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Gene Pool
Trad climber
A trailer park in Santa Cruz
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Topic Author's Original Post - Dec 25, 2007 - 01:41am PT
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Below is a slightly expanded el cap trip report that Floride suggested I post in a new thread so it might reach a wider audience. Hope you enjoy the photos. It was a blast.
Thanks Nanook for checking to make sure we were ok up there. You got it mostly right. The gear on Zodiak is Gene's. Zak is solo on the shortest straw - just to the west. On Friday when everthing began to thaw some ice started getting a little too close for comfort so Wigball rapped to the ground for a few hours until things settled down.
In case you want visions of pitons and ice fall to replace sugar plums, here are a few photos from my brother and my first wall together.
The preparations begin - I was really wishing I had a band saw
Free climbing on pitch 2
Cathedral Rocks!- pre storm
The conditions worsen
How overhung is this part of El Cap?
Another view of the weather shadow we were living in.
My brother leading pitch 4 a couple moves before taking a 40' fall when a head pulled inches from a bolt. Luckily he was smart? enough to not clip any of the heads below so he didn't have to replace any of them. I can't say I would be so brave, but it is a bold example to follow.
My brother belaying me on the killer pitch 5
Cathedral rocks a couple days later
This one is for a friend who isn't sure if she wants to try climbing after she saw an advert in a climbing mag of bloodied hands.
Pitch 5 from the belay with Wigball in the distance preparing to 'journey through the brain' on the shortest straw
Friday and the Sun is out!
My bro with my custom made french press model xmas stove from wigball - thanks santa.
I must not be much of a climber because my favorite day was this day where we sat out the worst of the storm reading and drinking coffee and whisky.
During the storm, I peeked out and saw wigball who was much more exposed to snow and ice than we
The camera didn't capture much of the snow, but it was amazing to see a curtain of snow falling 100' out from us
The storm breaks...and the ice starts falling from the rim
My brother grumpy on a wet pitch 8 with tons of rope drag. Mike "slack!" Me "do you want more than 10'?"
And the top!
Our hasty full moon bivy stamped out at 10pm - it felt like 3am when we ate lentil soup and candy while falling asleep.
Half Dome was a beautiful sight before the reality of the descent hit home
The way down was definitely the hardest, most dangerous part of this trip. 8 hours of dragging two bags each down the icy east ledges only to find the road to el cap meadow closed. But at least we made it home for xmas! Barely. Good luck to wigball who will be on the wall for a while longer. Thanks to Wigball, Peter and Rich for lending us gear.
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Fluoride
Trad climber
Hollywood, CA
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Dec 25, 2007 - 01:42am PT
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Nice job hardmen!!! Killer pics.
You said in the other thread this was your first time up the Captain?? A winter ascent nonetheless. Very proud!
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marky
climber
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Dec 25, 2007 - 01:58am PT
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enjoyed reading that, thanks
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sweatyballs
Trad climber
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Dec 25, 2007 - 02:08am PT
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Awesome work fellas with killer pics to boot! Congrats, mike
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Wayno
Big Wall climber
Seattle, WA
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Dec 25, 2007 - 02:28am PT
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Very nice fellas. My first el cap route was also the Trip in winter. I think my trip was in 82. Once again, well done. I suffered on that descent. Worst I'de ever done. cheers.
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Ammon
Big Wall climber
El Cap
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Dec 25, 2007 - 04:55am PT
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CONGRATS!! You guys are contending with BURT BRONSON, seriously!
Niiice pics.
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Mr. D
Trad climber
West Coast
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Dec 25, 2007 - 07:54am PT
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SUH-ICK! nice work guys. what a trip!
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'Pass the Pitons' Pete
Big Wall climber
like Oakville, Ontario, Canada, eh?
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Dec 25, 2007 - 09:50am PT
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Man, the top looks scary with all that snow! How were the final few pitches? And what about that last bit up to the rim, above the ledge with the big tree-bush?
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Rhodo-Router
Gym climber
Otto, NC
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Dec 25, 2007 - 12:04pm PT
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big white bump for the abominable snowmen
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msiddens
Trad climber
Mountain View, CA
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Dec 25, 2007 - 12:35pm PT
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Totally enjoyable TR. Thanks for sharing!
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billygoat
climber
3hrs to El Cap Meadow, 1.25hrs Pinns, 42min Castle
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Dec 25, 2007 - 12:39pm PT
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Nice work JP and Mike! Looks cozy up there.
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Mighty Hiker
Social climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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Dec 25, 2007 - 12:59pm PT
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Thank you - looks like an excellent adventure. Did you have a fire on top, to celebrate, or was it too late for such? It would seem a poetic thing to do - top out, warm yourselves by the fire under the light of the moon. But I guess you were pretty tired. :-)
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Gene Pool
Trad climber
A trailer park in Santa Cruz
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Topic Author's Reply - Dec 25, 2007 - 03:09pm PT
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No fire on top. We were too tired. We heated up soup from our sleeping bags. I don't know if other people have had the same problem, but there is a rock horn that is perfectly situated to catch the haul line on the last pitch. So I had to rappell down and figure out what was going on and after all that, I just wanted to crash.
The last couple pitches were wet, but doing them at night meant that there wasn't much ice. In the morning, they probably would have been hard. Ivo was nice and offered to drop ropes to us if we got stuck by ice, but luckily we didn't need to take him up on the offer.
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pimp daddy wayne
climber
The Bat Caves
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Dec 25, 2007 - 03:31pm PT
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Nice work!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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10b4me
climber
1/2way between Yos and Moab
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Dec 25, 2007 - 03:54pm PT
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thanks
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Lambone
Ice climber
Ashland, Or
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Dec 25, 2007 - 04:16pm PT
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sick!
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spyork
Social climber
A prison of my own creation
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Dec 25, 2007 - 04:17pm PT
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Cool stuff. That looked bold up there in the winter. Thanks for the TR!
Merry Xmas!
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Mungeclimber
Trad climber
sorry, just posting out loud.
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Dec 25, 2007 - 04:53pm PT
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so good
*cross posting to bigwalls.net
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Levy
Big Wall climber
So Cal
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Dec 25, 2007 - 06:27pm PT
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Very cool. Nice to have done it in winter conditions. Big props to both of you!
Levy
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OhYeah!!!
Trad climber
Sacramento, CA
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Dec 25, 2007 - 11:55pm PT
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Just to clear things up. It was not our first wall, it was our first wall together as bros. I had an awesome time with my bro and I appreciate all the support we got. This includes the phone calls that said "I hope you guys bailed, cause there is a huge storm in Yosemite right now," the warnings before we left "you guys are nuts," and even the occasional shout from the valley floor while we were on the wall that said "You guys are gonna die." Thanks so much, Mike.
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