Climbing Autobahn on the South Face of Half Dome (5.11+ R)

Years ago while obsessively researching routes in Yosemite, I came across a line on the south face of Half Dome called Autobahn and added it to my mental todo list. It was first climbed in 1985 but is seldom done today due to its runout nature. Some pitches contain a single protection bolt in 150 feet of climbing and there are many sections of runout 5.10 along with a mandatory 11+ mantle that can’t be pulled through. Adrian Vanoni and I set out to climb it swapping leads as we inched our way up the route. On my lead on pitch 6, I came to a fresh rock fall scar where a left facing corner was shown on the original topo. It turned out that a 20 foot section of the route had fallen off and we either had to bail or pioneer a new way around it. I pendulumed to an adjacent dike and climbed it till I was able to step back onto the original route. Adrian was able to free climb a new slab variation to the original anchor, which is now only a single bolt. We continued up and topped out before 4pm, very happy to have all 4 of our ankles in tact. We climbed this thing on 5/7/21. Check Mountain Project for a topo and beta if anyone is interested in climbing this rad line.

[@davidkoch5018]

The bolt spacing on Half Dome is so ridiculous! Great climb guys!

[@camjcasey]

The belay with just the 1 bolt and "okay" .4 would have scared me so much. Nice footage! So solid!

[@JordanGreenPNW]

Quickly becoming my favorite channel on YT, keep 'em coming dude!

[@garydrawsandpaints7745]

Boy I’ve done a lot of long face climbs in my life but watching you guys do this route gave me the Hebbie-Jebbies. Great work piecing that all together

[@jacknugent4812]

The runout over the roof looked NUTS; Adrian is my hero

[@steventhaw3765]

"Brave, Courageous, and Bold!"

[@kurtstolzenburg544]

Dude you are really kicking ass and taking names, and your partners too, very nice route selection, I have only bailed from the SF, did the reg, snake a couple of times, but we got spit out of the Harding route after only a couple of pitches.... such a incredible wall and place to be....I’m trying to come back now after 20+yrs. glad I found your channel, buying gear again is strange.... always got it handed to me before through whatever pro deals I could get.... keep on producing bro...strength and honor!🐺🦅🧗🏻‍♂️🗡!

[@bryanschmitz7235]

"thanks for the directional" love that, keep crushing Tyler!

[@quasarproductions2690]

Palms are sweaty, knees weak arms are heavy. I love watching this stuff, don't know how you can keep your hands dry though. My sympathetic nervous system races when I watch this.

[@NickLargusa]

Hey Tyler, I love your content and it gives me a lot of stoke! I’ve looked at autobahn and read as much as I could about it but watching it climbed is dope! Keep up the good work!

[@veins91]

New subscriber and been going through the last couple years video, stoked to see a brand new post at this moment!

[@samhparker]

This was sick! Mad props to y'all for those runouts, didn't look like the easiest slab to work your way through either. Love seeing your content man, especially of sweet lines in the valley.

[@mitchellbarnow1709]

Really awesome climb with beautiful views! We were just in Yosemite Valley until May 5, 2021. The weather was incredible!

[@adammiller9179]

What a BEAUTIFUL route! I am dying to get out west...... Another great video Tyler! Keep it up please.

[@mls01981]

Found this video for a second time after hearing Adrian on the RunOut Podcast!!!

[@brianwhelan3012]

best content on youtube. love the stoke, already waiting in anticipation for the next vid.

[@Kraken_Meister]

Went up the cables a few days before you did your route here, on the 4th, wonderful weather and very few people :) nice climbing, that's the next goal for us!

[@rbmh]

Excellent Climbing. Amazing to Watch. Excellent Filming Work.

[@seananderson5450]

Wow. Great job on research and continuing through the natural modification and toppings out! I used to climb but now it scares me

[@Mike_In_Idaho]

I love climbing and I think my stomach turned inside out and squeezed my intestines to mush. Holy moly!!!!! Well done, great video!

[@peterjuha549]

Thanks dude, you give me back memories ❤

[@Jake295A]

This channel is a gold mine

[@BryceU]

Hell yea Tyler. Always sending the good stuff.

[@destructoau7526]

What a great looking route, nice work

[@barefootgardener316]

Killer vid! keep it up man

[@mitchellbarnow1709]

All that you ever hear about is the "North Face", so many things are named after that iconic, incredible looking fault line that makes a straight line between Half Dome, Glacier Point and Sentinel Rock! I am glad that you didn't do the same old route. The South Face looks amazing as you hike to it from Little Yosemite Valley.

[@telephonic]

Love this channel.

[@epincion]

Those flakes at the top were sketchy ++, well done. Balls of steel.

[@JohnMiddendorf]

Nice one!

[@JohnMiddendorf]

That last pitch was my lead. Charles thought the line had to go left, but I felt the line straight up looked doable and went for it. Took me about 20 minutes to drill the bolt over the roof, standing one foot on that dime edge just above the lip. Normally I could drill a 1/4” in about 3 minutes, but that stance was so tenuous I had to go slow. Very glad I had the Bates Problem on Columbia Boulder so wired, very similar move! Also back then we didn’t have small cams so didn’t have that piece in the second overlap, big runout. Good job!

[@JohnMiddendorf]

Wondering who put in all those bomber bolts. We used 1/4” Taperbolts on the first ascent, and a few 1/4” Rawl split shanks (1 1/4” long) on the first ascent. Looks bomber now!

[@JohnMiddendorf]

At 12:24 if you want to re-enact the first ascent, that is when Charles Cole yelled out, “Bring on the ringer!”. Definitely helped my confidence as I prepared to drill the bolt above the overlaps. :)

[@tylerkarow]

John! Thanks for the history! You're experience on the FA sounds wild... I honestly couldn't imagine. If you have a chance, please check out my comment on the Mountain Project page for this route. Part of the route fell off and I think it could use another bolt. Would love you to review and to get your permission so someone else could potentially add it. Cheers, Tyler www.mountainproject.com/route/105939157/autobahn

[@JohnMiddendorf]

@@tylerkarow sound like a good plan. You “own” the route as much as me of course, so you don’t need permission from me! :)

[@alderpeirce7705]

u guys are so cool i want to be like you when im older

[@courtclimbs]

Dang this is sick, I would love to get to this point one day! 💛

[@martyroberts2403]

Cole and Middendorf did themselves proud with that one!

[@alpardal]

Great video!

[@harrisonaero]

Nice climb and edit:)

[@patrickbarry8374]

Love the footage! Looks like a beautiful line...albeit freaky. I don't have as much experience with run outs quite like this one. Any idea on how the pucker factor would compare to Figures On A Landscape in Josh. That climb I have done and loved it. (clearly this is a far larger route)

[@jackgreener2864]

You're my new fave youtuber

[@alcupone6462]

Such rad line, does not even look that sketchy with the new bolts. Cool send, congrats!

[@EvanWisheropp]

The sketchy is the distance between the bolts {facepalm}

[@bennettstone3784]

feeling like you sent a pitch at each bolt

[@doug7892]

rad line indeed!

[@codyfivecoat7621]

Wild.

[@andresgalvez]

When you guys see the R, do you immediately hop on MP and see what's what? Like just how R is the R?

[@luke5897]

I like how you just let out that this was also the speed record of the route

[@1234qwerlmao]

Those formations! o_O

[@nowdatsfresh]

9:08 That is a gnarly runout

[@aza1479]

Ah that rock looks so good

[@enricociuppa7093]

what a piece of rock

[@nickbeegle7612]

another tyler video another like

[@jontweedlie6394]

been on a upload spree eh? keep it up man

[@escaladaseguraamimanera3621]

peazo de via. me gusto el video

[@jStoeh]

Nice work dude, there looked like there was zero holds on that last pitch. What keeps you going?

[@benjaminkugler3811]

how tf can you get a grip there? oO this is insane man^^ awesome video :-)

[@danballarin]

I would have been singing this song the whole time

[@johntuttle9544]

Damn that stone is beautiful. Thx for the vid. Rare route. Ps: one thumbs down from a gym gumby.

[@letteratura2]

More more moreeeee

[@KarmaNdTheHeads]

Are those hooks already in the rocks that you connect to or do you put them there ?

[@idkanymore6634]

bro how do only have 5k subs

[@simongalansky9204]

Whats Your camera?? Gopro?

[@DiosaDe1So1]

Question from a non climber: Are those bolts usually already on the rocks that climber uses to clip themselves to?

[@jc3940]

Yes, but some climber put them there before which is pretty awesome for the rust of us!

[@volingaming1663]

How do you get down?

[@cbrass6]

What was your time from car to car?

[@howardcobb4354]

Nerve wracking face climbing, even from my chair :(

[@Constitution1789]

What do you do when your partner falls and you're left in a precarious situation with all that gear?

[@joshed1937]

Why are all the climbs on half dome so unprotected?

[@camjcasey]

because of the ethics and history.

[@miguelcastorena4293]

hand drilling bolts on lead at stance is tiring work

[@McGirr5799]

How was the hauling done, you attached your pack midway on the tag line?

[@samdegr]

I don’t understand how they climbed this... With their massive balls weighing them down