Barber Wall

The Barber Wall is the upper left wall of Cathedral Ledge, so named for Henry Barber and his extensive collection of first free accents on this section of the cliff. Barber was involved in the freeing of every crack from Nutcracker rightwards to Lichen Delight. All of these are classics and none are light in the grade.

This wall is one the best places to practice crack climbing if you plan to get on the longer more committing crack climbs on the cliff. The skills you learn on these 60 to nearly 200 foot climbs (the cliff gets taller as you head to the right toward Retaliation) can even be well applied to walls like Cannon Cliff or even the big walls of Yosemite. Locals often meet here for after work sessions in the evening so it is possible to meet partners here for some cragging.

Though this area is known for its cracks there are a number of desperate “sport” routes and mixed (bolt/trad) climbs. In the winter, ice covers much of the cliff making for great steep ice climbing.