Washington Column - East Face

ome to two of the most famous lines in the valley, Astroman and the South Face, the Washington Column is a great playground to break into 5.11 or hone your big wall skills before getting on the really big stuff. And with routes like Skull Queen, the Prow and Afroman, it also offers some really high quality aid climbing on beautiful granite. And as a little bonus, this poster also shows the two classic routes on the surprisingly remote North Dome.

Like many, the South Face was my very first big wall and will forever hold a special place in my heart!

Download: Medium resolution, personal use only

Route List

1: The Odyssey, 5.11, Jardine, Lakey
2: South Central, 5.10 C2+/5.12, Bridwell, Faint, 1967/Cashner, Potter, 1998
3: Southern Man, 5.8 C2+, Albushkat, Ross, 1992
4: South Face, 5.8 C1/5.12c V10, Fredericks, Kor, 1964/Wilder, 2002
5: Skull Queen, 5.8 C2, Altenburg, Bosque, Chance, 1984
6: The Re-Animator, 5.8 A3+, Kohl, Shipley, 1990
7: The Prow, 5.6 C2+, Denny, Robbins, 1969
8: Ten Days After, 5.7 A2+, Barbella, Brand, 1987
9: Electric Ladyland, 5.7 A4, Accomazzo, Harrison, Lewis, 1975
10: Crosstown Traffic, 5.13a R, Huber, Van de Klooster, 2003
11: Endangered Species, 5.8 A4, Blair, Garbarini, 2002
12: Afroman, 5.6 A3+, Carpenter, Hornibrook, 1994
13: Astroman, 5.11c, Denny, Harding, Pratt, 1959/Bachar, Kauk, Long, 1975
   A: Boulder Problem
  B: Enduro Corner
  C: Overnight Ledge
  D: Harding Slot
  E: Changing Corners
14: Horney-Johnson, 5.7 A3+, Hornibrook, Johnson, 1988
15: Mideast Crisis, 5.7 C3, Bosque, Corbett, 1983
16: Quantum Leap, 5.12a, Ditto, Lucas, Sorkin, 2011
17: Quantum Mechanic, 5.13a, Miller, Selvidge, 2002
18: Saddam Hussein, 5.9 A4, Brand, Irving, 1990
19: Great Slab Route, 5.7 A3+, Kor, Madsen, Schmitz, 1967
20: Tora Bora, 5.9 A3+, Kay, Thompson, 2002
21: Bad Wall, 5.8 A4, Madsen, Schmitz, 1967
22: South Face of North Dome, 5.8, Hempel, Ortenburger, Roper, 1960
23: Crest Jewel, 5.10a, Dingle, Lucero, 1981
24: Crest Jewel Direct Start, 5.10d, Dingle, Swann, 2002

Sources

• “Rock Climbing Yosemite Valley, 750 Best Free Routes,” Erik Sloan, Marek Jakubowski, Yosemite Bigwalls, 2020

• “Yosemite Bigwalls, The Complete Guide, 2020 Edition,” Erik Sloan, Yosemite Bigwalls, 2020

• Supertopo

• Mountain Project

• Archive.org

Updates

Oct 8, 2021: First version published.

Oct 11, 2022: Graphic design update

May 24, 2024: Graphic design update

Sept 4, 2025: Graphic design update