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The beautiful East face of Basket Dome

It all started with a tale of a grand route on Basket Dome. I went on a run, to check it out, and see what gems were hidden in the Yosemite backcountry. I found the mega-route, Milestone, and explored the surrounds for other potential lines. I ended getting a bit lost, and took something like the blue line in the photo below, which is not recommended. On the plus side my run took me past the small dome on the right, that I have come to call Acorn Dome. Acorn Dome had a few cool looking lines so I knew I would be back to investigate later in the summer.

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Basket Dome Overview

It’s hard to describe all of the reasons I seek out First Ascents. Perhaps it is the dream of establishing the perfect multipitch route with tricky cruxes and spacious belay ledges. I have only done a small number new routes and I am still learning what makes them exciting and meaningful. The draw of natural features is obvious and I saw a soaring dihedral on the right side of Acorn Dome. It begged to be climbed! Unfortunately further inspection showed that inside of the dihedral was sealed and would not take any gear. On the left side of the dome I had seen a long dike feature on xRez which appeared to be continuous and potentially climbable. Over the following weeks, and months I took many trips back to Acorn Dome and established a total of seven pitches between two routes.

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The beautiful golden dike on pitch two of the Miwok Dike


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Looking back down from midway up the second pitch.

The most obvious line, and first to be climbed was the five pitch Miwok Dike. This route follows an obvious golden dike for two mega pitches, surrounded by easier slabby climbing. The route is steeper than it appears in photos and you often end up laybacking and pinching the dike to make progress. The majority of the climbing on pitches two through four is bolt protected with a few gear placements on the third pitch. The third pitch requires a full sixty meters of rope and has a gamut of movement from easy friction and an exciting mantel to dike hiking. Pitch by pitch beta here.

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Casey on the Miwok Dike with Half Dome lurking in the background.

During my time equipping the Miwok Dike, I noticed a line of large knobs leading up to the pitch two belay. I followed these down and found an exciting series of scoops, flakes and crystal features that continued for 70 meters back to the base. This stretch of climbing was much harder than the Miwok Dike. With occasional gear placements, this crystal streak turned into a two pitch direct start for the Miwok Dike, called the Staircase of Frozen Tears.


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Casey sets up for a cruxy mantel on Pitch Three of the Miwok Dike

Perhaps the best thing about climbing on Acorn Dome is the scenery. You are surrounded by huge cliffs and the vertical relieve down into Tenaya Canyon is massive. I think you can occasionally make out people on the cables of Half Dome, but don’t expect to see any other people in the area or on the route. It was a sweet adventure exploring the unknown and spending time figuring out these two lines.


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Casey at the crux on Pitch One of Staircase of Frozen Tears

Neither of these routes are perfect but they helped me understand the life-cycle of how bigger routes get established. Without a crack-line to follow, some of the route direction is up to the developer. In some places the sequence is obvious and too cool to skip, like the mantel in a photo above. Other times it is tricky to find the line of least resistance when faced with blank slab. There are divided schools of thought in regard to adventure routes, versus mellow ones and bolting these climbs made me think a lot about climbing style.


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Casey starts off on the second pitch of Frozen Tears

Perhaps my next routes will have a bit more spice, but for now I’m happy that I can recommend these routes without hesitation. Both routes are perfect for people trying to break into slab climbing, and are not yet comfortable with huge runouts found on many Yosemite and Tuolumne slabs. Getting to Acorn Dome or Basket Dome is an adventure and well off the beaten path. Once you start climbing you will find that both of these routes are well protected and do not require bold-school talent.

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Casey tops out on the Miwok Dike with Cloud’s Rest in the background.


For higher quality photos, pitch by pitch beta and details on the approach check out this post:

http://www.dreaminvertical.com/2013/02/striking-gold-in-the-shadow-of-basket-dome/

I've held off posting this trip report since I realize some people will not be a fan of these routes. But now that Tioga pass is open, I think it would be a shame to keep them to my self, especially after the months spent establishing them. The rock is amazing and the dike pitches are hard to beat (4/5 stars!). Both routes were established on rappel, which made sense since I was approaching the dome from above. They are closely bolted, which was both a product of a learning experience for me and a statement that not all slab routes need to be run-out. A competent party could easily bring less draws and skip bolts. A 60m rope is mandatory since the third pitch of the Miwok is a FULL 200 feet.

Go have a look, I doubt you will be disappointed!

 Luke