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Tom
Big Wall climber
San Luis Obispo CA
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Yosemite's granite cliffs are 'breathing,' and heat can make them fall - Los Angeles Times
El Capitan is a living, breathing entity. Evidence of its internal circulatory system can be seen at the Tangerine Drip, and the grassy oasis just above the Heart Roof (Poorly Protected California Wetlands).
El Capitan is ALIVE.
Do not turn your back on El Capitan.
Do not run from El Capitan.
Do not underestimate the power of El Capitan.
Do not taunt, tease or otherwise annoy El Capitan.
El Capitan: You like it, it likes you.
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Brokedownclimber
Trad climber
Douglas, WY
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I suspect that this should have been posted on a different date, such as 1 April?
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rmuir
Social climber
From the Time Before the Rocks Cooled.
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Again?
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i-b-goB
Social climber
Wise Acres
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Flake fake!
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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That thang must be on a bungee!
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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God knows what's still holding it on there.
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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You got that right. Royal thought the thing was spooky enough to place a bolt before nailing up it on the second ascent.
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Tom
Big Wall climber
San Luis Obispo CA
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^^^^^
That is really saying something about how tenuous that block is. If Robbins, who had done the lower choss third of Half Dome, was spooked, then that THING is scary.
The rumor, back in the day, was that nobody was slower on the bolt-gun draw than Chuck Pratt. Royal Robbins was right there. And maybe even slower. Adding a bolt to the Nose Route would have tortured RR, and he would not have done that lightly.
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i-b-goB
Social climber
Wise Acres
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The Boot laced in place!
secret adhesive for added strength!
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BLUEBLOCR
Social climber
joshua tree
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when that boot falls off there's gunna be one stinky sock hanging around😬
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Jon Beck
Trad climber
Oceanside
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When the boot drops nobody is going to believe it.
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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The thing about Boot Flake is that there aren't any chockstones lodged behind it levering it off so it seems to stay put. I never got to ask Royal about that bolt when I was around him. Placing another one with a ladder below always seemed like a strange decision to me but the safety-oriented mentality of the time is hard to relate to these days. There was a line of decision on risk to the party that the leader had to consider.
I have asked Tom Frost about this but not Joe Fitschen.
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mouse from merced
Trad climber
The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.
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Joe writes this about that:
Royal nailed up the right side of the Boot, but as he got higher he thought more and more about the true nature of Book Flake, that it was simply resting against the main wall like a drunk against a light pole.
Simple mechanics prompted him to conclude that the pitons he was driving were small wedges such as one might use to split a large round of oak. How many such wedges would it take to move the Boot even the fraction of an inch necessary to allow the lower pitons to fall out of the crack?
And if the flake could be moved that much, how much more would it need to be moved before gravity would take over and hurl the boot downward as if God were aiming at some miscreant cat? Such thoughts are both prudent and dangerous.
A prudent climber nurses just enough fear to promote an appropriate degree of caution, but too much fear can lead to impulsive and rash acts or, ultimately, paralysis.
Halfway up the flake, Royal decided to place a bolt where Harding had not found it necessary. Perhaps at that point, Harding was tired of drilling holes. Royal finished the lead and happily clipped into Harding's two bombproof bolts on top of Boot Flake.
--Going Up, p. 406
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aspendougy
Trad climber
Los Angeles, CA
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Based upon thickness and approximate length and width, maybe someone with a geology background could estimate the weight of the flake. If you know the approximate weight, and then see what a miniscule addition the weight of one climber is, might be reassuring, or make it more scary, depending upon the result. Any guess for the heaviest climber to ever stand on top of it? At some point, might have to put a weight limit; no climbers above 200 lbs. Then again, maybe each spring, get a bunch of big fat guys to get on top of it, and jump up and down a few times. If it holds, it's good for another climbing season.
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F10
Trad climber
Bishop
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The great thing about Boot Flake falling off every April 1st is that it reappears on the 2nd.
I'd hate to be up there during the time window that it's gone....
Maybe there's some easy 5.3 face behind it ??
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mouse from merced
Trad climber
The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.
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If Boot Flake was in Josh, it would be just another ho-hum one-pitch climb.
If Boot Flake fell out of bed in the morning and no one was there to hear it, would his First Alert be enough to save him?
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looks easy from here
climber
Ben Lomond, CA
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what a miniscule addition the weight of one climber is
What about six climbers?
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Tom
Big Wall climber
San Luis Obispo CA
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Placing another one with a ladder below always seemed like a strange decision to me.
The bolt ladder to the Boot might have been tiny, poorly placed Zamacs, or worse, back in 1960. Loosing all your pins from behind the Mother of All Expandos and falling onto that ladder, back then, was probably a dangerous proposition.
The current ladder of big belay bolts is a more recent innovation.
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