wall. Perfectly still night, 70 degrees, and with full moon. I look forward to going back some day and climbing it as a free route.

Lightning Bolt crack - Indian Creek, w/ Steve. Classic desert tower route with a great friend that I haven’t seen for a long time. Somehow we stretched the climb out to last ALL day. Not because we were climbing slow, but because we hung out at the base, every belay, and at the summit to chat and catch up. We watched the sunset from the top and then we realized “I guess it’s time to get movin”.

Turnkorner - Lumpy, w/ John. Perfect Lumpy weather day and awesome route. One of those top outs that I felt like I didn’t want to come down from.

Naked Kill - CCC, w/ Adam. Really my first taste at hard trad on a rediscovered yet obscure route. Not only did Adam so kindly trudge up the hill with me practically every time I tried it, but he also believed in me and inspired much confidence. One day while I was working the route, Craig was above me shooting photos. After I placed a piece of gear above the crux, he told me to remove it and do the crux sequence again. “What?!” Not wanting to take the whip again, I instinctively down-climbed. With a grin, Craig said, “Alright Darren, you just down-climbed through the crux, I think you’re ready.” I sent the following week.

Brennivin - CCC, w/ Dave. This route inspired me for as long as I can remember being in that Canyon and one of the first routes Dave and I worked on together. Possibly the first repeat. I won’t forget the falls we took at the crux pin, ripping the screamer out, swinging so close to the Black Death flake. It was doubly special that we both sent the same evening.

Cheap Date via Loose Ends - Lumpy, w/ Casey. Another Lumpy perfect weather day on a mega classic linkup with one of my favorite partners.

Big Bro’s Watchin’ - CCC, w/ Derek. A special ascent with Derek, and memorable for too many reasons to write (besides being our personal memorial for Craig Luebben).

Jah Man - Castle Valley, w/ Casey. One of the last routes I climbed with Casey before I moved away from CO. Picture perfect side-ways light and super fun climb. Was also special because it wasn’t too long before that trip that Casey found out he was a father.

Double Stout - CCC, w/ Dave. Whether I want to admit it or not, every inch of this route is etched into my soul. I think I learned more about myself not sending this route than sending it.

Engagement - Oak Creek Canyon, AZ, w/ Angela. My first new route in AZ. I started the first few pitches with my new friends Phil and Chris, over the course of many days in the spring of 2011 (maybe only 0.5-1 pitch per day progress). I finished the adventure solo. Sedona climbing teaches you something about perseverance and commitment! I came back with Angela for the FFA on Memorial Day weekend and surprised her with a Proposal and a ring at the top of the Serial Pillar. Needless to say it was a powerful and special day.

Good thread... Here are a few for me:

1) Working 'wake of the flood' over and over.

crux

2) Castleton in November

rappin'

3) Halloween in Eldo (spooky)

Bastille Crack

4) Aiding Wunsche's in a blizzard

Back at the bottom

5) Spending a few nights on LA spire

Bivi

Climbing the Diamond a few years back was an important one too.

Climbing is so fun. It is important to do it (for me) just because I can. It is all about learning, growth, friends, and most importantly challenge.

Send it!

Top 10 from a moderate climber in chronological order (I think):

1) Ok, this one's cheating because it's actually 3 separate climbs, my first toprope, sport lead, and trad lead:
• Standard, Livesey Rock, Philadelphia, PA: My first climb ever as a high school kid taken out by his English teacher back in the mid 90s. A toprope complete with hip belay and Van's skate shoes. The bug was caught immediately, but with being in Philly with no means to get elsewhere, it would have to marinate for a few more years until I made it to college in upstate NY.
• Neon Sunset, Red Rocks, NV: First sport lead. A great way to do it, with mentors and other first time leaders around to cheer me on.
• Horseman, Gunks, NY: First trad lead. Right after getting back from our trip to RR, we started hitting up the Gunks with regularity. Too poor to afford cams, we led on a rack of nuts, hexes, and tricams. My partner started up Horseman only to back off because he realized he was stitching it up too much and wouldn't have enough gear to top out. I ran it out for the first 30 feet or so and placed good gear from there on out.

Now on to the good stuff:

2) High Exposure, Gunks, NY: Not sure if this was my first multipitch lead, but was at least one of the first. Lead with the same rack as I used for Horseman, so no protecting The Move. Brilliant!

3) Crimson Chrysalis, Red Rocks, NV: On my return trip to RR, I was a 2 years more experienced, borrowed some cams (but not the #4 useful for the bottom pitches), met a guy who never trad lead in his life in the campground, and talked him into letting me lead him up this stellar climb.

4) Loose Lady, J-Tree, CA: My first intro to J-tree slabs (and J-tree in general). A good one too, since it's not too scary or run out. Though I was stupid enough to think that climbing in J-tree in July would be fun. This would pave the way for a series of horror shows I put myself in throughout the park over the years, and continue to do so.

5) Wide is Love, Verdon Gorge, France: My first foray into the international scene, I was visiting a friend studying abroad there, and an epic one at that. Part of one of my favorite stories to tell "The Longest Day There Ever Was, Ever," this climb ended with me having to race a Smart Car (this was in 2000, before we saw these go-carts here in the US) into town, and convince a French guide who spoke no English (and I no French) to come help my partner who was stuck in the gorge. Went back to climb it properly the next day and had a blast!

6) Kachoong, Mt Arapiles, Australia & Scorpion, same place: Ok, so I'm cheating again. Sue me. Did these 2 climbs in the same day during my own "studying" abroad experience. Kachoong is one of the best single pitches I've ever done, made spicier after I saw my partner get a heal stuck and flip upside-down, rack splaying out all around him, when he came off the lip. The roof is just phenomenal and the headwall leading up to it is amazing too. Scorpion was one of the scariest pitches I've ever done. A leap of faith first move gets you into the overhanging flaring chimney that goes into OW as you squirm your way to the top, with about 5 pitches of dead air straight below your butt should you skid out of that crack. Some snake oil salesman talked me into leading that one so he could follow. I appreciate what I he did for me, but still haven't forgiven him.

7) Rave, Bishop, CA: While other boulder problems I've done at Bishop are more aesthetic, harder, and fun, Rave holds a special place in my heart. Each trip to the Happies, I would warm up in that area, and end up trying Rave a few times, unsuccessfully, before heading deeper into the canyon. Finally, I up and did it straight through from the sit. It was a monkey off my back, and my first V7.

8) Hijacked, Echo Cliffs, CA: Echo is a pretty crappy crag, compared to the other locations I've listed, but Hijacked was the only sport climb I've seriously projected. I had to go back there 4 or 5 weekends before finally clipping the anchors, and it was the hardest roped climb I'd done at that point. I might also be the last one to climb it in it's original 5.12b condition, since the next weekend, my belay partner went to try it and broke off the jug below the 3rd bolt that you used to clip from.

9) Cathedral and Tenaya Peaks, Tuolumne Meadows, CA: Cathedral was my first alpine peak requiring technical rock to really get to the top. And Tenaya was my first, and only, free solo of anything near that magnitude. I learned why soloing can be addicting, but also that it's not really for me. But the High Sierras definitely are, and Temple Crag is calling my name.

10) Inti Watana into Resolution Arete, Mt Wilson, Red Rocks, NV: I was tempted to put Levitation 29 here, but IW and RA on the Aeolian Wall definitely takes the cake for the last climb on this list. An epic 23 hour car to car trip due to my partner and I getting stuck behind parties, and then topping out on the summit after dark. We couldn't find the walk off and I was convinced that we were going to have an unplanned, cold, and hungry night on the top. Finally found a rap station way back almost at the end of First Creek Canyon. We topped out at 8 pm, and didn't get back to the car until 4am. Well after BJ's Brewery closes. So much for our victory beers and pizookie...

In the end, though, my partners and the friendships that I've forged and solidified with them through climbing is always what it's been all about for me. Guess that's why soloing isn't my cup of tea.

Get out there and have fun!!!

jmeizis wrote:In no particular order: 1. The Book on Cliff Drive in Missouri.

Ha! One of my first leads in 1989 or 90 . . . funny seeing it here. If anyone hasn't been (I know, who hasn't?!), Cliff Drive is in a park adjacent/connected to the projects of KC. It's an area initially designed in a way that one could not leave legally without a car (highway on one side, a bluff and train tracks, plus a river surround the area). A pedestrian bridge was installed well before my time (I hope well before . . . ). This was about the time when Truman Lake was in early development - which features much better rock and 30+ more feet of climbing per pitch.

Here's 5 more... Since the thread is called '10 climbs in your past' after all.

6) The Casual Route!

El Diamond

7) Climbing Out East With Luke

Red River Gorge

8) Getting limestoned

10d

9) Skywalker

Props to Nick Montelli for taking sick pics!

10) Finally getting to climb 'Days of Heaven'

Splitter!

This thread is so good it should be on Supertopo. Great idea with addinf pictures. Keep 'em coming.

DL

1. Great Arch (5.5) Stone Mountain, NC, 4 pitches.
This was my 1st multi pitch climb and my 1st lead on "gear". All I had was slings for the trees (1 per pitch) and 1 blue tricam that I only placed on the last pitch.

2.Great white way (5.9), Stone Mountain, NC
This was one of my early leads. One pitch to the tree ledge and then 3 amazing pitches up a steep, featureless, water groove, slab. The 1st off the ledge (crux) was super steep and pretty well protected (bolts). The next pitch was a little easier but still steep. No rests because there are no features or divots or foot scoops… nothing but pure friction. This pitch climbs the groove for about 60ft before coming to the 1st bolt. Heady! Then it runs to the anchor, located 110ft above the belay. When I was 5 ft below the anchor I had a foot slip out from under me but was able to keep friction under my other foot. I wanted to just freeze up but I knew I just had to make a couple more “steps”.

110 ft and only 1 bolt and no natural pro! Second time leading it I had to ask myself why do I do this to myself! Then when I was done...I remembered.

3. Zoo View, Moores Wall, NC
I had been up a couple moderate pitches at Moores Wall and seen people thrashing on this route and could not believe it was only a 7. I was back a couple weeks later to surprise myself and led it in good style… well, except for using my knee to get over the roof. I still can’t believe a 7 can be that steep and exposed. Best route at that grade anywhere. Highly recommended.

4. Kor’s Flake, Lumpy Ridge (5.7R)
Epic climb. I was supposed to climb the 2nd pitch but instead of stopping when I was supposed to, I climbed past the belay. In my mind I kept thinking I would find some gear to place. I didn’t even have the #4 with me b/c I wasn’t supposed to get into the wide stuff. In retrospect, I should have downclimbed to the belay but I kept thinking, “there has GOT to be gear up here somewhere”. I ran it out a loooong way before finding a small, shallow, micro stopper placement on the bulging ramp. If anyone has done this pitch... I climbed out on the ramp, stemming with the main wall and face climbing (which felt like at least a hard 8 or a 9) instead of having the security of climbing with a leg in the crack. Talk about exposed and sketch! After that micro (which would not hold a fall) I ran it out to a #3 near the top of the pitch. So gripped, I opted for a hanging belay just to have the climbing over with. I guess I was looking at over a 100 footer on a steep slab below. I used that as a learning experience, to say the least. Can be climbed using the offwidth or the stemming face (exposed).

5. Spearhead, RMNP
1st alpine route

6. Petit Grepon, RMNP
It was the best summit and alpine route I’ve ever done. Had the whole rock to ourselves on a late(ish) season ascent. 1st route I climbed with my wife where she led the crux pitch. Props. View of Sky Pond from the Petit

7. Friday the 13’Th, Vedauwoo, WY
First 5.10 trad. When I got to those chains I was so pumped but clipped them clean and I new I was ready for the Indian Creek trip I had coming up. Cant go to the Creek without leading tens! Friday the 13th!

8. Generic Crack, Indian Creek
Nine #2’s! Enough said.

9. Dark Holler, Glen Comfort Crag, Highway 34, CO
This is still my hardest redpoint and also my proudest FA. I found this line less than a 5-minute walk out my backdoor in the national forest near Estes Park. Fun route, climbs better than it looks.

10.
Too many others but Dopey Duck at Shortoff Mountain in Linville was pretty amazing.
Elizabeth Paashaus following the steep Dopey Duck

1. Levitation 29. This was the first climb i ever attempted west of the mississippi. Being from central PA i dont often (read: never) get out in the desert, experience that kind of approach, and get up that high. The climbing was excellent, the experience was the memory of a lifetime

2. Supercrack. The New River Gorge. I know this thing probably doesn't compare to THE Supercrack of the desert, but for me it was a battle from start to finish. I only had two #1's and two #2's on my rack, and i dropped one of my #1's near the bottom, but was still able to score an onsight. There were some great pictures of this one, but unfortunately the camera got stolen. Bummer.

3. High Exposure. I know I know it's High E and it's not that great and blah blah blah. I led this for my first climb ever at the Gunks, so it's always going to hold a special place.

4. To Defy The Laws of Tradition, Red River Gorge. Compared to the other steep just hauls at the red i thought this guy was technical and thoughtful throughout. Climbed it in a light rain during my bachelor party weekend.


5. The Dangler. The Gunks. Another climb that people either seem to love or hate, i thought it was pretty amazing. Was intimidated as all hell getting started, but once i committed i loved every bit of it, even if there isn't all that much of it to love.


6. Satisfaction Guaranteed, New River Gorge. Despite the fact that the climbing on this thing is spec-freakin-tacular, i mostly remember it because it was the first time i took an unplanned fall, about 20 feet when it was all said and done. It made me realize that falls aren't that big of a deal, especially when they're over a roof.

7. West Pole, Seneca Rocks / CCK, The Gunks. I group these two together because the experience was so similar. Intimidating for the grade leads with incredible exposure, aesthetic moves, and rewarding finishes. Great, great climbs.

8. Sunday Morning, Chickies Rock, Columbia Pennsylvania. Trust me when i say there is absolutely nothing special about this climb. It's a blocky 5.4 that terminates at about 50 feet on a big ledge. It was however, i toproped this for my first ever outside climb of any kind. Sure was scary. Sure is funny looking back.

9. Russel's Ruin, Boxcar Rocks, Tower City PA. Once again there is absolutely nothing special about this climb except that it was my first ever trad lead. It's a 40 foot 5.5 hand crack on sketchy cobbly conglomerate. If i was scared on Sunday Morning, i was bloody terrified on this thing.

10. Bonny's Roof, the Gunks. First Gunks 5.9 lead. Fun first pitch, amazing airy thin second pitch traverse. Great stuff.

5 of 10:

-Royal Arches, Yosemite Valley
Soloing with a friend, forgot the topo, got off-route halfway up. Watched my friend almost die as he climbed a 5.7 handcrack into a hanging offwidth 50 feet off a small ledge, ~700 feet off the deck, which he now calls 5.11+ - onsight free-solo. One of the most amazing and terrifying things I've ever witnessed. I found a way around and met him on a ledge. We sat in silence for 30 minutes then bailed.

-Cloud Tower , Red Rocks
Thanksgiving Day. Went as well as any classic long multi-pitch could. Cool temps, pure enjoyment, just a perfect day. Friends had a rotisserie chicken ready at the campground when we returned at dark to round things off.

-Recompense(beast) , Cathedral Ledge
Early in my trad career at twilight as a full moon breached the eastern horizon. Summoned the moon power, seemed effortless. Magical.

-Tuna Town , RRG
First flash of the grade, too pumped to clip the last couple bolts and took the 60ish-footer after slapping the chains, awesome!

-Epinephrine , Red Rocks
Perfect day, first on the route. Watched friends climb DOWT next to us. Climbed like the wind. Rendezvoused on the summit.

Great thread. Here's a roughly chronological list...

1) Begging for Bolts (11a), Logan Canyon, UT. This was the first climb I ever took a whip on. It is also over 100 feet high, so I had to tie two ropes together to rap off! Finally sending it was awesome.

2) 30 Seconds Over Potash (5.8), Moab, UT. My first ever trad lead.

3) Equipment Overhang Right (10a), Little Cottonwood, UT. Almost killed me after pulling gear. The climb that showed me that just because I could get up a 5.10 splitter at the Creek, did not mean that I was a "5.10 trad leader." I still have the stopper that saved my life hanging on my rear-view mirror.

4) Arkansas Reality (5.11) Sam's Throne, AR. At the time, this felt like the hardest onsight I had ever done, really had to push for it.

5) Bastille Crack. As much as I hate to put this on here, it was my first real multipitch route.

6) Sendero Luminoso (5.12+), Potrero Chico, MX. Did not send, but an amazing experience.

7) Rainbow Wall (5.12-), Red Rocks, NV. Best single day of climbing I've ever had.

8) Barbaros (5.12-), NRG, WV. First experience cleaning, working, and bolting a route.

9) Lucky Streaks (5.10), Tuolomne, CA. A great day of climbing, swinging leads with my wife.

10) Paleface (5.13a), Logan Canyon, UT. My most long-term project.

1. Cloud Tower-cold day with good friends Coz and Travis!
2. Steck/Salathe- 7 hours car to car, first time climbing with a new partner.
3. Guillamet- it was so good to climb and not wait out the weather! Sending with my friend Calvin.
4. El sendero Diablo. My friend Dave unleashed a volkswagon sized boulder from top of sixth pitch. Sounded like a jet going by.
5. Beckey Chouinard. Very exciting climbing and rapping over the berg... with Anna.
6. OR, whitesides with Coz. 3.5 hours car to car!
7. VMC Direct Direct. First time and only time climbing with this guy. We just sent and it was awesome!
8. Nose, El Cap... What a trip. First time up! Base jumpers flying past at night. Laura was the workhorse!
9. What's my line... Cochise with Dustin and Tanner... We got lost as hell! Thorns, brush and boulder choked gully most of the night!
10 SF Mt. Watkins... Good day out with Anna and Smith.

Usually I enjoy routes because of the friends, the uncertainty, being efficient and moving fast and doing a route in a style I feel good about.

1: Warpaint - Cochise perfection. Little bit of scare, whole lot of slab.

2: Sugarloaf North Face - Fun 900' slab, almost no gear.

3: Bear Tooth Spire - first climb in the Sierra. Awesome position and good exposure for the grade.

4: Tooth Extraction - Another Southern New Mexico classic. First 5.10 multipitch and some of the best granite I've ever seen.

5: Refrigerator Buttress - Red Rocks, first time on a big sandstone route. Played "scoot-the-#4" for half a pitch on a .9 offwidth. Final pitch is a beautiful 9 finger crack right up the final headwall.

Ok, in order of what comes to mind.

1) The Beckey-Chouinard, Bugaboos: After a couple of weeks in the Bugs, after almost no climbing for a couple of years, my son and I decided to try this. The weather turned awful, as it often does, and we ended up leaving before we could even try. A few days later it cleared and we did it with an early start from the parking lot with a bivy on Big Sandy. Matt Maddoloni soloed past us at the crux pitch on his epic day, and then we had a b**ch of a time getting over the bergshrund on rappel. A great time and fantastic memories. My wife and I did it this year in a day and it was great, but still the first time was way more memorable.

2) The Greenwood-Jones on the north side of Mt Temple, Lake Louise: Also with my son, he talked me in to this, and it was an epic day+, complete with a really scary whipper and an unplanned bivy after being forced to descend the east ridge.

3) The Kain route, Bugaboo Spire: I climbed this as a total newbie with my wife, on our honeymoon, both of us hungover. First time in the Bugaboos, first route, and first day.

4) Epinephrine, Red Rocks: No epics, but a great time on a great route with my wife. I love that place.

5) The Yorkshire Gripper, Squamish: This sticks in my mind for some reason. Fun route.

6) The Grand Wall, Squamish: I've done this a few times now. I still can't believe I climbed a wall like that. First time was with my son, and the second time was wih my wife on her 40th birthday.

7) Northeast Buttress, Mt Slesse: I've done this twice and both times were awesome, for different reasons. I'll go back.

8) MF Direct, the Gunks: I did this the day after Hurricane Irene in August 2011. No chalk (it was wet), and the route was wet. Spicy, and really fun. Actually that whole trip was a blast.

9) Illusion Dweller, Joshua Tree: F***ing amazing. Did it on my first trip to J-Tree. Still the best route I've climbed there.

10) Kautz glacier, Mt Rainier: First time I ever used an ice tool or placed an ice screw was in the dark at 4AM on this route. My son and I were too scared to descend it, and ended up going down the tourist route which didn't put us anywhere near our camp. It ended up being a long long day getting back. I don't think I've ever been more tired.

In no particular order:

- Epinephrine (Red Rocks) - As another used noted, I was destroyed, but it still had a huge impact on my climbing going forward. The bottom pitches crushed me so much that I wanted to pitch off of the upper pitches.

- Crimson Chrysalis (Red Rocks) - My first big multi-pitch climb.

- Whitney-Gilman (Cannon, NH) - Has been one disaster after another, and yet I keep going back. Rain, more rain, taking an intentional wrong turn at the top off the descent trail, more rain, bloody fingers, more rain...

- Delirium Tremors (NRG) - My first 5.11 (and only, to date)

- Gracias a la Vida (Chile) - My first FA. We were part of a team. I led only one of the pitches and couldn't hang around to finish the push for the top two days later, but what I got from those few days were amazing.

- Recompense (Cathedral Ledge, NH) - Almost died on it the first time I went up and was glad to get to the top the second time.

- Hold the Mayo (Gunks, NY) - My first 5.9 gear climb. Took a big whipper off it a few week before and we back and sent without hesitation.

- Modern Times (Gunks, NY) - Wow. Just, um, WOW! This route was much easier than I anticipated it being, and it was hugely rewarding.

- Ant's Line (Gunks, NY) - Another huge reward.

- Tie with Birdland, Grand Central, Moonlight, and Son of Easy O (all Gunks, NY) - All left me with similar feelings of delight after the send.

Although I regularly freesolo 5.15 in my tennies, My favorite climb of all time was Durrance Ridge on Symmetry Spire 5.5

In no particular order:

1) Yellow Wall (Gunks): I have never been so excited about onisghting a climb in my life. The Yellow Wall is the real deal and easily one of the best routes I have ever done.

2) Rumble in the Jungle (Little River Canyon): Doing this crazy link up helped me realize that high twelves are not that bad.

3) Mescaline Daydream (Tallulah Gorge): My first real trad lead. Just me and my clueless partner at the hottest crag in Georgia in August. Lost my glasses twice before reaching the top. Defines Parched in my mind.

4) The Sting (Gunks): We went and looked at this climb every single day during a two week rainy spell waiting for it to dry off. The dyno at the top was one of the coolest moves I have ever done, and flashing the route felt great after so much anticipation.

5) Flying Frog (Tallulah Gorge): After climbing the runout face below, I pulled into the wet, crux corner only to find I didn't have the right sized gear. Half way up the twenty foot dihedral, both my feet slipped and I somehow managed to hold myself in the lie back, saving myself from a sixty plus foot fall.

6) AWOL (RRG): My first ever route. I got super pumped, took a bunch, and couldn't believe how scary leading was outside.

7) Fat City Direct (Gunks): Wild and fun climbing. I did this on a sunny day with an amazing breeze. One of my most sublime climbing experiences.

8) Traditions (Whiteside): An amazing direct route up one of the most feared pieces of rock anywhere.

9) Supper's Ready (Gunks): A crazy big roof. Really fun climbing with two hard cruxes.

10) High Exposure (Gunks): I have done this route more than any other (maybe 20 times) and love it every time. The people who say it is overrated are just being contrarian.

A bit Eldo heavy... but the place is rad.

1. Grandmothers challenge. 3rd attempt went clean from ground to the tree.
2. Outer Space. A lot of hype, then a super cool onsight.
3. Sunset Boulevard. Hardest personal onsight.
4. The Owl on the Dome (Boulder Canyon). Cool solo with 5.7 roof
5. 3rd flatiron solo. Best 800 ft. of 5.2 ever, period!
6. Cathedral Peak in Yosemite. gorgeous crystal studded easy routes in the Sierra high country.
7. Lambs Slide Solo. Almost died here, self arrest on plastic ice near the top at sunset. Spent a hypothermic night huddling in corners on clarks arrow before finally getting to the warming hut.
8. Climb to the left side of the Pillar from Chocolate corner in INdian Creek. (thought it was 5.9, ended up being my hardest creek onsight at probably 5.11)
9. Incredible Hand Crack. Played out but Purrrrrr-fect.
10. Naked Edge. Never was in the shape to lead this. Managed a sloppy follow one afternoon with a bit of A1 (thanks Josh Janes!). Ended up leaving a crucial fixed nut of Josh's, which left him a bit run out without that crucial nut. Even a sloppy follow made this one of my most memorable routes (pride be damned). If you can get someone to drag your butt up the 'Edge' it should be done.

I think that this thread needs to be resurrected every 4 years or so...

This is a great thread, thanks for resurrecting it Tony.

No particular order...

Kasparov Traverse, IPW, Colorado - Great long day of scrambling with some amazing climbing on the towers.

NW Face of Apache, IPW, Colorado - Approached from E side, missed descent so ended up rapping through waterfalls of melt water before sunrise. The face was huge, lots of great climbing, little to no gear. 17 hours on the move, felt accomplished and lucky after topping that one out.

Shelf Cirque Traverse, RMNP, Colorado - Seemingly endless granite ridge line scrambling in a pristine environment. Warm blue bird day with no afternoon storms. Went swimming in solitude lake before heading back to the car.

The Headache, ZNP, Utah - 3 pitches of amazing and exposed desert cracks. 100% pure fun.

Freeway, 2nd Flatiron, Colorado - 900' or so of easy, solid, and juggy rock. Take your time or sprint up it. Great views, I must have climbed this thing 40 odd times so far.

Alexander's Chimney, RMNP, Colorado - Perfect weather, perfect route conditions, not another person in the cirque. Great mix of snow, ice, and rock.

The Bulge/Shades of Gray, Eldorado Canyon SP, Colorado - Steep and fun climbing that rarely sees traffic. Great holds, great history, and that perfect amount of spiciness.

The Barb, RMNP, Colorado - Splitter cracks on gorgeous granite. Bluebird day in a beautiful cirque.