ElCap Report 6/20/09
By Tom Evans
Yo… yes it is true… I am back at the throttle on the ElCap Bridge, so tie in tight, check your knots, and get psyched up for the latest news, from the most important rock on the planet.  I drove all night to get here early this morning so I could have a full day at the “office”.  The Trades are pretty full and a few climbers are venturing onto, soon to be, Trade Routes.   High clouds and moderate temperatures set the stage for a great day of climbing on the Captain.

ElCap Report 6/15/09
By Tom Evans
Yo… Cloudy and on the cold side today… but no rain.  The Captain is sparsely populated now that the Korean teams have finished their routes.  The SW Face is pretty empty.  The Nose had a team going over the top and a team in the lower stove legs.  So the place is wide open to anyone with the time and the plan.  The strange spring continues. 
Today’s report is a brief one so don’t blink or you will miss it…
Today’s report…

ElCap Report 6/14/09
By Tom Evans
Yo… Wow, what a beautiful late April day we had today!  Nice, puffy clouds and intermittent sunshine make it sweet… unfortunately, the wall was nearly empty.  Two solo’s were on the starting pitches of Zodiac and OK Tony and Clay, with his son, stopped by on their way to start the Nose.  Clay’s son, Grant is just 11 but seems to have been well trained by Clay.  He did look a little concerned when I said “Son you are going to die”, the traditional good luck send off for climbers heading to ElCap.  They walked off with the two adults trying to reassure the lad that all would be well!

ElCap Report 6/13/09
By Tom Evans
Yo… Ok, so it does rain more than ten minutes in Yosemite.  The skies opened up around 12:30 pm today and it rained pretty hard but it was short in duration… short enough that I was going to poo poo it on the report.  But, around 3pm it really opened up and drenched the Captain.  However, the climbers on the SE Face continued to climb unhindered…with the exception of the Korean climbers on day 7 on LA.  They were on the third from last pitch and exposed to the elements.  They were hosed to be sure.  Still… I encourage climbers to just forget about the weather forecast and get on a route, if only just to fix a couple of pitches.  The action is getting thin on the Captain and we need replacements to head up to the front line! 

ElCap Report 6/12/09
By Tom Evans
Yo.. Another killer day here in the ditch.  It was breezy and cloudy most of the day… Sweet!!  Many of the teams are getting pretty high up on the routes now and it seems that there are not many replacements.  While the forecast continues to call for 30% rain it has not happened.  These temps are making for low water consumption and higher energy levels to climb with.  Better than the weather for the usual June.  So come on out before the real summer weather arrives… you will be glad you did!

ElCap Report 6/11/09
By Tom Evans
Yo… Another very nice day for climbing on the Cap.  A bit windy but the right temps for free climbing on the big stone.  We still have supposed wall climbers sitting in the café waiting for the weather to have a 0% rain forecast… get over it Pukes!  Routes are being climbed every day now no matter what the chance of rain.  No more of these lame excuses dudes… WTF.. you invested hundreds of dollars in that Gortex rain gear and you lug it up the Cap just in case… so go climbing!!  Actually there are a lot of climbers on the wall now so I guess I shouldn’t complain… still it bugs me to see climbers sitting around bemoaning the weather when it is really perfect!!  If it was a normal June I guess they would be sitting around bitching about the heat!

ElCap Report 6/10/09
By Tom Evans
Yo… Brilliant (as the English like to say) climbing day here in the Trench.  Cool temps, with mostly overcast skies, make for good climbing and good photography.  This weather is far from normal and has been for weeks on end…. But that said, wall climbers are a persistent crew and not put off for long when they see a way to get the job done.  Several teams sallied forth to the big routes on the SW face of the Captain.  The Salathe still sits idle but several other routes on the face are getting some attention.  The Tourons have shown great interest in the Major Phil story and many came back today asking how his ascent was going.  More on that below.

ElCap Report 6/9/09
By Tom Evans
Yo… Sweet day here, with cool temps and no rain for a change.  The Cap was pretty busy and more teams are mounting up.  The Korean teams are doing well on the SE Face of the Captain.  The Trip and Straw teams topped out early in the day after good climbing on the routes.  We are hoping for continued good weather, as several new teams are striking out on the SW Face.

So saddle up and grab the reigns, because you are going for a ride on the Big Daddy of all the big Yosemite stones!

ElCap Report 6/8/09
By Tom Evans
Yo… It was really nice climbing weather today… right up until 4pm when a 10 minute, tropical downpour, drenched everything in its path.  The teams on the SE Face hardly took notice but the Nose must have been pretty wet.  However, it was soon enough gone.  Still, the weather just doesn’t want it to be June and we will just have to keep dealing with it.  Zillions of Tourons continue to learn, the “real deal,” about climbing, here at the bridge, so much so that there seems to be little room for the climbers to hang out!!  But it is all good and everyone is enjoying the action on the hill.

ElCap Report 6/07/09
By Tom Evans
Yo…. Sweet day today with no sign of rain!  It was pretty chilly but probably just right on the wall.  There were teams on the Nose but most of the action is still on the SE Face of the great rock.  The crowds were mild but several climbing friends stopped by to say hi and see what was up on the Captain.  Everyone is moving up or topping out. 
So drop what you are doing and clear your schedule because the weather is perfect and you are coming with old Tom for one more ride on the Captain.