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meLoco
climber
Las Vegas,Nevada
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Nov 12, 2012 - 10:26pm PT
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dee ee,
That would be 1994
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mr p
Big Wall climber
eastside ca
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Nov 14, 2012 - 11:39am PT
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zodiac 83
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survival
Big Wall climber
Terrapin Station
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Nov 14, 2012 - 11:46am PT
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Scored on my first attempt. Nose 1978, all clean, no hammer.
2.5 days.
Not bad for 1978.
But then I had served a pretty good apprenticeship on other walls.
People that try El Cap for their first wall are the ones that have a big psychological row to how.....
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Cheang Qx
Sport climber
Singapore
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Nov 14, 2012 - 12:08pm PT
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First attempt on the nose leading all pitches with my wife. Great partner is the key.. Our first big wall trip to Yosemite Valley..
http://vimeo.com/29883710
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Dominic
Big Wall climber
Peak District, UK
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Nov 14, 2012 - 12:11pm PT
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First time success on the Nose (with total "Big Wall" experience amounting to about an hour jugging in my local quarry) followed by success on Zodiac; Lurking Fear & The Shield before bailing off Sunkist (team of 3 without the right system) and doing The Trip as a consolation prize.
Key attributes for success: Learn quickly, don't bail and have a good partner.
Dom
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climbera5
Trad climber
Sacramento
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Nov 14, 2012 - 12:21pm PT
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'84, after the Prow (my first wall), went and lead every pitch on the Nose with an inexperienced partner. Fun times. Over the next few years ticked off Salathe', Leaning Tower, Reg Route Half Dome, Shield, then topped it off with solo of Zodiac in '87; a real life changer for me.
Only bail was on my first attempt of Salathe due to injury half way up.
In my late 40's I tried a speed attempt up the Nose and got hosed; a reality check on my aging body. Now I grab a beer and belay my son.
Nice video QX, wish we had HD back in the day!
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Gagner
climber
Boulder
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Nov 14, 2012 - 12:25pm PT
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1st & 2nd time up the big stone in 1979: w/Rick Harlin on the Nasal passage, Zodiac with Barbella and Karl McConachie. No prior "attempts" - though after Zodiac Barbella and Karl and I tried Mescalito and got absolutely cooked by the heat (June) and bailed after a few pitches.
Also, I've always tried to live by don't "attempt" something, go do it!!
Hi Dave;)
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Fat Dad
Trad climber
Los Angeles, CA
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Nov 14, 2012 - 12:30pm PT
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Seems like the key for a lot of first timer summiters (summiteers?) is a more experienced partner. Every time I've climbed the Captain I climbed with someone who had never climbed it before (which I guess would include me on my first route)--all good climber but had never done anything more than your average Grade V. Just knowing I had done it, could do it again, and what to do when the inevitable clusterf$%@ arose got us through those rough patches everyone hits at some point on their climb.
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Wayno
Big Wall climber
Seattle, WA
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Nov 14, 2012 - 12:35pm PT
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I got to Sickle ledge on my first attempt before realizing walls and cocaine don't mix well. My next try was The Trip in winter and had a hell of an epic but still managed to send. There was something about "snow" that held a certain fascination. I'm better now.
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shipoopoi
Big Wall climber
oakland
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Nov 14, 2012 - 12:41pm PT
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i managed to climb el cap 9 times out of 9 attempts, before i hit excalibur on easter week and got stormed off. ss
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Teo
Social climber
CA
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Nov 14, 2012 - 12:48pm PT
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Judging by how much less crowded it is after sickle ledge and especially after the stovelegs, I'd say about 30% max, but that doesn't separate first timers from repeat offenders. So I'd bet < 1/3
My own record, scared off and didn't come back for 10 years. But then it's been about 60% success, and never again went down out of fear.
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Flip Flop
Trad climber
Truckee, CA
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Nov 14, 2012 - 01:00pm PT
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November 1992. We made it to the top of the Nose in 6 (short) days. Nathan, 18 but trained by C. Fowler and me, 23, 3rd year climbing. Nathan's first wall and he freed Pancake Flake like it was 5.9. My second wall after NW Face in October.
The Wall was incredible. I grew up in California camping in Yosemite. For me El Capitan was as inevitable as skiing the Palisades at Squaw or learning to Surf. We climbed to Sickle Ledge and then rappelled and hauled and slept on Sickle. We woke up to Dave Shultz running past us. For two pitches we could hear him screaming at his partner "You're Too Fat!" Awesome!
Then we ran into Mr. El Cap, Mike Corbett, on his 48 th El Cap ascent. He couldn't have been cooler and more casual. He shared great stories that night on El Cap Tower and was amazed to learn that Nathan's Great Grandfather was none other than Yosemites first Big Wall aid climber and the man who put the cables on Half Dome in 1875, Mr. George G Anderson.
So that's my story. We did false start on some thing left of the rappel until after the haul pins shifted, Nathan had cleaned a ton of shrubs and dirt and some guy yelled up to ask "Are you guys putting up a new route?" We skulked off, went to the store for a #3 Camalot, and got it right in the morning.
The hour or two that I spent on the Glowering Spot, stands out as a perfect moment in time.
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VW
Big Wall climber
CA
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Nov 14, 2012 - 01:05pm PT
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I got up on my first try on El Cap, via the Nose route. It was also my first big wall and we did it during a 4 day weather window in late winter. To be exact, it was late February 2002, and we were up on the wall when the great Warren Harding passed away. My partner and I were the only people on the entire Big Stone (that we could see or hear) - washed clean by the winter rains. I can't say I felt the presence of the man himself (I didn't find out about it until we got down), but lets just say it was epic. Mad props to Mark V. for coaching, cajoling, and cursing me to the summit!
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Bill Sherman
Mountain climber
Culver City, CA
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Nov 14, 2012 - 01:33pm PT
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I am 2 for 2 on El Cap. The first route I tried was Zodiac. I thought I was going to have to bail on it after the first pitch. I was linking 1 and 2 and took about a 12' fall back down onto the ledge at the bottom of 2. I had just had my leg crushed by a 2000 lb rock 9 weeks prior while attempting Castle Rock Spire in Sequoia. After 20 minutes of sitting on the ledge I got back into the aiders and worked through the pain until it disappeared. We spent 5 days on the route.
This past summer I went up with the same partner as on Zodiac. We had a 3rd that slowed us down and would have probably kept us from completing the route had he continued. He bailed from Sickle and we kept going. It took us a total of 5 days on the Nose as well. I am glad I got my partner up there as he had failed on 3 prior attempts on The Nose.
Bill
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dee ee
Mountain climber
citizen of planet Earth
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 14, 2012 - 02:52pm PT
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I'm surprised by how many get it on first go! Maybe were getting a skewed sample though.
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Heliclimb
Big Wall climber
Huntington Beach, CA
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Nov 14, 2012 - 03:20pm PT
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First time two years ago, but I only led one easy pitch at the bottom below sickle ledge and cleaned the rest. Does that count?
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Janet Wilts
Trad climber
Grand Teton National Park
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Nov 14, 2012 - 04:09pm PT
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2 for 2
The Nose with Tony Puppo
Lurking Fear with Dan McDivittttt
so many years ago I can't remember....
Janet
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christhebrit
Big Wall climber
london
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Nov 14, 2012 - 04:47pm PT
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first try the nose for me..
but more importantly, the most impressive first time on el cap, without a doubt was a guy i climbed with in the valley a few years back andrew 'mcdermott'? soloed the nose in 18 hrs on his very first time on the big stone! what a hero
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daveCohen
Trad climber
Poughkeepsie, NY
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Nov 14, 2012 - 05:40pm PT
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Climbed it on our first try, Nose Route, at age 19 in 1978 with Tim Leech (a Brit). Took us 3 1/2 days, rained all night at our bivvy below the great roof, with all our ropes fixed above us.
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rodrigo MUJICA
Mountain climber
chile
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Nov 14, 2012 - 06:19pm PT
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The Nose, first try...but many night on the wall...3?
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