Caldwell and Jorgeson Begin Ground Up Send Dawn Wall

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Dr.Sprock

Boulder climber

I'm James Brown, Bi-atch!

Oct 30, 2011 - 12:06am PT

and they will change what ever they get to what ever they had,

this is spooky, and it does happen,

you may as well screw your girlfriend's mom.

jus sayin, wtf, over?

JOEY.F

Gym climber

It's not rocket surgery

Oct 30, 2011 - 12:38am PT

Kevin is profoundly bummed

Dang for Kevin!
Wishing the team, however it evolves, all the best!

the kid

Trad climber

fayetteville, wv

Oct 30, 2011 - 01:35pm PT

big big rig.. good luck gents..

Chris McNamara

SuperTopo staff member

Nov 17, 2011 - 12:01pm PT

update from Tommy:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Tommy-Caldwell/180070212030430

Well, gave it hell but came up short. Plan B is to abandon the idea of a single push and try it in 2 parts. I am going to try and recover on the ground for a bit and then go back for more. Its been a grand adventure and I cant, let go yet.

miwuksurfer

Social climber

Mi-Wuk

Nov 17, 2011 - 12:51pm PT

I always try to climb clean, but Im not going to spare the pins on a nail up just because its been free climbed. The only reason aid climbs get freed is the nailing turns seams into fingerlocks. Trying to say "ok, thats just the right amount of nailing, stop now" just wont fly.

Theres alot more 5.10 climbers than 5.14 climbers, so bigger jams suit a greater portion of the climbing public anyway.

Yeah, thats why I always bring my pins with me up Sons and Serenety. I can't fit my hands in those fingerlocks anyways.

Plus there are a lot more 5.8 climbers than 5.10 climbers, so bigger jams suit a greater portion of the climbing public anyways.

nutjob

Gym climber

Berkeley, CA

Nov 17, 2011 - 04:43pm PT

Good question... what percentage of the climbing community must freeclimb at the grade before aid climbing it is considered off limits?

Rattlesnake Arch

Social climber

Home is where we park it

Nov 18, 2011 - 05:12pm PT

Back at 13 to see how it feels. Maybe clean clothes, a fresh pair of tc pros and my wife will be the key to getting it done?

.

Rattlesnake Arch

Social climber

Home is where we park it

Nov 19, 2011 - 02:44pm PT

‎13 is still putting up a stiff fight.

Rankin

Social climber

Greensboro, North Carolina

Nov 19, 2011 - 04:37pm PT

Whew! Those guys are pretty good. I wonder how long of a rope they are using...

Wade Icey

Trad climber

www.alohashirtrescue.com

Nov 19, 2011 - 05:31pm PT

what percentage of the climbing community must freeclimb at the grade before aid climbing it is considered off limits?

that is a good question...answer: clean aid climbing is never off limits...it's just aid.

Mark Hudon

Trad climber

Hood River, OR

Nov 19, 2011 - 05:43pm PT

gonamoke,

I've been finding that all the trade routes likely to be free climbed are pretty piss easy to "nail". Placing more than 4 pins in a row on The Shield, Tribal Rite, South Seas, ZM and the Zodiac pretty much make them A2. To add back a bit of challenge I've been trying to climb those routes without using any fixed pins or heads. You can go ahead and nail anything you want but if you want a challenge, "nailing" is not way to do it.

gonamok

climber

dont make me come over there

Nov 20, 2011 - 01:49am PT

when i said nailup, i meant nailup, not a free climb. My point is that even if somebody freed it at 5.14m, its still a nailup to me and 90% or more of the climbing population, and because it went free doesnt mean nobody can nail it anymore.

And yeah I use pins on serenity, gimmie a break. Mark thanks for your input, i cant carry your chalkbag but I know how to aid clean.

S.Leeper

Sport climber

Pflugerville, Texas

Nov 22, 2011 - 05:55pm PT

Caldwell Leaves Dawn Wall, Looks to Next Year
By Dougald MacDonald

Enlarge
Tommy Caldwell battling pitch 13 on the Dawn Wall.

11/22/11 - Tommy Caldwell has abandoned this year's efforts to free-climb the Dawn Wall, the desperately hard line on the southeast face of El Capitan that he and Kevin Jorgeson have been attempting for several years. Caldwell free-climbed through the 12th pitch, including three 5.14 pitches, during a 10-day push in late October and early November. But he could not link the 13th pitch (estimated to be 5.14+) despite many days of effort. Last week, after more than two weeks on the wall, Caldwell gave up on his single-push effort, retreated to Yosemite Valley's floor for rest, then returned to the route for more attempts on pitch 13 without success.

Despite this year's disappointments, Caldwell says he's not done yet with the route. "I am still very motivated, inspired, and a bit obsessed by this project," he said in an email. "I learn new strategies and get closer each season. I don't think I will be able to let go of it yet."

Caldwell said he "lost count" of the number of tries he made on the 13th pitch. "I battled on the pitch for a week and failed to climb through the crux section." He added that this pitch has a few "really hard and low-percentage moves. I have done them all, as well as the sequences from rest position to rest position. Putting the whole thing together seems to be another matter."

The next two pitches on the route are also estimated at 5.14+, including the celebrated 15th lead, which begins with an eight-foot sideways leap that sent Jorgeson to the hospital after he smashed his ankle during his first attempt at the dyno this season. In all, the Dawn Wall project has seven 5.14 and seven 5.13 pitches out of a total of about 30 leads.

"It would have been nice to get it done this time around," Caldwell said. "I guess the saga will continue. I am too inspired by this route to let it go yet. Despite the occasional frustrations, this project continues to enrich and inspire my life In a wonderful way."