LSBF is the stuff for 5.6. In an area with phenomenal 5.6 routes it stands out as my fav, certainly the first pitch.

Chip, imagine if all of us used only initials for route names.

Good point, Oeno. I could claim that I was following Evan's example but we all know how foolish even that concept is.
LSBF=Last Shall Be First

Thanks Chip. I tried and failed to guess. Perhaps, in an addition to our ongoing Guess the route thread, we could have one in which the poster submits initials of at least four letters and the reader must puzzle it out. No fair peeping at a guidebook.

You mean like SWDMW, RCNTAFTF, TPATP, ROTFCC, and CTEP?

the only one i can get out of there is realm of the fifth class climber.

My votes are for Balrog, P38 and Turdland... I didn't like any of them...

This is a great thread, and one that has come back to life after nearly two years of death. When I first started climbing in the Gunks, there were the BIG 3 5.6's to do...Shockley's, Madame G's, and High E. The only one worth 3 stars is Madame G's. That being said, the middle pitch of Shockley's is probably the best pitch of 5.3 climbing in the Gunks. Just forget about the last pitch and do the route at 5.3...you'll have a much better experience.

I tend to not like contrived, squeezed in lines. Someone mentioned Turdland, and I think that falls into the contrived category nicely. I will put up my personal vote for worst starred route. It may not get 3 stars in the book, but Overhanging Layback doesn't deserve any stars as far as I am concerned. The crux on this thing is completyely contrived. It's 5.7 only if you do everything in your power to avoid the footrail 6 inches lower that makes it about 5.4. Shitty climbing.

I'm gonna get beat up by my next offering. Never Never Land has always struck me as quite possibly the very worst of Gunks climbing all packed into one pitch. Off angled climbing on greasy, sheared off glass crystals, protcted by bolts. I've been on this thing once and would NEVER voluntarily do it again.

Someone put Simple Suff in this list?? I have to protest. That is a fabulous route, once you get away from the ankle breaker start.

RR

Rob, I completely agree about the middle of Shockley's being great 5.3, with only Yum Yum being better and upper pitch of Gelsa right there.
I'm not on the harder climbs very much anymore and often don't remember them well enough to comment, but I was on Never Never a couple years ago and just don't see the allure of that pitch other than knowing there is bolt pro.

I resorted to Swain's index and still only figured out two of these apart from Realm.