Temple Crag is a rock climber's paradise, with several of the longest rock routes in the Sierra - all of which require technical proficiency. Our three recommended routes offer exhilarating climbing with spectacular views, good rock, and lots of towers and gendarmes.
The 23-pitch 5.9/10a Sun Ribbon Arête even includes a Tyrolean Traverse.
A little easier at 5.8 and 18 pitches in length, Moon Goddess is a tremendous introduction to technical rockclimbing in a stunning alpine setting.
Venusian Blind Arête is Moon Goddess Arête's 5.7 next-door neighbor, and every bit as good a climb. With only ten or twelve pitches it's a bit less committing than the Moon Goddess but a little more continuous.
Climbing one route on Temple Crag is a two-day trip. We sometimes climb several routes on consecutive days. Our scheduled four-day version of this is called the Temple Crag Classics.
Why not climb them all and compare for yourself?
Itinerary
Day one: We'll meet at the Glacier Lodge, at the end of the Glacier Lodge Rd out of Big Pine. Currently the parking area is about all there is to the lodge as the main building burned down several summers ago. The Lodge burned down a few years ago but plans are to start rebuilding and have it open in a year or so. At present they do have rustic cabins to rent and a small store and spending the night here gives the body time to start acclimatizing to the elevation before the trip starts. After a gear check and introductions we'll head in, taking the rest of the day to reach camp. With moderate loads the walk takes about half the day to camp at Second Lake.
Day two: An early start sees us off for our chosen one of Temple Crag's great classics. From camp it's about 45 minutes hike, mostly on talus but ending with a pitch of 40º snow climbing. We usually take just one ice axe, for the leader, but chop good steps and belay for those who are following. From the top of the snow several hundred feet of easy, but roped, scrambling lead to the start of 5th class climbing on either Moon Goddess or Venusian Blind. Sun Ribbon follows a slightly different approach to the climber's right of the other two routes.
Venusian Blind: Another classic, shorter than Moon Goddess but more continuous, we'd say it's better than the East Buttress of Whitney, and a little longer too. First ascensionist Don Jensen described the route as ‘an excellent beginners climb in the range” We take the same approach as Moon Goddess then keep heading to the left to gain the next Arête from Moon Goddess. We link together two arêtes on ever steepening terrain. Short jam cracks over blocks typify this section of the climb with ample big ledges to rest and recover on. We continue on the very crest of the ridge for four pitches including one section where the ridge is “missing” for about four feet to one last tower. A short crack that looks intimidating turns out not to be so at all and suddenly it is all over and we step onto the summit plateau.
Moon Goddess: This is one of the areas great classics, with up to 18 pitches of great climbing, fun exposure, and great position. From the end of the scrambling approach six or seven fourth and easy fifth class pitches lead to the first real challenge, the first tower, which is passed on the right via an exposed 5.7 traverse. We climb over the tower and descend into the first notch. Above here the route looks very improbable, but we skirt right away from the massive ‘Ibrium Tower” via a traverse on a quartz ledge. One straight up pitch takes us to a huge jammed block and a great place to relax a while and have lunch. Three pitches, with one rappel, lead up the Arête proper to the summit plateau. The summit is a half hour away from the plateau.
Sun Ribbon Arête: This is the granddaddy of them all: 24 pitches of fun climbing complete with a Tyrolean traverse a third of the way up. In early season we take the snow up to the start or in late season when the snow is hard and icy there is often a gap between snow and rock that we can shimmy up. The challenges start from the outset with a 5.7 crack and chimney and this can be a brutal, cold wake-up. Above the dihedral we scramble on increasingly difficult 3rd class to the notch behind the first tiny tower. Six or so pitches superb pitches on perfect lead to the Tyrolean. It is possible to rap/climb the Tyrolean but how often do you get a Tyrolean traverse partway up a climb? Plus it makes for great photos. There is spike of rock across the 20 foot gap that calls for ‘western techniques” and this is where our practice for Bishop's Mule Days comes in handy. One the spike is lassoed, we clip in with carabiners and slide across to the safety of a horizontal ridge leading to a 40' rappel off a tower. We traverse around the corner and to the big notch at the base of the 11th, crux, pitch. If we have to escape now's the time via a rappel and climb up the adjacent gully. But since we are here to do Sun Ribbon Arête rather than Sun Ribbon Gully we will tackle the crux. This is a 5.9/10a traverse across steep face out of the notch. But since the belay is straight above the notch below we make it easier by hauling packs. The next pitch is 5.8 and leads to more horizontal ridge climbing. At the 15th pitch there is a rappel, another good escape left into the gully. Otherwise nearly ten short pitches leads to the summit plateau. If this one does not tire you out we are not what will!
Descents: For all routes we head down towards the South Fork of Big Pine Creek via faint use trails. We climb over a minor blunt ridge towards Mt. Alice and do a short half-rope length rappel into flat sandy Contact Pass. For the final section back to the base of the routes we may have snow, which actually makes life easier as it avoid a very loose rock glacier (A rock glacier is a core of ice covered by rock and rubble. But it is still a glacier so it moves, albeit very slowly)
Notes
  The best guidebooks are Supertopo's “High Sierra Climbing” by Chris McNamara. and Peter Croft's “The Good, The Great, and the Awesome”.
Get them from Maximus Press.
You can also get our detailed unpublished SMC Guide to Temple Crag here.
We highly recommend that you spend at least one night at moderate altitude (higher than 8,000') just prior to the trip. Spending a night in Mammoth would do the trick or better yet, camped at an even higher trailhead, such as one of the campgrounds in Big Pine Creek for a night just before the trip. Glacier Lodge is also a good lodging option. Please refer to our Planning for Success info sheet for more info.
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