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First El Cap climb. The little details.

Aaron Hope · · San Luis Obispo · Joined Nov 2009 · Points: 341
Rob Dillon wrote:As noted, you need a 'we're topping this .fucker out' mentality. Every little cluster, and they will arise, cannot be a referendum on whether to bail.
Completely Agree. Go in with that attitude that bailing is NOT an option and know that pretty much everyone feels like they want to bail halfway up their first el cap route.

Also - when I was first learning to aid I ALWAYS screwed up following a traverse and wound up taking way more time than I needed. Practice that many many many times.

+1 on the food and water. Don't forget to eat and drink - sounds simple, but you'll skip it and you won't realize it until your physical and mental energy hits a wall. Such a common mistake that I've made and so have my partners.

Clusters + frustration + slow progress - food - water = BAIL
The Blueprint Part Dank · · FEMA Region VIII · Joined Jun 2013 · Points: 460
Fat Dad wrote:What route are you planning on?
The nose. Probably
Mickey Sensenbach · · San luis obispo CA · Joined Dec 2012 · Points: 140

what you need to do is when you are up there and want to bail, which will prabobly happen nonstop all the way to the great roof, at least that is how it is for me, just know that you can do it and if you keep going you will tag that tree. it is damn tempting when you are cluster fucking in the stove legs to just say screw it and move to the right 5 feet and rappel. thats what I did. just know that there are people that have gone up there that are WAY worse then you and that you are a complete badass.

Jonathan Dull · · Boone, NC · Joined Mar 2012 · Points: 415

Hauling the first 4 pitches of The Nose kind of suck, I've seen folks just climb the first 4 and haul to Sickle Ledge (there's usually fix lines to sickle). I know on my first attempt of The Nose, that first day to sickle drained us a lot.

+1 on not wearing brand new approach shoes

Fat Dad · · Los Angeles, CA · Joined Nov 2007 · Points: 60
The Blueprint Part Dank wrote: The nose. Probably
That's why I asked. Dump the ledge and the organizer pocket. You won't need it on that route (though it's cheap insurance if it's super crowded and the party (parties?) in front of you bivy where you're planning to.

Plus, focus a lot on long days of climbing quickly on 5.9/10a since that will be a lot of what you'll be dealing with than, say, a pure aid route. Go hop on something like the NE Butt. of Higher Cathedral. If you're solid on that you should be good. If you're not solid on that or don't have any prior wall experience, I might suggest trying something else shorter first. It's great to tick the Captain but it doesn't have to be your first wall.

Finally, protect your fixed ropes leading up to Sickle. I've had two attempts on the Nose aborted because of parties poaching our fixed lines. We didn't want to be crawling up their asses the whole climb/share bivies and did not have an extra day to let me get ahead.
JSlack · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jul 2009 · Points: 155
doak wrote:Using a munter+mule to dock the pig makes undocking and lowering out a breeze.
+1 on learning the munter-mule hitch.

A friendly guy taught it to me and my buddies the night before we were headed up our first wall and I can't imagine dealing with the hauling without it. It's simple but it was something we had never heard of.
Gargano · · Arizona · Joined Jan 2011 · Points: 1,535

Being quick and solid on 5.10 in the Valley will make your trip up the Nose much more enjoyable. Go climb as many long routes as possible. Build stamina and confidence.

There are only a handful of pitches on the Nose that require aid. With the exception of those, take off on every pitch with climbing shoes and the mentality that you're going to free it. French-free, stand on bolts, take tension - do whatever shenanigans necessary, but stay out of those aiders! This is key to making good time.

The crux of the route is crowds and slow parties. The ability to move as fast as possible is going to put you in the best position to move through and avoid the cluster. That said, the cluster comes with the territory on the Nose.

john strand · · southern colo · Joined May 2008 · Points: 1,640

Nose ? Approach it as a long 5.10 A1 which is what it is. Prep with some long routes, getting your act together and then blast off.You don't need tons of stuff..

water, tape and attitude are the keys

Jaysen Henderson · · Brooklyn NY · Joined Dec 2010 · Points: 321

Just go up there, if you end up bailing its going to be a contribution to when you finally do make it tot he top. Bigwalling is a trial and error sort of thing, nomatter how dialed you think you have everything you will get up there and have things cluster fuck or find better ways.

o and also dont forget the cobra and the ghetto blaster, they are just as important as the water!

also read trip reports

supertopo.com/tr/Team-micke…

Sirius · · Oakland, CA · Joined Nov 2003 · Points: 660

Head space, partner, conditioning.

For first time on El Cap trade routes:
First two have to be bulletproof, third has to be pretty good.

For first time Washington Column, Leaning Tower, HD, etc. trade routes:
First one has to be pretty damn tight, second can vary if partner's safe and you can pick up slack, third has to be ok but not great.

Don't buy the silly wall organizer.

Mic Fairchild · · Boulder · Joined Jan 2003 · Points: 360

Lower WAY out on the pendys. We wasted time swinging back and forth without enough rope. Get your hauling dialed, there's a lot of it. Practice your jugging.

Mark Hudon · · Lives on the road · Joined Jul 2009 · Points: 420
Mickey Sensenbach wrote:what you need to do is when you are up there and want to bail, which will prabobly happen nonstop all the way to the great roof, at least that is how it is for me, just know that you can do it and if you keep going you will tag that tree. it is damn tempting when you are cluster fucking in the stove legs to just say screw it and move to the right 5 feet and rappel. thats what I did. just know that there are people that have gone up there that are WAY worse then you and that you are a complete badass.
Mickey knows what his is talking about and is giving you some valuable information.
The Blueprint Part Dank · · FEMA Region VIII · Joined Jun 2013 · Points: 460

I appreciate all the advice so far, keep it coming.

Two questions:

1. In regards to the free vs aid climbing mentality. I'm very comfortable on granite cracks up to the 5.10 range. Especially if I'm approaching the pitches with an acceptance that French free-ing and other shenanigans are bound to eventually happen. To that point, would pocket Aiders be a beneficial purchase for those free/aid cocktail pitches? Or will having my regular Aiders bunched up on a biner at the back of my harness be sufficient?

2. I don't want to even look at that damned Portaledge, hauling food/water is enough weight for a "Full Value" experience in my book. However, since this is our first wall of this scale. It seems unrealistic to plan to do it in a single push, 36 hour suffer fest. So sleeping on the wall is on the agenda. It seems like the fall is a popular time to climb the Captain, so how likely is it that we'll find the good bivy perches completely occupied?

Ian Cavanaugh · · Ketchum, ID · Joined Sep 2010 · Points: 620

My first big wall was a solo mission up lunar ecstasy in Zion. I chose to do this for a couple reason but the main was so that when I actually got on the captain with a partner I would know what I was doing and what not to do. Much of what you are asking can only be learned through your own mistakes. There are infinite ways to approach a big wall, and everyone has their preferred methods of doing things. The keys is to find what works best for you for your chosen style of climbing. Short fixing will be the most efficient style of climbing, with blocks. Usually one man leads for a day while the second cleans and hauls. Switch the next day. If you don't want to short fix, then plan for more time on the wall and bring supplies accordingly. The most important thing you must learn and have dialed is how to organize your anchors. At any given time you could have 30 biners occupying a 3 bolt anchor. Knowing how everything stacks, what comes off first and what is last is very important. Where you will dock your pig and where your ledge will go. How to build an anchor to accommodate everything clean and efficiently will save you a huge head ache. The rest will fall into place and just before you top out you will finally feel like you are dialed on a big wall. Best of luck!

Mark Hudon · · Lives on the road · Joined Jul 2009 · Points: 420

Depending on the when in the fall is the big question. I did the Nose in late October of 09 and we passed the only other party on the route at Sickle. IMHO, the later the better. BUT, you could luck out like we did and have blue bird weather or it could be storming.

Typically, during the height of the season, every ledge will be occupied and multiple In A Day parties will pass through. Its a cluster, pure and simple.

BTW, go to my site El Cap Panos and check out my Big Wall Tips PDfs.

Sherpthederp · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jan 2013 · Points: 40

You could alternatively go the opposite route and do something more aid intensive and less crowded like Zodiac. It may be harder aid wise but overall may feel like less of an ordeal since its not as long.

Mark Hudon · · Lives on the road · Joined Jul 2009 · Points: 420

Or go up the Trip, which is no where near as classic as the Nose or Zodiac but also no where near as crowded. You could go up there, take your time, enjoy yourselves a bit more, learn more about wall climbing, hone your skills and come back and climb the Nose and not be the total gumbie team on it. The Nose is such a good route that it's sort of a shame to waste it learning how to climb walls on it.

Will S · · Joshua Tree · Joined Nov 2006 · Points: 1,061

Take water and a snack on lead for aid pitches. Making time to eat and stay hydrated is something that's easy to overlook, and makes a big difference. On a similar note, make sure water and food are easy to access in the bags so you can take care of yourself when belaying.

Take more water than you think you'll need. Take sunscreen and lip balm. I'd say have fun, but it's more long stretches of boredom with a nice view, punctuated by moments of sheer terror. Not so much for mostly free routes, but for trade aid routes kinda true.

David Coley · · UK · Joined Oct 2013 · Points: 70

1. lots of colour coded stuff stacks that have clips one can clip to the ledge. This means you can find what you want, fast, and you don't drop stuff onto others.
2. keep you sleeping bag dry. If it rains the haul bag will fill with water. Your bag needs to stay dry.
3. time yourself on a 4 pitch practice aid climb (if possible by videoing yourself) and then produce a pie chart showing how long each task (lead, setup belay, get second off ledge, put up portaledge.....) takes and then work on reducing the the time taken to do each.
4. Climb the leaning tower.

Rob Dillon · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Mar 2002 · Points: 760

In answer:

1. Pocket aiders rule

2. Depends. What Mark said. Keep an eye on the traffic and go when it makes sense. You can also sleep all over the Salathe, and make it work on Lurking Fear.

Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

Big Wall and Aid Climbing
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