Out:
EAST BUTTRESS, MIDDLE TRIPLE PEAK, AK: A super-involved endeavor, demanding weeks of time and great expense, with extremely uncertain weather. The first pitch has been erased by rockfall, and a replacement line has yet to be climbed
HUMMINGBIRD RIDGE, MT. LOGAN, CANADA: The peak is striking. But the full line hasn’t seen a second ascent, and four people have died attempting it
SHIPROCK, NM: It’s a sacred site for the Navajo Nation. Though it’s occasionally poached, it’s been off-limits to climbing since 1967
D1, THE DIAMOND, LONGS PEAK, CO: The Diamond’s first route, but its seeping, hard free climbing at 14,000 feet and poor rock quality make some climbers question its inclusion
NORTHCUTT-CARTER ROUTE, HALLETT PEAK, CO: Rockfall wiped out the first two pitches in the late 1990s. It’s still climbable, but it requires a tricky traverse on poorly protected terrain
WISHBONE ARÊTE, MT. ROBSON, CANADA: A low success rate, dangerous approach, and choss make this the second-most-despised route of the Classics after Hummingbird Ridge.
In:
CRIMSON CHRYSALIS (5.8), RED ROCK, NV: Many climbers wanted some of the intense mountain routes replaced with more accessible, stellar rock climbs in the Southwest, especially Red Rock. Steck expressed regret for not including this area, but at the time, “We just didn’t know it, and no one was pushing it,” he says. The variety of crack and face climbing on Crimson Chrysalis now makes it one of Steck’s favorites.
WHITNEY-GILMAN RIDGE (5.7), CANNON CLIFF, NH: An aesthetic and prominent long route in the East. Hassler Whitney and Bradley Gilman climbed the jutting spine with no pitons or other protection in 1929; they merely stopped to belay whenever they found ledges.
MOONLIGHT BUTTRESS (5.8 C1), ZION NATIONAL PARK, UT: The most-requested replacement route. Moonlight Buttress ascends an obvious prow on its namesake buttress with perfect splitters cleaved into the upper sections. Free climbers and aspiring aid climbers alike flock here for a chance to tick this colorful line.
CASUAL ROUTE (5.10A), THE DIAMOND, LONGS PEAK, CO: A relatively accessible route on Colorado’s highest wall. Most of the climbing is 5.8 or 5.9, and the crux moves are well protected. Plus, the alpine environment still gives you a full-value experience.
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