West Face El Cap

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Studly

Trad climber

Aug 28, 2009 - 12:55am PT

Amazing history. Can't we get rid of all the politcal crap and just have climbing threads like this? This is whats its all about, and to hear the stories of the guys that went before just makes the climb so much cooler once I get on it. Stoked!

Roxy

Trad climber

CA Central Coast

Aug 28, 2009 - 01:24am PT

what Studly said

Totally enriches the route.

k-man

Gym climber

SCruz

Aug 28, 2009 - 02:40am PT

If memory serves, and sometimes it does, we made the second pitch quite a bit easier by stepping way out left and face-climbing up to the apex of the shallow arch. Pro as high as you can in the arch before you make the step out left.

I belayed at the "mank" belay in the middle of that crux up there, and my buddy Tom came up, grabbed the gear without weighting the anchor, and climbed through. I thought that was cool.

And that .10d pitch, what a climb!!

tonesfrommars

climber

Aug 28, 2009 - 03:32am PT

Hans Florine and Andy Puhvel dragged me up the west face sometime around '89 or '90. They were scoping it out for a speed ascent, maybe a link-up with another wall or something (can't remember now) I was basically along for the ride in my tennis shoes and aiders. After the ledge, all 3 of us simul-climbing to the top. 6 hours all together. That was fun.

oldcragster

Gym climber

Aug 28, 2009 - 12:37pm PT

enlightening thread everyone! climbed it first time in late 80's over 2 days with Will Cottrel as a wall climb...what a pain. Haven't used jumars or hauled since. Went back in early 90's with Mark Rodgers. small rack, one rope..adventure for sure. some of the best climbing, rock, views, etc. We got lost once. Pulled on pieces a few times, after failing crux moves...more interested in topping out early. 6 rappels I think down east ledges. once in vehicle, raced to four seasons...one minute to 9pm...last ones in! Lo and behold, big-wall Pete is our waiter to boot. He tells us he had recently done it with his girl friend. Truly a day to remember!
Gene Drake

Fuzzywuzzy

climber

Aug 28, 2009 - 12:51pm PT

Kevin

I remember that day. Peter was a great guy. Wild story from your perspective. Chilling.
Climbed it back in 77. As a wall. Bivy on Thanksgiving and wrapped a bundle of firewood with some red 1" webbing for Cochrane and Finn who we knew were doing it the next week!

Great climbing, Like Tuolumne or Charlotte Dome etc.. But Like Sutton says, "Is that even on El Cap??

Summit Shot

dee ee

Mountain climber

citizen of planet Earth

Aug 28, 2009 - 05:24pm PT

"Guns" Fry (Dr. F) and I did it in '78. John (L) had told us about the "10a" variation and Crag got that pitch. It was a wee bit scary. We bivvied but could have easily done it in a day.

DHike

climber

Aug 28, 2009 - 07:14pm PT

Righteous Patrick O,

Glad to see you're still crushing it.

Holler at me if you're ever back up at the summit anytime, and let's jam.

Dan

hooblie

climber

Aug 28, 2009 - 09:29pm PT

as a thankyou gesture to a friend who treated my partner and me like gold all summer in glen aulen, i suggested this route in the fall of '87. he had read the rockcraft book, could jug, rap, belay, take direction and keep his head together. plus anything else he decided to do. this much i knew.

to add flavor and a margin considering the unknown factor involving this alliance, we bivy'ed a couple of pitches up, jettisoned that stuff to his dutiful wife in the am, and trucked on up and over, donning headlamps for the last part of the rappel from the east ledges. just right for full effect. wifey was cruising the loop, spotted us in the headlights and snagged us off the road near manure pile. happy all around.

very nice route. as bookends go, quite a contrast to the east buttress. spent more mental time in the ribbon falls area than having the sense of being on el cap. appreciate the notes about the nature of the rock, that crystal stuff brought me back

Peter Haan

Trad climber

San Francisco, CA

Aug 29, 2009 - 06:06pm PT

Here's a rather in-depth retouch of the Carter/Bard picture on top of the West Face. I guess it was 32 years ago now.

Capt. Buzzkill

Trad climber

Northridge, CA

Aug 29, 2009 - 11:40pm PT

"We fixed two pitches and bivied at the base with Eric Brand who was nice enough to shlep our gear back to the meadow the next day."

When I did the route with Mark Fekkes in the early 80's, my good friend Mike Beck drove us there from Tuolumne, hiked to the base, cooked dinner while we fixed the first two pitches,
shlepped gear back to the car, and met us at the base of the east ledges rappels with cold beers as darkness fell. Oh, and then he drove us back to the meadows. That was an awesome show of ground support.

I agree with Hedge that no fixing is necessary, but firing the first two gave us the confidence to launch the rest with one rope and one goal. The business, besides the approach and the endless slabs at the top, was the second pitch, using stoppers and RP's to back up manky fixed gear in the arches. I did take a scary fall on the last pitch before Thanksgiving Ledge, traversing too high to get to the dihedral.

We had been climbing in Tuolumne awhile, an advantage in elevation and that the West Face's rock is similar.

The question remains. . . Is it an "El Cap Route/Wall" ?

M.O.

Mark Hudon

Trad climber

Hood River, OR

Aug 29, 2009 - 11:48pm PT

I've done it three times free and I'll do it again this fall if I get the chance.

Steve Grossman

Trad climber

Seattle, WA

Oct 17, 2010 - 12:43pm PT

You folks that have done this route and care about what happens to it, please chime in on this thread.

http://www.supertopo.com/climbing/thread.php?topic_id=1207606&msg=1231074#msg1231074

WBraun

climber

Oct 17, 2010 - 12:56pm PT

West Face El Cap is one of the all time best routes in Yosemite.

Don't even look at a topo before you do it.

Don't even take a topo when you do it.

Just do it and figure it out. It requires a little route finding skills which make this route so awesome.

Burn all those fuking topos to this route ......