Half Dome in a Day Beta

Strategy: Head up the slabs, fix 200 feet (to just above the ceiling on pitch 2). Sleep at the base. Launch before daybreak, top out in 10 hours.

Pitch-by-pitch beta:

1-6: Reasonably hard free climbing, in particular 1, 4, and 6 are difficult. 3 is easy.

7-9: Simul climb. Exit the gully on pitch 8 early and head right into the fourth class.

10: Easy bolt ladder, don't clip last three bolts so second can swing over efficiently. Fixed line on the penji as of 10/05.

11: Moderate to difficult free, traverse right, then up, then loop around left.

12: Do the 5.11c/A1 crack NOT the squeeze chimney

13-14: Run together. Airy chimney looks like dicey pro but mostly there. Need very small cams and small nuts.

15: Easy, climb as dual hand cracks, not chimney technique

16: Easy, French free with abandon

17: Traverse right, leapfrog a #2/3/4 cam in the lower crack, backclean to avoid rope drag. Climb the upper double crack halfway, then traverse right onto Big Sandy. Do not climb the #4 sized off-hands above.

18-19: Easy aid, one hook. Run together with 60m rope

20: Clip a slung horn instead of doing the small penji. Belay just below the ledge

21: Thank God Ledge. Crack between the ledge and the wall takes #2 and #3 Camalots. 2nd should follow on belay. Be careful of the rope eating flake below. 5.8 squeeze is easy if you use the holds on the wall side of the chimney.

22: Bolt ladders. Fixed line allows the leader to avoid the first ladder entirely. If possible, penji to upper fixed pin to avoid cam hook move. Otherwise, easy cam hook between lower and upper fixed pins. Step left at top using hand rail (no penji).

23: Off. Traverse under flake, smearing on the slab. Use fixed tat on dicey pin to step left onto small ledges. 4th class to the top from there.

Rack:

1 #4 Camalot

2 #3 Camalot

3 #.5, .75. 1, 2 Camalot

2 Red, Yellow Alien

1 Green, Blue Alien

2 Red-Yellow, Yellow-Green, Green-Blue offset Alien

1 Blue-Black offset Alien

1 set nuts, small to med.

10 alpine draws

1 shorty cordalette

4 lockers

1 set aiders, 1 speed set

1 pair of jugs

2 Tiblocs

1 lead rope (no trail line)

Gri gri

Mini-cheater stick

1 cam hook (med size), BD skyhook (med size)