First El Cap climb. The little details.

The top of a water bottle is so light, cheap, easy and effective but would love to know if someone knows of something better.

To be a bit more techy, a swivel and tying the bag in with a Yosemite 8 are nice.

On another note, +1 for using a Pro Traxion. I've used the Mini, the Micro and the Pro a ton and for a wall I will always grab the Pro. For a long free climb then the Mini or the Micro but if you're doing a lot of hauling then the Pro is worth it, IMO and experience.

Best beta ever: Don't bail!

Have fun!

Don't know if anybody mentioned it.....but take some back up gear for your critical systems in case you drop something or it bends/tears up/breaks/craps out

If you want to get more extravagant for food, use a food bucket. Canned food will get you by but it's pretty sweet to pull out a bag of chips and some cookies when you're 2,000 feet off the deck.

Edited to make extravagant in bold. Obviously it's more weight but it is supremely extravagant.

Lately I've been digging the Annie Chun's bowl meals. Just add hot water and you're ready to eat. Pretty light, tastier than cold ravioli and cheap.

The food bucket is nice but I would go with smaller, individual tupperware type containers that are overall lighter.

You HAVE to be psyched more than anything. Have an awesome pump up some like this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GulnEMWeFzE

"Is there a better solution to protect the rope for the pig than the top of a water bottle?"

Yeah. Use the top of a gallon-size Clorox-type (bleach) bottle, or the top of any 2-liter pop bottle. Those pop bottles are pretty much indestructible anyway. They don't tend to spring leaks when they're getting bashed around during a haul or 30, but once they're empty, you can mash 'em flat, unlike a Nalgene.

You've gotten some terrific advice here. I'd second the comments on having an agreeable partner. Gear you can futz around with to some degree and have an effect on how it's working. Partner, not so much.

Take care of your hands! Multiple days of hauling and jugging will work them like nothing you've ever done. Could sap the joy from your climbing. Wet wipes and Bag Balm every night.

Bring the ledge. The Nose is too crowded to count on any of the bivi spots. You'll sleep better. And if it DOES storm, you will get soaked and freezing at a sitting ledge bivi, while you will probably stay dry in a portaledge.

Protraxion. If only for the fumble factor.

Lots of good advice on this thread!

Mark Hudon wrote:The food bucket is nice but I would go with smaller, individual tupperware type containers that are overall lighter.

True! I bought Mark's food bucket off him and have never used it because, well, I don't each much and mostly dried food at that.

I only tried a bucket once... seemed like a pain in the ass to haul and such.

Michael Schneiter wrote:To be a bit more techy, a swivel and tying the bag in with a Yosemite 8 are nice.

Your best bet is to tie your haul bag in short using a butterfly knot. (Tying the end of the rope to the bag with an eight is optional, you decide based upon your desire for redundant backups) If you only tie the haul bag into the end of the rope, you'll waste time having the leader pull it up. Better to take the haul line once the leader sets the pulley and tie that point into the bags via a butterfly and stuffing the end of the rope into the top of the bag.

The butterfly works best because of the ease of hunting compared to any of the other knots once loaded.

Don't forget to double-clutch the haul sprilf (sheep shank is best) at each inter-belay If running a 1:1 !! You got all that?? Quiz on Monday, kid.

dont bail dont die! practice wall climbing. if you climb in a gym in the winter run laps on routes and train for endurance and get lots of distance in. pack as light as you can. you still have to carry all that crap to the base and all the way up the route and back down. french free everything you can, try for all the way to the boot flake. eat lots of junk food, think about how much you eat on a normal day and double it, calorie-wise. and if the route is crowded this is the beta ;) Start really late, like 5 or 6 pm and by the time you get to sickle ledge everyone else will have retreated to the ground for the night. this is your chance to strike! fix two pitches and sleep on top of everyones haul bags. when they jug their lines at 4 30 in the morning thinking they got the route to themselves they will be surprised to see you sleeping on their bag and they will wake you up. Ask them politely if you can proceed before them. urinate, defecate (in a bag, and ask the other team to carry it up for you ;), have breakfast and a smoke and you'll still be two pitches ahead of the rest. most important thing really is to remember that its about having fun and the better your attitude the more fun you're gonna have. i think of it as going on vacation from the real world. ive heard other people screaming at each other up there. its your choice :)

1. dont bail 2. dont die :)

Bring beer.

Two way radios are great. They will cut down on the stress if you can't see or hear each other. You will still want to have your silent belay/hauling signals down if you can't communicate anyway. The wind makes it impossible to hear at any distance.

Jolly Ranchers!

A bandana tied around your neck, that covers the back of your neck, will save you from the sun. Like mentioned before, your neck will get fried.

Watch out using old fixed lines, I've seen some horror shows up there. Take the time and energy to use ropes you know are safe and anchored properly.

Back up can opener.

Back up water bottle caps.

Wear your synthetic bottoms, under your pants, even if it's hot. It's easy to layer upper body, but if it gets cold, which it probably will at some point, you don't have to try and put them on while at a hanging belay, while wearing a harness.

Use an autoblock for rappels. It allows you to go hands free at any point.

Take the ledge. There's nothing worse than having to endure a hanging bivy, or being forced to climb way past dark, just to try and gain a ledge.

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.

+1

Always go #1 before you go #2

Here's a link to my story and tips for my first and second attempt of the Nose:
How to Fail on El Capitan

Other tips:
1. If you can't haul 1:1 on a Pro-Traxion, your bag is too heavy.
2. Force food and water down all day to avoid bonking.
3. ABC - Always Be Cleaning. Use every spare moment to clean or organize at the belay. When your partner yells "line fixed," you better have the anchor cleaned and ready to jug.
4. The big day is Day 2 to Camp V. If you make that you are cruising.
5. It's okay to bring a single portaledge in case the rock ledges are taken, but don't bring a fly, or anything else unnecessary.

Some of these tips only apply to trade routes, like the Nose.

-Aaron

I would suggest Lurking fear. Its less crowded, you don't have to worry about moving fast like on the Nose. If you do the nose I would bring a portalege anyway. Sleeping anywhere you want to on that route is a big advantage. Though a comfy diner, a few gator-aider-itas and 8 hours of perfect sleep will not be as cool of a story as a heinous bivy. Either way, keep smiling..... No matter what.

Brent Butcher wrote:Always go #1 before you go #2

Learned that the hard way. +1,000,000

I still think about bailing on our first try on the Zodiac. All that trouble getting time off from work and family. After lugging all that weight up to the base. We struggled to get up to our goal bivy site on top of the fourth pitch. Tough but we did it. In the morning we got multiple warning calls about the weather. Well after ten minutes we decided to bail. Weaksauce!!! We were prepaired for bad weather. We had rain gear, seamsealed rain flys, bivy sacks, synthetic bags, big wall sponge, etc. If we had climbed up another four pitches we would have been in the most sheltered portion of the wall too. The thing we didn't have was the balls to do battle with a storm of this size (it was big) on our first wall. So we bailed early and were home when it hit. Everybody bailed off the wall except one team. They rode it out but had to retreat when the weather cleared. So I don't feel so bad. But I think we could have made it. I wish we would have tried. That would have been some great learning experience. Even if we would have been miserable and bailed at least we would have gave it a serious try.

Decide what you are going to do if things don't go your way. Prepare carefully. Give yourself extra time. Strengthen yourselves mentally. We did none of these things and bailed on our first try.

We did all those things and topped out a month later. :)

Good luck

Wes