A Georgia classic that doesn’t come in often. Requires a solid cold snap with precip sometime soonish before hand. Cloud coverage helps. An alpine start is a must as the sun hits the wall early. This route in good conditions can easily be done in two pitches if the ice is good but is traditionally broken into 3 as the ice on this route can be suspect regarding a belay in the middle. Pitch 2&3 can be linked if rope drag isn’t horrible and your belayer breaks down the anchor and walks to the ice on the right of the ledge or if the ice is good on the left side you shouldn’t have to traverse very far. If you wind up climbing pure rock sections down low or up high lose the crampons as they do not help and will just scratch things up. Expect some possible mixed action in the icy sections.  Pitch 1 is generally super thin down low and might not be touching but can be bypassed by climbing easy rock on the left at 5.6 which is fun in boots. Belay near the pine to the left of the ice.  Pitch 2 follow the thickest ice up underneath the overhang and build a belay.  Pitch 3 either follow Ice out the overhang climbers right or go up the easy rock dihedral  to the left.

Xanadu

Balance Climb 5

Latest Edition

Balance Climb 9

Two Man Party Orange

Balance Climb 1

Edges to Ledges

[Redacted]

Balance Climb 8

New Standards

Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds

First Overhang

Two-Man Party Yellow

First Overhang - Right

Gather No Moss

Kid Fears

Two Man Party Blue

Special Edition

Kid Fears Direct

Two Man Party Green

Stairway to Heaven

Obscured By Clouds

Snake Route

Slip and Slide

Afternoon Delight

Dihedral

Two Man Party Red

Three Cam Party

Stannard's Crack

Balance Climb 3

Balance Climb 2

Balance Climb 6

Balance Climb 4

Overhang Approach

Yonah Traverse

Limited Edition

Two Man Party White

Cavemen Eat Quiche

Balance Climb  7

Starts at the #9 the Army conveniently painted on the rock.  Climb up and over a small roof then straight up using all kinds of holds and smears.  I believe the first pitch ends when you hit the right end of the army cable.  You can follow the cable down a bit and then rap down.  We choose to push #9 all the way to the top of the main wall.  There is a belay station (two bolts) just to the right of the end of the cable.  From there you start the second pitch that follows the water stain towards the right of the main overhang. 

  You will run into a good size bulge towards the top and you can go left and pick up the cable that runs to the top of the Main Overhang or you can go straight up over the bulge which is way more interesting at that height.    

  After the bulge you will be right where the cable takes a sharp left up the right side of the main overhang.  You can continue on up the right side of the main overhang and belay from on top.  You can belay from the cable below but it's not as comfortable as on top. 

  It's a fun long route. Nothing to tough but the bulge on the first pitch and using the bulge on the second pitch make it better.  You could really get crazy and use the head wall or get out on the main overhang to finish instead of following the cable.  This would make the end tons tougher.  Overall it's a good route to practice leading multi pitch and placing pro.

As with all of the Balance climbs on the main face, it is a great route for beginners to top rope or learn to lead.

Mantle a few times to a stance below a bolt. Clip this and do a thin move or two (crux) to reach an overlap. Follow the white streak straight up to a double bolt anchor at about 30m.

This route and the Red route are my favorite "army" routes at Yonah.  If you can overcome the spray paint and heavy bolting it is a decent easy route.  Crux for me is getting over the bulge directly after the flake at the start.  Gives a nice vista at the top.  You can easily combine the two pitches.  I think it is around 100-120ft from bottom to top.  A double rope rap gets you down from the very top or rap twice using the cable or bolts in between.

A good friction warm up climb or first lead for the beginner.

Good moderate slab route with plenty of long reachy moves.  The taller you are the easier it is.  The crux is somewhere around 25 to 30 feet up.  A little more sustained and interesting than the routes on the leftmost side of the face.  Once you pull the last bulge its about 60 feet of easy ground to a belay ledge.  There is an old bolt here, but I would advise not using it.  The second pitch is super easy, and leads up to the second overhang area.  You can rappel from rings under the overhang using two ropes or walk off right.

First I didn't name it.  Not sure where the name came from.  This route is a more of a fun bouldering problem than anything else, though I wouldn't boulder it.  The fall down the main face would suck.  It's a short few moves at the top of the main face on the main overhang.  The route is on the left hand side of the overhang and moves left to right and then up and over on to the top of the main wall.  It's a great way to finish a multi pitch climb of the main wall.

A good friction climb for beginners. Can be set up as a top rope and can be lead.

The exposure and rather wild moves make up for the lack of length.  It feels like you are hanging above 1000 feet of air.  Start left on the rightward rising horizontal.  Boulder (or campus) half a dozen moves right to a huge jug below the first bolt. Fire past the second bolt and top out.

LSD offers thin balancy slab climbing past three bolts to a bolted belay.  First bolt is high.  There is a second optional pitch that goes up underneath the second overhang.  Rap from bolts up there.

Take one of a few possible routes to gain the headwall and traverse to the rightmost tree/ledge below the roof. Pull the rail and mantel to gain the ledge and grimace at the bolts and exposure! Could also rappel from the top.

Another nice two-pitch line for the aspring leader.  As with many of the climbs in this area, the hardest moves are near the start.  Often wet. 

  P1:  Starting near the faded yellow paint marker, climb past two bolts to some thought-provoking moves leading to the third bolt.  Easier climbing leads to the Army cable and bolted anchors. 

  P2:  Continue up and slightly right past more widely-spaced bolts, finishing at bolted anchors just below the hikers' trail.

At the end of the small ledge reach for a solid jug and climb around the corner.  Layback the crack to the top.

This route starts with mantle/high step onto a left angling flake/edge and then goes up some nice face climbing past small horizontals with good gear. The route follows a clean streak through the lichen and moss to the anchors atop Special/Limited Edition. 

  I'd call this a FKA - first known ascent. The cracks had to be dug out and some scrubbing was required.

Climb to the flake ledge.  Step up and right past two bolts to a rightward rising seam.  Traverse right along the seam to the third bolt. Go straight up and then trend left to the bolted anchor.

2nd bolted route from the left at the Army / Two Man Party area. Can easily be done as one long pitch or pitch it out with bolted anchors. Hardest move is getting off the deck but has a fun move or two on P2 at a short steep section (watch the poor bolt placement here). Otherwise well bolted. Rap the route or walk off left.

A fine steep slab climb that demands good friction footwork. 

  Move up the steep face with sparse holds past three bolts.  The crux is well protected by the first bolt; eases off somewhat between the second and third bolts.

Climb up easy (5.5-5.6?) climbing to a stance and clip the first bolt. Pull the crux sequence up a couple of dishes (similar to Dishes at Boat Rock) then clip another bolt. From here, join Kid Fears and clip one more bolt before a short run to the anchors.

1st bolted route from the left at the Army / Two Man Party area. Can easily be done as one long pitch or pitch it out with bolted anchors. Slabby start and well bolted. Rap the route or walk off left.

Climb runout ground to the first bolt in the water streak, then further through blank, balancy terrain and more gear to easy ground. Traverse right to the Afternoon Delight anchors. (Optional pitch goes up and exits right under the second overhang.)

Crux is between the 2nd and 3rd bolts.  This is some fun slab climbing, not nearly as hard as its neighbor Afternoon Delight.  After you reach the anchors you can pull over the ledge and continue up to some manky iron to belay and go up to Stannards.

Friction slab and crux for the start. Thin hands but trust in your feet will push you to improving hands. Once at the shrubs, you have good moves to the ledge. Climb above the ledge and trend right for 30-40 more feet to the anchors at Dihedral.

The name says it all.  A steep friction start that would be hard even without the slimy black water streak makes the 5.5 rating incomprehensible. 

  Starting at a prominent water streak, grunt and balance your way up to an old and rusty but apparently solid bolt.  Clip the bolt and continue on easier ground to the top.

Afternoon Delight is located on the right edge of the main face.  The climb starts down right of a prominent flake.  The crux of the climb is between the two bolts.  An optional cam or two is nice to have.

Climb the dihedral, then up and over a blocky section.  Most build a belay here or continue up a short distance to a bolted belay.  The second pitch climbs a slab to the base of the headwall, exit left to the top or rap from anchors here.

The crux is getting started and onto the rock.  The first pitch feels like 5.5, the second is much easier.  The climb is marked by red spray paint (unforunately).  Great first trad lead or easy way to get to the top to setup topropes for beginners you bring climbing.  Many easy routes are located along this wall.

This route offers some nice face climbing on quality rock with adequate protection. Climb up a few slab moves to an obvious horizontal with a shallow but OK TCU placement. Go over this and up the white streak past another shallow TCU slot on your left (00) to the narrow ledge that runs across the top of the friction slab. Proceed straight up the steeper black headwall directly over a thin flake with some nice positive holds (more TCU's). Continue up easier terrain to an anchor station that's located at about the same height as the Dihedral P1 station. 

  The bottom of this route was likely first climbed by Dave Buck and company by esentially soloing the crux section (1970's). Nathan & Patty Wilmoth helped me re-discover this line when Nathan located a key TCU placement on rappel. Paul Barnes and I figured out the more direct upper headwall finish and I lead it on the same day we did Latest Edition.

Climb overhanging layback crack to bookshelf ledge. Mantel onto ledge and climb blocky terrain to the top. This climb has a lot to offer despite it's size. A must do at Yonah.

Another climb that is perfect for introducing someone to climbing outdoors. Can be set up as a top rope by going up the cable or can be lead.

Nothing to difficult here.  You can go straight up to the Army cable that is bolted in about half way up the main wall or you can wander left and right to find interesting holds.  There is a flake and some places to place pro so it is a good place to practice leading with pro.  These routes are often linked with routes that go all the way to the top.

Another introduction route for beginners learning to lead. Can be top roped if you climb the cable route.

This is one of the better novice routes at Mnt. Yonah, a great route for introducing someone to climbing.  

  Climb low angle slab for 40' to the largest, most obvious (semi-)vertical crack that runs for about 10'. Follow crack then wander up to the bolted belay near the cable route.  

This one is a little harder to explain.  It basically connects the main overhang in the middle of the Main Face with Balance Climbs # 1, 2, and 3.  The belay point would be where those three routes end at the Army Cable route (5.0) that runs up the face.  The main reason I noted it here is that it's a good one to use to link routes up to practice multi pitch on.  It's easy climbing but it does run out quite a bit at the top before you can get a final piece of pro in to belay from.

This is choose your own adventure for sure, below is the way we went. The climbing can be as low as 5.4 or up to 5.7. 

Pitch 1: Start at the far left "Two-man party" route and finish on the first pitch anchor of the furthest right "Two-man party" route. (5.4 100ft)

Pitch 2: Down climb ~30ft then resume traverse through the lichen fields. Pass an old bolt and pins, finish on large ledge with bolts. (5.5 130ft)

Pitch 3: Follow anchor bolts along easy terrain, pass the cable and finish on a small ledge atop a short buttress. The anchor is the farthest right route of the "balance climbs". (5.easy 200ft)

Pitch 4: Start by heading a little up through the charred vale to uneven terrain, the climbing is low 5th to 4th class here. Aim for a large bush on a ledge, belay from a hanging stance 10ft below the ledge, or stretch the rope/simul ~40ft past the bush to anchors with a better stance. (5.5 210-240ft)

Pitch 5: Cross over the ridge and move over to the top of the cliff. Belay from a tree or build a gear anchor in the large horizontal crack lower down. (5.5 120-170ft) (Direct finish) Climb up and over the second overhang above you.

 Who knows if this has been done before, either way it's a fun climb for a less crowded day. If you know anything about it or if you do it let us know, we'd love to hear about it.

Smear and edge your way up passing one or three small gear placements...can be a little run-out.  The angle eases off after the first 75 feet or so.  Easy climbing leads to a short steep section before finishing up under the "Second Over-hang".

3rd bolted route from the left at the Army / Two Man Party area. Can easily be done as one long pitch or pitch it out with bolted anchors. Hardest move is getting off the deck. Well bolted. Rap the route or walk off left.

A nice easy lead or toprope climb, with a good mix of friction and climbing through disjointed cracks.

The Main Face has the largest number of routes and the longest climbs at Mount Yonah, including some multi-pitch.  Many of the routes were established by the Army for training purposes; though fun, there's a certain sameness about these, both in the climbing and the route names.  However, there are some challenging routes on this wall as well, such as Stannard's Crack and Special Edition. 

  This is an excellent place to set up topropes for beginning climbers, as there is a whole section of 5.easy routes where the anchors can be reached simply by climbing with the help of a cable (to which you clip your daisy chain).  These are also a great training ground for new trad leaders.

Description

Location

Protection

Routes in Main Face