But really, wait a minute. Let objectivity take the upper hand and look closely at the gear routes on the Sunshine Wall. I know, I know, we've all climbed them perhaps too many times truly to be the judge of their quality. Familiarity breeds boredom which leads to apathy. I've done Air Guitar on many a sunny winter day and didn't even recall afterwards.

But these are really extraordinarily good crack climbs, all arranged side by side. Relentlessly steep and pumpy. Calf burning stemming jobs. Interesting gear placements. Spectacular views. And they are warm and dry on most days when the rest of the Northwest is drenched in rain or the snow is piled high. Worthy of a page of speculations on this site, for sure.

Presented here is a graded list of some of the more popular routes. The ratings are reflecting my personal experience leading these routes and differ a bit from the ones found in the Yoder book. They are based on years of climbing at this level all over the west. They also act as a commentary to the steady devaluation of the once respected middle grades.

The first step in producing such a list is to establish the signature 5.9 of the area and then compare the rest of the climbs to this route. But which one is that? Well, let's zoom out a little from Vantage and look at the whole state of Washington. Risking to falsely claim authority on the subject, I would like to declare the crux 4th pitch of Outer Space as the standard of the grade, never to be touched or edited.

The second step is to avoid absolutism. In other words, let the peculiarities and uniqueness of the area shine through. Vantage is soft when it comes to ratings. Let it remain a bit soft, because that's how we've come to like it out there in the desert. We go there mostly in the winter months when the form curve for some of us dips low, precisely when a little ego boost is a good motivational force. Yet some adjustment seems in order.

So I will call George and Martha the Vantage 5.9. Obviously a bit easier than the crux on Outer Space, yet the route contains some stiff, varied challenges, from steep jughauling to the OW enigma at the top. Besides, it is a super route. A perfect choice.

The routes are listed in order of difficulty. I have been lucky enough to be able to attempt all of them on sight, and failed only on Crackmaster Lambada, ergo this is the hardest on the list. I'm never really in top shape, but on the other hand have about the same leading ability year round, whether it's off the couch or just returning from weeks on the road, making the list as objective as possible. Still, it is just one climbers opinion.

The list