Atlantic Ocean Wall, El Capitan A4 5.9

  
Search
Go

Yosemite Valley, California USA

  • Currently 3.0/5
Sort 1 beta reports by: Most Recent | Most Helpful
What is route "beta"?
Submit Beta on this Route
Summary of All Ratings

SuperTopo Rating:   
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  (3.0)
Average Customer Rating:   
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  (4.5)
Your Rating:     (none)
Rating Distribution
2 Total Ratings
5 star: 50%  (1)
4 star: 50%  (1)
3 star: 0%  (0)
2 star: 0%  (0)
1 star: 0%  (0)
Levy

Big Wall climber
So Cal
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
    Feb 22, 2007 - 09:55pm
I did this in '05 & we did the Iron Hawk start. The original start has seen at least two rockfalls and is still loose & suspect.

Pitch 7 - Not too bad. Some hooks, many micro cams & wires(esp to 3/4") Maybe A3?
Pitch 8 - One of the steepest pitches on El Cap! at one point you aid downwards, then out horizontaly. Some scary looking loose blocks to navigate before the belay are to be found.

Pitch 9 - This pitch ate two of our cams. I suspect it was due to "Thermo-flex" action. A 6-1/2" cam was used low, then 4 to 5" cams in the middle and 4" cams near the end.

Pitch 10 -Florida swamps - An interesting shallow copperhead move off the belay, then tcu's up an expanding flake to a pendo to good hooks and some decent wires out left under a roof which you then have to hook up to which was a bit exciting. Small heads lead to the belay. I doubled some of the poor looking ones.

Pitches 11 & 12 - Not too bad but expanding flakes make this memorable. Pitch 12 had lot's of 3" crack. Blue Camalots are nice here.

Pitch 13 - The "Expanding Time-Bomb". This pitch had some seriously loose flakes but the placements were easy to get. Incredible gold rock in this part of the wall. You just had to wonder if the flake would rip off the wall when you weighted a placement but the placements were not hard to place. A good place to use the haul line as a backup rope so if the flake blows, you don't die if your lead rope gets cut or damaged. The Boston Tea Party ledge is pretty nice. A great Bivy spot with cool views into the recess of the central North-America.
Was this beta helpful to you? Yes | No
El Capitan - Atlantic Ocean Wall A4 5.9 - Yosemite Valley, California USA. Click to Enlarge
Atlantic Ocean Wall is route number 21.
Photo: Galen Rowell
Submit Beta on this Route
 
*What is "Route Beta"?
It's climber slang for information or tips on a route as in, "what's the beta on that route?" As a service to fellow climbers we ask SuperTopo guidebook users to post tips and updates to this website if they have relevant information to share after a climb.