Steve, I'm guessing that when Jim asks if I have climbed in Yosemite, he means technical rock climbing, to which the answer is no. (The rest of what follows is for Jim).
I don't consider the HD cables a technical rock climb, although I'm sure it could be done as such, if desired. I'm stuck in Ohio, but do have 3 years of indoor wall climbing experience, and one short outdoor rock climb in Alaska. My comment on 5.11 not being vertical comes from what my climbing mentor told me regarding our most difficult climbing wall (which
is completely vertical, and then some) -- namely, that if that climb were done outdoors on rock, it would be rated a 5.9. My logical assumption, based on that comment, is that anything rated higher than a 5.9 would likewise be vertical.
Since the a, b, c, d subdivisions of the YDS don't even kick in until 5.10, it's fair to say that those kinds of subdivisions were created to differentiate between difficult climbs and
really difficult climbs within each decimal point on the scale. That kind of technical differentiation doesn't exist on anything other than vertical or near-vertical climbs precisely because the need for such differentiation is not needed at the easier levels of climbing (i.e., easier Class 5). Since the YDS only goes up to 5.15b (as of 2008), it's also a reasonable deduction that 5.11, being not hugely lower than 5.15, would also be vertical.
But clearly you have the outdoor climbing experience, so if you say the cable section is 5.11, then I'll have to reconsider my opinion and do some more homework. However, as a step in that direction, I have to ask, if Snake Dike, which ascends the steeper side of Half Dome, is only rated a 5.7, then how can the less steep cable section on the east side of HD be rated a 5.11?
Also, given the descriptions of Class 4 through 5.15 listed separately below, I'm finding it a real stretch to put the cable section of HD anywhere in the 5.10-5.14 section listed below (or even in the Class 5 section at all, to be honest). I've done HD twice (and would have done it many more times if I lived conveniently close -- like Steve), and at my current comfort level, as long as I were wearing my rock climbing shoes, I would personally feel comfortable "climbing" just outside the cables without the benefit of a rope (in good weather, of course). It's not likely I would feel the same way on a true class 5 climb, esp. with similar exposure.
Class 4: Intermediate climbing with exposure extreme enough that most mountaineers will want a belay. A fall could be serious or fatal. Intermediate climbing requires the use of your hands and arms for pulling yourself up.
Class 5: Technical rock climbing is encompassed in Class 5 climbing. A rope, specialized equipment and training are used by the leader to protect against a fall.
5.0-5.4: A person of reasonable fitness can climb at this level with little or no rock climbing skills.
5.4-5.7: Requires rock climbing skills or strength.
5.7-5.9: Good rock climbing skills, rock shoes, and strength are generally needed to climb at this level.
5.10-5.15: Excellent rock climbing skills and training are required to climb and maintain the ability to climb this level of rock.
Many climbs have also been subcategorized with a (+) or a (-) indicating more or less difficult. I have found that some guide books will often use the (+) (-) ratings for climbs easier than 5.10. Many guide books use a,b,c,d to define the difficulty of a climb rather than the (+) or (-). For example, a 5.12d would be more difficult than a 5.12b.
CaT
