Building my rack for El Cap

This summer me and a buddy are going to climb el cap. Were going to start buying trad gear soon I already have a double set Camp USA tri-cams 0.25-2, 1.5 sets of Black Diamond hexes, 1.5 sets of Black Diamond wire nuts pro set, Metolius curve nuts 1-10, Wild Country Tech Friends cams 1-5,Metolius TCU 0-4, Metolius Power Cam 3-7 doubles in 3 and 4, Rock Empire cams 4-6. So I am wondering what else should I add to my rack to climb the Nose on El Cap. I am not too good at trad climbing but I have been practicing . So I want to get a minimal rack but since I am not the best at trad I think I should have a rack with a little more active protection. Any feedback is greatly appreciated.

yosemitebigwall.com/nose

William Turner wrote:This summer me and a buddy are going to climb el cap. Were going to start buying trad gear soon I already have a double set Camp USA tri-cams 0.25-2, 1.5 sets of Black Diamond hexes, 1.5 sets of Black Diamond wire nuts pro set, Metolius curve nuts 1-10, Wild Country Tech Friends cams 1-5,Metolius TCU 0-4, Metolius Power Cam 3-7 doubles in 3 and 4, Rock Empire cams 4-6. So I am wondering what else should I add to my rack to climb the Nose on El Cap. I am not too good at trad climbing but I have been practicing . So I want to get a minimal rack but since I am not the best at trad I think I should have a rack with a little more active protection. Any feedback is greatly appreciated.

Offset nuts and cams are critical. When aiding, I use them more than any other piece. I have climbed an entire pitch using nothing but offsets. I would get a double set of offset nuts and cams, with cam sizes ranging from 00/0 to 2/3. You dont really need offsets larger than that for the Nose though. If you are using offset AL nuts, then you can probably skip the second set of offset nuts, and go with a single set of offset RPs and a single set of offset aluminums. However, remember, those 2 - 5 size offset nuts weigh very little and they are handy. I would ditch the #1 offset RP as you shouldent be using anything that small on pitches easier than C3 anyway.

Just my opinion, but someone who is "not that good" at TRAD climbing should probably set the bar a little shorter. There are plenty of big walls in Yosemite that aren't so involved. There are pendulums, lower outs, some devious aid (unless you free 5.12) and many objective hazards to consider even after you have mastered TRAD climbing.

If you do go for it, like 20kn said offsets are going to be nice for any Yosemite climb. I also find that C3's are very useful. Ditch the tricams and hexes, they will only slow you down. Be safe and have fun. It's not always about the climb sometimes the journey is just as memorable.

How about 1 and 3/4 sets of offset master cams then you think I'll be set?

Well I'm going to the yosemite for 8 weeks and am constantly going to NC and the red river gorge to practice. I also have a fair amount of multi pitch experience under my belt. So I will be ready when the time comes. Which is in june. But thanks for the advice. I'm so stoked to go to looking glass in two weeks.

Ryan N wrote:Just my opinion, but someone who is "not that good" at TRAD climbing should probably set the bar a little shorter. There are plenty of big walls in Yosemite that aren't so involved. There are pendulums, lower outs, some devious aid (unless you free 5.12) and many objective hazards to consider even after you have mastered TRAD climbing. If you do go for it, like 20kn said offsets are going to be nice for any Yosemite climb. I also find that C3's are very useful. Ditch the tricams and hexes, they will only slow you down. Be safe and have fun. It's not always about the climb sometimes the journey is just as memorable.

Good attitude man and good luck! Always good to aim high -- it's not like the training will all go to waste if you're not ready by June and the nose should give you some serious motivation!

As far as your rack goes, like others have said:

1) Ditch tricams and hexes (maybe bring tricams to looking glass though)
2) Micronuts (I have RPs and HB offset brassies, but whatever brand is fine)
3) Offset nuts
4) Offset cams (single set should be fine, probably don't even need the whole set).

If you're wanting to bring a "minimal rack" your best bet is to get better at free climbing. The more you can free climb instead of aid, the less gear you will need. Shoot for being solid on mid-5.10 free and you should be good to go. If you can't free climb yosemite 5.10, you can still do the nose, but it will be significantly more aid intensive and this take more time and gear.

Don't forget all the other gear you will need aside from the "rack" btw: aiders, ascender, etc.

Ryan Watts wrote:Good attitude man and good luck! Always good to aim high -- it's not like the training will all go to waste if you're not ready by June and the nose should give you some serious motivation! As far as your rack goes, like others have said: 1) Ditch tricams and hexes (maybe bring tricams to looking glass though) 2) Micronuts (I have RPs and HB offset brassies, but whatever brand is fine) 3) Offset nuts 4) Offset cams (single set should be fine, probably don't even need the whole set). If you're wanting to bring a "minimal rack" your best bet is to get better at free climbing. The more you can free climb instead of aid, the less gear you will need. Shoot for being solid on mid-5.10 free and you should be good to go. If you can't free climb yosemite 5.10, you can still do the nose, but it will be significantly more aid intensive and this take more time and gear. Don't forget all the other gear you will need aside from the "rack" btw: aiders, ascender, etc.

Thanks so much for your help. I think it won't be two hard to get ready for El Cap in time. My red point is 5.11c outside at the red. I could probably climb harder I'm just such a puss outside. I can lead 5.12c in the gym. I climb every other day almost. So if all I need to climb is 5.10 I am already set skill wise now all I need to to is practice some TRAD.

William Turner wrote: I think it won't be two hard to get ready for El Cap in time. I can lead 5.12c in the gym.

lol

Keenan Waeschle wrote: lol

:)

Keenan Waeschle wrote: lol

x2. He will find out why the Nose has something like a 75% failure rate for first-time wallers. Climbers that are ready for the Nose dont need to practice trad. They are already experienced trad climbers. Also, 5.10 Yosemite trad is absolutely nothing like 5.10 gym. I know guys that can crank 5.13 in the gym that cant climb some 5.10 trad lines in Yosemite. They are not even remotely comparable.

William Turner wrote:I'm just such a puss outside.

A 3,000', 30+ pitch grade VI seems like a great objective. Keep in mind that if you're not redpointing 5.14f you're going to need a bolt gun.

Biners, biners and more biners

William Turner wrote: Thanks so much for your help. I think it won't be two hard to get ready for El Cap in time. My red point is 5.11c outside at the red. I could probably climb harder I'm just such a puss outside. I can lead 5.12c in the gym. I climb every other day almost. So if all I need to climb is 5.10 I am already set skill wise now all I need to to is practice some TRAD.

Sounds like you got some time to practice so you can definitely get there but just because you can climb 5.11c sport does not mean you will float mid-5.10 in Yosemite. It's a very different climbing style. Since you said you're going to the glass the first pitch of Invisible Airwaves (5.10c) and maybe the first pitch of Creatures of Waste (5.10c) are both excellent and should give you a taste of 5.10 trad. Those also have some aid on the upper pitches if you want to try your hand at that as well.

Good luck and don't die!

El cap in June...bring plenty of water. And how hard can you crack climb in Yosemite is really the only grade that matters.

And I know people are probably tired of hearing it but grades in the valley ARE different from just about everywhere else.

i am surprised you guys are falling for this. well. maybe i'm not.

If you need beaners, i have a shit load of ovals i'll let go pretty cheap. There all BD ovals.

Try some More humble, shorter Yosemite .10's for a while to get accustomed to the style. Training gym or sport will not prepare you for the style differences you will encounter. You may be surprised. Building the rack is much easier than building the skillset.

Stop by Indian Creek on your way out. You might learn something.

I completely agree that with strong Yosemite climbing skills you can get by with a streamlined rack for the Nose. We climbed the Nose in the early-90s with one 11mm 50m rope, one 9mm haul/backup rope, three sets of Friends and two sets of nuts. Regarding the aid, I didn't find it that tricky, but we had to back-clean a lot to conserve gear. :)

Practice your rope management, switch-overs, and hauling. See this trip report on failing & succeeding on the Nose. Less weight = speed = safety.
theinspiredclimber.com/2014…

If you're going to be in the Valley for six weeks a "first good big wall" to start with is the South Face of Washington Column.

Another good practice is Freeblast, 10 pitches on El Cap. If you can lead them all free in 5 hours or less including the raps, you'll be good to go.

Have a great time!

Like others said, skip the hexes and tricams. The more you backclean and leapfrog gear, the smaller your rack needs to be. Aiding doesn't necessarily require more gear if you backclean often.

If you have more than a double run of cams, then free climbing with all that weight becomes a lot harder. You already have the tagline, fatigue and exposure to contend with.

Expect to pull on gear. A lot. If you're not efficient and practiced with pulling on gear, then you'll likely get worked and/or switch to full aid mode.

And bring gloves for jugging and hauling, otherwise your hands will get worked.