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ElCap Report 5/24/13

Submitted by Tom Evans on Sat, 05/25/2013 - 02:56
ElCap Report 5/24/13
By Tom Evans
Yo… Wow!! Another beautiful day for climbing on the Captain. Sunny and cool conditions will not last much longer, as a storm is expected on Monday. It seems that Zodiac is still the climb to be on these days. Several climbers are taking a wait and see attitude before committing to blasting. Spring lighting is making for some difficult photography, but fortunately Capt. Tom knows all the tricks, to make shots work out right. BUT… help me out here climbers! The shadows are long and dark this time of year so … LOSE THE DAMN DARK SHIRTS AND PANTS!! They combine with the shadows to make humans look like long, dark blob. Do you really want a once in a lifetime shot of you to be a head with a dark blob for a body? Really?  You aren’t doing it for me…. I have a couple hundred thousand shots of climbers on ElCap and another blob shot just gets given to you not me! Women!!! Dress your man! 
Today’s ElCap Report…written just for you…unique in all the world!
Zodiac: It is, at the moment, the most popular climb on the rock.  Chris Mac and Caleb Wrightmyer topped out this afternoon after a speedy ascent with one bivy. Old Mac still has what it takes!
1)  Caleb, at the end of the last pitch, waves to the multitudes who have flocked to Yosemite to see him climb!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2) Next down is the solo, Joe Shultz, who seems to be in his element up there. He lead and cleaned the Nipple pitch while I was shooting today.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
3) Lower down yet was the most colorful team on the route. They climbed the Black Tower and were at the start of the Nipple pitch when I departed.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
4) Lowest down is a team of two undistinguished dressers who are climbing well enough. This shot is at the end of the Black Tower pitch this afternoon.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Nose: The “King” had a couple of teams up high and a several teams down low today. 
5) The most notable team was Wes, Dave, and Andrew, who spent the night in the Legs, one pitch below Dolt Tower. They took most of the time I was shooting to make it to Dolt. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
6) Dolt tower this afternoon with Wes’s crew on the left and two people who passed them in the Legs on the right.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
7) A team of two were in the Legs around 3pm, after doing the classic “Pendulum into the Stovelegs” (aka Legs) which is not often done, now that there is a way to “cheat” across low and avoid the rope maneuver. Scurvy Pukes take the shortcut!!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
8) Higher up, a team from yesterday left Camp 5 this morning, and took a long time to get to Camp 6. Looked to me they stop and hauled to the ledge below 6, that is sometimes mistaken for the triangular ledge.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
9) Highest was a good looking team that topped out around 2pm.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
El Corazon: The German climber, Tobias Wolf, and his partner are attempting to send this route free. I spotted them on the beautiful crack left of the Shield approach. 
10) Tobias working up the splitter crack on the Mushroom approach.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Salathe: Today I saw several teams on the route, the second ever done on the Captain. There were a couple of teams up high, in the vicinity of Long Ledge. A couple of locals had talked about doing the route and then the Nose right afterward. I couldn’t tell who was who up there.
11) Two teams came up from Hollow Flake and played tag up to and past the Ear. This shot is the lead team climbing the classic, but seldom done, pitch above the Ear.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
12) Name the climb, and pitch, this triangular roof is on. Hint: ElCap’s first woman’s solo, by Bev Johnson, climbed this predominately aid route.   Well, aid for most teams!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
In other news: With the big weekend upon us the traffic will be pretty bad…. So… you may not get a Report for one of the days… please don’t riot in the streets!!
So that’s the way it is, for this Friday, the 24th day of May, 2013.
Outta here,
Your Captain, Tom
#1Submitted by Anonymous on Sun, 05/26/2013 - 23:39.

Wonderful!

Wonderful!

#2Submitted by Anonymous on Sun, 05/26/2013 - 22:40.

Picture add on

And if you are under that roof and go left you are on? Starts with "aw, shoot the....,,,,,"

#3Submitted by Anonymous on Sat, 05/25/2013 - 04:15.

Better quality than ever.

Tom, Your shots are getting so much crisper.
 Clear textures are everywhere.
Super focus, great colors. Awesome shots.
Have this site is like being at the cliffs, only better.
Thanks for taking me there again
Jingy 
From Tom:  Nice to hear from you Jingy... hope you are doing better!  always look forward to having you around.
we have the same sick sense of humor and I enjoy laughing myself sick at your jokes!

#4Submitted by Anonymous on Sat, 05/25/2013 - 03:18.

Dihedral Wall, dunno the

Dihedral Wall, dunno the pitch.
Lambone

#5Submitted by Anonymous on Sat, 05/25/2013 - 15:17.

low down , pitch 4 ?ian

low down , pitch 4 ? ian
 
From Tom... Yo Ian!  Close enough... start of the 6th!