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

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'Pass the Pitons' Pete

Big Wall climber

like Ontario, Canada, eh?

Dec 30, 2012 - 01:07pm PT

I've got tons of beta I can share on like 48 different routes, so can probably fix you up with what you need. But it might cost you a few beers on the bridge, eh?

Magic Mushroom is one of my least favourites. It has deep deep corners that you have place gear into at arm's length, after which you clip your aider to it, try to stand up [think about this] and then you find yourself only a foot or two higher after the placement. So it is hard to climb, and not fun. There are many pitches like this on the Mushroom, and accordingly I didn't much like it. It is a stunning natural line, visible from the ground easily, yet why does it knott get climbed much? That is the answer.

Since you guys actually know how to climb, and will have sussed your wall systems ahead of time, you should go climb a classic nailing route. How about South Seas to P.O. for instance?

Or why not Cosmos? That is obscure, seldom climbed but really quite good. I liked it. We trundled a huge enormous hunk of rock from up there, and I have knott known of anyone climbing the route since. That was quite a few years ago.

Son of Heart will not give you what you want, unless you like grovelling up "classic" offwidths and chimneys. I hated it, even with Valley Giant cams to cheat with!

Sunkist could work as per the other post. Some nailing up there.

Virginia has a great nailing pitch about three pitches up.

I know one absolutely superb all-time nailing practise pitch, the all-time pecker pitch, right off the ground, on an obscure route that nobody does. It is hard to find the pitch, even, but it is great for practising. I haven't told anyone because I don't want it to become "known".

I am full of ideas. And other stuff. And getting thirsty as I think about it.... ;)

Mimi

climber

Dec 31, 2012 - 02:14pm PT

I'm no wall master having done only five, but saying that ANY nailing is necessary today on The Shield is disgraceful. I did it in 1987 and we placed only a handful of pins and I regret it to this day. We had two TCUs and rigid stemmed Friends besides the available nuts.

Several Euro parties have reported doing it clean and it should be kept that way. NO excuse to continue ruining those beautiful cracks! Climbing has never been easier with the gear available today. No need to ruin the placements for future climbers on probably most of these walls.

nopantsben

climber

Jan 7, 2013 - 10:17am PT

Tribal Rite is an excellent suggestion actually. It's got nailing, you start on something easy for about 10 pitches to get everything figured out and you can decide halfway up if you want to do the nose or tribal. it's also got a little ledge on every bivy, which makes the logistics considerably easier!

Mark Hudon

Trad climber

Hood River, OR

Jan 7, 2013 - 11:28am PT

Tribal Rite can be climbed easily with only 10 hammered pieces. It's an excellent route though.

Same for South Seas to PO, certainly less than 18 pieces hammered. All in all, another excellent route.

Fat Dad

Trad climber

Los Angeles, CA

Jan 7, 2013 - 01:10pm PT

I did it in 1987 and we placed only a handful of pins and I regret it to this day. We had two TCUs and rigid stemmed Friends besides the available nuts.

I did it in '91 with I believe four or five sawed offs, courtesy of Tucker Tech. We used all of them though sparingly. Like you, I found the TCUs worked pretty darn good and eliminated the need to nail much. We definitely nailed more than a "handful" of pins, but not by much.

It's somewhat sad that, in all the time since, you still have many climbers who believe if they don't have aliens, etc., they have to resort to nailing.

To the OP, if you can't nail in the UK, why are you so hot and bothered to come here and nail? What benefit do you hope to derive from it if it's a skill you can't employ at home?

phillipso

Trad climber

Topic Author's Reply - Jan 15, 2013 - 05:08pm PT

Thanks for all the advise - sounds like some of you guys have a lot of experience to draw on. I'll do some more research on some of the suggestions and keep reading through trip reports. There are some awesome writeups on here.

To the OP, if you can't nail in the UK, why are you so hot and bothered to come here and nail? What benefit do you hope to derive from it if it's a skill you can't employ at home?

I think I mentioned it in the first post. The reason being, its my intention to head on out to some more remote big walls after learning things in the valley. Places where there wont be lines of fixed gear ready to clip or alien-eating peg scars. Yosemite seems like a place where there will be lots of helpful and knowledgable people about. I would be surprised if I climb more than one pitch of aid in a year when I get back to the UK.

Pete - you've got a deal. I'll look forward to sharing some cold beers in September.

Cheers

steveej

Trad climber

Bristol, UK

Jan 16, 2013 - 08:42am PT

Hi Phil,

I have done 6 walls (three on El Cap) over three visits during the last 2 years.

Nailing is really something that with current ethics is what the world is trying to get away from. Using clean gear, even on old nailing routes is now seens as a lot more ethical in that it damages the rock a lot less.

If you have never done a wall before, you should really come out and try and get on the nose. If you manage a warm up wall and the nose in 2 weeks you will have done well.

Nailing is one of those things that seems cool and fun from the comfort of the armchair, and I guess it is cool to a certain extent, but it slows you down. I would much rather wake up on day 3 knowing my pitches will go clean for the day.

You will have enough to learn on the hauling, cleaning, cam hooks, sky hooks, setting up the bivi etc on your first time.

Captain...or Skully

climber

Jan 16, 2013 - 09:34am PT

If you're a novice at nailing, expect jacked up hands & fingers.
Clean is much nicer for them.

Fat Dad

Trad climber

Los Angeles, CA

Jan 16, 2013 - 03:53pm PT

Phillip,

Sorry if I sounded like I was getting up in your grill. I did not see in your first post where you said why you were interested in learning to nail in the first place. From what everyone else had said though, I think you're better off just learning to aid well, whether that be clean or nailing. That skill should be far more useful than just learning to resort to the iron when things seem sketchy. Have fun learning. The Captain is awesome.

Don Paul

Big Wall climber

Colombia, South America

Jan 16, 2013 - 04:11pm PT

Driving home a 1/2 inch angle or a lost arrow isn't challenging or even interesting. On the other hand, using rurps, peckers, hooks and copperheads will be a new experience and probably what you wanted to learn. They're used for moves that might never be done clean. Basically, the wider pins are obsolete, but for the thin seams there may be no other way to do it. This should be obvious when you're on the route. There was some of that on the nipple pitch of zodiac but I understand that in recent times the pitch is full of fixed gear.

micronut

Trad climber

Jan 16, 2013 - 05:52pm PT

Make sure to bring a wool sweater and use only a swami if you're gonna pound iron. It richens the experience!

Have a blast whatever you do. The Valley is magical.

bigwall shitter

Social climber

the wild west

Jan 17, 2013 - 12:10am PT

if you want to place pins go mixed climbing, that's what I use my pins for, even though I bought them with aid in mind. This year I think I've pounded one pin aiding vs more than I can count with crampons and tools.