Discussion Topic |
|
This thread has been locked |
Impaler
Social climber
Berkeley
|
|
Lurking Fear in 2008. First try in a day.
I did 1/2 Dome the year before. Then just a month before we did SFWC with the LF partner who had similar experience level as I. All in a day. The weekend we did LF we were thinking of doing the Salathe, but didn't have any desire to sleep on the wall or haul under any circumstances. So, we settled on doing 2 walls in a 3 day weekend. On Friday we climbed Leaning Tower. My partner forgot his headlamp and I got a vicious stomach bug that made me nearly puke every time I tried to eat anything. Jugging the first two pitches on WFLT and spinning around was a nightmare.
We got to rest a bit on Saturday and since we couldn't conceive of falling asleep at night went over to Lurking Fear and started climbing in the evening. Topped out after 24 hrs in delirium having eaten nothing at all during the climb. I was trying to convince my partner that it's imperative for me to take a shower before going to sleep since we were sweaty and exhausted, but he called b.s. on that. Long story short, I was trying to swallow down some canned soup when back at the car and all of the sudden I wake up 15 min later and I still have a mostly full can in my hand and soup in my mouth.
It helps to be young, psyched, prepared, and have a partner of similar abilities. I'm proud to say that I've climbed Captain twice now and never slept on any wall.
|
|
Spanky
Social climber
boulder co
|
|
I failed 4 times before I summited
twice on lurking fear (1 time got psyched out and once in the oct 2004 storm)
failed on the muir twice (once a partner got hit by a rock and the other we got snowed on)
Now I'm 3 for 3 in the last couple of years.
Mark: how can you claim 8 successful ascents in a row when I distinctly remember you getting rescued off Iron hawk in June. I hate to knit pick but if it were me I would say I had failed on that one given the circumstances
|
|
mouse from merced
Trad climber
The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.
|
|
"I'll let you knww in the spring."-Briham
Do that.
I'm laying out a line in vegas based on that outcome. We have to figure out the odds. Good thread to help establish the odds on the bets:
"Briham will send his first El Cap attempt."
"Briham will bail his first El Cap attempt."
It's looking like...
...it's just too, too early to say.
Maybe after the holidays, folks got more to bet with, he may have broken a finger, his partner may have taken a powder, yada-yada-yada...
Seriously, Briham, good luck, enjoy the preparation and the pre-climb foreplay. It's your wedding night, after all.
|
|
j-tree
Big Wall climber
Classroom to crag to summer camp
|
|
Here's my marker. 20 internet bucks on Briham making it to the top.
|
|
Elcapinyoazz
Social climber
Joshua Tree
|
|
I did, but I'd also soloed a few in Zion before (and failed twice in Zion before getting up the first one).
Second day seems to be the worst, the hauling is still hard, the exposure is getting crazy, and the soreness starts. I haven't done an aid route in almost 10 years, but man the Shield looks good. It's been on the list for a long time and I figure once I get older and have "retired" from trying to freeclimb hard things, I'll get back to aid walls. But probably more in a push style...hauling all that sh#t is a PITA. I like the climbing, like being up there, but could do without the vertical freight hauling and cramped camping.
|
|
micronut
Trad climber
|
|
I hope to this May!
Already psyched and this thread is just fueling the fire!
|
|
Fat Dad
Trad climber
Los Angeles, CA
|
|
Third attempt. First two on the Nose, I think in '81 and '82, but between inexperienced partners and fighting through the usual cluster$%uck we didn't get past Sickle. Third attempt on Zodiac in '83 went like a charm. In fact, I think it was DEE's climb the year before or so that inspired me. I was hanging out with his protege, Bob Cox, and we would go to the Meadow every afternoon to check on his (and the Troll I think?) progress. To a 17 or 18 yr. old, it looked just too rad, so of course I started hatching plans of my own for the following summer.
|
|
Gunkie
Trad climber
East Coast US
|
|
Not me. We did score the RNWFHD then tried El Cap (Muir) the next year and failed. I think we got up on our third attempt (Nose). Failed two times after that distinctly because of weak partners (different partners, both on LF)... and I hate to say that because I was the weak partner on our first attempt (Salathe).
|
|
lamadera
Trad climber
New Mexico
|
|
Triple direct, first try. You have to want it, a good partner doesn't hurt either.
|
|
Sierra Ledge Rat
Mountain climber
Old and Broken Down in Appalachia
|
|
Two half-hearted attempts before climbing the big stone on my first real attempt.
|
|
Plaidman
Trad climber
South Slope of Mt. Tabor, Portland, Oregon, USA
|
|
First attempt. The Nose - weather mostly. It was 95 degrees and we were moving too slowly.
Second attempt didn't even get off the ground. Partners bailed. I wasn't really in shape for it. Could have done it, but it would have been ugly. Maybe not. We will never know.
Now I am working on losing 40 pounds and train like a mad mad to be faster and more efficient.
We will have to see how that goes. The goal is to get it done by next Nov. 2013
I am now 50 years old.
|
|
mongrel
Trad climber
Truckee, CA
|
|
Yep, I did, but as someone posted upthread, I had a good partner who had done it before. We arrived with about 8 days climbing time available, shooting for Salathe. But there was a crowd, so we did a few SW base crack climbs. Big slow party still gumming things up above, so we went and did the Good Book, it was hard, so rested a day. Then did the E. Buttress of El Cap figuring we were out of time for a full wall. But that went so well we changed our minds and fixed and hauled to Sickle, then launched and still made it up and down and back to work Monday morning. For spuds like us, it was a pretty good week of climbing. It was a big advantage to be firing Yosemite cracks so we could free all the Stovelegs (exc. pendulums), this created a lot of upward momentum.
|
|
Spike Flavis
Trad climber
Truckee California
|
|
Did the Nose w/ Bill Anderson in 1985.
No hauling or fixing. 1 bivy sack. 2.5 days.
Bill was THE MAN and I have to thank him for taking me on EL Cap as my first wall.
|
|
Googlymoogly
climber
|
|
I hope to this May! I'm with micronut! May is going to be the month! and the excitement just keeps building
|
|
inde_rida
Trad climber
San Jose, CA
|
|
Lurking Fear, first time aid, first time big wall, 3rd time in yosemite!
|
|
hairyapeman
Trad climber
Fres-yes
|
|
Crickets.
HA!!!!! I was just about to say frogs!
|
|
j-tree
Big Wall climber
Classroom to crag to summer camp
|
|
Crickets.
But what's the hardest part of A4?
|
|
hairyapeman
Trad climber
Fres-yes
|
|
But seriously....I have tried 3 times, 2 on washington column (south face, the prow) and 1 on el cap (the shield) and think I may just keep it to single day multi-pitch climbs from now on!
|
|
Captain...or Skully
climber
|
|
Many folks find that it's NOT their way. Sometimes they discover this when they're with you. Sometimes Fate has other plans for you.
Sometimes. Other times, it all clicks.
|
|
|
SuperTopo on the Web
|
Let us know!