Both the left and the right side of this pillar could be climbed independently; however this description is for the chimney route directly up the middle.

It is recommended to enter the chimney from the left (west) side.  Not much can be said after that as this is a pure chimney.  Wiggle, stem, bridge, whatever you have to do to move upward.  The granite behind the pillar is surprisingly good quality in some places, and the moves are enjoyable.  Proceed from stack to stack, with good stances and rests at each block.  When the forth stack is reached, a question will need to be answered.  Climb straight up and tunnel through a hole (5.7) to the top, or leave the security of the chimney for a wild looking route out left?

Pygmy Pillar

This short climb is on the darker (not water-polished) section of wall before the obvious right-facing corner that is Scrooged (5.8). Start up a dirty left facing corner for a short ways to reach an obvious thin crack (10b) with a bush growing out of the top. Above this is a dike that angles up and left (5.9) past a couple bolts to a rap anchor. It is also possible to continue along the dike to a second anchor if you want to make the route a little longer. All bolts were replaced by the ASCA in 2011.

Blueballed

Not really sure if this warrants a new route page, if not totally willing to delete it and just post the info under Lemon. We did think that it was semi-significant (40%) variation, holds didn't have any chalk and were sorta dirty so if it's been done we don't think it's been done for a while

Start in the shallow grove 15' to the right of the start of Lemon. Get onto some feet and step/crimp your way left and up on thin features towards the dike jugs on Lemon. Slam in a handjam and plug a piece! Finish on the last half of Lemon

Lemon (Direct Start)

Face to crack climb, located just a short ways downhill and to the left of the popular Jamcrack area. Better protected than Raisin, but not nearly as high quality. Sort of dirty and would improve a bit with more traffic, so if it's a clusterfuck on the routes to the right, consider hopping on this one.

The climb begins on the highly featured face to the left of a small (and very dirty) corner. The first bolt was added after the first ascent and is still a 1/4"er (the ASCA doesn't replace retro bolts). The rest of the bolts are bomber.

The climbing is only 5.8 or so getting to the second bolt. Then trend to the left past a couple more bolts and then back right after the 4th bolt to gain a crack system. The start of the crack is steeper and this is the crux. Your pro here unfortunately takes up what would be a useful jam. Then after a few feet the angle lessens and it's easy climbing to the anchor.

Can set up a toprope with a 70m, not sure if a 60m makes it.

Prune

Climb up the ramp above a bolt to a crux throw for an undercling. Continue up the left facing corner using a bolt and gear to a final bolt at the top of the corner. Here continue up easy face to a shallow crack (good pro) at the base of a left facing corner. From there to the top up the corner using face holds and lay back moves as natural gear opens up for spaced but good pro with thoughtful climbing.

Sultans of Sling

Sunnyside bench sports two 5.10 finger cracks, one just to the left of

Jamcrack

called Lazy Bum (5.10D) and the other just to the left of this called

Bummer

(5.10C).

Both cracks share the same first 20 feet, which is a bouldery 5.10b finger crack / face. Going slightly left from here puts you on Bummer 10C, and going right puts you on Lazy Bum 10D. Pitch 2 of Lazy Bum continues directly above the first pitch of Jam Crack (10d). P2 protects well with tiny cams and tiny nuts.

Both of these climbs are excellent, protect well (micro gear required), and perfect for tuning your thin crack technique. Short and hard.

Lazy Bum

This is a great climb up a beautiful section of the wall that also happens to be about 40ft from one of the most popular walkways in Yosemite Valley. If you climb this on a weekend, you can expect to draw a large crowd.

Start by scrambling up a ramp that leads in from the left, and then step out onto the face and climb the arete of a small right-facing corner. There is some gear to be had in the corner itself. From here climb up to a faint arch and then up and left past two bolts on nicely featured stone. The final crux is more blank but protects with a good small cam in a crack.  From this ledge, move right and do a boulder problem to reach a second ledge (watch the loose rock). There is a single bolt anchor here which you can back up with gear.

There is a newer variation which has been added to the left of this route. From the arete in the beginning, move left to a bolt and continue up and left on the face with a few more bolts. Towards the end you traverse right along a dike to rejoin the climb at it's final crux. Be sure to extend the final bolt, before the traverse. This variation takes some of the bite out of the "R" rating. This is not to be confused with Stretch Mark (5.11b) which is the bolted line still further left.

To descend, downclimb the 2nd/3rd class gully to the left (the lower section of the Sunnyside Bench Route)

Raisin

This is the first right facing corner you come to as you approach Jam Crack.  Protection is not straight forward and takes some thought.  Towards the top, the pro is micro-nut thin.  If you're not confident on the grade, I would bring screamers.

Lingering Lie

This climb can be toproped after leading Tiny Tim, or it is a fairly well protected lead. All the lead bolts and one of the anchor bolts were replaced by the ASCA in 2011.

Start up a right facing corner and then undercling right under a small roof to the first bolt. From here make some very difficult moves to gain the shallow double cracks. The crux is 5.11 and is probably getting harder as the potato-chip edges crumble away. Once you're in the double cracks follow them up and exit to the right of some hummocks and take easier terrain to the anchor.

Mothballed

Up on the right side of Sunnyside Bench, climb a nice, smooth, 5.7 jamcrack to a ledge. Step left and continue up a 5.9 thin crack to a two bolt anchor.

Can be done in one or two pitches.

Jamcrack

This climb starts out wide and continually narrows until a tree is reached.  Sling the tree for pro, and continue up a finger crack to the pointed pinnacle.

Take a nut tool on lead to clean the finger crack above the tree.

Rap to the right 60ft. off of slings tied around the pinnacle with rings on them.

Why not add a pinnacle to your Sunnyside Bench Jamcrack routine?

Sunnyside Pinnacle

This is the obvious hand crack in a dihedral.  Burly start to get around the roof.  A fun climb to do laps on and work the jams.

Lemon

Start on short rotten pillar left of Tiny Tim,  up to short left facing corner.  Move up and left to crack system.  Bolted anchor atop first pitch.

Ribald

Start as for

Lazy Bum

, passing a cruxy 10b move to reach a white knob. Once standing on the white horizontal dike, climb the fingertip crack that protects well with RPs/micronuts. Make a commiting move (10c crux) to gain a thin hands, somewhat flaring crack. The climbing eases to 9+/10a from here to the ledge. The 2-bolt anchor is shared with both

Jamcrack

and

Lazy Bum

. Either rap from here to the ground or continue up unremarkable second pitch (5.9), passing a single bolt (replaced 4/99 by the ASCA) 20' up to gain a grassy crack. A single rope rap back to the ledge, and another single rope rap to the ground.

Bummer

This is the prominent, right-facing dihedral, 50' right of "Jamcrack".

Climb this for two pitches.

Lieback Route

Well protected slab climb up the water-streaked face to the right of the Lieback Route. Traverse right at the end to a bolted anchor. Very polished with several tricky sections. Will be wet for a while after a storm.

Blackballed

This is the route just to the right of the Sunnyside Bench regular route approach gulley and it climbs the wall just around the corner and just above the lower falls trail.

Thin cranking moves off the ground (2 bolts) lead to a committing step across into a stem. Fingery pulls on vertical ground (5.10) gain a scoop and the 3rd bolt. You probably don't want to blow these moves or creative belaying is going to have to save you from a deck from about 20'. Straight above is another scoop with an RP crack at the top of your reach that protects 5.9 moves up to a ramp that has a bolt at the top. Don't blow these moves either. 5.10A past that bolt out right gains the upper corner (5.9, shared with Sultans of Sling) that has good gear (small cams and med nuts) to a final move of 5.9, well protected with a medium stopper in a pod, to gain the huge ledge at the top.

Alternately, a TR can be arranged by scrambling up the gulley to the left with a second rope to extend the Tree (iirc) anchor to the lip.

High quality, thought provoking and challenging climbing that makes you feel like you did a full rock climb, not a mindless clip up you can't remember a week later.

That's how I remember it anyways. :)

Butthole Climbers

This is a worthwhile climb on more featured stone to the right of the Lieback Route and Blackballed.

There are numerous starting variations but probably the most enjoyable is to start by climbing the Guide's Route (5.6 with 2 bolts leading to a bolted anchor 60ft up). Continue climbing through the steeper section just above the anchors and angle up and left to arrive at the single lead bolt on Tiny Tim's second pitch. From there continue up and right to a hummock ledge with a bolted rap anchor. This is all best done as a single pitch.

Above the anchor it is possible to continue to the top of Sunnyside Bench via one or two more pitches of dirty, runout, easy 5th class - but I doubt it would be worth the walk down unless you are planning on climbing something else above the Bench. From the bolted anchor at the hummock ledge 170ft up, it is possible to rappel back to the ground by making two rappels with one 60m rope.

Tiny Tim

One of the easiest multi-pitch climbs in the Valley and the most direct way to the top of Lower Yosemite Falls. Heads up for water running on the 1st pitch during early season.

Climb Class 3 to the beginning of P1, climb into the squeeze chimney for 10-15' and go left over the flake (look for gear in the wide crack on the left of the flake!). Carry on to a tree on the right and belay. About 80' and 5.2.

For P2, don't go up the obvious gully! Go right to obvious cracks and climb to another tree. About 100' and Class 4.

From this tree, P3 heads up a 4th class crack towards another tree. At the tree move right for the base of the crux. Pick your adventure, either unprotected 5.4 jugs on the right or straight up the 5.5 crack/corner. After this follow a flake right to a tree. An easy hand-crack above the tree will take you to larger trees for your anchor. All in all 5.4/5.5 and 150'.

Descent: Option 1 - continue up low-angle slabs for 300' to the climbers trail. Follow that trail to the right and down climb the gully to get back to the Valley. It will take you anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes to get back to the Lower Yosemite Falls trail. Option 2 - three rappels down the obvious gully that you can see from your 2nd belay station. The first rappel station is located at the very top of that gully. To find the first rappel station look to the left as you finish the route, it's at the top of the gully. Please be careful of loose rock at the top of this climb and on the walk off. There are many popular routes under this, and a careless step could easily kill someone below.

Sunnyside Bench Regular Route

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Description

Location

Protection

Routes in Sunnyside Bench