ElCap Reports

ElCap Report 10/17/11
By Tom Evans

Yo… The great days follow one after another, here in the Valley.  This has been a Fall unlike any for the past several years.  Climbers are getting it done in this great weather…some are leaving so they can get some rest!
Well, there is no rest for the ElCap Report as long as there are good things to report.  So let’s get right to it…

Today’ ElCap Report…written just for you..unique in all the world!

Zodiac:  Kristoffer Wickstrom and Craig Entwistle fixed the first 4 a couple of days ago and showed up today to blast.  You may remember Craig from the Nose last week.  He has been dreaming about ElCap for the past 15 years and this Brit is psyched to be doing two routes before heading home to France.  They will be bivied at the start of the Nipple pitch, I hope.  Can’t shoot that famous pitch at night you know!
1)  Kris on the Black Tower.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2)  Craig leading into the Circle.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lower down Leila and Mike did the first two while I was there.  Not sure if they are blasted or fixing a few.
3)  Leila almost done cleaning the first pitch.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ZM:  Regan didn’t get the second pitch of the day done yesterday, so was out early to make up for some lost time.  I watched him lead out of the Circle this morning and start the next pitch at about 2pm.  He has enough water with him so that we won’t have a repeat of the problem on Mescalito.
4)  Regan, not wearing a grass skirt, but a rope one.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NA Wall:  The Mike’s are only a few from the top as I type these lines.  They climbed across the reverse traverse pitch this morning and were on the next when I departed around 2:30pm.
5)  Reverse Traverse, above big air on the NA Wall.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reticent:  Neil and Callum fixed the crux pitch yesterday and had an easy day of it today, they topped out around 1pm after a climb well done.
6)  Topping out on the Reticent Wall!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

New Dawn:  Tommy and Jennifer most likely topped out around 4pm today after a night on the ledge two from the top.  They were awakened in the middle of the night by the Tribal record seeking team, who knocked 4 hours off the existing record time!  
7)  The Reticent and New Dawn teams breaking the bivy for the last time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Nose:  I spotted solo, Dan Janus this morning, breaking down his bivy on the spacious, Dolt Tower.  I figured the distance he had to go yesterday, at the rate he has been climbing, would have broken him by now…but that is not the case.  This guy is becoming “the man who won’t bail!”  I though he would surely bail from Dolt…but no.. late in the morning he lead off Dolt, going up.  I hope those bags are loaded with plenty of food and water.  Unfortunately, he seems to have abandoned his red shirt for a white one, understandable in the rather warm conditions on the Cap these last several days.
8)  Dan, the man who won’t bail, on Dolt Tower this morning.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

9)  Dan and kit at the scenic stance, a pitch above Dolt, this afternoon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Higher up Andrew and Alex climbed off ECT and did the King Swing around 10am.  Alex did the swing and like some of the climbers we see, didn’t really want to give a good run at it.  She skipped along back and forth for quite a while before doing the minimum run necessary to get it done.  However, done is done and they were soon in the Gray Bands with maybe a bivy at Camp 4.

Higher up, Augustino and Carlos did the GR and were headed into Camp 5 when I left.  
10)  ElCap Salute, Great Roof, Nose Route.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lowest down a team of two, Dirk (a local) and Rob (a Brit) worked their way up the Legs to Dolt by early afternoon.  Probably headed to ECT.

Shield:  Ian and Pete nighted on Chickenhead and were in the process of climbing off by the time I stopped shooting.
11)  Ian leading above Chickenhead Ledge.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Golden Gate/El Corazon:  The multitudes are still working this unlikely, most popular on the rock, route.  A team came over from El Corazon as I took the pic below.  Sure looked crowded up there but everyone seemed to be having a good time working sometimes on top rope and sometimes leading.  Nice to see such enthusiasm for free climbing on ElCap!
12)  Part of the crew on Tower to the People.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Salathe:  This route is getting attention in it’s Freerider form these days.  Mayan and Neils (YOSAR boy) started last night and I spotted them at Suis le Toit around 9:30 this morning.  They were going for a one day of Freerider and by the looks of things had plenty of time to spare.
13)  Neils leading the traverse to the Freerider exit pitches.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Out west…. ????????

In other news:  Two of the heroes of the Tribal record team, Dave and Kevin hung out for a time today along with Alik Berg, who you may remember from three years ago when I named him the “climber of the season” for his great solo and team climbing on the Captain.  He just finished Reckless Abandon, with Richie Copeland, over on the Falls Wall and wants to climb something good on the Cap, before he leaves for his Canadian home.
I had most of the morning to myself and really enjoyed the time to quietly contemplate the wonders of the season and the giant rock that seems to dominate my life at this point.  Although arthritis has pretty much doomed me from climbing any more, the pull of the Captain is still strong.  I enjoy what I do and all the people it leads to me meeting.  
So that’s the way it is, for this Monday, the 17th day of October, 2011.
Bye for now,
Tom