ElCap Reports

ElCap Report 9/23/09
By Tom Evans
Yo… Ok … the weather has cooled off a touch and the Captain is ready for your team to start climbing.  It was really nice at the bridge with lots of climbers coming by and hanging out in the cool shade.  Today was the first day of the clean up and it is off to a great start.  Last night we had presentations from the Ken Burns film on the national parks and a show by Dean Potter.  A nice crowd showed up with lots of good cheer all round.

ElCap Report 9/22/09
By Tom Evans
Yo… Really hot today on the Big Stone and the attendance on the routes was subsequently down.  Parties with bags at the top of the lines on Salathe went up and quickly came back down.  The Bridge was real quiet.
Big doings tonight at the Face Lift, so this will be compressed to the max so I can get going.
Today’s ECR… for you of course … unique in all the world.

ElCap Report 9/21/09
By Tom Evans
Yo… Beautiful here but rather warm.  Thus, traffic on most of the EC routes is almost nil.  The two big trades are taking all the traffic right now.  With the Face Lift starting tomorrow I imagine most climbers will be doing some volunteer work and not a lot of climbing.  The Bridge was very quiet with just climbers in evidence, not a bad thing!
Today’s ElCap Report will be a brief one and this may be the case for the next week or so.

ElCap Report 9/20/09
By Tom Evans
Yo… Killer weather and the wall is pretty empty save the Salathe and upper Nose.  Get here and get on it!  Plus the Face Lift is just a couple of days away now… come on up and put some effort into keeping the park looking good.  Sundays are always kind of slow at the Bridge and today was no exception.  Nice to have some quiet for a change.
Today’s ElCap Report just for your eyes only… remember .. It’s unique in all the world.

ElCap Report 9/19/09
By Tom Evans
Yo… Kind of cloudy today in the Valley today with some sun from time to time.  The temps were moderate with some light wind.  More and more climbers are arriving for the Fall season now and many plans are afloat.  The climbers on the Trades are getting to the top now and the replacements are few and far between it seems.  But you never know because a lot of climbers just come in and head up to the cliff without stopping by the Bridge.  The Nose is still seeing a 50% bail rate, mostly from first timers who seem to be in the grip of FEAR when they enter the Legs.  Someone has fixed a line from the first Stoveleg pitch and that seems to funnel lots of the bailers to the ground.  The Salathe is actually the most crowded at the moment with wall climbers and free climbers climbing side by side.

ElCap Report 9/18/09
By Tom Evans
Yo.. Another killer day at the bridge!  Pretty quiet in the morning but by afternoon lots of climbers showed up to hang out and enjoy watching the teams climbing on the Captain.  As you can imagine the Bridge Crew is a pretty tough audience and not much gets by them.  So the slander and humor were freely flowing.  The big Trades are getting all the action and they are far from full.  More and more of the regulars are coming in for the Fall season and if this weather is any indication then we should have many good days to bask in the glory of the Captains light.

ElCap Report 9/17/09
By Tom Evans
Yo… Unbelievable weather today.  The air was crisp, the breeze cooling, and the sun warm.  Lots of action on the upper east side of the great rock.
There is much to write about today so I will get right to the point.
Today’s ElCap Report…

ElCap Report 9/16/09
By Tom Evans
Yo.. Another killer day here in the Valley!  The Big Stone is drawing them in now so any of you hiding behind your Momma’s skirt need to get with the program… there is room for you on the Captain.  You know I don’t much care to hang around the bridge if there is nothing to shoot so get on it now and avoid the late September crunch.  The Face lift is just a few days away so plan to work on it and then stay a few days extra and squeeze in that EC route you have been wanting to do.  The upper east side is seeing some action but the really big Trades on the lower east side are languishing in disuse.  So let's see some haul bags hanging over there soon.

ElCap Report 9/15/09
By Tom Evans
Yo… Wow what a sweet day here in the Valley!!!  The Fall climbing season has officially started.  I don’t remember a more perfect day for climbing in the Yosemite Valley than today was.  Of course, this also means that those holding back for some reason now have to pony up or shut up.  We had good action today on several routes and more is coming as the lurkers have come out of the woodwork to play the big game.
Today’s report is brought to you by Hayden and JT who I watched climb the Nose with daylight to spare today!!
Here it is without the usual BS I spew…. Today’s ElCap Report… happening now…

ElCap Report 9/14/09
By Tom Evans
Yo… our long national nightmare is finally over and there is rejoicing here in the Valley and on the internet… Why?  Because I am finally at my station at the legendary ElCap Bridge, climbing’s most important span.  I came up yesterday and did some shooting but the drive was long and I was not up to grinding out the ECR for yesterday.  I had a good summer and was able to get another big lens and a new camera and various other things photographic.  I spend a ton of money and really appreciated those of you who donated to the site as it covered nearly half of what I spent.  Unfortunately I botched the new camera settings and most of the shots I took today had a puke green tint to them… not good, not good at all.  I salvaged a few and changed the camera settings, so tomorrow will be better I hope!  Plus some of the shots were improperly oriented... like the first 4 and I have not figured out a way to fix the pics... I will come back  and see what can be done.... but don't hold your breath!
 

ElCap Report 6/30/09
By Tom Evans
Yo… Well the day has come for the last ElCap Report of the Season.  It has been an unusual Spring here in the Valley in regards to the weather.  But that didn’t stop climbers from reaching deep into their dreams and making them come true.  Some of the world’s greatest climbers were seen on the Captain this season, and some of the most obscure climbers you never heard of got to share the spotlight, here on the ElCap Report.  For me it is always a rewarding experience to watch my fellow climbers as they express their passion and deal with their limitations on the greatest stage in all the world.  We saw speed climbers blazing their way up the cliff and we saw crawlers going at what seemed agonizingly slow paces.  Each climber had their own goals to reach and yet they were rewarded in quite similar ways.  That is one of the great things about our sport.  We congratulate all those who came forth with the courage and commitment to strive to be their best, no matter what the outcome.

ElCap Report 6/29/09
By Tom Evans

ElCap Report 6/28/09
By Tom Evans
Yo… Pretty damn hot here today but everyone was going up anyway.   I talked to Scott, of the NIAD team who salvaged the Koreans off the Nose yesterday…  He said when he reached them at the Great Roof they told him in broken English that they were out of water and said “we are going to die” and made the classic knife across the throat sign.  That was enough to convince the lads that they should help them out!!  They did and the Koreans were able to jug off the route and get down in time to head out today for SF and their flight home.  Hopefully the Koreans will take the lesson to heart and not let that kind of thing happen again.

ElCap Report 6/27/09
By Tom Evans
Yo.. Pretty nice here today but a little on the warm side.  A lot of the regulars have headed up to the high country to escape the heat and get some fresh mosquito bites.  The Nose was pretty busy today but all above ECT as the huge Korean party in the Legs were no longer on the wall… nice!  The rest of the routes are getting done at steady, if not fast pace. 

ElCap Report 6/26/09
By Tom Evans
Yo… splendid here today with some smoke from a so called “controlled burn” out to the west.  Kind of warm on the Big Stone too.  The day started rather poorly with Holly Beck taking a plunge short fixing on the start of the Nose route.  She decked from about 40ft and had facial cuts that produced a lot of blood, a concussion, and a possible broken arm.  Fortunately her partner, Jeff Webb, is a SAR ranger and got to her fast and called in for a rescue.  She was taken down and flown out.  Werner reported that she was very alert and her legendary ability to talk, was not altered.  We are all wishing her the best of recoveries.

ElCap Report 6/25/09
By Tom Evans
Yo… Ok, I told you… now is the time for you to get with the program and come on out.  Pick any route you want…. Zodiac?  Empty.  The Trip?  Empty.  The Nose?  It will be empty tomorrow.  Salathe?  Empty.  The big Trades are all empty.  This is it!  If not now… when?  Beautiful here today with sunny skies and light winds.  The spring season is coming to a close and I will be leaving soon… yes, that’s right… only another week or so of the ECR and you will have to suffer through a long, hot summer with no ElCap fix… Be afraid, be very afraid!  If you have enjoyed all the great pics and on the spot reporting, then don’t be afraid to pony up a few bucks through the donate button on the left.  Any amount will be greatly appreciated and will go toward making this site continue through the fall.

ElCap Report 6/24/09
By Tom Evans
Yo… The answer is “Yes“.  Your question was, “Is the weather perfect in the Valley these days?”  The sky is as blue as Kim Schmitz’s eyes.  The wind is as calm as Elik Sloan’s yoga class.  Wherever you are… is the wrong place.  You really need to be here. But since you can’t, then you force me to be your replacement eyes and ears.  So here I am, slugging it out every day, just for you, here at the gateway of adventure… the Iconic, yet mundane… ElCap Bridge.  The view is spectacular, the company, among the best to be found anywhere, and every day is a great day, to be remembered far into the future.  Someone had to do it… so.. old, broken down, little Tommy Evans picked up the ball and is struggling forward with optimism, as he slowly dissipates into the cosmic abyss.  Sounds like something Chongo would write!!

ElCap Report 6/23/09
By Tom Evans
Yo… splendid day here… you missed it again didn’t you?  Lots of parties topping out today, so the routes are once again needing adventurers.  The weather has reached the early summer equilibrium, so now is the time to get that route in before the sweltering days of summer descend upon the place.
We had a nice hang at the bridge and I took some nice bridge shots …. But… wouldn’t you know… I forgot to put a memory card in my camera and thus lost all the shots.  Luke… those shots didn’t come out so we need to do them again if you are around tomorrow.

ElCap Report 6/22/09
By Tom Evans
Yo… Another gorgeous day here in the Valley of Adventure!  We talked about your not being here yesterday, so I will let you off the hook today.  Still… you missed it man!  Once again climbers are getting high on the routes and thus they are getting empty fast… more room for you my dedicated reader!

ElCap Report 6/21/09
By Tom Evans
Yo… All right… Listen up Pukes of all stripes… this was a way sweet day to be here in the Trench.  The weather was perfect… the climbing was perfect… the bridge was chocked with perfection… and where were you?
I don’t want to hear about it… if you weren’t here, then you blew another day of your life and some of you, by the laws of statistics, don’t have too many days left to blow.  So change your plans, take a break from your consumption based existence, lie to your boss, tell your friends you are going to rehab for a few weeks and by all means …. Get your sorry ass with the program, and come to the Valley of your dreams….. Yosemite.