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Jingy
Social climber
Flatland, Ca
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May 13, 2009 - 10:21pm PT
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That's pretty damn incredible......
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Studly
Trad climber
WA
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May 13, 2009 - 10:24pm PT
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I think if Tommy places a bolt, its his privledge. Free climbing Mescalito, unreal!
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dogtown
climber
Cheyenne,Wyoming
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May 13, 2009 - 10:30pm PT
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Me, Impressed.
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atchafalaya
climber
Babylon
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May 13, 2009 - 10:41pm PT
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Sweet! A new excuse for me not to climb Mescalito... I don't wanna beat out the free version!!! Unreal photos.
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Ksolem
Trad climber
Monrovia, California
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May 13, 2009 - 10:46pm PT
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Pretty wild!
The blog/article doesn't give much info. Anyone know how much of the aid he has freed at this point?
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clustiere
Trad climber
berkeley ca
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May 13, 2009 - 11:40pm PT
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Happiegirl that is hillarious!!
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dogtown
climber
Cheyenne,Wyoming
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May 13, 2009 - 11:53pm PT
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Aid he has freed at this point? What?
P1 a4, P2 a3, P3 a3, P4 a3, and so on,The f*#king thing is all ad! when I did it. Oh, sorry I remember a 5.9 crack in there somewhere and a 5.11 weird flare if I recall. come on! The kid is amazing. if he got passed pitch 6 clean he's a God. What the f*#k do I know? I jugged most of the way and Hauled.
Bruce.
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Lambone
Ice climber
Ashland, Or
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May 14, 2009 - 12:01am PT
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Keep in mind he's prolly only actually climbing some of the pitches on Mescalito, mixed with pitches from other routes and likely new variation pitches.
Not to say it's any less baddass, but it's probly more acurate to say Caldwell projects the Dawn Wall.
Maybe Chris can let us know how much of the route is acually on Mesc.
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JEleazarian
Trad climber
Fresno CA
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May 14, 2009 - 12:38am PT
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Wow! I did some climbing with his father, Mike, in my undergrad days at Berkeley. One of our friends joked about getting up Mescalito by training a herd of lizards and attaching them to a Dolt Cart. What Tommy's done seems no less incredible.
John
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Ksolem
Trad climber
Monrovia, California
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May 14, 2009 - 12:49am PT
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Bruce - I thought it was a good question. I did the thing all aid in Oct. 2000, remember it well and am simply curious which pitches have gone free.
Tommy says himself in the blog there that it could be a ten year project for him.
I remember after finishing, saying something to the effect that it would probably not get freed anytime soon. I hope Caldwell makes me eat my words...
I did some climbing with his Dad Mike back mid 80's. Estes Park and Josh. Great Guy.
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Handjam Belay
Gym climber
expat from the truth
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May 14, 2009 - 12:54am PT
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I grew up with Tommy in Estes. Not to say I know him well, but I'm two years older than him, the town had 5k people in it growing up...and we both climbed. Small subset of population.
I remember he had (and I have no reason to disbelieve) climbed every 5.12 on Lumpy Ridge before he was 12. This is not a ticklist full of campus moves.
Whether or not a freeclimber can put bolts wherever they need to to protect a freeclimb is one issue.
Tommy's need, and want to is totally another. Dude is a sender.
Respect the best in action. Give him some credit.
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apogee
climber
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May 14, 2009 - 12:56am PT
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Unreal. Tommy is in a small class of climbers who exude integrity, style, and human-ness all in one seemingly physically inhuman package.
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GDavis
Trad climber
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May 14, 2009 - 02:38am PT
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He seems like the kind of guy who is climbing on el cap because he wouldn't be anywhere else. He doesn't need to guarantee an ascent with excessive bolting. He's done literally everything there is to do. From the writing it seems that he's just stoked to have something to work on, and isn't so focused on moving on to something else. Couple that with a (hot) loving wife and a house in Yosemite and maybe, just maybe, Tommy has found the key to happiness...
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Impaler
Trad climber
Munich
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May 14, 2009 - 06:51am PT
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Awesome to hear about the news! Tommy, good luck with the project! You have my vote to place bolts whereever YOU feel they are needed to make the free climbing sane. TC is the biggest inspiration to my climbing. I still can't get over the "Two in a day" that Tommy did (video on Dosage 4). That was mindblowing! Magic mushroom sounded way more intense and now this! Amazing! Can't wait for the video!
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Peter Haan
Trad climber
San Francisco, CA
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May 14, 2009 - 09:57am PT
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There is probably no one more qualified for this truly modern and creative project in the world, I am thinking. And agreed, the guy is so nice and the best example there may have ever been of a great climber. (Oh, and what a hideous place to be projecting 5.14 and above).
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donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
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May 14, 2009 - 10:57am PT
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And Tommy is a really great guy- a little reserved, but friendly: someone who never blows his own horn. Given that- he'll probably never post on the Taco.
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PhotogEC
climber
Pasadena, CA
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May 14, 2009 - 11:23am PT
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OT from the original post, but National Geographic did a brief bit on Tommy and Midnight Lightning in C4.
Definitely check out the "See the Synth" link at the top of the page. Really cool zooms for detailed closeups of the Columbia boulder.
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Karl Baba
Trad climber
Yosemite, Ca
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May 14, 2009 - 12:07pm PT
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If Chris Mac says Tommy is taking repeated huge falls on Mescalito, it think that shows he isn't adding unnecessary bolts. (perhaps he's not even adding necessary ones!)
Kudos Tommy, you the (super) man!
Peace
Karl
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The Alpine
Big Wall climber
Tampa, FL
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Topic Author's Reply - May 14, 2009 - 12:18pm PT
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Tommy crushing Ruby's Cafe:
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FeelioBabar
climber
Sneaking up behind you...
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May 14, 2009 - 12:42pm PT
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Amazing!
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