| Regular Northwest Face | |
|---|---|
 The Regular Northwest Face of Half Dome approximately follows the red line | |
| Location | California, USA |
| Coordinates | 37°44′44.4″N 119°32′06.5″W / 37.745667°N 119.535139°W |
| Climbing area | Yosemite Valley |
| Route type | Aid climbing, Big wall climbing |
| Vertical gain | 2000' |
| Pitches | 23 |
| Rating | 5.9 A1 or 5.12 |
| Grade | VI |
| First ascent | Royal Robbins, Mike Sherrick, and Jerry Gallwas, 1957. |
| First free ascent | Art Higbee, Jim Erickson, 1976 |
| Fastest ascent | 1:22 Alex Honnold, 2012. |
The Regular Northwest Face of Half Dome was the first Grade VI big wall climbing route in the United States. It was first climbed in 1957 by a team consisting of Royal Robbins, Mike Sherrick, and Jerry Gallwas. Its current aid climbing rating is VI 5.9 A1 or 5.12 for the free climbing variation.[1] It is recognized in the historic climbing text Fifty Classic Climbs of North America and considered a classic around the world.[2]
Although the first ascent took five days, most ascents now are accomplished in two. The record for the fastest ascent of the route is 1:22 and was set during a solo ascent in late May 2012 by Alex Honnold, who had previously recorded the first free solo ascent in 2008.[3] This improved on a longstanding record of 1:53 set in October 1999 by Jim Herson and Hans Florine.[4]
- ^ McNamara, Chris, and Sloan, Erik. Yosemite Big Walls. Mill Valley, CA: SuperTopo, 2005. ISBN 0-9672391-9-2
- ^ Roper, Steve; Steck, Allen (1979). Fifty Classic Climbs of North America. San Francisco: Sierra Club Books. ISBN 0-87156-292-8.
- ^ Rock and Ice. 5 June 2012. 21 June 2012 rockandice.com Archived 2012-06-08 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Florine, Hans. halfdome. 20 August 2004. 31 October 2005 speedclimb.com