Wings of Steel

I always wonder about the appeal of aid climbing to so many people.

Jim Beyer is a vandal who while climbing Martyr's Brigade destroyed bolts and rivets on an existing route on El Capitan - WOEML. These chopped anchors have yet to be repaired, and the WOEML route is currently unclimbable.

Accordingly, Martyr's Brigade is a botch job, and I have no respect for Beyer nor his climbing accomplishments. He should go repair what he wrecked.

I would hazard a guess that Da Dweeb is The Obfuscation that is a proxy to the first ascent dudes not being able to explain unexplained Bathooks.
Humans being earnest are better entertainment than any comedian could imagine.

Until 2002, WEML was a viable climb. It got climbed once a year or every other year.

In the late 80s/early 90s Steve Gerberding redrilled the original section that Robbins chopped. He told me he used 1/4" buttonheads, drilling right next to the chopped bolts(i've only done New Dawn so haven't seen em).

In 96ish Chris McNamara and Brian Paulson replaced most of the anchor bolts, as long as you link according to the Supertopo.

In 2002 Jim Beyer put up Martyr's Brigade, which crosses or touches WEML, ND, Mescalito,Space. Jim reported in Alpinist that he, "I drilled a lot of bolts, but chopped about an equal number on surrounding routes."

In 2004 Hans Florine and Brian McCray tried for the first one day ascent of WEML and were slowed considerably by several chopped bolts. Hans reported that they free-soloed the first pitch, drilled a couple rivets over the climb, and avoided other blank spots with penjiing onto nearby routes.

Later in 2004, Brian McCray and Ammon McNeely paired up for the first one day ascent. I don't believe they drilled any bolts but resorted to the same circuitous climbing tactics to avoid broken bolts.

I don't believe anyone has climbed the route since 2004. I don't believe the bolts on the first pitch have been replaced.

I would hazard a guess that Da Dweeb is The Obfuscation that is a proxy to the first ascent dudes not being able to explain unexplained Bathooks.

It only matters because it is a point of faith that the unfaithful are supposed to believe.

Aid climbing is like being involved with Catechism into adulthood sometimes. There is some liberation but lots of loathing for just doing what it takes to get home.

Humans being earnest are better entertainment than any comedian could imagine.

Doesn't Martyr's Brigade also include some really contrived difficulty, like "hook" moves involving an ice tool attached to a cheat stick or something like that?

Martyr's Brigade is probably the hardest and most dangerous big-wall route on El Capitan

The seventeen-foot stickhook move on pitch 24 bypasses a super-thin flake, but has real bloodbath potential. The "dry tool" move on pitch 11 is unique. By topstepping a big hook, I was able to reach past a twenty-foot blank wall and "dry tool" (my ice axe taped to my twenty-two-foot stickclip) an out-of-sight block. As I jugged my 5.5-mil spectra cord up to the axe I was afraid that it would come off and impale me. When I reached the block I realized it was detached and resting on a narrow down-sloping ledge. I should have been more gripped.

. I drilled a lot of bolts, but chopped about an equal number on surrounding routes. Creating hard pitches, destroying pathetic bolt ladders (Early Morning Light)—it seemed to balance out in the end.