There are many big wall grade V trade routes in the valley, from the West Face of Leaning Tower to the Prow to the South Face of Washington Column.  Each of these has one thing in common: the Valley.  If you'd like an experience just slightly off the beaten path, consider the Southwest Face of Liberty Cap.  You'll be accompanied by views of the Merced River and Nevada Falls more so than people in cars looking up at you while you're looking down at them.

Although the SW Face is slightly harder than any of the aforementioned climbs, the cruxes are short and the climbing is fantastic.

P1: Surmount the first C3 crux with small gear such as lowe balls, offset brassies, and hybrid aliens.  This pitch goes free at .11a (which I hear isn't too bad) but the gear would be intimidating unless you're comfortable at the grade.  The moves did look like fun!

P2: Enjoy great 5.9 fingers and hands to .10c thin hands.

P3:  Another short pitch.  Again, good free climbing in the mid 5.10 range for 40 feet before it backs off to 5.8.

P4: Easy C1 to perfect hands.

P5: Great .10b layback using .75 camalots to a bolt ladder out to the left.  One of the bolts is missing in the bolt ladder.  We only had a Talon to try to make this move, which didn't work (a Bat Hook would).  Instead, we had to thread a couple nuts together to make a cheater stick to lasso the next bolt.  It worked, but we lost some time trying to finesse it.  A couple tricky C2+ placements above this move as well.

P6: A good long C1 pitch straight up.

P7: A tad bit tricky; I got off route going up and to the left, lured by a fixed pin.  Go up only a move or so, then immediately start going left on low angle, slopey 5.7.  Another C3 crux awaits, which we solved using small aliens.  This pitch was challenging for the follower.

P8: Kind of an awkward, thrutchy, fun pitch. Nothing too hard (C2), just thoughtful and interesting.

P9: Begin with 5.8 in a crack and move to 5.8 slab through some bushes.  The rock here is sandy and not super high quality, although I don't remember anything loose.  Not a whole lot of pro through the bushes.  Then work your way into a C1 crack out to the left before getting to a natural belay.

P10: Good wide .10b through a stout manzanita to a ledge.

P11: Just when you're close to the top you have to muster a 30-foot run out on 5.8 slab.  Not that bad...there are only a couple 5.8 moves with a lot of 5.6 and 5.7.

Southwest Face

Bad Moon Rising

Stiff Upper Lip

Passport to the Sky

Oh No

The Patriot Act

Direct Southwest Face route

Scarface (Free)

Scarface

A Joint Adventure

Controlled Substance

Mahtah

West Buttress route

Turkey Shoot

Beautiful corner system leading up the center of Liberty Cap.  Pitches 1 to 5 are stellar.  Beaks galore.  Recommend finishing on West Buttress or Patriot Act.

Bad Moon takes the parallel right facing corner system to Hardings SW face route.  This is a very moderate variation, with only a few nailing cruxes.  Substantially more involved than the SW face route, both due to needing a pin rack, and some technical hauling logistics, most notable being the P8 traverse.

All belay are equipped with at least 1- 3/8th" bolt, many require gear/pitons.

Climbs up the right side of the "Egg" on the South Face of the Liberty Cap.

This route is incomplete.

Hard to see this line with the naked eye.  Yet it pieces together great features and splitter cracks.

Scarface now goes both free and clean. This route starts with a few hundred feet of dirty cracks before entering the clean white granite of the rock scar. The difficulty of this routes lies in the two 5.12 crux pitches, P5 and P8. The rest of the route is in the 5.10 to 5.11- range and climbs quite quickly.

If the first few pitches clean up more this has the potential to be a great route. As it stands expect a little bit of foliage at the start and on the last pitch.  All belays up to P9 have bolts or are at trees with rappel slings. This would still be a very fun outing at 5.11a C2 and could be done in a day.

Pitch 1 - 5.11a - 90 feet - 2 bolts

From the ground climb up a series of dirty ledges and step left to short corner. Stem and layback up until you can move left to the base of a thin crack. Climb the thin crack, passing a bolt and get established in a slabby corner. A few hard moves getting to, and working past another bolt lead to an exciting stemming sequence and a belay at a tree on the left.

This pitch is often dirty and can be wet in the early spring. Having a nut tool to clean out the crack is a plus. The stances are pretty good, so you cleaning on the go doesn't add much difficulty.

Pitch 2 - 5.10c/d - 175 feet

From the belay work up to the right and start climbing the long and  varied corner. A crux comes pretty early getting past a bulge. Midway up the pitch you will mantel up onto a dirty ledge with a pink rope setup as a rap station, keep climbing!

The endless layback resumes with nice finger slots and a few bushes.  Make a few hard moves to get through a short chimney section and a nice rest out right. Romp up the final crack, with some more fun laybacking! Belay at a good stance at the tree with a green rappel sling.

Pitch 3 - 5.10d - 85 feet

This is the cleanest of the first three pitches. Start off with a few tricky layback moves or stem up using the large dead tree as a foot hold. Crisp finger locks lead you out right to yet another section of slopey layback (hopefully you've got it dialed by now). Punch it until the edge of the crack gets better and figure out how to get yourself standing on the chalkstone. A couple more tricky moves get you to a grove of trees. Sling something for pro and do some easy (5.7/5.8) but unprotected face climbing on the wall to the right of the trees to get established on a big, and often sunny, ledge. Belay at two bolts.

Pitch 4 - 5.10b R - 110 feet

The climbing is never particularly run out, but there are occasional places where there is loose rock and one spot with bad fall potential, thus the R rating. The climbing on the "R" section is not much harder than 5.8/5.9, just be careful with rock quality.

Start just to the right of the bolted belay with thin gear and a few mantels. Some tricky stemming gets you established on a wide ledge. Go right and up through some chossy rock to get established in an awesome left leaning hand crack. When the crack ends step to the right avoiding the ledge covered in loose rock. Some thin gear protects tricky moves to get into a chossy hand crack. Fun crack and face moves over a series of blocks lead to a two bolt belay on a nice 3' x 5' ledge.

Pitch 5 - 5.12 - 110 feet - 3 bolts

My rack: 1 Green C3, 2 Red C3, 2 Green Alien, 3 Yellow Alien, 2 Grey Alien, 1 Red Alien, 2 #.5 camalot.  More thin gear if aiding (000 and 00 C3 useful).

The first of many stellar pitches. From the belay you can either face climb straight up past two bolts or use the wide crack out left. In both cases be careful to avoid the precarious stacked blocks above the wide crack. Traverse across the grainy rail until you reach a no-hands stance.  Face climb/layback up a semi-expando flake with good gear out left. Mantel up on the block/feature above you which provides a nice no hands rest. Clip a bolt and check out the tricky traverse to the leaning crack.

Bust out a short crimpy boulder problem, 5.11, and make a few hard moves up the crack to get established on a foot rail. Recovery is key since the next ten feet are tips! Red C3 fits best since green aliens are too big. The crack is quite off-set so heel hooks and tricky foot work are possible. Once you pass the small bush, the crack changes corners again and gets steeper. It quickly goes to rattly fingers (.5 camalots) and the feet disappear. Luckily the crack is pretty sharp and you can get opposition with your thumb. Fight your way up the leaning crack until a hand jam pod, where you can catch a rest.

The crack thins back down to fingers, but by now you should be quite pumped and wishing a good foot would magically appear. After a few moves your prayer is answered in the way of a thin hand jam and the notion that you have almost done it. Grr your way up a few more fingerlocks and until you can reach a hand crack that takes you the rest of the way to the anchor. Belay at two bolts on a small ledge and enjoy the pump that goes all the way to the bone.

Pitch 6 - 5.10c/d - 165 feet - 1 bolt.

Confident leaders can get away with a single #3 and #4 on this pitch.

Start off with enjoyable thin hands off the belay until you must switch to the left crack. Climb up the grainy rock on your left which goes from  thin hands to hands. Catch a rest, clip a bolt and navigate over some scary stacked blocks. Despite the detached appearance the blocks stay in place and you are soon greeted with a splitter wide crack. Fist jam up clean granite making sure to bump along your #4 camalot. Eventually difficulty eases and you get a rest on a short slab. Another #4 camalot can go in here or you can run it out until you can place a finger sized piece in a thin crack on the left. Dual cracks lead up with plentiful gear options until you pass another wide section of crack. Laybacking seems to be the best option here and eventually the crack thins to nothing. Make a hero reach from the last finger lock to a perfect jug.  A few easy moves leads to a two bolt anchor on a reasonable ledge.

Pitch 7 - 5.10d - 90 feet - 6 bolts

Start climbing up the wide crack until you can see a line of three bolts with black hangers. The original line continues further up the wide crack  before cutting left on a ladder with mix of rivets and 1/4 inch bolts. The free line joins the aid ladder at the last bolt (which was upgraded to 3/8").

Climb a series of small ledges angling up and to the left past the three bolts. A combination of mantels and  trickery will get you to the highest foot rail. Make a long reach to clip a bolt and get established on the slab. The holds get progressively better and you work back to the right to another bolt (which is the end of the aid ladder). From here follow the bottom of a flake to the left via underclings. Gear in a crack to the right can protect the crux  reach to thin seams/crimps on the face.  The flake you are climbing gets steeper and eventually a series of good fingerlocks leads to a two bolt belay at hanging stance. The belay is more comfortable if you throw a finger sized piece or nut in the crack to your right.

Pitch 8 - 5.12 - 90 feet - 2 bolts

Triples of fingers sized gear are essential for this pitch.  Make sure to bring a single #2 and #3 camalot.

Steep fingerlocks off the belay lead to a tricky bulge and a good stance. Continue layabacking up the stellar corner passing an occasional section of rattly  fingers. Make sure to milk the rests before the crack runs out and there is a bolt. Execute a cruxy reach to good hold on the face, or do some ninja stemming. Clip a second bolt, and boulder up on face holds. Once you get your feet situated you can reach left to a flake system which will take you back into the main corner. When the corner crack pinches out make use of the thin finger crack on the left and execute a final tricky sequence. Move carefully past a loose tooth and traverse right to a nice sloping ledge with two bolts.

Pitch 9 - 5.11a - 70 feet - 1 bolt

From the belay work up the thin corner until you can clip a bolt on the left wall. Balance/slab climb with difficulty, until you can make use of a thin crack on the left wall. Follow this as it becomes a finger crack and then pinches out. A few tricky moves are required before you can reach the next section of finger crack. Keep stemming up the golden rock until you can move left. Easy terrain leads to a belay on a sloping ledge with two bolts.

This is the last point you can rappel from.

Pitch 10 - 5.10a/b - 145 feet - 1 bolt

From the belay climb the dirty wide hands crack until you get to a loose block. Step left and climb up to the obvious left leaning roof. Climb this, extending all your pieces, and pull around past a small stump. Layback and jam up an easy crack until you can reach a dirty ledge. Reach high for a small flake and make a committing move on to the face. Follow the seam to an obvious wide pod, which takes a #3 camalot. Continue up the seam at 5.10 until you reach a ledge covered in manzanita.  Continue straight up various low angle cracks and aim for a shiny bolt.  Climb on the right side of the bolt slicky stemming up to a good rail. A few more easy moves lead to a ledge.

Belay to the right of a tree with red bark on a ledge with hand sized gear in a flake. This is about 20' above the bolt .

Pitch 11 - 5.10a/b - 100 feet

Climb up past a few loose block  until you can step left towards a "chimney". Find a thin flake on the right which becomes a fun hand crack. When the flake pinches out step left to an obvious crack in a corner. Undercling across a small roof and gas it past  a tricky section. Face climb up to the right, past occasional cracks towards a clump of manzanita bushes. Pass the bushes on the right side to access a small ledge with a large tree on the right.  Belay here.

Pitch 12 - 5.9 - 200+ feet

From the belay trend left along a nice low angle crack system. After about 40 feet the crack pitches out and you will need to step left to a hidden flake, follow this up passing a short roof and head towards some small trees.  Follow the past of least resistance as you head towards the summit. It seems best to follow the left leaning  gully/crack system towards a large tree. This pitch is low angle and has some moss and sand, tread carefully.

Belay at bigest tree you can reach at the end of your rope.

There is still about 200-300 feet of easy scrambling to the summit. It is best to un-rope at the big tree and walk up the manzanita and slabs in your approach shoes.

Scarface is a really fun route.  It has some moderate nailing, but mostly clean cam cracks. The pitches in the white scar are very memorable, bullet hard and splitter. The finishing piches are wandering and lower angle, using all natural belays for the last 4 pitches.

This route is substantially more involved than the Prow or skull queen on the Column, due to having a nailing rack.  Most teams should plan on 2 bivies.

Mahtah is an amazing route that should be considered on par with some of the better long sustained 5.12 crack climbs in the country. It has very little wide climbing, and lots of pumpy endurance climbing and traversing, with no singular bouldery problem or sequence harder than V4/V5. The rock quality is excellent.

The climb follows several long right-facing corners, with a few memorable roof encounters, some splitters, and a 45m traverse pitch to connect major crack systems into a free route. The setting above Nevada Falls and perched above the main Yosemite Valley is scenic, and the walkoff descent is casual.The overall difficulty is needing the fitness for completing similarly demanding endurance pitches stacked together, along with the technique for some slabbier bits. Most people will find P5 (sustained 5.12, pumpy gear and maybe a bit grassy) or P6 (shorter with straightforward burl) to be the crux pitch. The FFA team left the grade a bit open ended in the AAJ, suggesting 80s 5.12b to 5.13- for the overall.

This route combines sections of the aid routes SW Face, Direct SW Face, and Bad Moon Rising, but doesn't rely on much fixed aid gear. The attached topo is all you really need, go have fun!

The start is located over the hiking trail, so a topo was subsequently left out of the 93 Ried guide.  Extreme care should be taken on this route, for all loose rock will impact the hiking trail,

Description

Location

Protection

Routes in F. Liberty Cap