El Cap nailing routes - Shield/Sunkist/Magic Mushroom?

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phillipso

Trad climber

Topic Author's Original Post - Dec 27, 2012 - 01:07pm PT

Hi guys,

Happy Christmas! My first post here.

I'll be heading out to the valley in early September for the fist time and looking for some advise on routes.
As a team, we comfortably free climb around 5.10+/5.11- on granite and have experience on long (12 pitch 400m) one day routes in South America and Norway.
We are in the UK and will be learning to haul and clean aid before heading out. Will probably warm up on something like El Cap Tree and maybe Lost Arrow Spire Tip before going for the main event...

I want a fairly classic route as we will only have enough time for one big one, and don't know when we will be back to the valley. Also, I want something which requires some nailing. I know this isn't popular and that the more that goes clean the better, however, I want to learn for the future. Ethics don't allow nailing in the UK, and I'd like to get out to some more remote big walls in the next few years where we will need to know how place angles, beaks, copperheads etc.

From what I've read so far, the Shield is a strong contender, with Magic Mushroom looking good too but harder by the sounds of it.
I don't want to over commit and go for something stupidly hard, although can't really tell how much harder routes are than others and why...

Any tips on other routes that may be suitable, differences between routes like the Shield/Sunkist/Magic Mushroom in terms of difficulty and amount of nailing required etc?

Cheers

Mark Hudon

Trad climber

Hood River, OR

Dec 27, 2012 - 01:20pm PT

I wouldn't recommend the El Cap Tree at all and anyone should be ashamed of themselves if they climb the Shield and hammer more than ten pieces.

Elcapinyoazz

Social climber

Joshua Tree

Dec 27, 2012 - 01:23pm PT

Do Sunkist. Shield has very little nailing and has gone clean in the past AFAIK. Mushroom has gone free and for that reason alone I wouldn't nail on it.

Texplorer

Trad climber

Sacramento

Dec 27, 2012 - 01:25pm PT

First of all, the el cap tree and LA spire tip will not prepare you for an el cap route. I suggest the west face of leaning tower. You should be able to do this in 2 days if you plan on doing el cap. The aiding is easy and goes fast, the hauls are easy (steep), and you will be able to dial in your systems on a shorter route.

I have not done magic mushroom but the Shield is not really a good first nailing route. You are likely to nail things you should not and it is not trivial in the places where you do have to nail. I would say Zodiac or Mescalito are better choices. Both go clean often but most parties place a few pins on them.

I would recommend doing a non-nailing route or at least one with minimal nailing for your first trip up the Capitan. There is going to be enough new things for you to deal with without having to learn to nail on top of it all. After you have done a few routes you will understand what I am saying.

Oh, and . . . .

You're Gonna Die.

Mark Hudon

Trad climber

Hood River, OR

Dec 27, 2012 - 01:36pm PT

Unfortunately, on the routes most often done, certainly on their first four or five pitches, "nailing" would be a real travesty. Sure, go up the first four of the Sea of Dreams or Wyoming Sheep Ranch and you'll get nailing but those pitches certainly aren't the place to learn nailing.

Until you get up half a dozen El Cap routes you're not really going to get up into any considerable nailing. I don't know about Sunkist though, I've never done it. It might be your best bet.

+1 what Texplorer said.

Mr_T

Trad climber

Northern California

Dec 27, 2012 - 01:45pm PT

Maybe check out something like Dante's Inferno or a less traveled grade V. With a good arsenal of cam hooks, hybrid aliens, and beaks you can probably do the Shield clean - at most you'll put in a couple sawed offs.

Elcapinyoazz

Social climber

Joshua Tree

Dec 27, 2012 - 01:51pm PT

Cosmos, Heart Route, Pacemaker are all considered moderates.

Parts of the Heart Route serve as sections of multiple free routes, so again, please don't go up there nailing on it.

You might look at Lunar Eclipse as a much less traveled, relatively short alternative. Nature, or more recently HoiPolloi (speed record a few months ago IIRC?) could probably fill you in on how much nailingm, rack etc.

FrankZappa

Trad climber

Hankster's crew

Dec 27, 2012 - 03:59pm PT

Traveling that far and wanting to go for it, you should hop on Space. There is nailing and coperheading, and it's nice and steep.
But I think the big point is that nailing when you have to nail is much more fun than pounding in some sawed-off angle into a big hole where the right gidget would make it a clean placement(and more scary). Just make sure that going up there you have the right gear. Read Mark Hudon's trip reports as he is really detailed about the whole affair.

NA_Kid

Big Wall climber

The Bear State

Dec 27, 2012 - 04:00pm PT

Shield goes without the hammer!

nopantsben

climber

Dec 27, 2012 - 04:32pm PT

native son has much nailing. it's going to be very tough to do this as your first el cap route.
you should the nose. it's the best line, an incredible, historic, and most of all super fun route and it's still going to be challenging.
and then do a harder route with nailing on your next trip, which will before you do a FA of a remote big wall anyways I bet...
oh and don't go climb the shield because you want to pound iron!!!!

phillipso

Trad climber

Topic Author's Reply - Dec 27, 2012 - 05:02pm PT

Thanks for a good response! Nothing like some personal advise to help planning.

El cap tree and LA will be off the cards.

I think some of those route suggestions, Luncar Eclipse (A4), Squeeze play (A3+?), Cosmos (A4) Space (A4) etc could be biting off more than we can chew for our first aid trip. I'm up for going in hard but A4 is pushing it.

Erik - thanks for the suggestion on Ribbon Falls, the East Face of the Column, Wall of Ages, ect. I much prefer climbing away from the crowds.

Elcap - I won't be digging the hammer out on anything without getting up to speed on the ethics first :)

Nopantsben - regading the Nose: we will not have time for more than one grade VI unfortunately as want to get in some other free routes too, and also want to do something involving nailing. Save the nose for when we have systems sorted good and can do it in less than 5 days.
And no plans for FAs just yet, just want to get on some walls in more exotic places that see less traffic.

Cheers

dee ee

Mountain climber

citizen of planet Earth

Dec 27, 2012 - 07:46pm PT

Mushroom goes virtually clean.

Russ Walling

Social climber

from Poofters Froth, Wyoming

Dec 27, 2012 - 08:34pm PT

How about the PO, or the NA for a lesser slice of the pie.... Lunar sounds like a good one... or maybe ZM? Those must have a majority of nailing still left in them without completely loading your trousers.

Fogarty

climber

BITD

Dec 27, 2012 - 08:55pm PT

I recommend the Muir start via Moby Dick to Mammoth Terrace to the Majic Mushroom finish.
This was my first El Cap route make it yours.
Need any info I may remember some it was only back in 1984 LOL:)

Have fun and TOP OUT!

cheers.

Mike

Hoots

climber

Toyota Tacoma

Dec 27, 2012 - 10:57pm PT

New Dawn to Tribal Rite was direct, sustained (at A3), and had a whole lot of sweet nailing once you got past the Boot. Good anchors and no veg would make this a pretty damn enjoyable El Cap nailing route. The RURP pitch...oh yeah!

Gagner

climber

Boulder

Dec 27, 2012 - 11:30pm PT

Virtually EVERY El Cap adventure is a good one - aid or free, nailing or clean. Jumping on a seldom traveled route, or hard nailing route would be quite the adventure for a first trip up the big stone.

As far as specific route beta:

The Shield is one of the coolest places on earth - just don't nail on it
Sunkist is somewhat of an adventure route, and not done much
I'd second Walleye on Son of Heart as seldom traveled, and an adventure with the wide free / grovel pitches.
Other good first routes would of course be Zodiac or Mescalito.
The North American Wall would be good - also an adventure route
I'd second New Dawn, or New Dawn to Tribal Rite
Lastly, you may want to consider the Muir, which is a great route, and except for the "approach" pitches, I don't think it sees that much traffic.

Whatever you do, no matter how hard, I guarantee you it will be a memorable trip of a lifetime!!

Paul

BASE104

Social climber

An Oil Field

Dec 28, 2012 - 01:34am PT

Too bad. Nailing was super fun before all of the cams, then micro cams, came out.

I did Zodiac pre-cams and a surprising amount of it was expanding. Not hard expanding, but when it came to cleaning that last piece after the flake had shut, it was a bitch.

Rurps, heading, it was all fun while it lasted.

phillipso

Trad climber

Topic Author's Reply - Dec 28, 2012 - 06:27pm PT

Consensus so far seems to be to get on one of the more obscure routes if I want to get some nailing in which makes sense.

If one of you guys were going to do one of these walls, how would you go about getting beta? I'm not fussed about 'spoiling the adventure' by getting beta, especially on my first few trips out on valley walls. So far, most of the route info I have found for more traveled routes has been on here as topos, TRs, or on biwalls.net/yosemitebigwalls. Is there something I am missing, or am I just overthinking it and maybe you would just ask around camp 4 a few days before you set off?

Cheers