Multi-pitch climbing is climbing on routes longer than a single rope length, which Wikipedia puts at “approximately 50 to 70 metres.” The route is split into pitches, each “typically a rope-length,” and climbers carry extra gear to “create strong and secure belay-anchors at the end of each individual pitch.” #MultiPitchClimbing tags photos and trip reports from these long routes.
How It Works
A team of two (sometimes three) leapfrogs up the route. The leader climbs a pitch while placing protection, builds an anchor, and belays the second up; the second removes the gear on the way. They either swap leads or keep the same leader, then repeat until the top, and descend by rappelling or walking off. Technique is well covered by guide services and climbing schools; this entry focuses on the routes and records that drive the hashtag. For single-pitch styles, see #RockClimbing and #SportClimbing.
Iconic Multi-Pitch Routes
| Route | Location | Length and pitches | Grade (Mountain Project) | First ascent / first free ascent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Nose | El Capitan, Yosemite | 3,000 ft, 31 pitches, Grade VI | 5.9 C2 | Harding, Merry, Whitmore, 1958 / Lynn Hill, 1993 |
| Astroman | Washington Column, Yosemite | 1,000 ft, 10 pitches, Grade IV | 5.11c | Harding, Denny, Pratt, July 1959 / Bachar, Long, Kauk, May 1975 |
| Moonlight Buttress | Zion National Park | 1,200 ft, 11 pitches | 5.12c | Jeff Lowe and Mike Weiss, October 1971 / Peter Croft and Johnny Woodward, April 1992 |
The Nose vs the Dawn Wall
The two most famous El Capitan climbs of the social-media era are often confused. The Nose follows the prow of El Capitan, between its southwest and southeast faces; the Dawn Wall is on the southeast face, adjacent to the prow (Wikipedia).
- Dawn Wall, first free ascent: Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson finished on January 14, 2015; “the climb took 19 days,” at a grade of 9a (5.14d) (Wikipedia). See #TommyCaldwellDawnWall.
- Nose speed record: On June 6, 2018, Alex Honnold and Tommy Caldwell climbed “the 3,000-foot Nose route of El Capitan in 1 hour 58 minutes and 7 seconds” (National Geographic). Wikipedia lists that time as the fastest ascent “using aid,” so it is a speed record, not a free climb (Wikipedia).
Recent Developments
In October 2022, the Red Bull Dual Ascent on the Verzasca Dam in Switzerland became the first competition held in a multi-pitch format, on an artificial climbing wall (Wikipedia). More Yosemite routes are at #YosemiteClimbing.
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multi-pitch_climbing
- https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/alex-honnold-tommy-caldwell-speed-record-el-capitan-nose-yosemite-culture
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dawn_Wall
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Nose_(El_Capitan)
- https://www.mountainproject.com/route/105924807/the-nose
- https://www.mountainproject.com/route/105845493/astroman
- https://www.mountainproject.com/route/106138026/the-moonlight-buttress-free