Heidi Mackral, Deadend Dihedral (5.12a), Stawamus Chief, BC

Rising from the treed shadows of Squamish’s Grand Wall, this climb weaves with the precision of a Betsy Ross flag up a three-pitch dihedral. Micro-brassies protect the entire route but are especially key on its testy first pitch (shown here). And at this thin, thin size (your biggest piece is a Metolius #1 TCU), placing pro, though time-consuming and strenuous, is dead necessary. When you encounter sickly tips in a shallow corner, like you do on Deadend Dihedral, arête management and dicey, cornered-out foot smears are often the only way through. Folks with smaller digits may get some fingerlock relief, but those of us with Jimmy Deans pay a much heavier price.

Mike Anderson, Touchstone Wall (V 5.13b), Zion National Park, Utah

Zion National Park is the king of mini-big walls and will leave you with more sand in your face than Daytona Beach. For most, Touchstone remains a classic aid climb, but for those capable of freeing the grade, it offers blissful fingerlocking — especially the 5.12c third pitch (right). This diamond-cut splitter has been rubbed so clean by thousands of aid ascents, you’ll feel like you’re in the Valley. Lock after lock, the 180-foot ropelength goes on.
Finger cracks are highly sought after, offering the challenge of hard grades with secure climbing on great gear, the jams kinesthetically pleasing and intuitive compared to wider sizes. And while you might have a hard time getting your rubber-covered toes into a finger crack, the locks often feel so bomber you could build a belay off them. On P3 of Touchstone Wall, you’ll also want lots of small TCUs.