Ascents in Southwest Face

magic-mushroom-jacopo-larcher-barbara-zangerl-magical-big-wall-el-capitan.html">Interview with Jacopo and Babsi

FFA.

Just another route to add to the list of things that might make you a believer. I had the pleasure of jugging/climbing/shenaniganing behind Sam on his glorious 22 hour all free ascent of El Corazon (the El Coraziad).

Brittany, Victoria, and I jugged to Mammoth the night before to try and maximise our sleep then the next morning Adrian and Sam simuled to Mammoth and collected their pre-rigged belayers (Brittany and I (Victoria just came to hang out and talk shit bc she’s a legend)) and Sam and I started romping while Adrian and Brittany chilled on the ledge to give us some time to create a gap so Adrian could start his attempt without us being in the way. Pretty classic scenes on the big stone if you ask me.

Highlights included: - Listening to multiple Lorde albums in full - Jugging the Nietzsche chimney and being rewarded with a lie down on Babsi’s portaledge - Taking a whole bunch of fucked up pendulums cleaning Sam’s gear to save time (“should i lower out or just take the fall?” “nah you’ll be fine there’s nothing to hit just take the whip”) - Sam firing every pitch like an absolute machine with only one fall on the Beak Flake - Jugging with two back packs - Down aiding the end of the roof pitch because Sam forgot to back clean his gear and i couldn’t lower out and also did not want to take the 15mpendulum whipper into the Tower - Having a chorus of 10 or so people from different routes cheer Sam on as he sent the roof traverse as the sun finished setting - Arriving at the tower and being handed a cup of tea that had been made by Miska and her partner who sent Golden Gate - Honestly just the whole thing. Supporting your friends to achieve their dreams is the fucking coolest thing ever.

I won’t forget this day for a long while. Thanks Sam.

No big deal

All pitches redpointed

Incredible route, desperate slabs, hard offwidths and steep cracks. The freerider variation at the top is amazing. 5 days plus a day of hauling to Hollow Flake

Mostly free with Alastair and Audrey.

Support ascent - FF'd by Al

FFA.

First free female ascent

The Freeing ended after the freeblast then it turned into Aidrider ! Absolutely mega adventure and I feel like I learnt alot along the way.

Day 1, stuck behind an aid parties initially. But just climbed around them and their gear. Sent all of the free blast. Got the rope stuck twice on the half dollar. Then fixed to the hollow flake and slept on heart ledges. "The move" felt absolutely mingin.

Day 2, hauling these pitches was exhausting. Then straight into the hollow flake. & it was just as terrifying as I thought it would be. Need Todo more othwidth climbing bumping two tipped number sixs leaving one and then another before questing 15m above them without any gear felt pretty out there. Then Shane threaded the anchor and started the downclimb taking two falls. Then when he climbed up further I threw the rope down for him to retie back in. Then he untied and I pulled the other line. And the sound I won't forget anytime soon. Metal rattling into the abyss. Shane "was that the six ?* ... " That was both of the sixs" Then we sat on the ledge contemplating if we could climb the rest of the route without any number sixs. Fixed the next two pitchs and stayed on the hollow flake Ledge that night.

Day 3, onwards and upwards. Anxious about our position but psyched to be moving. The ear was something to experience. Sadly or happily we skipped the monster and aided the salathe. Made it to the alcove for lunch then climbed to the Spire and fixed two pitches above.

Day 4, I think I slept a Total of one hour. Not sure why I decided to sleep on the slopping ledge ahaha. Boulder for breakfast. Such cool movement on this thing ! The crimp before the Gaston thumb move felt pretty spoogy. Gave the moves a few goes but didn't spend too long on it. Sewer pitch was filthy. Shane got the snorkel on for that. Sport lose flake pitch was pretty nerving but pretty sweet climbing. Boom enduro corner. Alot more sporty than it looks weird kneebar stuff and sick laybacking, final pitch of the day and the most exposed pitch of the climb. Wild traversing over the void.

Day 5. Pretty dismal free climbing effort on this day ahaha. Those sliver jugs were just too good Frankly I felt pretty destroyed. & Was just happy to be on the summit !!

Ground up over seven days and then we camped on top and hiked down on the eighth day. We pre-hauled to Hollow Flake Ledge, took two rest days, and then went up the route. Some nice Germans fixed the lines off Heart to above the Hollow Flake for us so we didn’t climb those pitches on our pre-hauling day and preserved our ground up as much as we could. We also didn’t do the Free Blast before our ground up attempt which was cool and definitely added to the experience. I top roped the Monster because I got tired of whipping from the move into it all the way back into the Ear in the dark at 5am and then gave the reigns to Jesse who fired it and then I followed. I top roped the Enduros because we didn’t do them first go and I also took the stance at the no hands ledge on the move off heart. These are my asterisks, do with them what you will.

I will probably write something more when my brain and body decide to work again.

Best thing i’ve ever done!

held up for 5 hours by party in front of us Grrrrrrr! ended up bailing before finish.

with Enga. Incredibly windy!!! Had started it in 2000 but got held up for 5 hrs!! Good to finish finally

Nice with some interesting compulsory free

Hard! Learn slab well, have better shoes than I did, and climb it in cooler temperatures than I did so that your shoes will actually stick. And just be stronger than I was. Have good chimney technique for the half dollar pitch (wadda pitch!)

all free

Tried to do triple direct but didn't realize how small the gear was. Much thinner than the nose!

Lead pitches 6 7 8.

A classic. Amazing finger locking in pin scars! To Triangle Ledge. New life goal - freeing the Salathe one day. Two falls on the crux pitch

Did first pitch 10c

Total classic. We climbed it in 12 hrs at 5.9 c1 lots of cool features stubbsy nailed the crux pitch only cheese grating a few times hahaha.

the half dollar is terrible to aid!

Do it on a cool day as you get roasted in the sun!

dry jug run 3hrs.

El capihoofa!! Finally on the big stone.. The first couple hundred metres but still felt like a 4 year old in a candy shop up in the sea of rock. Bringing sunnies up there would be good beta. That white rock reflects light like snow. Insecure and exciting low angle climbing but never full cheesegrater potential (for me cos shane led the sketchy 5th pitch). An el cap adventure wouldnt have been complete without some french free.. which was the only reason i grabbed the draws instead of sending. We lay on the mammoth ledge top out at 1pm staring up at salathe wall with slack jaws for 20 min before beginning the descent. Getting to rap fixed lines down to the ground for a 5 minute descent to the cars is also a luxury i will miss.

First lap I had one fall on the sixth pitch then onsighted the rest. Sent second time round. Felt flowy. Really enjoyed this

5 days with Paul Maxwell

First real big wall. Took 5 days! Combination of free an aid. Danny was the aid hero!

My first El Cap route. Classic of all classics. 5 days. 1 hail storm.