ElCap Reports

ElCap Report 10/13/11
By Tom Evans

Yo… Gorgeous day here in the Valley, if a bit on the warm side.  Mid October, sunny and warm… what else do you need?  The falls are booming and the Cap is seeing some good teams climbing some great routes.  It just doesn’t get much better than this!  Lots to report on today ..so…

ElCap Report 10/12/11
By Tom Evans

Yo…The weather is perfect, the climbers are here, the Captain is dry, and you are sitting there at your computer, instead of being here!  What’s up with that??  This is the time to abandon your cubicle and get your butt to Yosemite.  That’s an order, Puke!!  These good days will not last forever you know!  So many interesting routes are being done that I just can’t do them justice on the Report… but I will continue to do my best for you.

ElCap Report 10/11/11
By Tom Evans

Yo…. Did it rain yesterday?  You would have never known it today.  Another perfect day for climbing on the Captain. The storm yesterday flushed all the climbers, from ECT down, right off the route.  There were a few teams left at and above Camp 4 during the rain but they climbed off today without difficulty.  A team did bail from ECT this morning and also from the Alcove on the Salathe.  I would have bail of the day but have too many good shots to waste a space.  So here it comes, direct to you via the World Wide Web…

ElCap Report 10/10/11
By Tom Evans

Yo.. We had a very nice day here in the Valley, right up until the rains came.  My Astrologer, Erik Sloan, mentioned at breakfast this morning, that the charts and darts said it was going to rain later in the day.  “Balderdash”, I said!  The morning was cloudy, which any ElCap Photographer will tell you makes for great shots, because of the lack of shadows and calmer air.  I got some nice shots this morning, but the clouds closed in and the rain fell a bit after noon.  I packed up my kit and got the hell out of there, as my gear doesn’t like water.  Now, closing in on 7pm the vertical visibility is about 300ft and the rain continues to fall. 

ElCap Report 10/09/11
By Tom Evans

Yo… Another great day of and for climbing here on El Capitan.  Lots to report on and I had a lot of images to process this evening so I am going to get right to the Report.
 

ElCap Report 10/08/11
By Tom Evans

Yo… Once again a perfect day to climb on ElCap.  The rock is getting the attention it deserves for a change.  The King has most of the action but other, seldom climbed routes are getting a workout too.  So throw off those shackles, plop down in your best, most comfortable chair, and come along for a trip on the Cap on a perfect Fall day in Yosemite.

ElCap Report 10/07/11
By Tom Evans

Yo… Perfect day here, after two rather harsh ones.  Last night was really a cold one but beautiful blue skies and cool temperatures made for great conditions on the Captain today.  Wall climbers have responded by heading up their fixed lines or starting out on the major routes.

ElCap Report 10/06/11
By Tom Evans

Yo… The Big Storm has been pounding us since early yesterday but is showing signs of clearing off.  Last night it rained hard for several hours and even a few flakes of snow graced the Valley floor before melting.  Camp 4 was Water World all day and night.  It has been very cold and wet most of today but slowly clearing.  

ElCap Report 10/05/11
By Tom Evans

Yo…The Big One has landed.  I heard it as a pitter patter on the tent around 2am and it soon grew to a roar as torrential rain poured down.  Camp 4 was soon awash in runoff from above.  The rain continued unabated until there was a break around 10am.  I took that opportunity to head down to the Captain to see what was to be seen.  Keep reading to learn more…

ElCap Report 10/04/11
By Tom Evans

Yo… Cold, windy, with clouds driving in from the south today.  The Dome has a banner streaming off the top and the Capt. took on a dark and somber look for a good part of the day.  The Big One is on the way and teams on the Captain are pushing hard to get off in time.  The rain has held off nicely thus far.