An upper wall classic without the traffic you would expect from such a fun climb.  With long corners, big roofs, tricky aid, and some free climbing, this 6 pitch route is a great warm up for Yosemite.  It does get some runoff when the weather is wet.

Green Drag-on

Lovin' Arms

Nobody Puts Baby In A Corner (Pitch 3 of the Golden Arch)

Good Girls Like Bad Boys

Waterway

The Goblin

Behind Closed Eyelids

Technicians of the Sacred

Rise and Fall

Pockets full of Sunshine

Seven Sermons to the Dead

Starfish Enterprise

Bang!

Sisu

Swim

Adrift

The Witch

Abraxas

Town Crier

The Method of Reconciling Disparate Parts

Charles's Last Waltz

Davis-Holland Route

Whimper

Crying Dragon

The Call of Cthulhu

Golden Arch

Beat to Quarters

Gnostic Diversions

This route is a linkup of existing routes with a little bit of new ground to allow passage up the center of the Upper Town Wall. You can now access some excellent 5.10 climbing on Rise and Fall and Green Drag-on without having to climb 5.12. The pitches listed below can be combined in a variety of ways depending on what you are looking for.

Pitches five and six are bouldery and have really fun movement. Big thanks to Alex and Cody for playing around on this route with me!

Pitch 1 - 5.9 - 90 ft

Climb the 5.9 start of Davis-Holland with fun jams and fingerlocks. This pitch is sometimes wet. Belay at two bolts on a nice ledge.

Pitch 2 - 5.10a - 100 ft

Continue up Davis-Holland, stellar fingers and thin hands in a corner. To a two bolt anchor on a sloping ledge.

With a few back cleaning shenanigans the 2nd pitch of Davis-Holland can be combined with the next pitch which yields an amazing 55m pitch of 5.10 climbing.

Pitch 3 - 5.10c - 100 feet - 8 Bolts

From the belay look up and right for a lone bolt with a black painted hanger. Undercling across the roof, per the right variation of the Davis-Holland, and then step right to a perfect jug under the bolt. Execute a short trickey section which yields a horizontal (#2 camalot) and some moderate face climbing to get onto the second pitch of Rise and Fall. Skip the belay out right and clip another black painted bolt up and to the left.

Follow amazing crystal edges up a dike passed 6 spaced bolts. This is the second pitch of Rise and Fall. The crux comes at the end getting past two different roofs. Belay at a good stance with three bolts.

Pitch 4 - 5.10d - 75 feet - 2 bolts

Start up Rise and Fall passing one bolt until you reach a finger crack. Get some gear and step right below a bolt that is on Green Drag-on. Clip this and continue up to a two bolt anchor under a roof. (This is the end of pitch 3 of Green Drag-on).

Clip the anchor for pro and make a hard move to get established in the steep crack that exits the right side of the roof. Sustained 5.10 crack climbing leads to a stance on the left with two bolts. This anchor is not setup for rappel, so if you want to bail you need to aid up and left on Green Drag-on or climb the next pitch and rappel Town Crier. It is possible to split this into two 40 foot pitches but there is no reason to do so and the P3 anchor on Green Drag-on is fully hanging and an awful place to belay.

Pitch 5 - 5.11c/d - 40 feet - 4 bolts

Climb up the corner with some thin gear to a good jug. Clip a shiny bolt out right. (The bolts above and to the left are for Green Drag-on) A balancy section leads to a tenuous second clip. There are holds, if you look in the right places! Keep working right with a powerful section past the third bolt. Clip the final bolt and step right to the three bolt anchor on Town Crier.

Pitch 6 - 5.11d - 105 feet - 2 bolts.

Start up the flare on Town Crier and clip a few pins that can be backed up with thin gear. Execute a sweet layback sequence (crux) to get established on a flexy flake. Crank past the flake, 2 bolts protect, and then immediately start traversing left on an obvious horizontal crack. (Going up further is the 5.12+ crux pitch of Town Crier)

Twenty feet of sweet jugs bring you back to the Green Drag-on. Follow the final 50 feet of 5.10 crack climbing to an anchor on a busy ledge.

The #3 is useful for the last pitch but everything else above #.75 is not necessary for the last two pitches.

This route continues directly upward from the third pitch of Davis-Holland, and the linkup of these two is considered a classic.

P1: 5.10b - From the anchor, tenuous face holds and side-pulling in shallow cracks brings you to an excellent hand crack. Follow the hand crack up into a mossy chimney that presents many options. A two-bolt anchor lies on the left side of the chimney on top of a small ledge.

P2: 5.10a, 5.10c A0, or 5.11c, depending on how you go - The original route, with a single bolt for aid if you traverse right from the anchors. Pulling on a sling brings you to a crack system; these moves go free at 5.11c.

The more common way is to continue up the chimney for about 20 feet then follow a crack on a ramp that goes down and right to a shallow corner. Done this way the pitch is overall 5.10a.

Either way, from this point continue up a crack in a small corner until some large solid holds become available, then rightward and upward to a mantle onto a large ledge and the anchors.

P3: From the anchors climb up the quartz-like face, past one bolt, to some cracks that will take gear. Hand and footholds are numerous but many are downsloping. Continue directly upward to the anchors, or bail out leftward into the pine trees. This pitch probably deserves an R rating.

For descent, you may rappel the route with 2 60m ropes, use one of many rappel options to climber's left, or walk off easily. To find the trail, go leftward until you find the dirt road, follow it until you reach a steel and cable barricade, and go left. This trail links up with the UTW approach trail, about 3/4 of the way up.

Old-fashioned paternalism tried to cloister her, turning away would-be suitors. Alas, she fell in love with her own Johnny Castle, who learned there was more to dance than rhythm and choreography.

I had the time of my life. This could be love.

DMT consists of two pitches, the first being a variation to Non-local Bark House and the second being Steel Pole Bathtub P2 Free.

P1- Climb NLBH until a good rest in the crack. Head right on a cool open handed undercling rail and work up on excellent edges until an overhung juggy finish to a big ledge (on the same level as Madsen's but on the other side of the waterfall) ~12a, a couple of finger and hand sized pieces, a couple of runners and several bolts. You can step left here and climb Adrift's second pitch if you'd like.

P2- Climb a super mellow corner on nice edges and a crack (~5.9) until the corner peters out. You can bypass the overhung section through an all out sideways dyno to the left or work straight up on fun crimps. Either way is powerful and probably around 12c/d. Only bolts on this pitch.

You are now on Adrift Ledge, with Swim/Steel Pole Bathtub to the left and Adrift's crux pitch straight above you.

An old aid line that follows the waterfall up the UTW. P1 is a good alternate to Abraxus to access other UTW climbs like Golden Arch.

P1: Climb through the overhang on fixed pins and brass nuts. Move in to the left crack the leads to a trough. LA or Ball nut is key for 2-ish moves in the trough, as is a large hook. Follow the trough to a thin crack and easier terrain. The crack leads to a long corner. Bust some free moves with wretched rope drag to the anchor on Technicians of the Sacred (bolts)

This pitch has been climbed clean with ballnuts (C2+)

P2: (didn't climb)

Sweet legit cruxy slab climbing down low with sharp crimps and mono divots. The fall down low is awkward but safe. A second crux is about mid way and is reachy. Well bolted throughout. Eventually the climbing eases up to amazing .10 shallow left facing corner/arete with knobs and the typical Index Dankness.

This is a very cool looking 6 pitch climb up the entire wall that breaches the Golden Arch at its apex arete! I'm only familiar with P1; all pitches, however, are bolted with the exception of P6, which is a 5.8 crack. The lower part of this route and others in this zone are often wet due to the waterfall until summer rolls around.

P1 (.12b/c) is a worthwhile goal in and of itself. It climbs an attractive black and white corner to the right of Swim and Green Dragon. Tricky, steep moves low in the corner are followed by pumpy overhanging climbing on sloping edges and pockets. Both angle and difficulty gradually ease on approach to the ledge/anchor. As mentioned in Blake's comment below, descent from the ledge via 70m is possible if done carefully.

P2 (.11-) is a bolted ramp.

P3 (.12-) is a sparsely bolted low-angled face.

P4 (.12b/c or .11b) either climbs the aforementioned arete straight-on or climbs higher up the corner and traverses back right, then climbs corners above.

P5 (.11) appears to be continuous 5.11 climbing through corners and aretes.

P6 (5.8) is a hand crack that requires natural gear.

Shrouded in mystery until recently, an ominous description in an older guidebook makes this route sound impossible and terrifying. In reality, the route merely suffers from a well-known Index paradox: like most long Upper Town Wall free routes, despite the fact that Rise and Fall is amazing and was established in the 90's at a relatively modest grade, it saw few (if any?) subsequent ascents until the summer of 2010. With more traffic, the climb has been rediscovered as a classic. The alleged runout section on the 5.10- second pitch isn't runout at all; it seems bolts may have been added at some point in the past, or perhaps the information was suspect to begin with. Appropriately, the climb was named after an incident involving one of the first ascentionists and an unfortunate rappel off the ends of his ropes while descending the route. Miraculously, he limped away from the fifty foot ground fall and subsequent tumble with a mere broken ankle (and maybe a few ribs; story can be found in old Climbing or Rock and Ice magazine)! Anyway, here are the pitch descriptions:

(Approach via Green Dragon or Davis Holland)

P1: Climb the corner that comprises the second pitch of Green Dragon past four bolts before moving left onto a face. Traverse left with difficulty, then up a quartzite dike that leads to crux passing a roof. Liebacking and face climbing on the continuing dike leads to an anchor (.12a/b)

P2: Airy climbing up a dike leads past a roof and some really cool rock to another belay atop a small ledge (.10a). A short pitch, but fun and interesting.

P3: A fairly short pitch that packs a wicked punch; consensus is that this may actually be the crux of the climb. From the belay, climb right and up more quartz holds and some knobs in a corner to a crack lieback. Climb the roof above the lieback via edges and pull over onto a slab with a really tough and tenuous mantle. Get your magic toes ready and pull off another improbable mantle-like move and a few really thin slab moves before the difficulty relents and a belay is reached (.11d++).

P4: Climb a long and varied slab with some wild pockets (even a monodoigt or two!), roofs, bulges and a couple of thin crux sections (.11c).

P5: Climb overhanging, blocky rock to an anchor below the top of the Upper Town Wall (.10b). Loose in places; one of the bolts is in a hanging three or four ton block stack that vibrated when I sounded it out, so use caution. There is natural gear near the bolt if attaching yourself to it makes you nervous. Short pitch.

Either do another twenty feet of climbing to reach the very top or, more prudently, rappel the route.

Fun 5.10 climbing for the first 40 feet or so. Start up to a small roof and pull through on some quartz pockets, then you go into a short layback until pressing up into a gaston. From here you move slightly right as you balance on some crimps and small edges and using the coolest quartz pocket iv'e ever seen. Once at a larger ledge it starts to get real, you have to do a super awkward pistol squat and figure out some tricky moves until you find an incredibly small gaston above you. From this very thin and balancey position you move out left with a big throw for a hidden hold. Once you grab this hold the climbing starts to let up but isn't a gimme. Another 20 feet or so you will be at the chains!

Fun 5.11 pokery to a powerful bouldery sequence through a bulge followed by a technical move to the anchors.

Pitch 1: Climb a face and arete past three bolts to a steep corner with a crack in the back.  Stem and jamb up corner using cams for pro.  Tricky arete and stemming above leads to a semi-hanging belay. 5.11d

Pitch 2: Head left from the belay and join the second pitch of GGLBB above the crux of that pitch.  5.11a (Note: Pitches 1 and 2 can be joined with minimal rope drag)

Pitch 3: Climb the amazing 3rd pitch of GGLBB to a belay in a corner. 5.11d

Pitch 4: Leave the corner and head left onto the exposed face to start this long and varied pitch.  Be careful not to step on the starfish! 5.11c

Pitch 5: After a tenuous move above the belay(crux) climb the broken face passing bolts where needed.  A few small cams can be added to tame the easier climbing between the bolts.  5.10

Primo slightly overhanging power endurance sports clipping.  Not your typical Index "crux, no hands rest, crux" repeat climb.

Spoiler Beta Spoiler Beta

!

!

!

!

Exit variation:  At the final roof it is possible and perhaps slightly easier for those with enough reach to pull up and left to a good half pad edge.  This eliminates the rock on move off a small knob(crux).

"Sisu" is Finnish word that roughly translates to a stubborn refusal to capitulate. This idea is core to Finnish culture and is said to be the national motto.

The story goes that Karl Kaiyala and friends spent 27 days scrubbing and prepping this route. Sisu follows a line of weakness connecting undercling flakes with sections of knobs and crimps. This route is often wet in the spring, so make sure to wait until summer. The route has afternoon shade.

P1 - 40 m - 5.11+, 16 bolt.

If you just climb this pitch of Sisu you will not be let down. Pitch 1 is a tour de force of index trickery. Awesome knobs, tricky mantles and a bit of slab to keep you on your toes. Finish on Madsen's ledge at a chain anchor.

P2 - 18 m - 5.10+, 6 bolts

From the anchor, walk right 20 feet and climb up a few boulders to reach the wall. The first bolt is way to the right of the line and should be back cleaned if possible. Traverse the horizontal cracks and then start crimping up and left to a belay.

P3 - 15 m - 5.10+, 6 bolts.

Climb horizontally to the right under-clinging the roof/flake system. Eventually crimps appear above the lip of the roof and you can make your way to the belay.

P4 - 25 m - 5.11-, 11 bolts

Start traversing to the left and then head straight up into the first crux. Catch a rest and follow the left leaning crack system past a few more challenging sections to a hanging belay.

P5 - 10 m - 5.11+, 6 bolts

A few tricky moves off the belay lead to a large flake. From here follow amazing edges up and right before hitting the final crux, getting to another hanging belay

P6 - 30 m - 5.11, 12 bolts

Tenuous knobs and slopers give way to a fun flake system. Follow this, until faced with a knobby crux moving to the right. Follow crimps and features for a ways until you hit a big ledge. Belay at a double ring anchor.

P7 - 35 m - 5.10-, ~8 bolts.

There are two ways to belay at the end of this pitch. If you have a 60m rope it's best to belay on the far left, at an anchor with huge chain links. If continiuting to the summit, or rapping with a 70m rope, keep going until you see  a three bolt anchor with a glue in bolt.

This route is a masterpiece of edgy granite 5.11 up high, while down low there is a variety show of interesting and challenging climbing. P2 has some strange granite puzzles and P3 has steep crack climbing. P4 crosses a band of rock resembling diorite or quartzite. The free variation is way cool too, but may expand your definition of what '.11+' feels like. When we did the route in '05 or so, there was a little bit of moss and lichen that made the holds feel smaller. A cursory brushing even with a simple Lapis brush and some chalk would do wonders for making the climbing more fun.

P1 (Hard .11+): Edge and crank your way past two small roofs into a cruxy corner. Slightly mossy climbing finishes at bolted anchors on a ledge. Sometimes treated as a 'separate' climb because of its difficulty. 100'.

P2 (.11+): Fun face climbing heads to the right off the belay through two distinct cruxes to another belay stance. This is the crux pitch but only if you skipped the first pitch by climbing in from Town Crier or Green Drag-On. 80'

P3 (5.9+): Steep crack climbing leads to a large ledge (Smokeout Ledge). Gear to #3 camalot. 45'.

P4 (5.10 A0 or "hard 5.11d", AKA .12b/c): A few A0 bolt pulls over a blank bulge access very interesting face climbing in a large band of diorite-like rock which end in a semi-hanging belay at a stance. 90'. Alternately, a free variation (.12c) starts to the right of the bolt ladder, crossing it at its 2nd or 3rd bolt. A crux down low leads to flat edges and a poor stance. A friction crux requiring some serious granite sorcery climbs out of a left arching corner and leads to easier climbing on the diorite-like rock above, rejoining the regular Swim route at the anchor.

P5 (.11): This and the next pitch share the same thin and technical face climbing. They both are solid 5.11.

P6 (.11): See previous pitch. This one may be a touch harder.

P7 (5.9+): Bolted climbing up quartzite goes to the top of the wall. A small amount of natural gear may be required on this pitch.

It's a bit complicated, but not that complicated. This climb is partially finished but some excellent pitches can be climbed by skipping the undone first pitch and rappelling before the unfinished sixth pitch. The nature of the ledge system above the first pitch tier allows for a combining of pitches to make several variations possible. We plan to finish the climb in its entirety this season but I would love for people to get on the completed pitches as soon as possible. Life is short after all.

P1, 30m- This one is not yet finished but is very, very nice and would make a great and challenging single pitch outing in it's own right. It starts just to the left of the huge ledge to the left of the waterfall and climbs a seam/corner through a small roof that eventually diminishes (crux) and passes through Non Local Bark House.

P2, 15m- Climb through a small overlap on nice edges to a challenging slab crux deadpoint with tough overhung slopers to Adrift Ledge. Beautiful rock and stunning movement on this tough little pitch. 5.12

P3, 20m- THE pitch. This is the most inspiring thing I've ever climbed. On one of my first trips to the Upper Wall, during which I struggled to get up P2 of DHLA, I looked up at this section of wall and wondered if anything could be climbed through it. As it turns out, there are

just

enough features to make it possible. The first few meters are overhanging and bouldery, with the most physical moves of the route on flat edges. Probably V6/7 to a decent shake out before an artful sequence on small crimps and big edges to a most Index of mantles and a bit of a reprieve. Traverse rightwards on perfect rock to a

highly

magical crux deadpoint to one perfectly placed knob and a tenuous hand/foot match, ~V8. A few easier moves lead to a good rest on a bread loaf hold where you can calm down and commit to the tenuous and obscure slab sequence that guards the anchor. While around 12-, this bit took me far longer than the rest to decode. Overall a delicious pitch and a true Index test-piece. 5.13c

P4, 20m- Another outstanding pitch on stunning features through the blankest section of the central wall area. A crux right off the belay on yet

another

magical hold and tiny but good feet leads to a no hands rest. Two more blocs separated by no-hands rests lead to a small corner and roof on jugs through the neat dike that cuts across the UTW. Ends on a nice ledge. Could definitely be linked with the crux pitch for just the most mega thing ever. 5.12+

P5, 15m- Pleasant climbing on the dike leads to a small ledge. 5.10

P6, 40m- This monster pitch is mixed bolts and gear, with a crux right at the end of the overhung headwall on small crimps. Super nice, a bit spicy and not yet suitable to lead to it's finish. ~11d

P7, 10m- Top out on the final pitch of Swim.

A sweet warmup addition in the Madsens area. A open book with a mix of bolts and small gear. Good protection and positive holds. Eventually the corner ends and you face climb to the anchor

This description only applies to the first two pitches, which are a decent way to reach Madsen's Ledge, if anyone has info on the rest of the climb feel free to add it in the comments. Free version beta in bold.

Pitch 1 (C2) - start up the thin crack just to the right of the large block, easy C1 until below the first roof, ascend the right-hand crack initially and then traverse left before the second roof, thinner, lower-angle cracks lead to the typical Index belay station: five bolts, 1 good, 2 probably good, 1 probably bad, and 1 definitely bad, none with chains or rap rings.

Note: Belay has been updated with new SS 3/8 bolts. Pitch has three new protection bolts and goes free at 5.12 something.

Pitch 2 (A2 F) - climb the short, low angle, thin crack with many fixed copperheads, have fun slinging the chickenhead.

Note: P2 is now fully bolted with the old pins and copperheads removed. Free at 5.12 something. Excellent climbing.

Pitch 3+ - god knows.

This popular moderate (C2 or C2+) aid route was free-climbed in 2007 at 5.12d. Short pitches and an easy descent (only one 60m rope required to rappel) make it very accessible for both aid and free climbing. Aid ratings and to some degree free climbing protection assume fixed gear is in place.

Pitch '1-' (.9): Not technically the first pitch of Town Crier, but accesses the ledge from which the route begins. Climb the hand and finger crack to 4th class ledges, trending right and belaying either at a bolted anchor below P.1 of Green Drag-on, or at a natural belay to the right below a chimney.

Pitch 1 (.9): Climb up the chimney to a crux move exiting the chimney. For the free version, belay at the first anchor (atop '12 Angry Bees'). If aiding, continue up cracks to another anchor atop 'Smokeout Ledge'.

Pitch 2 (.11c or C2+): The free variation climbs left to an overlap (crux), then up a scary hollow flake and thin cracks to a belay out right. The aid line either goes left out the roof (C2+ with possible pendulum point), or up thin cracks on the face (cam hooks and small nuts) to the same belay.

Pitch 3 (.12b/c or C2): The 'Triple Overhangs' pitch. Climb off the belay past fixed gear into a corner. Surmount the overhangs (.12 boulder problem or C2). If free climbing, exit left out of the corner when it starts to seem blank, then climb up and back right to the belay.

Pitch 4 (5.11a/b or C2): Climb a thin seam to a flare. Aid or free, the crux is the initial section off the belay.

Pitch 5 (5.12d or C1): Climb a flare off the belay (5.10 or C1). Fixed pins lead over a bulge to a bolt ladder. Climb the ladder (5.12d or C1) and belay at the second of two anchors. The free crux climbs a faint flared seam. Not all the bolts can be clipped when free climbing. It is also possible to free climb right of the ladder and rejoin it higher up with a 15-20 foot runout on difficult moves in horizontals.

Pitch 6 (dirty 5th class): Join Green Drag-on for a less-than-stellar finish to the top of the wall, or rappel the route.

Nice bouldery start leads to fun corner climbing followed by a stout technical finish.

Pitch two is currently under development.

The long coveted dike tufa feature was first explored by Randy Ladowski, who also bolted it and dubbed it the 'Beast Which Hath Two Backs.' Chandler Davis and Michal Rynkiewicz added a couple of bolts where gear was bad and Chandler sent one evening in an impressive display of granite wizardry. The difficulties revolve around the traverse to the twin dikes and the sequence climbing through them. An excellent and unique route.

The Davis-Holland Route is a super-classic at Index. Although it technically has 6 pitches, most only do the first 3 and either rap from there or continue up Lovin' Arms to the top of the Upper Wall (this combination is also very classic).

P1: Jam up a handcrack (sometimes a little wet when the rest of the route is dry). Upon reaching a ledge, wander over right and then back to your left on small terraces to reach a bolted belay in a right-facing corner. 5.8+

P2: Jam and/or lieback the crack up the right-facing corner to another bolted belay. 5.10a

P3: Climb up and right from the anchor, around the roof, then back left into a right-facing corner (another variation goes directly out left around the corner past a bolt, but the moves are very balancy and potentially harder than the route's original crux). Climb up the corner past a crux with delicate footwork and small holds to a bolted belay on a ledge. Rap from this belay (or continue on Lovin Arms). 5.10c

Instead of rapping the route, it is wiser to rappel 25m to a 3-bolt anchor directly below the P3 anchor.  Then either a double-rope (55m) rap to the ground or a couple more 20-30m rappels trending climber's left via anchors on the sport wall.

meh. Extra words to fulfill 10 character min.

(IMO) P3 of this route is one of the best aid lines at Index

an old classic that needs some work.

P1: Manky bolts need replacing. Use P1 of Abraxus or Waterway to access the ledge. Waterway P1 will get you to the belay ledge at the end of Golden Arch P2. Abraxus P1 & P2 will get you there too.

P2: Follow the groove with nuts and bashies to the main belay ledge

P3: (C2) A thin dihedral starts dead vertical and slowly rolls to the right. Bring offset cams, brass nuts, cam hooks and ballnuts. This pitch is generally climbed clean

The belay at the start of P3 was replaced in 2009. The belay at the end of the pitch is 3x 5 piece bolts in good condition. this is an amazing place to spend the night on a ledge. It's protected by a large roof.

P4: (A3) Hook sketchy flakes and clip old bashies around the corner to gear climbing. GO up to the belay (unknown status).

P5+: didn't do

Yes, it's dirty.  I'm working on it.

So f'ing good tho.

As is fitting with this zone of Index the story of this route is slightly complicated. This route lies under the rap route that has been used in recent years to descend from Madsen's Ledge.

I remember a conversation with Randy Ladowski a year or two back about trying to free this piece of stone. There was a great deal of excitement despite the need for a large amount of scrubbing and excavation of moss.

This pitch starts on the Aid route abraxas but then branches into new free climbable terrain above a second roof at a smattering of knobs.

Randy's original free variation follows a pair of dikes on the right past three bolts which I found to be unreasonably difficult. To find the Gnostic Diversion instead clip the first bolt and balance up the slab on the left.  Once a second bolt is reached execute a difficult rightward boulder problem to rejoin the dikes. A few more tricky moves gain a vegetated ledge with a lower off anchor.

I expect a second pitch will be cleaned in the coming months but it's still a project.

Description

Location

Protection

Routes in Central Wall Area