Cascade Falls Upper

United States / California / Mariposa County

Contributors
66 contributions since 1st September 2021.
62 contributions since 12th July 2025.
TdG
25 contributions since 3rd October 2025.
ben
8 contributions since 11th November 2025.

Map

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Climbs

4 recorded climbs.

Year Climb Grade Climber Style Date
1975 Fish Crack E5 Henry Barber Lead | ground up 1975
First ascent.
1976 Crimson Cringe E5 Ray Jardine Lead Apr 1976
First ascent.
First ascent. 14 attempts.

An incredible ascent for its time, combining cutting edge difficulty with the technical innovation of friends, which Jardine invented and put to good use on routes like this. The bottom corner was 'pinned out' ie piton scars created to reduce the difficulty.

Gripped.com:

In 1977, armed with a handful of Friends, Jardine rappelled into The Phoenix project. Instead of lowering after he fell, he hung and worked out the moves. Though other Valley climbers scorned his hangdogging, Jardine pushed through. On his 14 try, he climbed the route, protecting it with nuts and pins at the bottom and Friends on the splitter.

“The Phoenix is the hardest thing I’ve ever done,” said Jardine in a 1979 Mountain Magazine interview. Not only had Jardine shown what cams and hangdogging could do, he’d also established the world’s first 5.13 trad route. [2]

References

[1] https://www.facebook.com/climbing.in.the.80s/photos/a.270388289694020/511968895535957

[2] This was the World's First 13a Trad Climb, Gripped.com 6th December 2022 https://gripped.com/routes/this-was-the-worlds-first-5-13-trad-climb/

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First ascent.

An incredible ascent of one of the hardest pieces of trad climbing in the world at the time.

References

[1] https://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/features/beth_rodden_-meltdown__e11-_interview-864

[2] https://www.instagram.com/p/Ck8kSrKJrnY/

[3] Dosage Vol. V

Climb Grade # Recorded Ascents Ascents Recorded Between
Meltdown E11 6 14th February 2008 – 11th November 2025
The Phoenix E7 10 1st May 1977 – 9th November 2017
Fish Crack E5 3 1st January 1974 – 1st January 1976
Crimson Cringe E5 2 1st April 1976 – 1st January 1982