ElCap Reports

ElCap Report 6/20/15

By Tom Evans

Yo… The heat continues to keep the Cap pretty empty.  The smoke from forest fires comes and goes and was not bad today.  The Saturday traffic was bad, as is usual for this time of year…can’t wait for fall!!

ElCap Report 6/19/15

By Tom Evans

Yo… Well, it isn’t very nice here today.  There are three fires outside the park, to the west and south of us.  The Valley was filled with smoke, that came in last night, and is staying around today.  Plus it is hot and no new teams are going up at the moment.  If this continues for a few more days I will call the season finished.

ElCap Report 6/18/15

By Tom Evans

Yo… We had Bluebird skies today, that kept the heat up on the Cap.  There are still not very many climbers on the wall at the moment so you have the pick of any route you would like to climb.  Later in the day the air quality got bad and it was difficult to shoot without huge air swirls and haze showing up in the shots.  I was done by 2:30pm.  Also, due to weekend traffic do not expect a report on Saturday!

ElCap Report 6/17/15  Today’s climbing and Rescue Report.

By Tom Evans

Yo.. High clouds and thus cooler temperatures made for a nice day up on the Captain.  Everyone is moving up well enough and we did have a rescue this morning/afternoon.  Read about it all, below!  Mason Earl and Brad Gobright sent their long standing project from the ground to Golden Gate today!!!

ElCap Report 6/16/15

By Tom Evans

Yo.. Another excellent day in the Yosemite Valley.  But there climbers are few and far between.  So today’s report will be a bit short and if things don’t get better I will be doing a reduced number of reports but will cover things as well as I can.

ElCap Report 6/15/15

By Tom Evans

Yo… Conditions couldn’t be better for climbing here in the Ditch.  Clear blue skies, warm temperatures, and a nice breeze are sure to please…but you need to get here, as there are fewer and fewer climbers on the wall each day.  Replacements are in high demand…come on out and get a free beer at the Bridge!

ElCap Report 6/14/15

By Tom Evans

Yo… Perfect, cloudless weather, on this beautiful day, in Yosemite.  Lots of routes being done but we need replacements asap, as most teams are nearing the top.  Even the Nose is getting empty again.  We are running out time in the spring climbing season, so you need to get here soon, unless you like climbing in a blast furnace!

Today’s ElCap Report..written just for you..unique in all the world!

ElCap Report 6/13/15

By Tom Evans

Yo.. Warm temperatures dominated ElCap climbing today.  There was a lot of activity on the Hill today, so find your most comfortable chair, put your feet up, and settle in, because you are going up high on the Captain with Old Tom.

ElCap Report 6/12/15

By Tom Evans

Yo.. It really wanted to rain today and by afternoon it was a foregone conclusion the deluge was imminent.  I sped off to the Café just before I figured the rain could come… it never came.  The Cap is seeing some good action now and it would see a lot more if only YOU would show up!  So saddle up and ride on into the Big Valley, where the senders are slaying and the pretenders are spraying.

ElCap Report 6/11/15

By Tom Evans

Yo…Sweet weather has drawn the masses to the Nose and other trade routes.  Zodiac is loaded with Korean climbers, as that is a good route for new comers to get experience on.  The Nose is packed from the Great Roof down to the deck.  We did have a quick storm late this afternoon but it was gone as rapidly as it came in.  Lots of shots today… so … pay attention Cubicle Pukes it doesn’t get much better than this!

ElCap Report 6/10/15

By Tom Evans

Yo.. I awoke to a sky of solid, dark gray, clouds this morning…not so good!  However the rain held off until around 1 this afternoon, and then it was just a quick sprinkle.  There are not a lot of climbers on the wall at the moment, but after tomorrow, with improving weather, the multitudes will certainly return!

ElCap Report 6/9/15

By Tom Evans

Yo.. We had some great climbing weather today, as it cooled off when the clouds came in late morning.  Most of the popular routes have little traffic, as the weather reports continue to negatively impact climbers thinking.  I left around 4pm today as there was little action on the cliff but we had a great group of climbers hanging at the Bridge today.  Check out the last 7 shots for pics of today’s Bridge Crew.

ElCap Report 6/8/15

By Tom Evans

Yo.. Another day of sun and warm temperatures has passed, here in the Valley.  The forecast is calling for some rain chances later in the week but at the moment the weather is exceptional.  So come on out before the heat shuts down the season, later in the month.

ElCap Report 6/7/15

By Tom Evans

Yo.. It was another beautiful day and without the rain in the afternoon…nice!  The Nose had a NIAD team on it, Jacob Lantham and Nick Ehman, who were in the Gray Bands when I finished shooting. There was little wind today and it was hot up on the cliff.  The weather forecast is a bit uncertain these days but climbers are going up anyway.  The Nose and Salathe are quite empty at the moment and the rush will soon be on, so the sooner you get on those climbs the better chance you will have for less crowding and thus success.

ElCap Report 6/6/15

By Tom Evans

Yo… It was another mixed day here in the Ditch.  A nice morning, with perfect temperatures, turned into pouring rain around 2pm which continues into the evening.  Tourons are fleeing the Park, like rats from the Titanic.  Climbers are sitting around the café talking shit and fixating on their electronic devices.  Most of the teams on the Cap’s SE face are low enough to be in the “dry zone”.  However, the SSPO team is on the Island in the Sky ledge, which is exposed to rain and wind.  Also the Northern AZ crew, on the Dihedral, is in the wet zone.  All the teams on the wall have ledges and rain fly’s so we should have some good “suffering stories” but hopefully nothing serious.  I have just finished the Report, it is 7:30pm, and the rain has stopped and the sky clear!

ElCap Report 6.5.15   

By Tom Evans

Yo.. We had sweet weather today until around 2pm, when the thunder boomed and the lightning flashed and the rain came tumbling down.  The Nose and Salathe are presently empty, due to the forecast, no doubt.  The East side had most of the action and I never did get out west today as the rain sorta ended my day of shooting.  But here at the café, at 7:00pm the weather looks nice, with broken clouds and sun. 

ElCap Report 6/4/15

By Tom Evans

Yo.. It is raining a bit here in the Valley, at 7pm, after a nice morning and early afternoon.  Lots of cool action on the Captain today.  Interesting routes are being done so you will see some shots of things we haven’t seen in a while.  The 3 women and 3 men, who finished the NA last evening, arrived at the Bridge this morning and all were pleased with the climbing on the classic route.  Big Andy Krikpatrick and partner Charles Sherwood also arrived from their Zodiac climb, and a good time was in order.  To top off everything… I.C. Kang and the Team Extreme Riders, from Korea, arrived too!

ElCap Report 6/3/15

By Tom Evans

Yo… The wind persists and it was much cooler today at the Bridge.  Clouds have moved into the Valley and there is some talk of possible rain, soon.  The Cap is seeing some good ascents these days so stay tuned for even more great climbing.  It is getting late here in the Café so I am going to write the report and put it out in the morning.  That will probably be happening a lot more, as I am getting pretty tired by day’s end and need to get on the road while it is still light, so I can get to the Ranch alive!

ElCap Report 6/2/15

By Tom Evans

Yo… It is still on the windy side, so I didn’t go to the EC Meadow today but hung with the troops at the Bridge.  We had a great Bridge crew today.  The Hill is kind of deserted at the moment with little action on any one route.  But I expect more recruits to arrive in the near future.  Pay attention you Cubicle Pukes!! The season is far from over and interesting climbs are being done daily.  I got word today that Brad Gobright, supported by Ryan Evans, sent Freerider.  Nice work Brad!

ElCap Report 6/1/15

By Tom Evans

Yo.. Strong winds at the meadow kept pestering my efforts all day and by 3pm it was just too windy to continue shooting.  But I did get some good shots!  It was cold and windy on unprotected parts of the Cap.  The Nose saw two NIAD teams with the first way out ahead of the other one.  The Salathe remains empty.  So take a break and come with me, up high on The North American Wall, The Shortest Straw, and Zodiac, along with other action.