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Submitted by Tom Evans on Sat, 09/28/2019 - 16:39
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ElCap Report 9/28/2019
By Tom Evans
Yo… The weather has changed, the skies are dark and foreboding with some showers. I am hanging in the café with the crew, staying dry and talking shit. The Face Lift has, as expected, reduced the action on ElCap. As a result, I haven’t had much to shoot but the big trade routes… so you get a lethal dose of familiar features today. It has been unseasonably warm these past days and we await fall weathers return. Later in the day now... the clouds cleared around noon but the wind is up and the temperature has dropped. Looking at some rain late tonight or tomorrow morning. I'm hanging in the Mt. Room Bar this evening.
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Submitted by Tom Evans on Mon, 09/23/2019 - 04:17
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ElCap Report 9/22/2019
By Tom Evans
Yo… Splendid weather has been holding firm here the first several days of my stay. But next week some rain is in the forecast and we are hoping it will not disrupt the Face Lift. The action on ElCap has been mostly on the big trades with the exception of the huge rockfall scar from a couple of years ago, which you saw a shot of in the last report. More on that below. Climbers are coming now for the Face Lift and we expect for things to pick up after the clean-up if the weather holds. Ok people, a lot of you are showing up on the cliff wearing gray, black, and other dark colors… not good for photos… so don’t expect to have your pic on the report if this describes you.
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Submitted by Tom Evans on Sat, 09/21/2019 - 03:29
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ElCap Report 9/20/2019
By Tom Evans
Yo.. I arrived yesterday after a nice, but long drive from my home in Southern California. The weather is really fall like with cool days and cooler nights. The great rock is pretty empty with the exception of the Nose which is crowded in clumps. I didn’t arrive in time to shoot yesterday but did get down to the ElCap meadow to shoot today. I plan to have some reports this fall as I will be here until late October and will have time to get something up but at irregular intervals most likely. So… stay tuned for all the news from the big stone along with some reporting on the Face Lift that will start early next week, and has excellent evening shows and fantastic prizes for the hard working volunteers.
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Submitted by Tom Evans on Fri, 11/02/2018 - 18:00
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ElCap Report 10/27/18 Last report of the Fall season.
By Tom Evans
Yo.. Great weather continued right to the end of the season. My season that is, as the climbing season continues well into November or until the weather totally caves in. We had a lot of action on the Cap this season with the big trades getting fully used, as well as climbs we don’t see done so much. All in all, it was a good season with no really serious injures in the climbing community. The two big climbing movies came out in Sept. and have been well attended with very positive reviews. Seems like climbing movies are becoming more interesting to main stream viewers as well as climbers. BTW if you have not contacted me about drop boxing your shots to you then you have to wait until Dec as I will be gone until then, starting Nov 4. Let me know and I will put you on the list.... thanks!
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Submitted by Tom Evans on Mon, 10/29/2018 - 04:24
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ElCap Report 10/22/18
By Tom Evans
Yo… The weather continues to make this an exceptional season for big wall climbing. Lots of different climbs are being done along with the Big Trades that are still overloaded on most days. We have had a few rescues these past days, mostly helicopter driven, of varying incidents… be careful out there folks!
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Submitted by Tom Evans on Fri, 10/26/2018 - 16:00
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ElCap Report: An afternoon walk in Yosemite, Fall 2018.
By Tom Evans
Yo… A little change of pace for this Report. Yesterday afternoon I took an hour or so “off” from shooting down at ElCap, and took a walk starting from Camp 4. It was so beautiful I have to share some shots with you. The first few are from around Camp 4, my home for the past weeks. As you can see they really pack campers into small spaces here… not so great for sleeping but we are just happy to be in Yosemite. The green tent, in the second shot, is my humble abode. I won’t describe the shots individually as anyone with a camera could have taken these shots just by walking around. The spacing of these is weird so just keep going down until you hit the next one.
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Submitted by Tom Evans on Thu, 10/25/2018 - 15:46
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ElCap Report 10/20/18
By Tom Evans
Yo.. Very busy here due to the splendid weather so I am a little late getting caught up on reports.. sorry about that. This is a short report on a recent helicopter involved rescue off he East Buttress of Middle Cathedral rock. That same day there was a similar rescue off of the climb Super Slide. Earlier the YOSAR ground team did an all-nighter off the death slabs below the NW Face of Half Dome. So, the rescue teams here have been busy and fortunately we have had no really serious injuries thus far this season.
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Submitted by Tom Evans on Tue, 10/23/2018 - 02:04
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ElCap Report 10/18/18
By Tom Evans
Yo… Man the solid weather has been here for so many days.. will it ever rain again?! Take advantage of this you Cubicle Pukes, rise up, leave the office, and come to Yosemite asap! I have had several days of many shots and have fallen behind on the Reports so I am posting them as I finish them…so this one is for Oct.18 and covers the time from the one before on Oct 15.
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Submitted by Tom Evans on Tue, 10/16/2018 - 01:59
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ElCap Report 10/15/18
By Tom Evans
Yo… Killer weather these days, including some cold nights! Lots of climbs going on now but the Nose has been virtually empty as has the Salathe. Lots of traffic has been seen over on the North America Wall. The season is in full swing now AND for the most part the NPS has taken Camp 4 back from the wild west show it had turned into. So now you will need that parking pass to use the lot and they are checking sites for poachers and unregistered tents. There is a $180 fine for failing to register!
The leaves are rapidly turning their fall colors and the days are warm in the sunlit meadow but rather cool in the shade.. bring a jacket! Remember these reports are not complete coverage of all the teams climbing, as the daily ones were in the past… your team might not get a mention or a shot in the report. Get used to it, as I am not going back to the daily reports.
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Submitted by Tom Evans on Wed, 10/10/2018 - 03:13
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ElCap Report 10/9/18
By Tom Evans
Yo… Splendid weather continues after the three days of not so good conditions. The big routes are getting full attention now. Today there were 18 parties on the Nose route, although mostly spread out pretty well except for the first 4 pitches which were loaded past capacity. Other routes are available folks! Zodiac only has one party, the Trip is empty, Mescalito has just one party and the NA has one new party and another that is about to finish. So, pick a good route, that is not called the Nose or Salathe/Freerider! The shots below are from the last few days.
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Submitted by Tom Evans on Fri, 10/05/2018 - 00:57
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ElCap Report 10/4/18
By Tom Evans
Yo… Since the rains came a couple of days ago, I have been out and about taking some scenic shots. Much easier to write about than climbing! Speaking of climbing… Brett Evans, who is on the Trip, seems to have landed in the golden zone where it is dry and comfortable. He has continued to climb pitches each day and is doing just fine. No other teams, that I know of, are on the mountain. Now folks…. Some of you have been jumping other peoples fixed lines so you won’t have to climb some pitches. This practice is not ethical here in Yosemite. You should do your own climbing and fixing. At the very least you should find the people who fixed the lines and get permission to use those ropes. OK?
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Submitted by Tom Evans on Tue, 10/02/2018 - 02:09
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ElCap Report 10/2/18
By Tom Evans
Yo.. Great weather now… cooler with mostly sunny days and comfortable nights. However, today is forecast to be the start of several days of rain, through Thursday. Although we have had good action in the last several days, that will be changing very soon. This report has shots over the past few days. Update: It is now 8:30am and pouring rain... good luck out there! I have just learned that the Para Climber made it off last night and that they are presently carrying her out via Tamarc flats trail. I also got down to ElCap around noon and saw Brett leading the pitch above the slab and he was in a dry area too.. looking good up there!
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Submitted by Tom Evans on Fri, 09/28/2018 - 02:59
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ElCap Report 9/28/18
By Tom Evans
Yo… The weather is no longer on the warm side but has moved into the blazing hot region. Most climbers have stayed away from the cliff or have tried and bailed from their chosen routes. Many climbers have volunteered to help clean up Yosemite via the Face Lift. However, the forecast is for cooler temps and possible rain early next week. We could use some rain as Yosemite has become a dust bowl from all the logging and a long dry summer. The air still has some smoke at times as there are fires smoldering from the past few weeks. Some hard core teams are still up there battling it out, seeking to realize their dream climbs. Hey you lurkers... how about some donations to the site... I do this for your enjoyment and am getting hungry here!
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Submitted by Tom Evans on Wed, 09/26/2018 - 02:44
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ElCap Report 9/25/18
By Tom Evans
Yo…The great weather continues to bless the fall season. The cliff is far from packed but it is drawing the wall climbers to it. The Nose is getting the lions share of the teams. The Face Lift is on now and that may be the reason for a thinned wall population. Tonight, the Face Lift is showing the Honnold film “Alone” and the turnout is expected to be epic. The real work of the event will start tomorrow as the volunteers head out to pick up trash and junk strewn about the park. Big events happen each evening this week… so if you are in the area be sure to come on by.
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Submitted by Tom Evans on Sun, 09/23/2018 - 01:35
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ElCap Report 9/22/2018
By Tom Evans
Yo… Wake up Cubicle Pukes.. the ElCap Report is back! The 5 days I have been here have been perfect for climbing, not a cloud in the sky! As to be expected, the big trades are getting most of the attention. We do have some solo climbers up on the big lonesome, the solitude their objective. Oli is done with NNL while Matt is just starting. Stevie G is on a favorite … JTree was too hot so he came north. On the upper east side Zodiac and the Straw are getting some traffic but the rest of the SE face lies empty all the way to the Nose. Lots of action on Salathe and Freerider. The Nose is getting a lot of action but has yet to get jammed up. The Muir is becoming popular again with two teams on it at the moment, and another just off. I am in site 1 of camp 4, look for the lime green rain fly with the lights. I haven’t gotten around to do any scenic shots but hope to get away from EC in late afternoon. I will try to get a report out each week or so but understand that I will not be writing or posting shots of every team, although I will be shooting everyone.
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Submitted by Tom Evans on Wed, 05/16/2018 - 23:36
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ElCap Report 5/16/18
By Tom Evans
Yo... It seems like the Spring climbing season is in full swing now.
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Submitted by Tom Evans on Sun, 11/12/2017 - 18:53
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ElCap Report 10/26 to 31/2017
By Tom Evans
Yo… The great fall weather held up to the end of the season. The hallmarks of the season were the huge rockfalls of late September, early October, and death and injury as you have read in previous ElCap Reports. However, along with tragedy came the triumphs of climbers who fulfilled long held ambitions and dreams. Lots of free climbs were attempted on ElCap as a wave of European climbers swarmed over the great rock. We also got to watch some, rarely done, wall style climbs too. This is the last report of the fall season. Remember to let me know who the climbers are in the shots, if they are not identified, so I can put their names with their shots. I received word (11/15/17) that Keita Kurahami who worked the Nose this fall did make a free ascent! Congratualtions!
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Submitted by Tom Evans on Fri, 10/27/2017 - 00:25
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ElCap Report 10/19 to 10/25/2017
By Tom Evans
Yo…Unprecedented solid weather seems to be the trademark of this Falls climbing season. It is too warm for some of the free climbing on ElCap, yet several teams are forging ahead. Most popular is, of course, Freerider which has been plagued by drop-ins, bailers and fixed-line jumpers. El Nino, El Corazon, and Golden Gate still have parties on them. The big free climbing news is the finishing of Rob Miller and Roby Rudolf’s new route on the Muir Wall, just two days ago. Big wall aid routes are going down in good order too. Recently we have seen the NA, Aurora, Native Son, Mescalito, Wall of the Early Morning Light, Sunkist, Never Never Land, and Aquarian get climbed, to mention some of the notables.
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Submitted by Tom Evans on Sun, 10/22/2017 - 16:57
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ElCap Report 10/21/17 New Nose Record
By Tom Evans
Yo… It was a cold and dark morning in Camp 4 and I didn’t really want get up… but Brad Gobright and Jim Reynolds seemed to be on the cusp of finally sending the Nose, in record time. This was to be their 11th run up the route and since their last run had broken the 2:30 barrier I figured this just might be their day… so I went to the café around 6:30, gagged down a greasy breakfast, and headed down to the meadow. I arrived to find that …the story continues below…
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Submitted by Tom Evans on Thu, 10/19/2017 - 02:39
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ElCap Report 10/12 to 10/18/17
By Tom Evans
Yo… Great weather, albeit on the warm side, prevails here in Yosemite. Unfortunately, so does the smoke from the Empire fire, up behind Glacier Point. So, most of the day shooting is a waste of time as the shots come out very strange looking until the smoke drifts off later in the afternoon. The roads are a total mess too with paving going on in the camp 4 area and other projects making for lots of waiting in lines. I had considered leaving this week but some friends are here and we are having a good time in spite of the distractions. We had a big rockfall off the first half of the 5th pitch on ZM, so that route will have to be reestablished there. The big rockfall area continues to dribble a rock or two now and then but nothing substantial.
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