This is what it's all about, pitch after pitch of demanding, ultra high quality climbing on excellent stone w/ a surpassing view.  Almost all the pitches would be highly sought after if they were base routes and three or four would be mega classics.  If you don't think this climb is great, either you're just being contrary or you need to find another sport.

Bibliographic Note 1: SuperTopo.com has an excellent free topo download for this climb that most will find more useful than the following route description:

supertopo.com/topos/yosemite/astroman.pdf

Bibliographic Note 2: An old issue Rock and Ice (from the 80s) had an article by Bob Yoho providing the pitch by pitch "betamax" - move by move sequences for all the cruxes -- on this route.  This is amusing to look at after you do the climb, but it will probably just confuse you beforehand.

Approach: Walk east from the Awahnee on a road for about 15 minutes until you encounter a climber's trail on the left which heads up to Column.  The climber's trail can be hard to spot in low light, so if you're getting an early start, it's worth scoping out at least this much of the approach beforehand.  The climber's trail continues past the start of AM which is more or less directly below the obvious right-facing enduro corner. After leaving the main climber's trail, scramble up ledges to a small ledge with a tree which is where the climb starts.  Without routefinding errors, the approach can be done in an easy 45 minutes.

P1: Trend up and right on easy vegetated ground for about 100' to a ledge with anchors.  This bushy pitch can be wet and unpleasant in spring.  It makes sense to skip this belay and continue up a right facing layback w/ finger jams (short stretch of 10a) on steeper, nicer rock for about another 50 feet to another set of anchors; if you plan on doing the easier version of the next pitch, belay here, otherwise traverse left 20' and belay at the base of a thin crack.  10a 170-190'

P2: The Boulder Problem.

Option 1 the traditional Boulder Problem:  From the left end of the ledge, climb up a thin crack, fiddle in some small nuts, bust some fingery, feetless, old school 11c moves (the technical crux of the route), reach a ledge/flake and traverse right 20, then up another 20'of ~5.9 layback jamming to a small, sloping ledge w/ fixed anchors.

Option 2, easier, more direct, less well protected.  This variation goes straight up, avoiding the two traverses.  Historically, the route did not go this way because it was harder to protect but with modern small cams (~blue Alien) it is safe.

The climbing is thin laybacking/face climbing.  ST rates it 10a but 10d is more like it.  The need to hang out and place gear adds some difficulty.  After you make it through the crux first 10', you encounter a ramp with a crack in it.  Be forewarned, this may be covered in dirt, exasperating when you are desperately trying to plug a unit (~ red Alien).  Above this point, the two options merge.

I will blasphemously recommend option two, skipping the boulder problem, as the more direct, in character with the rest of the climbing, momentum preserving way.  Note: Dean Potter caught some grief when he took the piker's variant during his solo of AM, so if you've got hardass friends or are in the limelight, you might want to "bear down" and go the hard way.

Note 2: Either way, this is a quality pitch.

Pitch 3: The Enduro Corner.  Totally classic, an endless Indian Creek style, continuous corner which favors those with smaller hands.  Starts out with 2.5 Friends and gradually thins.  Keep you eye out for the occasional bomber handjam and stem rest.  Towards the top, the corner thins more (1.5 Friend) and most people go from jamming laybacks to straight laybacking.  This point is probably the crux of the pitch and ends with a thank god sinker hand jam.  The last 40' of the pitch are 5.7 chimney in which it is nice to have a 4 Friend or Camalot.  Belay at the second set of anchors, on a big ledge.  11c 165'.

If you rap from here, you've done Astroboy.

P4.  One of two "easy" pitches on the climb.  Head up and left in an easy, blocky corner system for maybe 20'until you hit an cruiser handcrack which is followed to a small stance in a flare with bolted anchors.  5.9 80'.

P5.  Another great one, reminiscent of the Rostrum.  Follow a wide hands corner crack for about 1/2 a rope length until encountering a roof;  the trick on this pitch in rationing and/or walking your bigger gear through this section.  From the roof, reach left to a thin crack system, finagle in some small gear (RPs, purple Alien) then step over to this crack and follow it up ( 10c layback & face climbing, occasional small nut) until you can reach back right where the crack is easier and followed to another bolted anchor ledge beneath the ominous, impending maw of The Slot.  10c, 130'.

P6. The Harding Slot.  Competitor of the Hollow Flake for THE imagination seizing Valley pitch.  Many strong climbers have melted down here.  There are a couple of reasons for this: first, it requires a style of climbing that is rarely encountered outside of the Valley and avoided in general and second, most average and large size people don't believe they can fit through the slot.  (This is a great pitch to be small on.)

At any rate, from the belay crank up on straight forward 10+/11- laybacking for about 25' until a stance.  Place some #1 Friend size gear (BETA ALERT: there is an obvious 1.5 Friend placement here -- don't fill it up w/ gear.)  Once you've got bomber gear, make a plan and execute.  The next 6 or 7 feet can be both baffling and exhausting.  You're working with very thin hands (for only one hand!) in a slick, smooth flare that's not quite a chimney and not quite a corner.  ST indicates a "dyno chicken wing" is the secret here;  I say nonsense -- that's the sort of inscrutable beta that's likely to leave have you hanging on the rope, thinking about rap anchors.

So somehow you've passed the entry move, and you're standing on a small ledge, still able to move your head.  You're officially in the slot.  Make sure there's nothing on the back of your harness (you should have lengthened your knot at the belay and left your helmet on the ground) and start squirming.  They say take an 'S' path but it's not like you could move otherwise.  Stay calm and settle for an inch at a time progress.  The entire slot itself is about 20-25' long and the really narrow part 10-15'.  There is gear to be had in the back of the slot but don't place it unless you have it in for your second; anyhow, it would be pretty hard to fall -- if you slipped, you'd quickly wedge.

For those absolutely too large to squeeze through, there is an alternative, laybacking the outside of slot, supposedly 11 X.  (I question the X as I've heard a fairly reliable story of a guy going this way and taking the fall unscathed three times before he finally made it through.)  I've belayed a 2nd taking this outside route and it seemed horrendous -- if possible, any members of your party who have to go this way should be following.

The Slot is the key to route.  Be ready for it which means having someone who can lead 5.10 squeeze and get through the baffling entry moves.  Some parties which had been cruising up to that point bail after being stymied by the entry moves.  There are some great pitches above the slot and just because one move is giving you fits is no reason not to experience them; if need be, aid a couple moves and press on.

11b, 60'.

Note: you probably started the slot in the sun and ended in the shade.  Plan accordingly.

You're now at the point of no return.  The ledge at the end of slot is the last with bolted anchors and the last place you could reasonably retreat from.

P7.  Hands around a roof (10b), then some 5.9ish hands brings you to a spot where the traditional route goes left at 11b and the pikers var. right at 10c.  The 11b way is better (technical face/stem move with good gear) but if your tank is running low, discretion might be the better part of valor.  More quality 5.9 cracking takes you to a good ledge where you'll actually have to rig your own belay.  11b/10c 150'.

P8.  Changing corners.  Fantastic.  20 or 30' of easy ground bring you to mantle (11a) which is one of those moves that you can sail through one time only to flail the next time.  There is an old, questionable bolt here which can be backed up w/ something like a yellow Alien; if you're really motivated top rope pro (#2 Rock?) can be had.  After the mantle, some more easy ground takes you to the base of the corner, right-facing at this point, which is ascended until things get too hard and you step left around the arete onto slabby face which is followed for a few feet until you start wondering about your last pro, out of sight, below you around the arete.  BETA ALERT: reach blindly back right and place something (2 Friend, 1 Camalot?) in the original corner.  Eventually you rejoin the corner, now facing left, for a long stretch of fingerlocks and stemming (small nuts).  (The face passage is sensational but can be avoided by staying in the corner (11d, better gear)).  After the corner ends, continue in easier, wider cracks (good to have a 3 Camalot and a 4 Friend) until a stance in the vicinity of a couple of fixed pins.  There are several belay options before this point but its good to stretch it to here in order to be able to link the next two pitches. 11b 150'.

P9:  Blast through a long stretch of 10- which trends right.  Then up 50' of 5.9 cups and fists (#3 through #4 Camalot, easy to walk).  At the end of this crack, step right and hand traverse right to the left end of a long ledge and set up a belay.  This may be a really good pitch, but at this point you're probably too sated to really appreciate it.  10a, 200'.

Move the belay to the right end of the ledge.

P10.  The scary face pitch.  Not the best pitch on the route, but as the sting in the tail, essential to the experience.  The nature of the rock changes from classic Valley granite to something less desirable.  Up an easy corner for about 20'.  Then a reachy 10+ move with decent protection including an extruding angle that makes a good foothold (shame); ST gives this section an R but it seemed pretty well protected to me.  Up a few easier face moves, taking whatever gear you can get, and establish yourself at the base of a thin, downward pointing flake.  You can get ostensibly decent gear at the bottom of the flake (red RP, blue Alien) but the flake is expanding, so this gear probably isn't worth much.  If you're lucky, there may be some fixed heads within reach to the left.  Whatever the case, sack up, commit to sending and work up the flake (10b) which gradually gets easier but doesn't offer pro for at least 20'; if you blew it in this section, it is possible you'd zipper all the way down  to a menacing spike at the start of the difficulties.  At any rate, you succeed, place a 1.5 Friend size piece (phew!) and romp up easier ground to a ledgey area.  10d, 100+'.

50' of 4th class up and right leads to the top of the column.

Descent: follow a rough trail, north for a short while and then east for much longer, with the occasional class three or four section.  This will eventually feed you into slabs which are tediously descended (class two to four, possibly complicated by wet streaks) until you eventually can walk back west towards the column and find the trail to your packs and the bottom.  The full descent from the top of the column to the valley floor will take two to three hours and would be quite sketchy in the dark.  I don't remember much more about the descent but it would probably be well advised to consult SuperTopo or some other authoritative reference before embarking on it for the first time.

Astroman

This huge right facing corner system is the most striking feature on the East Wall. The corner forms an impressive white wave of rock so big there is a maze of big features within the corner itself. Electric Ladyland follows thin cracks that lead directly to the base of the big right facing dihedral and finishes out an amazing roof. It feels big, it is steep. The route has a little loose rock, good enough placements, and it is in a relatively sheltered location. Why doesn't it see more traffic? Who knows.

The alternate lite start climbs Ten Days After and joins Electric Ladyland at pitch 5 making it route a route mostly in the A2/A2+ range. The upper crux (A3) is a couple pitches below Eagle Ledge and involves a good stretch of equalized heads and beak tips.

Most of this route goes into the shade earlier in the day. It would be a great choice for climbers who don't have enough time for a full El Cap route but want to climb something moderate. Most people climbing at a relaxed pace should plan 2-3 nights on the wall plus approach/descent. The route hauls pretty clean from all bomber anchors - good to go for short fixing. The upper half of the route is somewhat sheltered and the topout seems doable in wet conditions. Amazing and hard free climbing pitches are already woven into the landscape of dihedrals and cracks on and around this climb.

First One Day Ascent: ?

Electric Ladyland

This is a great route with some fun exposure. It's a lesser traveled route on the column, good training for more moderate El Cap routes or as an intro to nailing. The line follows large, steep and clean features for the first half; the second half has smaller features and more rivets before joining the Prow at Tapir Terrace. All placements on the wild circle-head traverse were fixed as of Sept09. Although other fixed pieces ripped on me. We placed only a few pins, this route could easily go clean for those with sufficient aid-trickery experience.

Most belays are bolted. Have fun!

Ten Days After

The Direct Route on Washington Column is an old classic climb that used to extremely popular until it became forgotten as more (better) climbs became discovered. The first half climbs the original route to Lunch Ledge which was the first technical climbing route done in the Valley by legends Harvey Voge, Richard Leonard, Jules Eichorn and Bestor Robinson in 1933. The Direct Route continues up from Lunch Ledge to the summit via chimneys.

It doesn't ring true anymore but Roper summed it up in the old 1971 Green Valley Guide by saying, "Although not terribly enjoyable or aesthetic, this route is probably done by most climbers who stay in the Valley for any length of time." Not as clean or classic as the Royal Arches, the Direct Route is a step up in difficulty but is fun enough with cool history that it deserves to be done at least once in every Yosemite climber's tenure. If nothing else it's a great moderate adventure climb to pass a day in the shade for most of the route if starting early.

Approach up to the base of the Column and follow it left towards the huge gully separating the Column from the Arches wall. After passing the gully on the right, take 3rd classes ledges up and right to the base of the first pitch.

NOTE: This description assumes you are climbing with a 70m rope and dont mind a few short simul climbing sections off the anchors. Otherwise it's very easy to belay almost anywhere if using a 60m.

There are many fixed pins on this route, which doesn't always mean you are ON route, but generally, if you see them, you're going the right way.

P.1 (5.7) Off the belay, down climb about 25 ft. until able to start moving up the obvious corner right, past a bush, to a small ledge with an old tat anchor. From the anchor, cross around right into 5.7 face on gritty rock passing a tree to the left and up the corner past another old bolt anchor. Make sure to resist cutting too far right. Continue straight up and eventually trend right up small ledges passing a final third bolt anchor to belay on a ledge at a huge pine tree. 230 ft.

P.2 (5.9) At the tree is the base of a short 5.9 corner. Climb up about 30 ft until able to cut out left on the face to get into an easier corner, following many fixed pins, up and right until you reach a nice ledge with a big pine tree and a distinct tree with three trunks. 220 ft.

P.3 (5.8) From the ledge, climb up a small boulder and continue straight up easy climbing past more trees and pins until reaching a small ledge with a fixed pin on the wall. A short 5.7 "mantel" move left with a high step onto the next ledge and then traverse past an old bolted anchor to the base of the Reigelhuth "Chimney" with a bolt about 10ft. up. More of a hand crack than chimney, one wide move leads to easier climbing up to Lunch Ledge. As one of the most famous ledges in the Valley, it's quite underwhelming. 240 ft. with some simul climbing off the anchor. If using a 60m belay at the bolt anchor below the Reigelhuth Chimney.

P.4 (5.8) From Lunch Ledge you choose to either climb the "Fat Man Chimney" or the "Charlie Brown Chimney". Fat Man is easier with better protection and fixed pins while Charlie Brown is harder and more run out. Charlie Brown will lure you from Lunch Ledge with a deceptively easy and cleaner beginning to the right but don't be tempted! (Unless you're psyched) For Fat Man, continue straight up passing a small tree to the left and up crumbly 5.7 face along the corner that turns into the Fat Man Chimney. Pass two old bolts and pins until continuing up a hand crack after the chimney up and right, passing a tree, to the anchor. 215 ft.

P.5 (5.9) From the anchor climb up and right around the arete over a small step to easy 5.6 face reaching a short 5.9 insecure corner section. At the top walk up sandy ledges for 100 ft. until reaching a ledge with a huge tree at the base of the Great Chimney. 200 ft. Also possible to continue 25 ft higher to the actual base of the chimney and link both chimney pitches into one with a 70m rope.

P.6 (5.8) Start off with old school 5.8 wide chimney moves past a piton. Climb over 3 large chock stones until reaching the usual midway belay ledge with bushes. If using a 60m stop here and belay. Otherwise, continue up past pins to another large chock stone and up until reaching a ledge with a huge pine tree. 250 ft from lower tree belay, 220 ft. from base of chimney.

P.7 (5.7) Climb up an easy chimney section to another small ledge. Instead of continuing straight up to harder climbing cut left behing the big corner to easier climbing. Continue up until eventually tunneling under a huge car sized boulder and up to the belay ledges. 200 ft.

P.8 (5.10a or 5.9 var.) From here there are a lot of options and it is confusing to find anything familiar. Stay left and up for easy scrambling exit pitches or move the belay up and over right for about 200 ft. until at the base of a corner with a large white flake on the ground. From the flake, climb up a glory 2" hand crack to a small roof. At the roof cut right on a 5.7 hand traverse to either continue right and up on the variation (slightly easier) or back up and left of the roof to a midway belay ledge with a tree. If using a 60m belay here. Continue up the 5.9 corner with quickly degrading rock to one last 5.10a move from under the roof and up onto the summit slab.

From the summit continue up sandy slopes to the summit of the Column and take the North Dome Descent Gully down.

Direct Route

Classic Big Wall. Great for someone getting ready to try something on El Cap. The Route has some great exposure and will test anyone new to walls. The bolt ladders are reachy and there are some sections that you need to get high up in your aiders if your not tall. There are some sections that you need hooks but the hook moves are really bomber. Pitch 6 has a section of hooks and heads with good pro in between. The hauling on the route is good till you get to pitch 10. At pitch 10 watch the haul bag eating flake cause it will eat your pig then your right into the gully. Pitch 11 is more gully then into a blocky section for more crappy hauling, then the last pitch sucks to haul also. The Super Topo gear list is a bit heavy but offset cams and offset nuts make things a lot more easy. I didn't think pitch 7 was C2 but that may be because I had 2 sets of hybrid aliens and a set of HB offsets. As far as Bivy goes, there are no good natural ledges so you are on your portaledge the whole way up. Oh and bring a small beak to get past heads with broken cables, or look around for bat holes, they are hiding.

The Prow

One of the Column's base routes. Strenuous 10c. Anchor is old tat and a quicklink

Nowhere Man

This thing is about as splitter as splitter gets. Starts out at fingers for a few feet and then hands for a loooong way, to wide hands, to fist and then maybe an OW move or two at the top. Crux is not getting pumped. If you're a Indian Creek hardman, this thing will be pretty simple business.

Jo Jo

Climbs the east face of WC, right of astroman.

Approach as you would for astroman (it shares the first pitch).

P1. Climb behind a tree to access a low angle crack/groove system that leads up and left, then right to a two bolt anchor below a pine tree. From here A-man goes up and left, you're going up and right. 5.7

P2. Climb up past the pine tree and find a crack on the steep lefthand wall. This crack looks like it seeps in the spring, but in the fall when we climbed it was dry. Take crack up and right to a break, then hook left to another thin crack and up to an anchor above the pine tree. Great cam hooks. C1+

P3. Hooking on a slab leads to a crack and some more clean aid up and right to an anchor on the right side of a big hollow flake. C2/C3.

P4. Some easy free moves on loose rock (5.7+) goes to aid in loose rock then to the solid corner. Follow corner to a small penji to a small seam on the right, going up to a tree and the anchor. 5.7,C2

P5. Aid straight up from the belay going over a small roof and staying in the main corner. Follow corner as route steepens and leads to a great belay stance at the base of a big dihedral. C2

P6. Climb around/through some bushes and up the main dihedral, passing a bolt. and gaining a Nice 3-bolt hanging belay. C1

P7. Easy C1 off the belay turns into awkward aiding in the flare as the dihedral bends right. Some nailing takes you up to a ledge with a loose blocky corner above. Climb this up to another ledge and an anchor. Scramble ledge to the left and there is another anchor to haul from if your bivying here. Comfy for 2 maybe 3. A2.

-"P7's hateful flair can be avoided. Stay in the main crack , and don't go into the flair. A #4 cam is needed, and the crack has a little kitty litter, but we did it clean without ever venturing into the flair." -Moof

P8. Climb a crack system that leaves the ledge between the two anchors. A lower angle choss ramble to anchors in the white bowl underneath the massive roof system. 5.8

P9. Climb loose rock above to some hairy clean aid in the main corner with rotten rock. Continue up dihedral into the chimney under the roof and make a belay (some fixed pins around here) OR if you have the gear link into the next short pitch. C2+

P10. Climb out the roof splitter out right using #3 Cams for most of the way.  Crack thins at the 2nd roof right below the anchors. 3-bolt anchor on the right. Short, steep pitch C1.

P11. Traverse the massive roof using cams. Turn a corner to find a wild steep dihedral with some bolts and an optional anchor, follow corner/roof up to an anchor next to a squeeze chimney. C1+/C2.

P12. Either climb the squeeze chimney (supposedly .10) or aid the steep corner on the right. Where these two cracks meet up aid up and left passing some bolts and up around a corner to another crack. Follow this up a short ways to a small traverse left and visible anchors. C2

P13. Topo says follow corner up and left to merge with the last pitch of A-man which goes at C2+/C3. We climbed the crack marked "original route, loose". It goes up the crack system on the right and connects to the same belay at some pine trees. Some nailing to get back left to the trees. Didn't seem too bad and we stayed out of the free climber's way. A2+.

A short scramble leads to the summit of WC and a nice tree to haul from directly above the belay.

Descend however you see fit. We took North Dome gully which is a blast with a haul bag, but I think it's the best way. May want to scout it if nobody in your party has done it take a trip up royal arches or something.

Strategy. We climbed to the top of P4. From there you can rap straight down 180' to a nice anchor on the slab, and another 150' to the ground. We fixed these,came back with the pig, jugged and made the bivy ledge on P7. The bivy on P7 was nice with great views of half dome. Most of the anchors would take ledges but in my opinion the best would be the anchors at the tops of P6, P10, P11, P12. This route may go clean, on P7 where the route goes through the  awkward flare, there is a crack going straight up seemingly to the meet back up at the first ledge. Bring enough cams so you don't have to back clean the roof pitches.

Overall, I thought this was a great route. Nice and steep throughout with some wild roof pitches to top the route. Mostly good rock and all of the hardware we found was in great shape (Thanks ASCA!). The steepness made the route feel physical and burly for a grade V.

Mideast Crisis

As a whole the route is a total pile but the crux (second) pitch is quite good and burly.

P1. Do a bouldery move up the left side of the mini amphitheater to some interesting moves around a hollow block to an ant-infested tree. (5.8+)

P2. The Business...Bearhug up a big inset flake to the base of the open bombay corner/roof. A sling around the flake plus big cams is your pro (If you only  bring up to one #4 old-style Camalot (3-1/2" piece as the book recommends) like I did, its kinda scary but more like the F.A.)...Do some height-dependent stem/chimney/OW moves up the corner and pull a crazy stack/leg jam side-switch move over the roof (wild)...Once above the roof its 10- cruiser right side in OW or lieback/stem to another bulge. Continue past the crack which is narrowing and gets dirty and grassy. (11-, 120' 2-bolt anchor)

If you want to get a buzz-kill, keep going or better yet rap off and do better pitches somewhere else.

P3. If you're stubborn and want to finish... Wedge/crawl through another ant-infested big bush and run-it-out up a big dirty corner with many loose (some teetering) blocks, past one pin, to another ledge with a tree. (5.9- X)

P4. Actually an interesting slab/crack past a couple old pins and OK gear. Kinda scaly/dirty, though...Imagine that! (10 R)

Last pitch (or two)...Long upward and left traversing pitch all the way to lunch ledge area.

Descend the not-so-pleasant brush-wracked gully to the base, below your packs

Power Failure

This route heads left from Dinner Ledge.  It's a bolt line that starts on a little pedestal with one bat hook move and a few funky hooks up higher. That's the 4th pitch (which we made a long one). The next pitch is funky. You head up and get on the S. Face route for about 14' then you swing left to a seam, then up and left again. I know that this has been done C2-3 (maybe free?), but back when we did it we used pins. One fixed head on this pitch. Above you follow cracks and corners up parallel to the S. Face route to the rim. Pitch 7 has another swing on  it I killed my self with rope drag, so use long runners. pitch 8 has one hard section, then it's not so bad to the rim for 2 more pitches.      It took me 2 tries to get up this route, great climbing.

If you're a fast team and want to pass other teams off Dinner Ledge, the first 2 pitches of Southern Man will get you to the top of the 6th pitch on the S. Face route.

Southern Man

The South Face of the Column is the first wall experience for a lot of aspiring big wall climbers in the Valley. A few pitches of free climbing and easy aid make it a straight-forward, two-day climb for most teams. Bear in mind that this also makes this route the BUSIEST wall route in the entire Valley.

The general approach is to climb to Dinner Ledge the first day, fix a couple of pitches from there, then head for the top on day two.

P1) Climb up 5.8 corner, traverse out across the slab left of the corner and belay on a ledge at the top.

P2) Go left across to the first nice corner and aid that to the anchor. There is a free-climbable (10b) corner left of that, but don't go too far or the climbing will get way hard and you'll have to penji back right to the anchors at the top.

P3) Free climb up cracks and corners to the right end of Dinner Ledge. The good bivy spots are all out to the left below the Kor Roof.

P4) Kor Roof pitch. Easy free climbing up a ramp takes you to bolts. Aid bolt-to-bolt up the roof to a crack that leads up and right. Aid this crack to belay anchors. MAKE SURE NOT TO BACK CLEAN TOO MUCH IN THIS CRACK OR YOUR SECOND WILL KILL YOU UPON ARRIVAL AT THE BELAY!

P5) Crux pitch. Head up and over the small roof above the belay. A tricky move into the crack above, then continue aiding up the left along the arch. A short penji will get you to the anchor.

P6) Continue aiding up and left, then up crack to anchor.

P7) All time stopper pitch! Nuts are bomber here. Go straight up cracks to the anchor.

P8) This pitch is free-climbable at 5.9.  Climb up and cut right to chimney. Continue up to a belay in the chimney above.

P9) Tricky pitch of mixed free climbing and aid goes out right and up from the chimney, then up some more to belay in a big tree. Nice!

P10) Hardest free climbing pitch here, or aidable up and over roof back left to belay.

P11) Go up loose gully taking care not to dump tons of death on the parties below. Belay off tree above. Carry the haul bag!!!

Yer done! Scramble to the top of the Column from there, pack up and descend the North Dome Gully. Do a little research on this to suss the line of the descent.

South Face

A great thin aid route established by two of Yosemite's finest climbers. Looking up at the climb from below it is hard to imagine how little drilling took place during the first ascent. The line looks improbable at best and blank at worst - but its all there. The route ascends a series of barely visible copperhead and hook features on the very edge of the Column's south facing prow. The hooking sections, especially, require a calm state of mind and a good eye.

The route has been done in a day but is also a good clean haul for those that want to spend a bit more time on it, you'll have the route to yourself, the approach is minimal. Depending on your pace, two to three nights on the wall should be enough plus approach/descent. Expect the long pitches to take more time than anticipated, even the rivet ladders. It seems that the FAists top-stepped every move.

If climbing the route in a push, the opening block can be dispatched quickly. All the hard hook sections in the middle of the route get climbed during the day. From "Iron Curtain" up is no problem in the dark, even though some of the machineheads are hard to spot.

Overall, this route is very quality. More people interested in difficult aid should take a closer look at this route.

First One Day Ascent: MacNamara, Schmitz 11:56 (speedclimb.com)

The Re-Animator

Skull Queen is a good alternative if the South Face is full.  The aid is not much more difficult, a few micronut placements on pitch 8 and a few awkward placements on pitch 10.  The last pitch is a stellar 5.10c finger crack.  Climb to Dinner Ledge via South Face Route and do the Kor Roof pitch. Head right into the slanting crack (the bolt above the roof is for the S. Face route) and follow the rivet/bolt latter (in great condition as of June 2006).  It is more or less straight up for 7 pitches from here (Supertopo or the Reid guides are accurate).  Most likely will not need for a hammer or pins, and I was able to get away without using a hook either by doing a tricky free move (~.10a) on pitch 10 before the belay.  I thought the quality of this route was a little better then the S. Face but they are pretty similar. Cheers, AK!

Skull Queen

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Description

Protection

Routes in I. Washington Column