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Russ Walling
Social climber
Nutsonthechin, Wisconsin
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Aug 19, 2008 - 03:54pm PT
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(thread_drift)
Hey T*R /SS
I thought you were getting a trampstamp and joining the SeaBees or something?
(/thread_drift)
Billy..... seriously ....... YER GONNA DIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!111111 But if you don't.... tons of guys have done ElCap with less experience than you are looking at.... what's the worst that can happen? GO FOR IT!!!!11111
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Dr. Rock
Ice climber
Castle Rock
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Aug 19, 2008 - 06:02pm PT
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Billy, you won't die, your body might be laying on a boulder pile with toothpick like objects sticking out of it every 4 inches, and coyotes need food too, but your Spirit will live on forever.
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ricardo-sf
Sport climber
San Francisco
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Aug 19, 2008 - 06:04pm PT
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dude -- you i know who billy is ..
he's Epic Ed's little brother! ..
:-) ..
hey billy .. you should contact Dr. Piton .. since having a wall doctor will increase your chances of success .. haha ..
.. some folks here may question Dr. Piton's credentials .. but i'll tell you that my success on my first ascent was partially due to Dr. Piton's help ..
he helped me in a few critical parts
1 - hauling
he made a 2-1 hauling ratchet -- without that i would have had a tough time on pitch 1
2 - cleaning
he made me a ghetto foot stirrup out of 3 old pieces of webbing.. that stirrup made it so i could clean with a jumar + grigri .. which if you are a noob, may be the safer was to clean.
.. the stirrup was ghetto, but it has seen 3 ascents of el cap .. and its still going strong. in fact it worked better than the metolious adjustable stirrup that i bought..
3 - leading setup
out of the original dr. piton setup i've abandoned everything except for the idea of using an adjustable fifi .. -- but still, his ideas got me up my first wall.
4 - general big wall advice ..
it helps to have someone to get some tidbits of advice from .. the best one was:
"When you're hungry eat, when you're thirsty drinnk ... worst thing you can do on a wall is bonk!" ..
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:-) .. oh lord ..
hehe ..
.. for whatever's worth, getting a more accomplished climber to at least share a few emails back and forth with is gold .. -- if you can pay them to teach you a few tricks thats even better ..
i bet if you bring along that pig-tailed hottie along dr piton would gladly provide his services for gratis...
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Nefarius
Big Wall climber
Fresno, CA
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Aug 19, 2008 - 06:16pm PT
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I'm having a hard time not telling my "What do you call a blonde with pigtails?" joke right now...
:)
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ricardo-sf
Sport climber
San Francisco
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Aug 19, 2008 - 06:21pm PT
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do tell nefarious..
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Billy
climber
Boston, Ma
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 19, 2008 - 07:10pm PT
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I don't want to blow up your spot Nefarius, but for the record...I know this one. And it's true. On that lobster night.
-Billy
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Nefarius
Big Wall climber
Fresno, CA
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Aug 19, 2008 - 07:23pm PT
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Good on ya, Billy. :) You're half way there already. You have a sense of humor and can take a joke... :)
Since ricardo hasn't heard yet - BJ with handlebars. :)
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ricardo-sf
Sport climber
San Francisco
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Aug 19, 2008 - 07:26pm PT
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i knew it had to have something to do with handlebars! -- i've heard a slight variation of that one ..
.. yah -- i like billy already ..
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Nefarius
Big Wall climber
Fresno, CA
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Aug 19, 2008 - 07:29pm PT
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Well, billy is kinda no fun at all, really... He's not like the 25 year-olds at the local gym who are so incredibly easy to get all riled up.
And if I were you, Billy. I'd keep the hottie away from Pete! No matter how much info he offers!
ricardo - yeah, it's kind of an old one. :)
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Mighty Hiker
Social climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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Aug 19, 2008 - 07:41pm PT
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I know someone who started climbing early one year, and by October he'd climbed the Nose of El Cap. He was 15, and did a lot of climbing that year - 1976. The information, techniques and equipment are a lot better now. No climbing schools then, either - you just went and did it.
If you have the fire inside, you can do it.
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ricardo-sf
Sport climber
San Francisco
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Aug 19, 2008 - 07:57pm PT
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i dont think you can compare a valley-rat with a weekend warrior like billy ..
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Terry
climber
Spokane
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Aug 20, 2008 - 11:28am PT
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What a great post - troll or not. It has elicited some great advice. The hardest part for you, Billy, considering your experience, is discerning whats great advice and whats not.
Only experience is gonna let you know.
What I love (and it seems the same for many others) is that it reminds me of myself 30+ years ago. I visited Devil's Tower at 7 yrs old on a family vacation. I was absolutely entranced as I watched what my Dad called Nutjobs climbing the tower. Then and there I decided that I would one day climb that thing. 20 years later I returned with three friends and accomplished that dream.
Right after returning from that trip, while looking at a poster sized Topo of Half Dome in my friends living room, we decided that we would climb Half Dome. Three years later that we did it. Then we set the Nose as our goal. I never thought that one would come to pass. Four years later not only did I climb it but during the climb I met Steve Gerberding, Hans Florine and Ammon McNeely, all in different parties. Pretty cool to meet guys I'd only read about on a climb I'd only dreamed about.
That's not 0 to LF but it does go to show that dreams can come true if you work hard and are dedicated to making it happen.
You've been given lots of great advice but the one thing no one seems to have said is the mental commitment level required. NOTHING will prepare you for the sheer size of El Cap - pictures don't do it justice. Perhaps this will be no big deal for you but it was by far and away the hardest part for me. Its not so much the height but the magnitude of the commitment. Standing at the base knowing I'm headed into a wilderness of rock with no easy way of escape was very mentally challenging for me. I've always said that 90% of climbing is mental, the other 50% is physical.
If people have suggestions on how to deal with that aspect of a Grade V or VI climb I'd love to hear it.
I hope that the first part of my post was encouraging enough to overcome this discouraging part because the worst advice you will receive is to not chase after your dreams.
Go for it and enjoy the journey.
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'Pass the Pitons' Pete
Big Wall climber
like Oakville, Ontario, Canada, eh?
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Aug 20, 2008 - 11:40am PT
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"You've been given lots of great advice but the one thing no one seems to have said is the mental commitment level required. NOTHING will prepare you for the sheer size of El Cap - pictures don't do it justice... ...Standing at the base knowing I'm headed into a wilderness of rock with no easy way of escape was very mentally challenging for me."
When first standing at the base of El Capitan, the Big Wall Aspirant's bollocks shrivel in terror.
Voice of Dirty Harry: "How badly do ya want it, Punk?"
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Billy
climber
Boston, Ma
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 20, 2008 - 12:59pm PT
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Weekend warrior is so COLD...and apt.
I do work full time, so climbing is tougher for me I guess. Plus the weather out here turns nasty in late October, so it will be even tougher.
I had been concentrating on the physical side of climbing for four days, but now I'm thinking (with all the talk of classes and books and guides and stuff) that this might be mentally taxing as well. So, I decided not to go back to school until I learn the necessary skills to get to the top of El Cap. Might seem like an odd decision, and again, I'm not sure why I'm making it, but it seems like a good idea - at the time.
Do people just live in the valley and climb all the time, or do people have jobs?
I want it bad, punk. BUT the bollocks will definitely shrivel.
The mental commitment is where I am most likely to fail. Need to stay obsessed, I guess.
-Billy
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corcoran
climber
Eugene, OR
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Aug 20, 2008 - 01:56pm PT
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I love this thread. I created an account just to post in it!
My claim: considering that...
1. You are out of shape.
2. You are starting from square 1, with respect to climbing training and instruction.
3. You're working full time.
...this is impossible. But, hey: f*#k the nay-sayers! It's certainly an entertaining endeavor, if nothing else.
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Roman
Trad climber
Boston
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Aug 20, 2008 - 01:59pm PT
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Quitting school is a fantastic idea Billy!
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'Pass the Pitons' Pete
Big Wall climber
like Oakville, Ontario, Canada, eh?
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Aug 20, 2008 - 02:14pm PT
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It's not about your bollocks not shrivelling, because this is certain. Rather it is about facing down your fears.
You should carefully scrutinize the resumes of people on this thread offering you advice, to ensure that they have actually climbed El Cap, and are not merely Big Wall Theorists.
Randy comes to mind...... [not a BWT by definition since he has climbed several Grade V's, but to my knowledge, has yet to climb El Cap]
After two hundred posts, you'd bloody better give this a damn good shot, Billy Boy. If you bail after two pitches, you're gonna have a helluva lot of people to account to.
The benefit, of course, to announcing to your peers and to the world your intentions to climb El Cap, is that once stated, it is that much harder to back down. So I applaud and encourage this behaviour.
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Nefarius
Big Wall climber
Fresno, CA
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Aug 20, 2008 - 02:33pm PT
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Now see what happens when you live in Canadia and I live 1 1/2 hours form the park??? Ummm... Randy has. It's been a while since I bailed on your 21 day, 14 hour per pitch (cybelle's lead) dog and pony show on Dihedral. Sorry. It wasn't like I was a client or needed to be guided up the thing, especially as you were asking me to ropegun all of the free pitches for you. But even I know a bum deal when I see one.
For one, I have done the subject route. 2 days, by myself. I think it took as long for you to rap the route, didn't it? I just don't tend to be a spraylord. But seriously, since you seem to be hurt that I haven't climbed with you, I'll repeat - as I have in the past - when you think you can climb at a decent pace, I'll climb with you. I don't want to waste another week and a half with weather, you being more concerned about getting into someone's pants than climbing, listening to you bicker about the rack with the third partner (sprung on me at the last minute), spend 14 hours on a single pitch, packing and repacking the bags, while you enjoy days on the ground, and a nice fire at the base, and on and on... Especially when I had the entire rack, water and all food/gear at the base of the climb when you got here. All you had to schlep was your personal gear. Fair?
Just different styles, man.
Carry on...
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Ouch!
climber
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Aug 20, 2008 - 02:49pm PT
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