Discussion Topic |
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Largo
Sport climber
The Big Wide Open Face
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Topic Author's Original Post - May 29, 2017 - 04:56pm PT
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On May 27, 2017, Jon Cardwell and Sasha DiGiulian completed the first continuous free ascent of the Misty Wall, Yosemite Valley, an iconic, 1,700-foot big wall first climbed by Royal Robbins and Dick McCracken in 1964. Cardwell and Marcus Garcia had freed all the pitches last September, adding a direct finish that busts dynamic moves out a big roof, followed by 5.12 face climbing to an exposed hanging belay. The next pitch (12) tracks a spectacular 5.12 splitter crack up the 95 degree headwall.
However winter came before the pair could tic the whole shebang in one go. The climbing - which largely follows the steep, sickle-shaped corner several hundred feet right of Yosemite Falls - is stout, at solid 5.13; but the bigger challenge is linking all the pitches in a mega-endurance push.
Cardwell (one of the few climbers worldwide who boulders V15 and leads 5.15) and DiGiulian (recently returned to 5.14 form) were both coming off strong seasons sport climbing and training in Spain. But during their two days of sessioning the route prior to the send, Sasha could only manage short sections of the thuggish roof pitch, and was never close to linking the whole business. Yet on the push, she went for the lead and powered through the roof on her first try - that's a champion rising to the occasion, right there. They only had an hour of light left by then, and Sasha was gassed, so she only had one go in her.
By the time they reached the 5.12 splitter crack, 1,600 feet and a dozen leads up the wall, Cardwell's arms were cramping and his hands were curling into claws. And Sasha (after flashing the crux roof pitch) fizzled out not once but twice trying to follow the splitter, and twice had to lower to the bolts, guzzle a Red Bull, then have at it again before she got the pitch in one go. No quit in that climber.
Yosemite Falls - a few hundred feet to the left - is gushing like the Euphrates in flood, so the adventure had a wildness to it. The pair needed most every ray of daylight to complete the push, topping out 14.5 hours after starting at the base that morning. The long hike down the falls trail, which they managed in the dark with headlamps, is all swirling mist and spray from the gusher, roaring like Kingdom Come.
For a cranker, airball thriller, the Misty Wall might be hard to beat.
Here's a couple pics from the send:
Climbing photos by John Evans and Marcus Garcia
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Lynne Leichtfuss
Trad climber
Will know soon
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May 29, 2017 - 05:04pm PT
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Enjoying this on a beautiful Holiday weekend. John Long, you do know how to capture it. Cheers, L.
Edit: Saw the photo credits at first read. Your words capture it.
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Largo
Sport climber
The Big Wide Open Face
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Topic Author's Reply - May 29, 2017 - 05:05pm PT
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On-cliff photos by John Evans ("Jevans") and Marcus Garcia. Wide shots of the wall and the route by Ted Distel.
I can't shoot a pig with a shotgun.
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Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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May 29, 2017 - 05:05pm PT
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very cool!
great story about another Golden Age wall that that has gone free in these modern times.
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Mungeclimber
Trad climber
Nothing creative to say
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May 29, 2017 - 05:06pm PT
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Short pitches seem the best option on a wall like this. Else trying to overcome the noise of a the Falls on a big water year would be deafening.
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WBraun
climber
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May 29, 2017 - 05:14pm PT
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Whoa !!! Bad ass
The new Freestone2 ......
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High Fructose Corn Spirit
Gym climber
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May 29, 2017 - 06:25pm PT
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That's got to be one of the most awesome, adventurous
looking roofs I've ever seen. Cool!
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Kalimon
Social climber
Ridgway, CO
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May 29, 2017 - 08:40pm PT
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Spectacular! The Falls is an entity up there.
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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May 29, 2017 - 08:48pm PT
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Proud and sensational effort from all involved especially the pair of dreamweavers that put it all together in a push!
The classic lines of yesteryear become the iconic testpieces of modern free climbing and this one is impressive. Well done!
Fantastic photos and splendid reporting!
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Delhi Dog
climber
Good Question...
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May 29, 2017 - 08:56pm PT
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Wild!
Thanks Largo.
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Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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May 29, 2017 - 08:57pm PT
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from Roper's 1971 guide:
Upper Yosemite Fall-East Side
VI, 5.9, A4. Dick McCracken and Royal Robbins, June 1963.
Starting near the base of the Arrow Chimney route, walk out a prominent ledge toward the nearby waterfall. Traverse on the highest possible horizontal crack (using several aid pins) and turn a corner left to gain entrance to a left-facing corner. Mixed free and aid climbing (5.9, A1) leads upward for three pitches to huge ledges. Follow the Giant's Staircase up and right for several hundred feet. Two 5.9 pitches up a trough end at a sling belay. Two more pitches, involving aid, jamming and sling belays, lead to the top of the trough. The next pitch (5.8 except for a short A1 roof) leads to a stance with a bolt. Next, climb a difficult crack to an excellent ledge on the right. Three pitches, consisting mainly of strenuous nailing, lead to a sling belay below the summit roofs. Nail straight left under a roof, then pendulum left to a ledge. The next lead is much the same: left, then up, then a pendulum left. This pitch ends on a small ledge just right of a large roof. Nail left under the roof (A4) to a belay ledge. An easy nailing pitch leads left under yet another roof and ends at a cave. From here climb around a corner onto slabs at the brink of the Upper Fall.
Hardware: 40-45 pitons, from rurps to 3" bongs (2).
from Meyers and Reid's 1986 guide (the "blue" guide)
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Largo
Sport climber
The Big Wide Open Face
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Topic Author's Reply - May 29, 2017 - 09:22pm PT
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from Roper's 1971 guide:
Upper Yosemite Fall-East Side
VI, 5.9, A4. Dick McCracken and Royal Robbins, June 1963.
Starting near the base of the Arrow Chimney route, walk out a prominent ledge toward the nearby waterfall. Traverse on the highest possible horizontal crack (using several aid pins) and turn a corner left to gain entrance to a left-facing corner. Mixed free and aid climbing (5.9, A1) leads upward for three pitches to huge ledges. Follow the Giant's Staircase up and right for several hundred feet. Two 5.9 pitches up a trough end at a sling belay. Two more pitches, involving aid, jamming and sling belays, lead to the top of the trough. The next pitch (5.8 except for a short A1 roof) leads to a stance with a bolt. Next, climb a difficult crack to an excellent ledge on the right. Three pitches, consisting mainly of strenuous nailing, lead to a sling belay below the summit roofs. Nail straight left under a roof, then pendulum left to a ledge. The next lead is much the same: left, then up, then a pendulum left. This pitch ends on a small ledge just right of a large roof. Nail left under the roof (A4) to a belay ledge. An easy nailing pitch leads left under yet another roof and ends at a cave. From here climb around a corner onto slabs at the brink of the Upper Fall.
Hardware: 40-45 pitons, from rurps to 3" bongs (2).
The original route, described above, traverses left at the roof beneath the headwall. The free line busts straight over the roof (5.13) then up a 5.12 splitter to the Party Ledge, with only a short 5.7 chimney beneath up to the rim.
The interesting note here is this bit from the Roper guide: "Next, climb a difficult crack to an excellent ledge on the right." That "difficult crack" (rated a "5.8 squeeze" on the topo) is an unprotected 5.10 squeeze and flare that gave the team fits. And almost did Sasha in. Marcus Garcia, who's done stacks of grim valley off width climbs, said the squeezes was "real".
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donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
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May 29, 2017 - 09:25pm PT
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Sweet....congrats!
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GDavis
Social climber
SOL CAL
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May 29, 2017 - 10:51pm PT
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Sweet! Thanks for sharing.
I met Jon last fall, really down to earth dude. Helped teach a bouldering clinic to a bunch of newbies out in the buttermilks for the AAC fall highball event. Great guy.
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i-b-goB
Social climber
Wise Acres
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May 29, 2017 - 11:16pm PT
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Move over Astroman that's one Galactic Lady!
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mouse from merced
Trad climber
The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.
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May 30, 2017 - 02:57am PT
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One of the best-looking lines ever.
Fourth photo down does it justice.
Awe-inspiring effort.
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survival
Big Wall climber
Terrapin Station
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May 30, 2017 - 06:51am PT
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Holy buckets Madge!
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PhilG
Trad climber
The Circuit, Tonasket WA
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May 30, 2017 - 07:07am PT
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Thanks, John
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hooblie
climber
from out where the anecdotes roam
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May 30, 2017 - 08:31am PT
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simply amazing! i just spilled thrill all over the place ...
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aspendougy
Trad climber
Los Angeles, CA
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May 30, 2017 - 11:40am PT
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Thank you for the nice post. It's too bad Royal Robbins is no longer around to comment on the "5.8" squeeze now rated "5.10". Does anyone have access to any comments he made about the route?
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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May 30, 2017 - 11:53am PT
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Burly and beautiful. Nice send kids! Thanks for sharing Largo.
Scott
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Johannsolo
climber
Soul Cal
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May 30, 2017 - 02:04pm PT
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You should have taken Cardwell on Henny's top 10 circuit when he came to Rubidoux.
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mouse from merced
Trad climber
The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.
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May 30, 2017 - 03:33pm PT
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It's too bad Royal Robbins is no longer around to comment on the "5.8" squeeze now rated "5.10".
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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May 30, 2017 - 03:51pm PT
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John... thanks for posting.
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BruceHildenbrand
Social climber
Mountain View/Boulder
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May 30, 2017 - 04:01pm PT
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Last fall was Jon Cardwell's first trip to the Valley. Conrad Anker was trying to convince him to do Steck-Salathe as a rite of passage and I was telling him to stay away! Thankfully he set his sights on something worthwhile instead. Such a nice, unassuming guy. Thank heavens I didn't drop that boulder on him when we were trail building at the AF Canal Zone event this past September.
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Studly
Trad climber
WA
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May 30, 2017 - 04:22pm PT
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Buuuurrrrrrly!
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Tom Patterson
Trad climber
Seattle
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May 30, 2017 - 06:43pm PT
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Fantastic! Thanks for the post, John, and congratulations to Cardwell and DiGiulian!
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ryankelly
Trad climber
Bhumi
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May 30, 2017 - 08:50pm PT
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clearly only commercial climbing matters
In addition to the glossy photos can you share the Excel document with the Adidas budget for this "climbing project."
way to keep the spirit of Yosemite climbing alive...
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Spider Savage
Mountain climber
The shaggy fringe of Los Angeles
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May 30, 2017 - 09:03pm PT
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I am very happy that Adidas Outdoor sponsors so many of our friends. They are living the dream and accomplishing much.
I enthusiastically support them by purchasing Adidas shoes and clothing.
For years Americans were way behind on commercial sponsorship. With new generations of climbers we are growing up.
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ryankelly
Trad climber
Bhumi
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May 30, 2017 - 09:10pm PT
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teams of subies working to clean and equip a route so a pro can fly in and send...
climbing is so rad
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MikeL
Social climber
Southern Arizona
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May 30, 2017 - 09:28pm PT
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Nice . . all the way around, John.
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F
climber
away from the ground
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May 30, 2017 - 09:53pm PT
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Props to the climbers. That looks like a sick line.
Props to the dolls fleecing the corporations for their role, whether a it's slamming and jamming or documenting and spraying.
All the folks that financially support the commercialization of climbing.... Well... A sucker is born every minute I guess.
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crankster
Trad climber
No. Tahoe
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May 30, 2017 - 09:56pm PT
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Dang, hard core stuff. And great photos.
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Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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May 30, 2017 - 10:13pm PT
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looks like the bottom part of the route is a free variation, as well as the part above the roof...
drawn from my imagery...
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Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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May 30, 2017 - 10:18pm PT
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the first Adidas soccer shoes I bought were in the 10th grade (that would be around 1968 or so) from a German expat who ran his business out of his garage in SoCal (around Claremont).
That was the extent of the market at that time.
I don't have any problem with sponsorship, the climb still has to be climbed, and can be appreciated on its merits. Conrad Kain was sponsored when he climbed Bugaboo Spire, it was a bad ass climb for its time (and today too).
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ryankelly
Trad climber
Bhumi
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May 30, 2017 - 10:37pm PT
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Ed, I agree that sponsorship is great as it allows folks to dedicate themselves to climbing.
How do you feel about paying a work crew to clean, equip, and prep a route so the "pro" can fly in for the send?
That part feels significantly different to me on this one. In the past the paid folks were the artists capturing stills and videos, but this seems different...
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Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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May 30, 2017 - 11:10pm PT
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the climbing I practice certainly doesn't depend on a crew to help make possible
but that being said, there have been "large collaboration" on other climbs, and the commercialization, in the sense that a sponsor is willing to pay to support that collaboration, doesn't seem to so out of the character of climbing.
in general, I haven't sought out any commercial gain from climbing, but I fully understand those who have the ability and capability to make a living off of climbing.
I'd like to see the FFA credited to all the climbers who participated.
but like a lot of climbers of my generation, I view commercialization in a negative light.
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nah000
climber
no/w/here
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May 31, 2017 - 02:26am PT
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EH wrote: "there have been "large collaboration" on other climbs, and the commercialization, in the sense that a sponsor is willing to pay to support that collaboration, doesn't seem to so out of the character of climbing."
for sure to the first phrase... as per the last phrase?
depends on what the "collaboration" is...
if the collaboration is, as ryankelly is claiming: that others, who remain unacknowledged, were paid to "clean, equip and prep" the route... then no, i for one, believe that that crosses a personal line so as to be "out of the character of climbing"... at least as i personally define it.
what's next? an unacknowledged professional masseuse jugging trailing lines to give the "pros" massages while they belay their partners? or maybe an unacknowledged third member of the team who is the designated belayer... a d.b. if you will...
don't worry, i have no delusions that any type of climbing has ever been anything but contrived and manufactured adventure to one degree or another.
and i also accept that no [single] one gets to define what the character of climbing is for any/every-body else.
but just as we are all free to climb as we see fit, we are all also free to comment on this endeavour that has given us so much, as we see fit.
and so, i will also say, as one voice, that if what ryankelly is saying is true, i find it disconcerting that a paid representative of a brand is posting what is an effective press release replete with internal product placements in both photo and word, regarding a "first free ascent", that was, without acknowledgment, cleaned, equipped and prepped for pay, prior to the pros sending.
don't get me wrong: i'm super pumped for digiulian and cardwell.
[relative to their skills,] i've sucked at climbing for long enough to know, that what they have done, regardless of the rest of the story, is no small feat.
still, assuming there is one, because climbing has given me so much, i am very interested in the complete story.
just as i would be interested in how many unacknowledged sherpa were involved in stocking the interim camps on a claimed fa on everest...
and so i do hope we get to find out the "rest of the story".
or if nothing else, find out that in this instance, ryankelly is full of shIt. [and given what i recall of his posting in the past, i'm guessing that is not the case...]
if we are going to publicize/consume "climbing" for personal and corporate gain, i believe we owe the legacy that is "climbing" at least a transparent telling of what the relevant nuts and bolts were...
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Roger Breedlove
climber
Cleveland Heights, Ohio
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May 31, 2017 - 05:38am PT
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Great climbing. Great climb. Sacherer lives.
As for collaboration, in about 1973, I started cleaning prospective routes that I though might be good free climbs (Crack-a-Go-Go was a good pick, but I didn't get the FFA). Bridwell took notice and gently suggested that I clean out one of his projects in exchange for credit on the first ascent.
Names in the guide book, brains in the gravel, as Phil Bircheff would say. I declined. I was offended.
However, had he offered cash, I probably would have accepted the gig, but declined the first ascent inclusion--keep your brains inside your skull.
I think it is great that climbers can get paid to work on climbing projects and get sponsored to climb.
And, seeing a way over the roof is as good as it gets.
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kaholatingtong
Trad climber
The real McCoy from the inside of my van.
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May 31, 2017 - 06:10am PT
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As long as you remove your orange tape marking the approach all the way up there... but since this has been completed, we decided to clean up after you. <3
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Largo
Sport climber
The Big Wide Open Face
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Topic Author's Reply - May 31, 2017 - 08:44am PT
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People raise good points here but in this case, the situation is vastly different than what I suspect most people are thinking. The Misty Wall was part of a pilot program that according to the "official" document (that Ron Fundeburke of the AAC/AMG and I pulled out of our ass) reads like this:
***
LEGACY
(The Legacy Restoration Project)
Legacy involves the on-going restoration of the world's iconic rock climbs: cleaning and sanitizing, removing loose rock and tat (old, fixed gear = trash), judicious replacement of bad bolds and unsafe anchors, and eliminating aid, resulting in the sustainable, ethical modernization of historically classic routes. "Conservation - Restoration - Innovation."
Rock climbs are fixed in stone. We clasp the same holds and jam up the same cracks as the pioneers did, five or one hundred years ago. The greatest climbs are legacy routes, combining famous lines with classic climbing. Once restored and judiciously modernized (sometimes re-engineered, always climbed entirely free), legacy routes are the sport's enduring lodestones, holding the cultural and technical heritage of the great game of ascent.
What is a Legacy Route?
In their day, legacy routes were landmark achievements and generational period testpieces. They often were situated on iconic formations like El Capitan, The Diamond, Devil's Tower, etc. though shorter, historical classics are also found on most every local crag.
The Project
Legacy involves able teams of climbers, documentarians, and technical experts (including riggers and support crew) who select, restore, ascend and publicize neglected climbs and venues, unearthing new classics from obscurity. In Yosemite, for example, climbers flock to a few dozen coveted trade routes, while the rest of America’s granite throne-room remains mostly untouched, unheralded, and forgotten. Legacy focuses the efforts of a worthy free climbing party on climbs that deserve a fresh look, as well as restoring local crags to the modern standard.
Selecting a Legacy Restoration Project: Grant Projects; Grass Roots Projects; Restore-A-Crag Projects
A) Grand Projects
Every winter, the AAC will convene a selection committee to field applications for Legacy restoration grants. Each grant will evaluate the vision, commitment and capacity of the applicant(s) to restore the lost legacy of a given climb. Many legacy climbs were established with ground up aid techniques, and their free climbing value has yet to be realized. Other legacy climbs are remote or obscure, their approaches, descents, rock quality (often overgrown), and fixed hardware in woeful states of decay. Many of the pioneering efforts made in the Yosemite were at risk of being lost to history if they are not singled out, refurbished, and publically recognized.
Successful applicants will research and submit proposals that are most likely to achieve the following criteria:
• The route represents a historical and cultural moment that has been largely overshadowed, overlooked, or forgotten.
• The route requires restoration/maintenance of approach, descent, rock quality appropriate for free climbing, fixed hardware replacement or installation as appropriate.
• The route satisfies the term of “new classic,” attracting visitation and attention for generations of enthusiastic climbing to come.
B) Grass Roots Projects
Legacy routes are in abundance. Money never is. While grant projects will likely to bear the most historical fruit, the banner of the Legacy Restoration Project must always be carried by grass roots volunteers. The AAC (and other affiliated groups and companies) will help target prime restoration projects, provide selected grants and organizational support, and replacement hardware can be gifted per available resources and manufacturer contributions; but Legacy exceeds the capacities of any organization to entirely fund, control and administer.
C) Restore-A-Crag Projects
Are meant to be celebrations and community builders by bringing together climbers during a restoration event at a local or regional crag.
What Restoration Means
Restoration means that the prestige and achievements of the past will find a new audience among present day free climbers. Successful teams must have appropriately skilled and visionary team members consisting of the following characters:
• Experienced Free Climbing First Ascentionists. The team must often establish first free ascents of routes established and often repeated in an aid-climbing style. Demonstrated first ascent resumes of the difficulties presented are to be expected.
• Experienced new route engineers with a particular emphasis on rock cleaning, bolt removal and replacement, reuse of previous holes by means of pulling techniques and/or core-drilling, installation of new hardware, trail work, and cleaning/landscaping.
• Documentarians capable of photography, video, editing and production, narrative, and design. The restoration process and the final product should be of presentation quality at events like the International Climber’s Meet, in print in the American Alpine Journal, and online on Mountain Project, the AAC website, and other print and social media venues.
Why Publicizing These Climbs and Crags Has Value
A restored route enlivens the history of climbing, on all of its majestic features. The establishment of new free climbing classics helps distribute climbing parties across less frequented, and more adventurous areas, easing overcrowding on popular classics. Also, the popularity of the program depends largely on momentum created by successive years of restoration. As generations of climbs are restored and celebrated, the collective imagination of all climbers will turn to first free ascents, restoration, and legacy of classic climbs for the enrichment of present and future climbers, domestically, and worldwide, for all posterity.
The same values and significance hold for regional crags. Most of us learned the ropes at local cliffs, outcrops and quarries, and their value as training grounds and cultural depots are immeasurable. Without maintenance, even the most frequented bluff will fall into disrepair, with rusting anchors, weathered trails, and so forth. Properly organized and promoted, Restore-A-Crag events, and a few dozen qualified volunteers, can restore a local venue to museum quality over a long weekend.
How It All Started
In September, 2016, Terrex Outdoor team members Kevin Jorgeson, Ben Rueck, Jon Cardwell, and Marcus Garcia traveled to Yosemite with an ambitious plan: Attempt the first free ascent of two classic big walls: The West Face of Sentinel (the third big wall climbed in Yosemite, in 1960, by Tom Frost and Yvon Chouinard), and the Misty Wall (FA, 1963, by Royal Robbins and Dick McCracken), just right of Yosemite Falls. Both climbs were seminal big walls, both still had direct aid and both had withstood serious free climbing efforts in the 1980s and 90s.
The challenges were formidable. These once-popular routes had seen few ascents in over two decades, were dirty and overgrown, and fifty year old protection and belay bolts were fatal liabilities. And since free ascents would require sustained climbing at the 5.12 and 5.13 grades, both routes would take multiple sorties to determine the likelihood of doing the routes all free. While free climbing a Yosemite big wall is a seminal achievement, the teams wondered if it was worth the formidable time and work to free climb routes that would see limited future traffic in their unrestored condition.
The short story is that with the technical support of Yosemite local Ryan Sheridan and his "Stawberita Crew," both routes were fully restored (taking a total of 35 working days) and free climbed bottom to top. The results were legacy climbs for the ages, which helped birth the Legacy Restoration Project.
***
The collaboration that went down on the Misty Wall (and two other routes we did on Middle Cathedral) carried out by volunteers who were "paid" in tshirts and swag because I didn't remotely have a corporate budget to do it any other way. Sasha is one of those rare professionals who's climbing and social media presence covers her nut, but Jon Cardwell works in a climbing gym and could only get 5 days off for the send. The only professional working the projects was photographer John Evans. The rest of us - including overall boss Marcus Garcia, photographers Ted Distel and El Cap Tom Evans, and me - were working on a shoestring budget. There simply was not the dough to pull off this kind of effort without everyone basically volunteering their time.
Best of all, we had a fantastic experience and birthed a few modern classics. And it's not like the volunteers up on the wall didn't get some climbing in. Through the restoration process, most of the people working on the routes and who spent long days on the walls managed to climb most every inch of every route, much as route setters do while setting a course. And the climbers who sent the routes were not all pros, and included Ron and also Rita Young Shin, a talented citizen climber who, like many other active climbers, has various side gigs like yoga instructor and fitness model to keep her hands on the rock.
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Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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May 31, 2017 - 09:03am PT
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It is important to note that Tommy Caldwell has had a decade plus effort on freeing Yosemite big wall climbs without the support of a major sponsor. Largely this has flown under the radar. Others have also had a hand in freeing these routes, and with minimal commercial sponsorship.
Climbs like the West Face of Sentinel have been the object of other free climbing projects dating back to the 1970s, and as Roger pointed out, a continuation of the program that started in the early 1960s with Frank Sacherer's idea to eliminate points of aid on established climbs and to push ascents to "in a day" speeds. (Eric Beck recounts scolding Frank for his ambition to free the West Face on their early "in a day" ascent, Eric thought that would take too much time.)
While we celebrate the accomplishment of the First Free Ascent, we can also recognize the sometimes long-time efforts of climbers who participated, and while perhaps not directly in the FFA, certainly their experiences on a route are handed down to the community and serve both as inspiration and guide to future efforts.
How we all get to do what we do brings up an entirely interesting subject all on its own, and our propensity to romanticize aspects of the life style can steer the discussion, e.g. "dirtbag" vs. "sponsored" climbers.
What is ultimately inspirational, to my mind, is that a climber makes a commitment to climbing and figures out some way to support that commitment.
It is that commitment that produces these accomplishments.
(cleaning up after yourselves is certainly an important aspect, and one not to be minimized because in this time of increased scrutiny by "land managers" we all are affected by the consequences of our community's collective acts. Failure to do so greatly diminishes the accomplishment, in my opinion. The accumulation of tat and the failure to "maintain" routes is also an issue, and many of these FFA efforts do service when they engage these issues.)
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Largo
Sport climber
The Big Wide Open Face
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Topic Author's Reply - May 31, 2017 - 09:18am PT
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s long as you remove your orange tape marking the approach all the way up there... but since this has been completed, we decided to clean up after you. <3
------
I have absolutely no idea what this tape issue is about. No one from our group used any tape and every scrap of gear and fixed rope is always removed from the site. The climbing/rigging team didn't need any tape markers - they've been slogging up to the base for the last 8 months. Curious where the tape came from??
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kaholatingtong
Trad climber
The real McCoy from the inside of my van.
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May 31, 2017 - 09:21am PT
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Well regardless, its not there anymore. The fact that it marked the entire approach to the climb we just assumed it belonged to yall. Forgive my assumption.
Edit : hard to do justice to how powerful that spot is right now, so sublime, awe inspiring and humbling. And what a beautiful line to boot. Very nice work.
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WBraun
climber
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May 31, 2017 - 09:23am PT
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No one from our group used any tape
Oops .... tape was used but it wasn't orange .... lol
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nah000
climber
no/w/here
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May 31, 2017 - 10:10am PT
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Largo: thanks for, what appears to be, a full disclosure.
ryankelly: your characterization, appears to have been overstated at best, and straight up fabrication at worst.
regardless, very cool climb.
and a wothwhile debate, that leads to some interesting thought experiments, as well...
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Largo
Sport climber
The Big Wide Open Face
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Topic Author's Reply - May 31, 2017 - 10:30am PT
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Ryan has every right to express his opinions and he doesn't need me to say so. Nitpicking ... maybe, but he is holding us to a standard that we can reach for. Granted, you can't please them all but you can strive to do things right. We tired, and continue to try and do everyone proud with these routes. With so many people involved it's a wonder there hasn't been more fallout and flubs along the way. Ultimately there's no way to totally control the goings on up on a big wall, with dozens of folks involved. The best you can do is try and enlist solid folks and trust they will do what's best for all involved. The majority of those involved here are past or present valley locals, so it's personal.
Per the fixed ropes, I got this text from Ryan Sheridan (head rigger) this morning:
Went up yesterday. "Cleaned ropes off top 7 pitches, hauled them over the rim and hiked them down falls trail. It's raining today. When it clears I will pull ropes off the bottom pitches the same day."
Ryan and the other riggers (who worked their asses off) all work day jobs in the park and this is as fast as they could move. Give us a few more days and the wall will be pristine. And you guys can go up there and have a go.
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WBraun
climber
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May 31, 2017 - 11:49am PT
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Oh for f_ks sakes.
Just leave the fixed lines for the mini Traxion crew ...... :-)
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Gunkie
Trad climber
Valles Marineris
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May 31, 2017 - 11:59am PT
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the photo with the lanterns was pretty darn cool.
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mouse from merced
Trad climber
The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.
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May 31, 2017 - 01:56pm PT
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I for one think that it's great to have others besides the climbers involved, ESPECIALLY as it's a communal route.
Things like this seem like they'd be more fun when done in a collegial atmosphere of shared goals and honest tribute to pioneers' efforts and the values of FA teams.
So I'd like to thank everyone involved, beginning with Largo.
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ryankelly
Trad climber
Bhumi
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May 31, 2017 - 02:07pm PT
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Good discussion. I'm not hating on anyone (although my recent posts are not overly polite)
My concerns are centered on all climbers (professional and amateur) being able to put up new routes for years to come. Commercial climbing efforts on public lands tend to spotlight visitor use issues and natural resource issues in a very noticeable way. I do not want this generation of climbers to be the last to establish new routes in Yosemite. This might sound far off to many of you who are unfamiliar with current regulation in Sequoia National Park but check it out for yourselves (permit required for all new bolts in that park).
This back and forth between visitors, corporations, and land management agencies is older than Yosemite National Park itself. Check out the history of the original Curry family and their battles with the park staff.
Again to clarify: all spray (professional or amateur) shines a spotlight on how we as a visitor group interact with the park. Our community has long enjoyed the freedom to pursue our vision without intense scrutiny (obviously there are exceptions to this statement). The hyper-commercialization of rock climbing in this country will have an affect on future climbing management in Yosemite. Its up to us to be strategic.
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High Fructose Corn Spirit
Gym climber
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May 31, 2017 - 02:23pm PT
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"What is ultimately inspirational, to my mind, is that a climber makes a commitment to climbing and figures out some way to support that commitment.... It is that commitment that produces these accomplishments." -E Hartouni
Hear, hear.
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aspendougy
Trad climber
Los Angeles, CA
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May 31, 2017 - 03:08pm PT
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Robbin's partner on this climb, Dick McCraken, is he still alive?
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wstmrnclmr
Trad climber
Bishop
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May 31, 2017 - 05:15pm PT
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Boy.......Roger Brown should put in for back pay! Maybe get him an ad for swimwear? Guy's replaced more "legacy" routes singlehandidly (besides the absolutely unsung vollunteer help) in the Valley then anyone else ever will. Be nice if some one with John Long's great writing skills did a magazine piece on him. To me, he's done more for climbing in absolute selflessness and obscurity then all the articles on the latest hot shot falling up El Cap.
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hobo_dan
Social climber
Minnesota
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May 31, 2017 - 06:00pm PT
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Great photography--You could hear the waterfalls in the pictures
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Largo
Sport climber
The Big Wide Open Face
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Topic Author's Reply - May 31, 2017 - 07:12pm PT
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Roger Brown, Tim Powell, Clint Cummins, The Access Fund and American Alpine Club's Anchor Replacement programs were all inspiration for the Legacy Restoration Project.
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wstmrnclmr
Trad climber
Bishop
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May 31, 2017 - 10:50pm PT
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Warbler touches on what leads me to wonder what the word "legacy" means?
Is a variation of the climb a legacy climb? And if it is, does the party who freed a variation have the right to change the name and historical intent of the original line? This has nothing to do with the great effort put into the the variation, but is a free climbed variation a continuance of a legacy? I won't speak for Roger, Clint, Greg and others but I've had a hand in replacing older climbs (some of which may or may not don the "legacy" title) and I stuck to the historic climbing and replacement of those climbs, always striving to stay within the FA parties intent. Granted, I'm not a 5.15 climber but hopefully the numbers don't infer on the subject.
Edit: Warbler mentions FFA. Is a variation an FFA of the original line?
Addendum to above blather: Was the hardware on the unclimbed pitches replaced? At the very least, all the hard work and effort to restore is GREATLY appreciated!
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Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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May 31, 2017 - 11:34pm PT
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haven't been on the route,
but the overlay Largo posted, and the original route square with features on my gigapan of that section of the wall...
it looks like additional starting pitches lead up to the top of the "Giant's Staircase," follow Misty Wall to the overhanging roofs, and finds a way through to the head wall, then to a large ledge and out the top... maybe 2 to 3 initial pitches and 2 to 3 final pitches.
I'm sure there'll be a write up of it somewhere soon
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Clint Cummins
Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
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Ed has the 1987 aid ratings on this topo, but on p.156 of the 1994 guide, the free ratings are shown, including the free ratings for the 2 pitches of the right hand variation start.
I think the only part of the back story of this free route that has not been mentioned in this thread is that Walt Shipley and Kevin Fosburg freed the first 12 pitches (to the roof) in the early 1990s at 5.11d.
They finished via the pendulums to the left and freed all but those pendulums.
The new free route has been called Misty Wall Direct, and as previously described last fall, it follows Eric Kohl's route "Escape from Tora Bora", and adds a new 25' free variation, 8' right of where Escape from Tora Bora goes over the roof.
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Largo
Sport climber
The Big Wide Open Face
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Topic Author's Reply - Jun 1, 2017 - 06:56am PT
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The "new" start to the climb follows a 5.10 face pitch, then a 5.10d splitter crack up to the original route above the 4th class section, thus avoiding a chossy corner down low with two superb, 50 meter pitches on diamond hard rock. I believe this variation first became the go-to start in the 90s.
As Clint points out, the original route tracks up the sickle shaped corner to the roofs, then traverses straight left for several hundred feet. The more adventurous finish is straight over the roof and up the 60-meter headwall above, which was first climbed (solo, on aid) by valley wall master Eric Kohl with his Tora Bora finish to the Misty Wall. Last year Cardwell and Garcia found a free variation about 25 feet right of the Kohl route, which turns the roof and pulls through 5.12 face climbing to Kohl's hanging belay below the 11+/12- splitter crack. Rope drag, and the length of the headwall prohibited dicking both the roof and the headwall in one mega-pitch. There is a no-hands rest before the last 5.12 face moves to Kohl's hanging belay, and it may be that future parties find it more better to relocate the belay there, rather at Kohl's bolts, 15 feet above. Again, the future can sort out the fine points.
Ratings on most of the pitches are pretty fluid, as often happens with FFAs, and only after some repeats can a consensus be reached. Because the crux pitches are the last ones, and because this is clearly a long, one-day free climb, I suspect endurance plays huge part in anyone going up for an on-sight send, which world-class climbers will no doubt try going forward.
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wstmrnclmr
Trad climber
Bishop
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Thanks Clint and John for the added clarity of history. That helps a lot. A beautiful line and again thanks for all the hard work on keeping it alive.
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bob
climber
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Me too. I haven't moved much for two weeks.
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Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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funny, I didn't even think to look at the 1994 guide...
I'll up date the topo with the top pitches later...
here's a photo of the top...
the aid route comes up in the shadows in the center and then traverses left under the roof system, the new route and perhaps the Tora Bora route, busts through the roof system
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Roger Breedlove
climber
Cleveland Heights, Ohio
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Hey John, What were the two other legacy climbs the team did on Middle?
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Largo
Sport climber
The Big Wide Open Face
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Topic Author's Reply - Jun 1, 2017 - 07:10pm PT
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Hi Roger, here's the write up on the Middle Routes:
MIDDLE CATHEDRAL
Several weeks before the Misty Wall send, on the North Face of Middle Cathedral, the Terrex crew completed routes two and three of the Legacy Project.
The first project was the first complete ascent of Central Pillar Direct, which combined the efforts of various teams climbing on the route over the past 53 years. The history is a rambling saga, and runs something like this:
The first route established on the Northeast Face of Middle Cathedral was the Chouinard/Pratt route, bagged in 1964 by Yvon Chouinard and Chuck Pratt. This line follows the prominent right-facing corner running 1,200 feet up the wall to the U-Shaped Bowl and the Powell-Reed ledges. The first 500 feet ascends the right side of the Pillar of Frenzy. This section was first free climbed in 1978 by John Long and Pete Minks at 5.12.
Five years prior, in 1973, Roger Breedlove, Jim Bridwell, Ed Barry (and others scattered over various efforts) climbed the first pitch of the Chouinard/Pratt (5.9+), then exited left onto splitter cracks for four more pitches to a big ledge atop the Pillar of Frenzy, 500-feet up the wall. They carried on another pitch and a half and traversed off left (5.10) and into the Kor/Beck route, and finished up to the U-Shaped Bowl (I think. When I repeated the route shortly after the FA, I rapped off after the traverse).
Tobin Sorrensen and Gib Lewis returned in 1977 and pushed the Central Pillar line directly up for another three pitches, using some aid. Bridwell returned with John Long and Billy Westbay in 1978, and free climbed the Sorrensen/Lewis direct finish at 5.11.
Later that year, or possibly the next (1978), Dale Bard and Kevin Worrall added a new first pitch, left of the Chouinard/Pratt, directly up the face of the Central Pillar. The was the last piece of a composite line that was totally independent of the Chouinard/Pratt.
At 5.12d, Bard and Worral's 60-meter lead off pitch was at the time one of the most difficult free pitches in the world.
NOTE: I later repeated this pitch with Richard Harrison, and around the same time, Steve Grossman (photos below ) also did as well, and I remember this lead as possibly the hardest free pitch I ever did on Middle, right there with Black Primo and Mother Earth. There's some sketchy face work down low but the business is a thin crack and face sequence up high, all led on gear. Modern climbers found it as hard as I remembered, rating it 5.12d - this from people who climb 5.14. So that pitch is real. Hats off the Kevin and Dale.
Over the years, the first five pitches of the Central Pillar (minus the direct start) became one of the most well-traveled multi-pitch free climbs on earth, with a conga line of teams swarming over it every single day from early May to the end of October. The direct finish and direct start were rarely if ever done.
Throughout April and early May of 2017, the entire eight pitches of the Central Pillar, including the direct start and direct finish, were fully restored: brushed and groomed, anchors rebolted, and some of the leads re-engineered into 50 and 60 meter monster leads, with each pitch individually freed by Marcus Garcia, who headed up the restoration effort with Ryan Sheridan and his "Strawberita" crew. (Strawberita is a go-to intoxicant for many valley locals, described as "24 ounces of sugar love, with three shots of bathtub rum and genuine artificial strawberry flavoring - all for two dollah."
In early may, Chelsea Rude and Ron Fundeburke made the first continuous ascent of the entire Central Pillar Direct, with Chelsea leading the crux first pitch (12D), a superb 60-meter face and thin-crack pitch (the crux is led on gear) that joins the standard Central pillar route atop the 2nd pitch. Pitches 6-9 involve marvelous 5.10 and 5.11 climbing up flakes and shallow corners on the open face, including the iconic Fissure Largo on pitch 8, a laser-cut 5.11 splitter up flawless granite. From the top of pitch 8, the route traverses right into an easy crack leading to the U-Shaped Bowl.
Several weeks later, Marcus Garcia and Rita Shin teamed up for the first ascent of "Cosmic Girl," which links the first four pitches up the Chouinard/Pratt, with the upper pitches of the Central Pillar Direct. The second pitch involves a 100-foot, 5.12 fingertip lyback that rates among the best free leads in the valley. Garcia added a direct finish above the Fissure Largo, a "sting in the tail" of steep and runout 5.11 face, ending on a ledge named Planet Garcia.
Garcia is a long-time Yosemite veteran who has climbed scores of walls and top drawer free routes and says that Cosmic Girl is the best free climb he's ever done in the valley, featuring a full smorgasbord of Yosemite techniques, from thin to wide to open face.
Remarkably, the entire route is protected on gear save for one bolt on the 60-meter 5.11 pitch below the Fissure Largo. This pitch was first led free by Tobin Sorrensen and later by Billy Westbay with only a knifeblade for protection. However Fundeburke took a whipper onto said blade, which shot from the wall like a toothpick from an olive, blowing out the placement, which Garcia later replaced with the only protection bolt on the route.
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Levy
Big Wall climber
Calabasas
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Way to go, a strong show of persistence!
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aldude
climber
Monument Manor
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Funny thing about the direct 60m first pitch on Central Pillar...the Yosemite Valley Free Climbs guide shows it rated 11d and no bolts...and no verbal description or first ascent credit...?
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tarallo
Trad climber
italy
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Hi Great job.
when a topo of the two routes will be available?
thanks
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Roger Breedlove
climber
Cleveland Heights, Ohio
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Thanks John, Clint for the links and the future history.
I remember the Chouinard-Pratt corners being grass and dirt filled. I had concluded that they were a major water shed, and it would be too much work to clean them out and that they would not stay clean. Did someone purposefully clean them out? Or, do I need to clean out my memory?
,
I know that Chuck tried several times to work out a better route for the Chouinard Pratt with a direct finish above the U-shaped bowl, to no avail. Tom Higgins, I think, tried to free the corners. In any case, Jim and I tried the straight-in cracks to the left. They were covered with large hummocks of dirt all of which came off easily on lead.
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WBraun
climber
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From the Misty Wall we now mysteriously wandered over to the Middle Cathedral ...... :-)
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Largo
Sport climber
The Big Wide Open Face
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Topic Author's Reply - Jun 2, 2017 - 07:46am PT
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Richard and Ricky were with me (we all came from Upland Ca and went to the same high school and were original partners). We cleaned out the lower pitches but never went back as a team. I returned with Eric Ericson but he couldn't follow the 2nd pitch and I couldn't pull him up. Later I went back with Minks and we struggled up to the top of the fifth pitch. As Roger said, the climb is a watercourse and was pretty dirty, especially the upper section. Too grassy to clean the whole thing. A crew spent two weeks scrubbing the lower section, getting all the dirt and grass out, so it should be good for the time being. Like Central Pillar, I rated the 2nd crux pitch 5.11. That later switch to 5.12 ratings on both routes comes from people who climb 5.14, and 5.12 climbing is hard but manageable for those folks. My sense of it is back in the mid 70s, 5.11 was the top grade and so it got stretched. Once the upper grades were explored, the harder old school routes got elevated accordingly. Thing is, neither route on Middle is groundbreaking in terms of difficulty but they are the business to lead on gear and are fantastic trad routes to attempt on sight. I can tell you this much for sure: Pratt was a bad ass to have led that 3rd pitch on Cosmic Girl back in the 60s. There's basically no way to protect the crux flare so Chuck had to do what the rest of us did: Run it out. Heady work in lug-soled shoes. I remember following Kevin up Edge of Night before i knew how to climb flares and I was crying a river and barely made it. By the time I got on Chouinard/Pratt I had wide climbing pretty dialed and still cried a river. So did Marcus.
Don't fall on that one...
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Roger Breedlove
climber
Cleveland Heights, Ohio
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Werner, who knows where the wandering legacy crew will strike next? Steep, serious walls all free, then the MCR playground? Surprised me but, framed within the Legacy projects, it still is compelling. We can all remembered when extensive route preparations were suspect: now two weeks of vertical gardening (slightly less vertical on MCR). Who knows, maybe that big dirt filled corner at the top of the Golden Bough that Drummond and I traversed around is next (just kidding).
I like John's project-sort of a gift to 5.12 climbers everywhere.
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Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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hey Werner, let them take their attention over to MCR... they won't notice all the other great places to climb.
(I think Roger is still in love with MCR after all these years)
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Largo
Sport climber
The Big Wide Open Face
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Topic Author's Reply - Jun 2, 2017 - 02:46pm PT
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Next one is coming down in 10 days and it might be the best of them all. Can't wait to see how it plays out...
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MH2
Boulder climber
Andy Cairns
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Roger Breedlove: maybe that big dirt filled corner at the top of the Golden Bough that Drummond and I traversed around is next (just kidding).
John Long: Next one is coming down in 10 days
How are these posts related?
I've a pic from 21 May that shows a party right of the Falls. On topic?
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Roger Breedlove
climber
Cleveland Heights, Ohio
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And your point, Ed? There are a couple of things I love from the middle half of the last century!
Of course I love pretty much everything about the years I spent in Yosemite. What's not to love? That's why I read climbing posts on ST. In any case, reading about new climbing just feet away from places I have spent time is both interesting and evokes a flood of memories, all of which are burnished to crystalline (and happy) clarity.
For instance, I still remember the specific move to start the sixth pitch of the Central Pillar: a chimney move with no chimney, my back against a 4 inch corner and one toe on an opposing hold. Sort of a "I wonder if this will work" anticipation followed by "that was cool," when it passed the 5.10 section off the ledge. I did it the same way every time I climbed that pitch. The only time I can recall using such a move with so little to use.
I think that the climbers who worked out how to pass the roof on the Misty Wall will remember those moves and the air and the sound and the mist for the rest of their lives, posting nostalgically on ST on 2 June of 2061 (same time forward as it is for me backward) when someone posts a picture of an on-sight free-solo, ala Wolfgang Güllich. Maybe a grandchild of the first ascent team.
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Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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it's wonderful to be in love for so long...
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mcreel
climber
Barcelona
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This project is pretty neat, but if it could take on some 5.8s, too, that would be great. Some Legacy Climbs for us Legacy Climbers.
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Todd Gordon
Trad climber
Joshua Tree, Cal
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Fully inspiring!.....makes me wanna do some sit ups, put down the cheeseburger, and go climb some 30' climbs in Indian Cove in 105 degree + weather......pretty much;...i love the rock climbing......it's does cover most all our needs, wants, desires, and dreams. Thanks to Sasha, Jon, and Largo;....keeping the psyche real and fully caffinated! great pics too. As for any shinanigans that go on at the crags;....that stuff is nothing new;...it's been going on since the beginning of time......it keeps things lively and give us foder to spray around the campfire. As we get older, it's less about the insignificant hair splitting and more about getting out, having fun, being happy and healthy, loving our lives, friends, family, and the awesome opportunities we have (literally) at our fingertips. Love it and appreciate it all!
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Met Jon Cardwell back in 2004 when I was repping for Evolv. He was just a young kid with lots of stoke and I was an old kid with much of the same. Fun to see the extension of his career being expressed here!
Responding to some of the contextual stuff in this thread: though this whole Legacy gig may seem to a lot of us old hands like a slickly packaged marketing and promotional shtick, -- which it is, by my lights, it'll probably be seen sometime in the future, if not now, as having done quite a good thing by getting out in front and establishing high standards for preserving and developing the resource.
The fact that the targets are routes which require quite a lot of cleaning and as such have been largely overlooked, underutilized jewels in the rough so to speak ... I'll say this is a key justification for the approach.
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Roger Breedlove
climber
Cleveland Heights, Ohio
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Hey John,
NBC National News had a short clip on the waterfalls of Yosemite with a mention of the Misty Wall all free with the pictures on this thread. I wonder which story was on the story board for NBC first?
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Largo
Sport climber
The Big Wide Open Face
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Topic Author's Reply - Jun 6, 2017 - 12:44pm PT
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It's said there are no absolute facts in love and war. Perhaps the same is true in climbing - at least in any substantive (beyond data) way. But accuracy in details is essential for good history.
A good point was raised: Why not shift attention to some moderates? Makes sense.
Not sure about the Nightline footage of the climb. From what I heard, ABC was doing a feature on the falls, which are raging like Kingdom Come, and they requested some Misty Wall footage to dramatize the effort. Just a few outtakes from what I heard, but I didn't catch the show so I don't rightly know.
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Matt's
climber
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Jun 19, 2017 - 09:30am PT
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I was wondering what the fixed lines between the bircheff-williams and central pillar were a month or two ago...
Mixed feelings about leaving stuff fixed within arms reach of possibly the most popular 5.9 in the Valley, but also maybe it was just for a day. Respect for getting it done.
According to my friend who did central pillar of frenzy last friday, there are still fixed ropes going from the top of p6 all the way to the ground.
Are these the adidas ropes, or someone elses?
best,
matt
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Jul 23, 2017 - 09:23am PT
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Bump for a great thread!
What is respected and what lasts in climbing is quality of effort.
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mouse from merced
Trad climber
The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.
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Oct 20, 2018 - 09:51am PT
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R-E-S-P-E-C-T
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mouse from merced
Trad climber
The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.
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Oct 20, 2018 - 10:24am PT
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Screen shots from premier showing in Yosemite of Free Solo.
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NutAgain!
Trad climber
South Pasadena, CA
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Oct 20, 2018 - 04:31pm PT
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If I were able to climb at this technical difficulty level, I would be all over Misty Wall. I love that area over by the falls- need to actually get to the top of Geek Tower at some point. I have fond memories of an aborted mission with Jay Wood in the winter some years ago. That position up right with the falls raging is glorious.
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| Messages 1 - 91 of total 91 in this topic |
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SuperTopo on the Web
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link of Central Pillar Direct Start and Finish,
Let us know!