El Cap winter routes
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Messages 1 - 9 of total 9 in this topic
mb

Novice climber
boulder
Topic Author's Original Post - Nov 10, 2002 - 12:39am PT
Can someone recommend routes on El Cap that would be mostly free of H20 and Ice fall in winter
zod

Novice climber
peanut
Topic Author's Reply - Nov 10, 2002 - 03:50pm PT
think short and steep...
Chris McNamara

SuperTopo staff member
Nov 11, 2002 - 06:03pm PT
Area between AO wall and zodiac is pretty dry. I know there is a wet section on Aurora and there may occasionally by we sections on the routes in that area but for the most part they are dry. Mescalito area can also be good but I have seen some big ice sheets crash into the wall there.
Max

Novice climber
der ditch
Nov 11, 2002 - 06:22pm PT
I heard that there's somebody on, like, the 3rd pitch of Mescalito today. Anybody wanna take a crack at their chance of success? I heard there's another storm coming in on Wed., but not from any solid sources....

swm
WeatherMan

Novice climber
Topic Author's Reply - Nov 11, 2002 - 06:24pm PT
Hmmm....weather looks pretty good all week actually.

<a href="http://weather.yahoo.com/forecast/USCA1269_f.html">http://weather.yahoo.com/forecast/USCA1269_f.html</a>;
rf

Novice climber
Topic Author's Reply - Nov 11, 2002 - 06:28pm PT
I got destroyed on Mescalito during a spring storm. Just rain and snow mostly, but we had to chip ice out of the Bismarck and a few other places. Basically it was a shivery, semi-hypothermic couple a days that I wouldn't really recommend. Besides, Mescalito is so damn big that you better have a pretty good forecast. You may as well jet up and do the Shield as far as I'm concerned.
drop bush not bombs

Advanced climber
Topic Author's Reply - Nov 11, 2002 - 07:36pm PT
starting with SPACE TO,lost in america,zm or the zod, i"ve been on native son and the zod in full winter conditions SNOW!! LOw on the zod u get wet after pitch untill pitch 5 or so and topping out. N.S is even steeper, still got wet. winter wall climbing is NOT fun, yes their are no crowds, yet their is no feelings in your fingers either. best to bring a stove for warm cocktails and make sure your ledge can handle the serious UP drafts on the Captain when it Blows.
Chris McNamara

SuperTopo staff member
Nov 11, 2002 - 08:01pm PT
I should have made it clear in the earlier post that there is no perfectly sheltered route on El Cap. Snow and water can get you in many places, even on the steep side. I think overall the best winter route is the Zodiac. Sure the first 3-5 pitches can be wet, but you can usually blast through those when you know the weather is good. The biggest concern is what will things be like if you have to top out in a storm. routes like Trip, Native Son, ZM and others in that area all slab out for the last few hundred feet making them epic in a storm (and who wants to be rescued two pitches from the top!). the zodiac has a relatively steep and dry finish (but it will also be epic to finish in a storm).
jalopy

Novice climber
Topic Author's Reply - Nov 13, 2002 - 06:15am PT
Let's get 'er done, p@.
Messages 1 - 9 of total 9 in this topic
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