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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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