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E
Social climber
Tujunga CA.
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Dec 20, 2010 - 03:31pm PT
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47. Son of Heart-June 2008 with Leverthal
48. Octopussy-Oct. 2008 with Holly Beck
49. Lost world-May 2009 with Ken Klis
50. Genesis 4th ascent-May 2010 with Kate Robertson
51. Squeeze Play-June 2010 with Lechlimski
52. On the Waterfront 4th ascent-Oct.2010 with Holly Beck
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Chief
climber
The NW edge of The Hudson Bay
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Dec 20, 2010 - 04:57pm PT
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Eight and not enough.
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deuce4
climber
Hobart, Australia
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Dec 20, 2010 - 05:12pm PT
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E = Energizer Bunny
Keeps on going, and going, and going...
Good to see Mike Lechlinski getting up there too! You guys are inspiring.
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'Pass the Pitons' Pete
Big Wall climber
like Ontario, Canada, eh?
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Dec 20, 2010 - 10:27pm PT
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41 - Flight of the Albatross sans the flight with JP Brackin
42 - Aquarian Wall with Kate
Both routes fall of 2010.
Albatross quite a superb route. Climb Sunkist/Magic Mushroom to Grey Ledges. The pitch above the Canoe is a legit A4 these days - lots of recent beta on that somewhere here on McTopo.
Aquarian is so-so, but better than I thought. Some really great bivi ledges up there, for sure. OK climbing I guess.
Total nights on the side of El Cap, not counting base or summit bivis, is 446.
Cheers,
Pete
Big Wall Camper
There's a good listing here of El Cap ascensionists, that is mostly up to date, though I see E is one higher than shown:
http://speedclimb.com/yosemite/compare.htm
It's damn hard to keep up to the three guys ahead of you when they are all "moving targets"! But this old fart is far from done - see yous in the spring for a couple more, eh?
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Captain...or Skully
Big Wall climber
leading the away team, but not in a red shirt!
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Dec 20, 2010 - 10:30pm PT
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No lists, nor promotion. Yer missin' the point, maybe.
Just maybe. Cheers.
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'Pass the Pitons' Pete
Big Wall climber
like Ontario, Canada, eh?
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Dec 20, 2010 - 10:33pm PT
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Of course it's a list, Kirk. This post specifically asks the number, so we respond accordingly. I love to read what the other guys [and girls!] are up to, and who climbs what. There are some amazingly obscure routes listed above, which to me are very very cool to read.
A better question, though, might be why some of us just keep doing it. It might be because we are really really stupid, and don't know when to quit [which does help you reach the summit]. It could be because our bollocks continue to shrivel with terror every time we hike our loads to the base.
OR it could really just be a ton of fun, and there's no other place we'd rather be. ;)
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Captain...or Skully
Big Wall climber
leading the away team, but not in a red shirt!
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Dec 20, 2010 - 10:35pm PT
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All good. Have at it.
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shipoopoi
Big Wall climber
oakland
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i've done 38 routes now, hopint to get to 40 soon, steve
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'Pass the Pitons' Pete
Big Wall climber
like Ontario, Canada, eh?
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Steve, we really need to do a wall together this fall, if you catch my Drift.
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'Pass the Pitons' Pete
Big Wall climber
like Ontario, Canada, eh?
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Jan 27, 2012 - 09:49pm PT
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Wow, how did this post get forgotten for a year? It's been a great year on El Cap, for sure. Lots of proud ascents and solos.
I think we had a total of three Second Ascents this year, did we knott? First and foremost, Ammon and Kait finally knocked off the second ascent of Wings of Steel, which is far and away the bitchin'est climb of the year I would say. And if that weren't enough, Ammon and Richie went on to make the second ascent of Hole World by Eric Kohl [aka Klaus the Crustacean Kidnapper].
There have been some great routes climbed on El Cap in 2011, so let's hear all about 'em, eh?
In late May 2011, photographer David Blattel and I made an attempt on the Squeeze Play variation of Lost World, over on the left side in the West Buttress area, starting just left of the NNL-Aquarian Wall start, and finishing on Lurking Fear. We bailed after seven days and only six pitches, so I was "not quite pitch-a-day Pete".
You can read about our bail here:
http://www.supertopo.com/tr/Lost-in-the-Weather-on-Lost-World-PTPP-Bails/t11029n.html
Note to self: need to hotlink David's fantastic photos into this trip report. Dave, are they uploaded onto your website? I can't recall.
Meanwhile, Neil Chelton - currently in Patagonia but knott chopping bolts so far as I know - was working his way up The Shortest Straw. He sent the route, and in the storms was the Last Man Standing on El Cap after absolutely everyone else had bailed.
When my partner JP suffered a nasty break to his finger [don't ask] and had to bail, I was lucky enough to be able to climb with Neil, and we climbed Atlantic Ocean Wall for my 43rd different El Cap route. Neil led the block from the start of the Trip up to El Cap Tree, which we managed by short fixing one afternoon. He also knocked off the nasty-scary pitch up to the roof, which I opted out of, having already done it when I soloed Iron Hawk. The roof pitch is nothing short of spectacular, and there is a booty cam up there for someone. From here, we followed tons of expanding cracks on clean rock up the far right side of the NA Wall before rejoining Iron Hawk for the finish. Neil led the crux free climbing bit here.
I would definitely recommend Atlantic Ocean Wall - it is really good, and much better than I expected. Someone with bigger balls than me could re-establish the original three pitches up to El Cap Tree, which fell off subsequent to the first ascent.
Since Steve was unable to catch my Drift last fall, I grabbed Neil again and his friend Callum Coldwell-Storry, who Neil assured me would be able to climb Kevin Thaw 5.10. Together we made the second ascent of Continental Drift, a route I watched Steve Gerberding, Conrad [w]Anker and Kevin put up when I was nearby on Iron Hawk in the fall of 97. The Drift was my 44th El Cap route. Unbeknownst to me, Neil and Callum brought along their good friend Adam Gill - in spirit if not in the flesh - and I have to say that all four of us pissed ourselves laughing, most of all Adam himself, at the over-reaction of the PC types who just didn't "get" the British humour, and that this was an inside joke among three good mates.
Adam's reaction to Neil's and Callum's banner: "I laughed my tits off!"
The Drift is characterized by some Pretty Darn Hard and very reachy hooking down low, until it joins New Jersey Turnpike for a bit of a reprieve. It busts right across the diorite below Wyoming Sheep Ranch, then climbs straight up. The "Appalachia" pitch I led up and right through the diorite to finally reach the white rock was one of the loosest, hardest and stoutest pitches I have ever led - exactly what we came for.
Once out of the diorite, we climbed bumpy and not-quite-hookable rock more or less straight up to the summit. Here we were surprised to discover a significant number of drilled hook placments placed by the first ascent team, who chose to keep it sporty rather than drilling rivets. When I first enountered the drilled holes, I did not expect them and therefore missed them, thinking something had fallen off, and using a hook on the end of a cheat-stick that I fully knew was certain to make Tom's "Stick of the Day" gallery - sheesh. We added only one hole to the route - drilled by me at a belay to hang a ledge from during a thunderstorm.
Neil reckoned the crux pitch he led - Extraordinary Alien - was a bit harder than anything on Reticent Wall these days, which he and Callum climbed immediately after Continental Drift.
You can find a great trip report by Neil of our ascent of Continental Drift here:
http://www.supertopo.com/tr/Continental-Drifting/t11224n.html
I finished up my year with an ascent of the Shield. My scheduled partner Mark wasn't in a position to do it, and fortunately I was able to recruit Neil from Montana at the last minute to climb with me. We had a fun and leisurely big wall camping ascent, and very much enjoyed ourselves, but I was unimpressed with the Shield. The cracks are very beat out, and the climbing is no hell. Flight of the Albatross or especially Sunkist are far better excursions in the area. You don't need many sawed-offs, either, as peckers will fit between the pods.
The Shield was my 45th El Cap route, and while I doubt I'll make it to fifty this year, a more important goal for me is to get in my 500th night on the side of El Cap, not counting base and summit bivis. I'm at 485 nights now, so with any luck, I'll have it by the end of my first wall this spring.
Anyway, there is lots of Space below here, so let's see what everyone else has been up to.
Cheers, eh?
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'Pass the Pitons' Pete
Big Wall climber
like Ontario, Canada, eh?
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Jan 27, 2012 - 10:01pm PT
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^^^ Three SA's ain't bad ^^^
but there are more to be had. I could sure use Jon as a free climbing gun!
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'Pass the Pitons' Pete
Big Wall climber
like Ontario, Canada, eh?
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Jan 27, 2012 - 10:14pm PT
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So what's next, Riley?? And when? See you on the bridge this spring?
Cheers,
Big Wall Parvenu
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Sierra Ledge Rat
Social climber
Retired to Appalachia
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Jan 28, 2012 - 06:39am PT
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1 for 1
One ascent was enough to last me a lifetime.
Triple Direct, 1980
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steveA
Trad climber
bedford,massachusetts
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Jan 28, 2012 - 08:13am PT
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Only 2: Both in 1971
The Salathe with a young Donini
The Nose with George Myers
My son wants me to do the Nose with him. I'm too old and sore to bivy.
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Enty
Trad climber
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Jan 28, 2012 - 12:15pm PT
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2
Back in October after 15 years of dreaming. The Nose and Zodiac in a 10 day slot. I'm still on cloud 9 and dreaming of The Shield and Mescalito - end of 2013 or 2014.
E
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Mark Hudon
Trad climber
Hood River, OR
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Jan 28, 2012 - 01:00pm PT
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Enty,
That's quite the El Cap introduction!
I guess I get to add five ascents to my previous list (although, in those five ascents, I've done SIX routes!)
NIAD '09
Grape Race/Tribal Rite '10 (one ascent, two routes)
The Shield '10
Zenyatta Mondatta '11
The South Seas '11
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'Pass the Pitons' Pete
Big Wall climber
like Ontario, Canada, eh?
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Jan 28, 2012 - 03:15pm PT
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I need to do like Mark. I repeated Zodiac once in the winter with Richie and Nanook, so I have one fewer routes than ascents. If I could do a two-fer like Mark, that would fix my "problem".
I was thinking of Grape Race to Genesis. Shipoopoi made the third ascent of Genesis solo in winter, just to make it sporting. He described the mandatory free climbing as "not too bad". Kate and E. made the fourth ascent, and Kate described the aid climbing as moderate, "what we could consider A3 or A3+" if I remember correctly. But she said the free climbing pitch that E. led is a full-on bollock-shrivelling horror show.
I wonder what Callum is up to this fall?
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Mark Hudon
Trad climber
Hood River, OR
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Jan 28, 2012 - 03:25pm PT
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Grape Race to El Cap Towers would be a bit awkward but doable.
Genesis starts up the Dawn Wall Tower Start bolts doesn't it? You could probably do some weirdo rap down and then reverse the Jardine Traverse kind of thing to get to El Cap Towers.
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the kid
Trad climber
fayetteville, wv
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Jan 28, 2012 - 03:50pm PT
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not enough..
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