Best way to prep for yosemite

I'm sure this has been asked before, but what's are some gear/information I should consider acquiring before a trip to yosemite. My plan is to try and go around march/April which might be a bad idea in of itself. I'm a fairly experienced trad climber, still lots to learn but I fee very confident in my systems. 

My 5 year plan is to climb freerider which in a lot of ways seems insane but I feel like I'm going to take that goal seriously I need to grt to the vally asap. 

I don't know anyone yet who is willing to teach me any big wall stuff, and I'm not expecting someone to just show up and teach me it but honestly wouldn't surprise me if that happens. My main question though is what are the basics I should have dialed before even thinking of finding some kind of mentor.

Honestly though if this trip is just doing smaller multipitches and meeting people and just familiarizing myself with the vally that will be more than enough. Thanks!

Climb a bunch of crack and slab to get the techniques needed, but keep sport climbing and bouldering for strength. If the Euros are any example, you can learn the systems quickly, but you can’t fake the actual climbing.

Oh, and being current on granite climbing will be helpful.

This has been asked before. "I've been climbing for a year and a half, and my ultimate goal is to climb the Freerider on a 5 yr timeline"

https://www.mountainproject.com/forum/topic/117753720/training-for-freerider-tips

Dylan H wrote:

Honestly though if this trip is just doing smaller multipitches and meeting people and just familiarizing myself with the vally that will be more than enough. Thanks!

I would suggest that this is a better focus for your first Valley trip anyway. Focus on becoming a solid multipitch free climber on the Yosemite classics. Rather than getting hung up on the big wall aid shenanigans. Spending the trip becoming a solid 5.10 Yosemite free climber will provide a great base of ability that will be very useful in all your future Yosemite endeavors. And it will also have great carryover to basically any other granite multiptich area in North America (or the world). Its a skill set that will take you far. Focus on this first. You can worry about jumars and 2:1 hauls systems and all that later. Also, in my biased opinion, going and climbing a bunch of classic free routes is more fun anyway.

So if you do decide (as you should) to make free climbing the focus of your first trip, what should you do between now and March to get ready?  It kind of depends on where you are and what resources you have access to in the interim. At a minimum it is good to just be generally in good climbing shape, with some all-day cardio stamina also for the long days out. Getting into more specific skills, if you have the opportunity to get some time in on multipitch granite cracks before going, great. But otherwise just make use of the resources you have.

You are fucked.  The permit system will be notified that you have very little experience and your first try of gaining experience is a forum post asking for information.  Instant denied permit.  But you live to climb another day

There are alot of resources that already exist to source information. Even books and YouTube videos. I think there is even a big wall forum somewhere. 

Sorry you are bound for permit denial. In hindsight some research would have made you chances more successful.  

JCM wrote:

I would suggest that this is a better focus for your first Valley trip anyway. Focus on becoming a solid multipitch free climber on the Yosemite classics. Rather than getting hung up on the big wall aid shenanigans. Spending the trip becoming a solid 5.10 Yosemite free climber will provide a great base of ability that will be very useful in all your future Yosemite endeavors. And it will also have great carryover to basically any other granite multiptich area in North America (or the world). Its a skill set that will take you far. Focus on this first. You can worry about jumars and 2:1 hauls systems and all that later. Also, in my biased opinion, going and climbing a bunch of classic free routes is more fun anyway.

So if you do decide (as you should) to make free climbing the focus of your first trip, what should you do between now and March to get ready?  It kind of depends on where you are and what resources you have access to in the interim. At a minimum it is good to just be generally in good climbing shape, with some all-day cardio stamina also for the long days out. Getting into more specific skills, if you have the opportunity to get some time in on multipitch granite cracks before going, great. But otherwise just make use of the resources you have.

Great I super appreciate your response. I agree, like even if my goal is to do these big walls I have no real sense to have to do one on this trip. If i could feel confident leading 5 10 5.11 that would feel awesome, and give me a lot more confidence in general.

Early season is a great time to hit all those magnificent lower Merced cliffs. Many are south facing and warm and a more forgiving place to learn the yosemite style than wailing through a flared chimney 10 pitches off the deck.

Just a few 5.10s that I LOVED .... some ideas to get you started:

...

Reed's -- Reed's Direct, Lunatic Fringe, Stone Groove

Five and Dime

Generator Crack

Cookie -- Catchy, Meat Grinder, Outer Limits

Arch Rock -- Midterm

Finger Lickin -- Snatch Power, Jaw Bone, Finger Lickin

Just go climbing. Grab a guidebook, select a route, climb it (or retreat gracefully). Wash rinse repeat over subsequent visits.

In the final analysis you are going to have to boulder V9 (or something), climb up to 5.12 cracks of all sizes including 5.11 OW and 5.9 flared chimney and also 5.11 slab so just climb as much as you can of all granite test pieces, anywhere. You might not love OW but you still gotta do a really hard one.

But if any of those become "blockers" to your goal then Free Rider isn't going to happen. If you're not pulling your weight on all the different types of climbing up there it might be a hollow win to find somebody else to lead them.

So, get a taste of all of the different stuff up there and then see if your dreams match with the reality you find yourself in. If you've never done any of those then it's kinda premature to think about putting it all together on El Cap.

Get on the Northeast Buttress of Higher Cathedral Rock, the Steck Salathe, East Buttresss of El Cap, Arrowhead Arete, East Buttress of Lower Cathedral, North Buttress of Middle Cathedral, Direct North Buttress of Middle, East Buttress of Middle, The Good Book, North Face of the Rostrum, Hot Line, Plumb Line, Crack of Doom, Crack of Despair, Pink Dreams, Gold Wall, West Face of El Cap, Astroman, Beggars Buttress, Windfall, Windjammer, Wind Chill, New Dimensions, Nabisco Wall, Left Side of Slab Happy, Chouinard Herbert, Crest Jewel, South Face of Watkins, RNWF Half Dome, Moratorium, Crimson Cringe, Freestone, Mark of Art, Ahab, Left Side of the Slack, Hairline, Regular Route Higher Spire, Book of Job, East Face of Rixon’s Pinnacle, Rixon’s East Chimney, Peter Pan, both sides of The Hourglass, Hawkman’s Escape, Geek Tower Center, Lost Arrow Chimney, Basket Case, Milestone, Stovelegs to Dolt Tower, Fifi Buttress Routes, Widows Tears Amphitheater routes

That should get you going in the right direction

Plus JT’s list upthread, and The Thief, Mañana, Soul Sacrifice, Little Wing, Edge of Night, Energy Crisis, Spirit of 76, Left Side of Independence Pinnacle, Stepping Out, Cream, Vanishing Point, Cramming, Kaukulator, English Breakfast Crack, The Vendetta, Butterballs, Sacherer Cracker…

Throw in some bouldering - there’s plenty on the Valley Floor, but go to the obscure problems rather than the greasy classics 

Dylan H wrote:

 My 5 year plan is to climb freerider which in a lot of ways seems insane but I feel like I'm going to take that goal seriously I need to grt to the vally asap. 

Actually it's probably not that insane of a goal. There are kids climbing 5.12 trad in their first 5 months of climbing. Don't let us old crusties squash your dreams because it took us several years to even lead a 5.10 trad pitch. 

Kevin Worrall wrote:

Get on the Northeast Buttress of Higher Cathedral Rock, the Steck Salathe, East Buttresss of El Cap, Arrowhead Arete, East Buttress of Lower Cathedral, North Buttress of Middle Cathedral, Direct North Buttress of Middle, East Buttress of Middle, The Good Book, North Face of the Rostrum, Hot Line, Plumb Line, Crack of Doom, Crack of Despair, Pink Dreams, Gold Wall, West Face of El Cap, Astroman, Beggars Buttress, Windfall, Windjammer, Wind Chill, New Dimensions, Nabisco Wall, Left Side of Slab Happy, Chouinard Herbert, Crest Jewel, South Face of Watkins, RNWF Half Dome, Moratorium, Crimson Cringe, Freestone, Mark of Art, Ahab, Left Side of the Slack, Hairline, Regular Route Higher Spire, Book of Job, East Face of Rixon’s Pinnacle, Rixon’s East Chimney, Peter Pan, both sides of The Hourglass, Hawkman’s Escape, Geek Tower Center, Lost Arrow Chimney, Basket Case, Milestone, Stovelegs to Dolt Tower, Fifi Buttress Routes, Widows Tears Amphitheater routes

That should get you going in the right direction

Plus JT’s list upthread, and The Thief, Mañana, Soul Sacrifice, Little Wing, Edge of Night, Energy Crisis, Spirit of 76, Left Side of Independence Pinnacle, Stepping Out, Cream, Vanishing Point, Cramming, Kaukulator, English Breakfast Crack, The Vendetta, Butterballs, Sacherer Cracker…

Throw in some bouldering - there’s plenty on the Valley Floor, but go to the obscure problems rather than the greasy classics 

Why not just copy/paste the appendix to the guidebook at this point?

Kevin Worrall wrote:

Throw in some bouldering - there’s plenty on the Valley Floor, but go to the obscure problems rather than the greasy classics 

This is good beta, especially at the moderate grades. There are a lot of extraordinary problems with one star in the book and labelled as "Unnamed V4". 

A general rule is that most boulders visible from the campsites in Camp 4 will be super greasy. Go anywhere else, or even just to more outlying Camp 4 boulders, and it's a lot nicer.

Even if you're there to focus on the long routes, the bouldering is a great diversion when you need a change of pace for a few days on a long trip.

I think it was Donini who said you should go to Indian creek first to learn how to crack climb, then head to Yosemite 

Why not just copy/paste the appendix to the guidebook at this point?

After living on the Valley floor for 6 or 7 years, these are the standouts out of thousands of routes, in my experience, as preparation for Freerider. Several aren’t in the guidebook.

Sorry if that irritates you bro

As to “Donini’s quote” - he learned to crack climb in Yosemite - one of the hardest pitches in the Valley at the time was his Overhang Overpass route on Lower Cathedral.

Kevin Worrall wrote:

After living on the Valley floor for 6 or 7 years, these are the standouts out of thousands of routes, in my experience, as preparation for Freerider. Several aren’t in the guidebook.

Sorry if it irritates you bro

Have you ever sent a free el cap route KW?  It doesn’t read like it.  The vast majority of those routes are easy.  If you want to train for all the ez pitches but never actually send, get after it.  My observation is people who have actually sent the route have not wasted a lot of their career f’king around with easy climbing.  They might piss away power climbing 10’s and 11’s inefficiently due to a lack of mileage at the grade - but then they actually send the business - 12’s and 13’s.

There are only a few 5.12 pitches on Freerider, James. A surprising number of pitches are 5.10 and 5.11. The crux pitch is a boulder problem, basically. No, other than the East Buttress, I haven’t done a free route on El Cap. I did do the FA of Freeblast, and i guarantee I know Valley climbs WAY better than you do.

I’ve always felt that doing long free routes, even if their cruxes are below your limit is great training for pitches that are at your limit. The time on the rock and quantity of movement is as good or better for your climbing than pushing yourself to the max on a pitch at or above your limit. Both are good in the long run, but flow over easier terrain goes a long way on a route over 30 pitches, I’m guessing.

How many of the routes I listed have you done, James?

 … have not wasted a lot of their career f’king around with easy climbing.

Hah! Some of those routes are “easy”, others, not so much…

Kevin Worrall wrote:

How many of the routes I listed have you done, James?

Exactly - you’re giving “off” advice on how to climb a route you’ve clearly never done.  Your generation couldn’t make it happen.  Jardine came the closest, but you guys took a giant shit on him and he left the sport.  I’ve done about 21 of the routes on your list, maybe 1-2 will be useful for the harder climbing on Freerider.  I’d say I’m way more experienced on Yosemite moderates only due to my age compared to the 20-somethings these days walking in from their local limestone sport areas and sending that thing ground up.

Your generation couldn’t make it happen.  Jardine came the closest, but you guys took a giant shit on him and he left the sport.

Speaking for myself, I didn’t push the Salathe free beyond Mammoth because I had other climbs on my agenda, there were no free climbs on El Cap in 1975, and working routes through hangdogging wasn’t acceptable. Which brings me to Jardine.

Nobody, especially me, “took a giant shit on him”. His last blast was chiseling the Jardine Traverse on the Nose. He lost a lot of respect for that, maybe you think it was visionary. It certainly helped Lynn Hill’s career, but it was outrageous at the time. Jardine was always an outsider in that era, by his own choosing. I was friendly with him, bought my first Friends from him at the back of his pickup, but he always kept to himself.

One of the reasons was that he didn’t want other climbers to see his cammimg inventions during the R&D phase. Over several years he was doing a lot of hard parallel sided cracks, like The Cringe, A Dog’s Woof, 1096, and The Phoenix without telling anyone about his tactics or tools. He basically invented Friends for hangdogging, and those are the reasons he self exiled. Plus Ray was a devoted Christian and didn’t associate with the camp 4 heathenry.

If all of my generation had been using his tools and tactics and his drive to work climbs into submission, there would have been much harder routes going down. No regrets here though - those were great times, we all got our share.

Looked at the Freerider topo - there are two 5.12a pitches, and the crux 12d pitch, which looks to be about a 20ft boulder problem, on the entire Freerider route. All the other pitches are easier, many much easier.

If you break it into a 3-5 day ascent, allowing time to work the crux, by today’s standards it’s pretty mellow.

James W wrote:

Exactly - you’re giving “off” advice on how to climb a route you’ve clearly never done.  Your generation couldn’t make it happen.  Jardine came the closest, but you guys took a giant shit on him and he left the sport.  I’ve done about 21 of the routes on your list, maybe 1-2 will be useful for the harder climbing on Freerider.  I’d say I’m way more experienced on Yosemite moderates only due to my age compared to the 20-somethings these days walking in from their local limestone sport areas and sending that thing ground up.

Lol. JLP, that you?