Lost Arrow Spire is a detached pillar in

Yosemite National Park Yosemite National Park ( ) is an American national park in California, surrounded on the southeast by Sierra National Forest and on the northwest by Stanislaus National Forest. The park is managed by the National Park Service and covers an ...

, in

Yosemite Valley Yosemite Valley ( ; ''Yosemite'', Miwok for "killer") is a glacial valley in Yosemite National Park in the western Sierra Nevada mountains of Central California. The valley is about long and deep, surrounded by high granite summits such as Hal ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

, located immediately adjacent to Upper Yosemite Falls. The structure includes the ''Lost Arrow Spire Chimney'' route which is recognized in the historic climbing text ''

Fifty Classic Climbs of North America ''Fifty Classic Climbs of North America'' is a climbing guidebook and history written by Steve Roper and Allen Steck. It is considered a classic piece of climbing literature, known to many climbers as simply "The Book", and has served as an inspi ...

''.

Climbing

In 1946, the spire was first summited by

lasso A lasso ( or ), also called lariat, riata, or reata (all from Castilian, la reata 're-tied rope'), is a loop of rope designed as a restraint to be thrown around a target and tightened when pulled. It is a well-known tool of the Spanish an ...

ing the tip from the main valley rim wall, 125-feet away, after which 29-year old Ax Nelson

prusik A Prusik ( ) is a friction hitch or knot used to attach a loop of cord around a rope, applied in climbing, canyoneering, mountaineering, caving, rope rescue, ziplining, and by arborists. The term Prusik is a name for both the loops of cord used ...

ed the lassoed line to the peak, followed by Jack Arnold. Steve Roper called it "one of the greatest rope stunts ever pulled off in climbing history", climbers did not recognize it as a true rock climbing ascent with Nelson saying: "Spectacular and effective though twas, this maneuver required very little real climbing". In that same year, 48-year old Swiss immigrant,

John Salathé John Salathé (June 14, 1899 – 31 August 1992) was a Swiss-born American pioneering rock climber, blacksmith, and the inventor of the modern piton. Early life John Salathé, also known as Jean Salathé, was born on June 14, 1899 in Switz ...

, had also been attempting the spire and had invented a major improvement to the climbing piton using the alloy used for the Ford Model A axle, which would be able to endure the compact granite of Yosemite without buckling.

''Lost Arrow Spire Chimney''

In 1947, Ax Nelson and John Salathé joined forces, and using Salathé's new pitons, made the true

first ascent In mountaineering, a first ascent (abbreviated to FA in guide books) is the first successful, documented attainment of the top of a mountain or the first to follow a particular climbing route. First mountain ascents are notable because they en ...

via the ''Lost Arrow Spire Chimney'' ( 5.5 A3 or 5.10 A2), a route that combined both

traditional climbing Traditional climbing (or Trad climbing) is a style of rock climbing in which the climber places all the necessary protection gear required to arrest any falls as they are climbing, and then removes it when the pitch is complete (often done ...

and aid climbing techniques, and took the pair 5 days. The route is recognized in the historic climbing text ''

'' and is considered a classic around the world. Climbing historian Steve Roper called the ascent, "a true Valley milestone: the first big-wall climb ever done in the United States - and without a doubt the beginning of the Golden Age of Yosemite climbing". In June 1985,

Jerry Moffatt Jerry Moffatt (born 18 March 1963), is a British rock climber and climbing author who is widely considered as being the best British rock climber from the early-1980s to the early-1990s, and was arguably the best rock climber in the world in th ...

did the

first free ascent In mountaineering, a first ascent (abbreviated to FA in guide books) is the first successful, documented attainment of the top of a mountain or the first to follow a particular climbing route. First mountain ascents are notable because they en ...

of the ''Lost Arrow Spire Chimney'' with

Ron Kauk Ron Kauk (born 23 September 1957) is an American rock climber. Kauk is associated with Camp 4 in Yosemite Valley, where he lived for decades, now a resident of El Portal, California. In 1975, he made the first free ascent of the east face of Wa ...

, as a live television event with an audience of over 30 million for

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

's '' Wide World of Sports''.

''Lost Arrow Spire Tip''

The last two pitches of ''Lost Arrow Spire Chimney'' are called the ''Lost Arrow Spire Tip'' ( 5.12b or 5.7 C2) and complete the detached portion of the spire. The first free ascent of the Tip was in 1984 by a team led by Dave Shultz. The Tip route is often reached by

rappelling Abseiling ( ; ), also known as rappelling ( ; ), is the controlled descent of a steep slope, such as a rock face, by moving down a rope. When abseiling the person descending controls their own movement down the rope, in contrast to low ...

into an area known as ''The Notch''. Once the route is completed climbers can return to the main wall via a dramatic and famous

Tyrolean traverse A Tyrolean traverse is a method of crossing through free space between two high points on a rope without a hanging cart or cart equivalent. This is used in a range of mountaineering activities: rock climbing, technical tree climbing, caving, w ...

Slacklining

Lost Arrow Spire later became one of the early hotspots for

highlining Slacklining refers to the act of walking, running or balancing along a suspended length of flat webbing that is tensioned between two anchors. Slacklining is similar to slack rope walking and tightrope walking. Slacklines differ from tightw ...

, the version of

slacklining Slacklining refers to the act of walking, running or balancing along a suspended length of flat webbing that is tensioned between two anchors. Slacklining is similar to slack rope walking and tightrope walking. Slacklines differ from tightwir ...

on high places. The first person to perform a slackline to the spire happened was Scott Balcom on July 13, 1985, and the first female to perform the feat was Libby Sauter on July 17, 2007.

References

External links

Lost Arrow Spire, Chimney, TipS
''Summitpost'' (2022)

''SuperTopo'' (2022)

''SuperTopo'' (2022) {{Yosemite National Park Climbing routes Rock formations of Yosemite National Park Climbing areas of California Mountains of Mariposa County, California