I was in Yosemite for a couple of weeks. Nate and I had just climbed The Rostrum North Face, and he wanted a couple of days to rest and work before our next climb. After a day of rest, I was itching to get on the rock so I left a note on the Camp 4 message board and posted on mountainproject partner finder. A few hours later I got a text from Matt. "Hey, you still looking for a partner? I'm interested in Jericho Wall Free or maybe Stoner's Highway."

Of these two routes, Jericho Wall Free sounded a bit more up my alley (Stoner's Highway is notorious for slab runnout, and I am not the keenest slab climber).

Jericho Wall Free is on Jericho Wall, located immediately East of Glacier Point Apron. The route is defined by mostly high quality stone, long pitches, splitter cracks, good belay ledges, afternoon shade, and breathtaking views of Liberty Cap and Vernal and Nevada falls. The majority of the climbing is 5.10, with two pitches of 5.11 and one pitch of 5.12-. The crux is a short and powerful 5.12- boulder problem, followed by a second, short, height-dependent 5.11+ boulder problem. Both cruxes can be aided at C1. The route is generally very safe, with abundant protection opportunities and thoughtful bolt placements. All anchors are bolted, except the 1st pitch and 7th pitch anchor, which are tied-off trees. The route can easily go at 5.10 C1.

Matt and I met at 8am in the parking lot. Turns out we had crossed paths once earlier that year--Matt and his partner were the party ahead of us on Levitation 29 in Red Rocks in April. As planned, Matt led the entire Jericho Wall Free route (I had sustained a minor tibial plateau fracture 17 days previous, when I unexpectedly came down hard on my leg while cleaning my gutters, so following seemed to be a less poor idea than leading). Matt figured out the thin 12a crux (nice work Matt!) after a couple of attempts and I opted to aid the crux but otherwise climbed the route free. It was a fun adventure. Surprisingly, there was another party on the route as well, a couple of pitches below us.

The following page gives time stats and pitch-by-pitch photos for the climb. Enjoy!

(A week and a half later, at the end of my three-week trip to Yosemite, I enjoyed another day climbing with Matt. We climbed Gates of Delirium (5.12-, 10p) on Ribbon Falls Amphitheater.)