Ascensions dans États-Unis d'Amérique par Will Vidler

Fell off the bottom once. Bailed off the top once because it’s real scary up there. Then did it.

Beginning to feel like a rock climber again.

God I got so pumped.

To the moon indeed.

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.

Fixed last year’s dab.

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!

Unbelievable route. I fell off the Alien Roof pitch which is one of the coolest cracks I’ve climbed after a decent onsight effort that got me on to the face after the roof. I also had to take and lower on the offwidth pitch because I left my #5 behind like an idiot and then got too scared to run out the whole top half of the pitch. Otherwise did everything else. What an awesome collection of steep splitters.

Well it’s certainly something.

First proper day in the Valley and we get sandbagged on to this by Adrian. First pitch was a rough warm up and I got pretty scared. I took an exciting fall on to an abysmal flared cam that some how held and that set the tone for the pitch. Pretty amazing though. The rest of the climbing was also hard and rad and scary. We bailed from the base of the crux as Adrian and Vic were back on the ground and we were ready to come down. Worthy.

Fun romp with Jesse to shake off the driving tiredness. Very very smoky in the Valley which meant there was no one on this. A very different experience compared to bailing off it last year due to thousand other people faffing all over it.

Onsight solo to get up to the Prayer for a Friend finger crack. Did the 5.8 corner at the top.

Supporting Adrian on the FFA of this 20 year old Fitz Cahall project. We climbed the first five pitches to the crux on October 5 with Adrian leading everything and both of us freeing every pitch. The climbing turned out to be way harder and more scary/dangerous/loose than either of us had expected so this took more time and energy than expected. Adrian tried the crux pitch unsuccessfully and I had a go on TR (also unsuccessful lol) and we summited then rapped. The next day (October 6) we hiked up and soloed the West Ridge to access the top crux pitch. Adrian sent second go after we jammed to Gold Lion by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs which was a pretty unreal moment in my life and climbing. Supporting your friends on things that mean a lot to them has got to be one of the coolest things you can do.

Hard and utterly brilliant the whole way. Do this rock climb.

Does it even get better for the grade?

Unbelievably classic.

We asked our friends if it was hard. They said “No, it’s just fun.” They lied. What they should have said was “Yes, very, but it’s also great fun!” We got sandbagged.

Exceptional! Pitch two really is one of the best. And that final 5.10 pitch, oh boy.

Not very easy.

For Gus.

not jugs

2nd go.

Just managed it fourth go of the day and last go before the snow was coming in. It felt quite hard after a year of bouldering. I think I spent maybe four days on it and had a number of goes somewhere in the mid to high teens. The shot before I sent ended with me not quite catching the clipping jug at the anchors, peeling off backwards, and whipping the entire route having skipped the last bolt. Exciting! I hopped back on soon after because i’d hurt my ankle a bit hitting the wall and didn’t want it to stiffen up. Classic scenes in the park.

Part of the most fun bouldering day I’ve had. Only mega classics.

Team ascent. Joyous

Soft second go after dropping the flash. One of the better things I’ve climbed. Utterly Brilliant.

Tricky slab climbing. Very good.

Sublime.