A fine, athletic day high above Yosemite Valley is the
Royal Arches to
Crest Jewel link-up—something I’d had on my to-climb list for years. I finally got around to doing it in October 2025 with Nate Beckwith.
I had last climbed
Royal Arches twenty years earlier, in
December 2005—it was one of my first multipitch climbs. I’d never been up North Dome. Nate had done both, but not in thirty years, and he’d never climbed the 5-pitch 5.10d
Crest Jewel direct start.
The link-up covers a lot of terrain:
Royal Arches is 16 pitches when pitched out, and
Crest Jewel Direct (i.e. with the direct start) adds 14 more—for roughly 30 pitches in a day. We simulclimbed
Royal Arches in a few long blocks, cutting the pitch count considerably. The hike between the two climbs is scenic, and the summit of North Dome offers some of Yosemite’s most stunning views. The descent back to the Valley, though long and tedious—especially after a full day—felt like a small price to pay.
I led all of
Royal Arches except for one intermediate pitch as a few simulclimbed pitches; Nate took the 5-pitch direct start to
Crest Jewel, including the day’s 5.10d crux; and I led the remaining nine pitches (sustained 5.8-5.10a slab).
Crest Jewel is fully bolted but notoriously runout—often 30+ feet between bolts—on insecure slab. I was proud of my leads, since bold face climbing isn’t my forte; I'm much more comfortable in a crack. To make things more interesting, my back began spasming on the second 10a crux pitch. I’d taken my all-time biggest whipper the day before on El Capitan and tweaked a muscle in my back, and by then my morning overdose of codeine and ibuprofen had worn off. Still, I managed to climb through it. Nate, as always, cruised through his leads and offered patient, encouraging belays.
It was a glorious day high above Yosemite Valley—15 hours car to car. Huge thanks to Nate for being such a solid and enjoyable partner, as always!
This page includes an overlay, time stats, and photos from the day.
