|
Submitted by Tom Evans on Sun, 05/29/2016 - 14:50
|
ElCap Report 5/28/16
By Tom Evans
Yo… Rain is back in the forecast but many teams are too high to come down.. so a little luck is in order! The day started sunny with blue skies. Later in the afternoon some very dark clouds moved down from the high country and were very threatening by the time I departed. Strange as it seems the rock is nearly empty. The Nose is clear all the way from the deck to camp 5. Other occupied routes have a party or two on them. The Valley is congested and the car traffic at a standstill. This afternoon I left the meadow and went straight out of the park to the Ranch.
|
Submitted by Tom Evans on Sat, 05/28/2016 - 03:00
|
ElCap Report 5/27/16
By Tom Evans
Yo… Spectacular weather continues to make up for weeks of uncertainty as the climbing season really takes off. Sunny and warm today with a cooling breeze on El Capitan. So pay attention fans, cubicle pukes, senders, and pretenders. Cool happenings today along with some unexpected events. Remember the weekend is here and the crowds are poised to crush Valley attendance records… so beware of getting caught in the congestion.
|
Submitted by Tom Evans on Fri, 05/27/2016 - 02:39
|
ElCap Report 5/26/16
By Tom Evans
Yo… The improved weather forecast has driven the multitudes toward ElCap. No rain today but a lot of clouds floated overhead. The weekend is coming soon and the traffic around the loop is pretty congested already. So heed the warning and stay away this weekend!
THE WEEKEND WILL PRESENT PROBLEMS FOR ME TO DO THE REPORT SO YOU MAY NOT SEE ANYTHING FOR A FEW DAYS.. DEPENDS ON THE TRAFFIC AND MY ABILITY TO GET FROM EC TO THE LODGE. I WILL BE HERE SHOOTING AND WILL CATCH UP WHEN I CAN. THANKS FOR YOUR PATIENCE!
|
Submitted by Tom Evans on Thu, 05/26/2016 - 01:13
|
ElCap Report 5/25/16
By Tom Evans
Yo.. Well here we are again ElCap fans! I delayed my coming up to Yosemite due to the weather forecasts that turned out to be mostly wrong! I drove up yesterday and as soon as I reached the park boundary the rain started. I headed to ElCap to see just what was going on up there. There were 4 or 5 parties scattered across the face. I took a few shots and left to set up camp at the Ranch. After a good night’s sleep I headed to ElCap to photograph whomever I could see. The day started well enough, although unseasonably cool.
|
Submitted by Tom Evans on Wed, 10/21/2015 - 15:41
|
ElCap Report 10/20/15 This is the last report of the Fall season.
By Tom Evans
Yo… It is very windy this evening....the first time I can recall the wind severely buffeting tents, in camp 4. Hopefully those up high can get out of it tonight. It should abate by morning. The climbing season is far from over but my reporting season is over today, due to other obligations. I will still be around shooting ElCap until I leave on the 26th of this month. If you have enjoyed the commentary and hundreds of shots I have posted this season, then please consider donating to the site, as I have spent several thousand bucks on better lenses and cameras and it is very expensive staying here in Yosemite. Your interest in those on ElCap, and the shots I post, are what have made this site what it is… thanks for your support!
|
Submitted by Tom Evans on Tue, 10/20/2015 - 16:11
|
ElCap Report 10/19/15
By Tom Evans
Yo.. It was a dreamy morning, down by the Captain. I stopped by for a few shots before going out shooting for Adidas. The waterfalls are going now .. but for how long, I know not. The Cap is getting the rush on the big trades. Here are a few shots from this morning.
|
Submitted by Tom Evans on Sun, 10/18/2015 - 14:29
|
ElCap Report 10/18/15 Pictures have been added! Check them out!
By Tom Evans
Yo…Horrendous weather has befallen us, here in Yosemite. Torrential rains have pounded the Valley for a full day now and once again the falls are roaring. Camp 4 is a swamp of misery. Around 2am this morning I heard a low rumble, far out to the west. Soon a storm cell exploded over ElCap with tremendous thunder and intense lightning. Thunder was soon reverberating around the valley and I can assure you no one slept through it. It continued raging until 5am, when a steady rain resumed. It was a wonderful, awe inspiring display of the power of nature. Just now, 7:23am, a huge flash of lightning and a tremendous crash of thunder burst over Camp 4. Tremendous hail storm right now!! Wow!! I know not how the teams on ElCap have fared, but I can tell you it will be a night anyone up there will never forget! I will post more later in the day, when I can assess the conditions better. Later... we had a nice afternoon and tomorrow looks really good, as the rain has moved on. Things on the Cap are looking good and there have been no problems thus far.
|
Submitted by Tom Evans on Sat, 10/17/2015 - 18:25
|
ElCap Report 10/16-17/15
By Tom Evans
Yo... Smoke and rain have pretty much shut down new entries on ElCap. The teams on the wall, if in protected areas, have continued climbing. Teams in the wet zone, from what I can see, are ledged up, waiting for a chance to move on. Tomorrow looks to be another day of rain. Thus far no teams have needed any assistance. We are watching the conditions and the teams, when we can see them!
So that's the way it is, for this Saturday, the 17th day of October, 2015.
|
Submitted by Tom Evans on Thu, 10/15/2015 - 20:04
|
ElCap Report 10/15/15
By Tom Evans
Yo.. We have had very little rain today… barely a sprinkle, but there is a controlled burn, not far from ElCap, that has the entire west end of the Valley in thick smoke. Hopefully it will stay “controlled”! I couldn't’t actually see anyone on the cliff and by looking at the first two shots below you can see why! Around 4pm the smoke was carried of to the east by the wind and I was able to get a few shots. There will not be a Report tomorrow as I am out shooting a project for Adidas Outdoor.
|
Submitted by Tom Evans on Thu, 10/15/2015 - 18:23
|
ElCap Report 10/14/15
By Tom Evans
Yo.. We had a nice day in the meadow, before the anticipated rains forecast for the next couple of days. Many routes are now active but none really crowded. My writing is being cut back due to other work I have to do.
|
Submitted by Tom Evans on Wed, 10/14/2015 - 16:26
|
ElCap Report 10/13/15
By Tom Evans
Yo… Too warm.. rain soon..Lots of action..too busy for much of a write up.
|
Submitted by Tom Evans on Tue, 10/13/2015 - 16:02
|
ElCap Report 10/12/15
By Tom Evans
Yo.. We are still having great weather for the fall climbing season. Strangely enough, it is like early September, with lots of heat..perhaps November will become the new October. Anyway, lots of climbing going on now with some crowding on the Big Two, but not as bad as last week. I am now involved with shooting for Adidas so this may be the last report on a regular basis… I will see what I can put together at the end of each day. Stay tuned.
|
Submitted by Tom Evans on Mon, 10/12/2015 - 03:07
|
ElCap Report 10/11/15
By Tom Evans
Yo… It was too warm today to draw many climbers to the rock but the ones higher up had to deal with the heat. We also had smoke in the west end of the Valley for the entire morning but by noon our prevailing west wind cleared the air. The paving, down by the ECM appears to be finished so parking is back to normal. The only thing is that the lines haven’t been painted on the road yet, so park off the pavement if you can.
|
Submitted by Tom Evans on Sun, 10/11/2015 - 15:49
|
ElCap Report 10/10/15
By Tom Evans
Yo… Excellent but warm weather, seems to have set in. However, it seems cool enough to keep the teams coming at the Captain. There is lots of interesting climbing going on these days, with more to come. Stay tuned to your only source of information directly from the scene.
|
Submitted by Tom Evans on Sat, 10/10/2015 - 16:05
|
ElCap Report 10/9/15
By Tom Evans
Yo… The weather continues to please and it looks like it will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. Interesting climbing is going on so stay tuned. For the first time in memory, we have two teams on the Sea of Dreams…who would have thought? I am soon to be doing some shooting for Adidas, and not always in the vicinity of ElCap…so … I may not be able to do a report from day to day for the rest of the season. So your daily ElCap fix may not be so daily for a while. Man up!! You can take it, Cubicle Pukes!
|
Submitted by Tom Evans on Fri, 10/09/2015 - 15:51
|
ElCap Report 10/8/15
By Tom Evans
Yo.. We had a cloudy morning that soon turned into a clear day. The teams that have been on the rock the past day or so are all moving up and most will get off today or tomorrow. The Nose and Salathe still have a lot of people on them but most are higher up now. The other routes are open and waiting for you to show up.
There has been a lot of road paving these past several days and the ElCap Crossover is closed for parking for the time being. We all have moved out to the west and are parking on the left side of the road for the time being… it should be back to normal in a day or so. Also a fence is being constructed along the road with openings at various places to allow foot traffic into the meadow. The meadow is NOT closed. NPS is trying to limit the number of trails into the meadow, as there are so many. So look for breaks in the fence to walk through. The trail we climbers use to go out to the tree is not affected.
|
Submitted by Tom Evans on Thu, 10/08/2015 - 16:10
|
ElCap Report 10/7/15
By Tom Evans
Yo.. The rush to the Cap has calmed down a bit now and this lull would be a great time for you to head on up. The weather is great, with warm sunlight and cool breezes. My Adidas crew is soon to arrive for a couple of weeks of interesting projects for all to see…stay tuned.
|
Submitted by Tom Evans on Wed, 10/07/2015 - 16:04
|
ElCap Report 10/6/15
By Tom Evans
Yo.. The great weather has produced a rush at the cliff. The Nose and Salathe are loaded to the bursting point. I took a ton of shots today and it was difficult picking, the ones I liked the most, from the group. Everyone is doing fine up there, so if you don’t see a shot of someone you are interested in, then don’t worry about them!
|
Submitted by Tom Evans on Tue, 10/06/2015 - 15:53
|
ElCap Report 10/5/15
By Tom Evans
Yo… It doesn’t get any better in Yosemite than it is now Pukes .. so.. come on out…no rain, open routes, good times! I would have thought the Nose would have been jammed, but only two parties went forth from Sickle Ledge, while the multitudes hung back, admiring their new gear and spotless haul bags.
|
Submitted by Tom Evans on Mon, 10/05/2015 - 16:10
|
ElCap Report 10/4/15
By Tom Evans
Yo… It looked like rain today but the clouds came and went, with no rain. Tomorrow the chance for rain has been reduced down to 20%...not much of a chance as things go in Yosemite. But that hasn’t stopped climbers from deciding that it was going to rain for sure, so the great rock is mostly empty. So…not much to report on today. Recent update to the weather is showing no rain for the next 10 days... this is it Pukes... you gotta dance while the band is playing... and they are playing your song!
|