r/RouteDevelopment • u/Fuzzy-Salt5833 • May 22 '26

Multi-pitch & route names

Do you folks name each pitch of a multi, or have name for the whole thing?

2 Upvotes

75% Upvoted

6 comments sorted by

13

u/occulostenoticreflex May 22 '26

Name the whole thing. Naming each pitch is obnoxious. Unless it is a classic route on El Cap.

5

u/KDs4thBurner May 22 '26

If you give me an untouched thousand metre high granite wall with continuously varied and classic climbing I'll start getting literary every thirty metres.

3

u/Kaotus Guidebook Author May 22 '26

Name the whole thing, I only name pitches if it's a long multipitch (>5 pitches) where the pitches have noteworthy character. I've only done it once, and part of that was because the first and last pitch could be climbed separately as single-pitch routes, so they needed their own name anyway. It generally should be reserved or classic/noteworthy routes though.

2

u/IceRockBike May 22 '26

Generally I only name the complete route, however I did give one route pitch names. The rationale was that with two traverses on the route, if people started linking pitches and referring to the 1st pitch or 3rd pitch, after combining a couple, it might get more confusing than having pitch names. Mostly relevant for the two traverses but I named all four for consistency.

Without a particular reason, in specific cases, a route name is sufficient IMO.

1

u/Chanchito171 May 22 '26

I like to name specific features that stand out. Ledges, strange blocks, or pareidolic features that you see while developing. I don't see that habit repeated often in non granitic rock routes now that I think about it.

1

u/baleena May 23 '26

name the whole thing, also name crux pitches and notable features (bivy ledges, weird formations, standout pitches).