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Great Pumpkin 5.8R & Roseanne 5.9R 
Route quality:
B. Kamps, B. Couch, 1969 (GP) - A. Bartlett, J. Wilson, 1980s (R)
Number of pitches: 4
Approach Time: 15-20 minutes
Climbing Time: 2-4 hours
Descent Time: 20-30 minutes
Sun exposure: Afternoon until sunset
About the Climb
Great Pumpkin is an excellent route that links up a series of flakes, corners and knobby face sections up the right side of Fairview Dome. The climbing is aesthetic, enjoyable and clean with some exciting run-outs and a routefinding section on the last pitch. It makes a good introduction to true Tuolumne slab climbing.
Make sure that you are comfortable at the grade, and expect several runouts for both the leader and the follower. This is a committing route that demands a cool head with sometimes poor pro, big exposure, and relatively long runouts, so make sure you have experience on runout Tuolumne routes before getting on it. The rock is excellent, although a few gear placement must be made in sometimes questionable flakes.
The neighboring route, Roseanne, is also a great climb that delivers plenty of exposure and airy face climbing. Looking at it from below, the route seems improbable, but once up there, the knobs and edges start to appear just where you need them. The climbing is slightly runout in sections, and the line meanders around linking features together. Make sure that the follower is as experienced as the leader, because the first 2 pitches traverse quite a bit, making it very intimidating for the follower. The rock on Roseanne is solid and very clean, with incredible sections of knobs and golden polish.
Both Great Pumpkin and Roseanne receive afternoon sun, so they're a great way to round out the day, and a good choice on a hot morning. They also make a great alternative if Regular Route (5.9) or Lucky Streaks (5.10d) are busy.
Low Resolution GearLoopTopo Preview
Minimum order of 3 GearLoopTopos
The GearLoopTopo
Our GearLoopTopo for Great Pumpkin also includes all the information you need to climb Roseanne (5.9R), with directions starting from the Tuolumne campground.
Possible Combinations
You can climb Great Pumpkin and Roseanne back to back for the perfect combination. Other high quality routes can also be found on Fairview Dome and make a great combination if you can climb very fast. The all-time classic Regular Route (5.9) is a great choice, and can be free of traffic later in the afternoon. Otherwise, Lucky Streaks (5.10d) goes up the big corner just to the left of Roseanne and is also a high quality route that should not be missed by 5.10 climbers.
Similar Climbs
For other great routes with a mix of slab and cracks at a similar grade, check out South Crack (5.8R), the South Face of North Dome (5.8), Aqua Knobby (5.9), Crying Time Again (5.10a), Blown Away (5.9), and On the Lamb (5.9).
Download the Great Pumpkin PDF file or visit the
PDF Center.
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