5.11c
First climbed in 1959 by Warren Harding, Glen Denny and Chuck Pratt as the East Face of Washington Column. Although this ascent was mainly aided, the Harding Slot - free climbed at a notional 5.9 - is still a considerable challenge for many despite its relatively low grade.
Named after the Jimi Hendrix song [2].
We had a tape deck with us and that seemed to be the song that we played when things looked tough.... [3]
[1] https://www.mountainproject.com/route/105845493/astroman
[2] https://www.jimihendrix.com/encyclopedia-tag/astro-man/
[3] http://www.supertopo.com/climbing/thread.php?topic_id=520019&tn=20
12 successful ascents recorded.
| Climber | Style | Ascent Date | Suggested Grade | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Bachar | Lead | worked | May 1975 | ||
| First ascent. With John Long and Ron Kauk. | ||||
| John Long | Lead | worked | May 1975 | ||
| First ascent. With Ron Kauk and John Bachar. | ||||
| Ron Kauk | Lead | worked | May 1975 | ||
| First ascent. With John Long and John Bachar. | ||||
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Bachar and Kauk freed the boulder problem pitch 2 and enduro corner 3rd pitch respectively. Later they returned with Long and jumared to the top of the 4th pitch to free the remaining pitches to the top. First continuous ascent likely by Kauk the following year.
References[1] http://www.supertopo.com/climbing/thread.php?topic_id=1856207&tn=20 |
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| Ray Jardine | Lead | worked | 1st May 1975-1st January 1976 | ||
| Second ascent. With Vern Clevenger. | ||||
| Ron Kauk | Lead | repeat | Jun 1976 | ||
| With Werner Braun. | ||||
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First continuous ascent with one climber leading all pitches. References[2] http://www.supertopo.com/climbing/thread.php?topic_id=1856207&tn=20 |
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| Pete Livesey | Alternate Leads | 1977 | ||
| With Ron Fawcett. | ||||
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| Ron Fawcett | Alternate Leads | worked | 1977 | ||
| With Pete Livesey. | ||||
| Tobin Sorenson | Lead | onsight | 1978 | ||
All pitches lead onsight on passive gear only (hexs and stoppers, cams were not generally available at this time). References[1] http://www.supertopo.com/climbers-forum/1856207/ [2] https://www.yosemiteclimbing.org/weekly-newsletter/2025/3/3/template-1-nhpc5-38txb-n6pkd |
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| John Allen | Lead | 1981 | ||
| Peter Croft | Solo | worked | 1987 | ||
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An incredible solo ascent for it's time. The same year Peter also soloed Astroman and The Rostrum in the same day. |
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| Dean Potter | Solo | worked | 2000 | ||
| Alex Honnold | Solo | worked | 2007 | ||
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The same day Alex soloed The North Face on The Rostrum, emulating Peter Croft's effort in 1987. |
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