Is it dumb to go to Yosemite for a month on my own if I can't big wall climb?

I'm from the UK and off work, so am thinking of taking the opportunity to visit yosemite solo, but I have no bigwall experience so I'm wondering if it isn't a logical destination for me. 

I've done a lot of single pitch trad climbing (climb around HVS/E1), sport climbing (7a+) and multipitches of both. Just zero bigwalling. I'm happy to just climb the single and multipitch stuff, but will I find partners for that? I'll have 50m double ropes and a single trad rack inc 1 set of cams.

I'm wondering if I should save this trip until I can learn the appropriate skills, or just say what the heck and go and see what happens. 

I'll be going late april - late may so was thinking of staying in camp4 for a couple weeks, hopefully finding partners there, and then in my hire van outside the valley after that (as i'll have exceeded my 7 days in may). 

Any thoughts, advice?

Most people in the valley aren't climbing big walls, it's definitely worth a trip, and you'll definitely find partners for multipitch. 

We don't usually use double ropes out here, a single 60 is American style. Many pitches were put up with 50s so you can climb plenty on those, but it will occasionally be limiting. Also your double ropes will confuse us. 

American rock usually takes more cams and less nuts for whatever reason. A single rack isn't really sufficient for many climbs, but whoever you partner with will probably compliment what you already have nicely. 

If you have any interest in doing a wall I'm a beginner wall climber (failed El cap attempt, successful top out of SFWC which is the easiest wall in the valley) who has all the wall shit, but it would require maybe a week's worth of prep working learning aid and an investment of a couple hundred dollars on your part on some aid gear. I'm currently preparing for wall season and practicing aid but don't really have any partners or objectives lined up. Something to consider perhaps. 

You should definitely climb in the valley regardless of whether or not you climb walls, though. 

I applaud you for your adventurous spirit for thinking about making the internal trip solo. To address the question in the subject, I believe many (if not the majority) climbers who visit Yosemite, even year after year, never, or rarely, do big wall climbing. There is so much climbing the place offers. 

However, in terms of logistics, I feel that most of the MP users who have something to say about Yosemite live nearby or at least in North America and have a very different perspective from someone who makes her trip overseas to visit.

In my impression interacting with regular climbers  -- not pros who have a specific agenda in Yosemite -- who came from Europe, if they had a month for their trip, they tended to do a road trip to visit more than just Yosemite. People often times say that a female would have an easier time to find a climbing partner, say, at Camp 4. I don't know how much you can count on that, let alone what kind of experience you get from climbing with a random stranger. Personally, I think you'll have a better experience if you come with a committed partner whom you have already vested locally and shares similar interests in the climbing trip. That will make planning a lot simpler and maybe the trip cheaper by splitting rental cost if that matters. (Of course, the downside is you are stuck with that person if the dynamic turns sour.)

Are there a climbers' forum used in UK where you can get some logistics advice from people of similar situation who have made their visits in the past?

It's worth going to Yosemite for a month even if you don't climb AT ALL. Yosemite is an impressive place, even though Yosemite valley is crowded by tourists. Lot of climbing of all types there. Bouldering. Sport climbs. Single pitch trad. Multi pitch trad. Practice aid climbs. Big walls. Plus many great hikes. Floating down the river in May (get an inner tube style float on the way to Yosemite). There's a bulletin board in Camp 4 to look for partners and you can post for partners on this site. Just go cragging and do a single pitch climb the first time you climb with someone new to make sure they're competent and compatible before you head out on something longer.

Every Rock Climber needs to spend a month in the Valley. It’s harder now with rules n regulations but the climbing is phenomenal.
Welcome to California 

There's a lot of excellent climbing in Yosemite that doesn't involve big walls, from single pitch to long days of free climbing. My only concern would be that California has gotten so much snow this winter that a lot of climbs are going to be hard to get to or too wet to climb in late April. You might be happier spending the first part of your trip in some of the desert climbing areas (Joshua Tree, Red Rocks, etc.), and hitting the Valley for the last week or two of your trip. Keep in mind that the two areas I named are almost as popular as Yosemite, so finding a place to camp is going to take some resourcefulness. 

Everything from bouldering to cragging to giant aid climbs.   It's been a while, but it used to be super easy to find someone to partner up with at camp 4.

Definitely get there!

Camping strategy sounds good. We're in a big wet year, I bet you can hear our celebrations clear over to the U.K. California is semi-desert, so when it does rain (and snow in the mountains) we tend to get excited. The Valley itself was closed due to all the snow and just reopened a few days ago, its been that kind of winter. Don't be surprised if the end of April is still wet but don't count on it either. April almost always has at least one surprise snowstorm but generally by first week of May the rainy season subsides. Not always though and if any year breaks the mold it will be this one. 

Higher up in the mountains the snowpack is 30+ feet deep, and way deeper in some places. 

As others have said, do it!

https://www.climbing.com/places/visit-yosemite-valley/#_pay-wall

Here's an article about this from climbing mag. I know it's now a garbage magazine, but this article can probably give you a couple good ideas on areas you might want to climb at.

Ricky Harline wrote:

We don't usually use double ropes out here, a single 60 is American style. 

Strange comment.  Plenty of people like to climb using 1/2 or twin technique.  And I have no idea what you mean by American style. It's totally dependant on where you climb.  

Also your double ropes will confuse us. 

You are speaking for yourself?

American rock usually takes more cams and less nuts for whatever reason. 

A very large number of the classic crack routes in the Valley and many other places were put up with nuts and hexes. 

A single rack isn't really sufficient for many climbs, but whoever you partner with will probably compliment what you already have nicely. 

Your partner will typically have a rack which, when combined, will complement yours.  But they may also have compliments for you.

You should definitely climb in the valley regardless of whether or not you climb walls, though. 

Cannot argue with this statement.

phylp phylp wrote:

Strange comment.  Plenty of people like to climb using 1/2 or twin technique.  And I have no idea what you mean by American style. It's totally dependant on where you climb.  

Allow me to make my statements more precise, then.

Most Americans climbing in Yosemite Valley will be unpracticed in climbing on double ropes. Many here are far more accomplished climbers in general as well as have far more time in the valley than myself, but I have a good few dozen days in the Valley and have never seen anyone climbing on double ropes.

You are speaking for yourself?

An English friend who was here last season who I did some multipitch in the valley with as well as my first wall was puzzled at how uninterested Americans were in using double rope systems. I am sure it is possible to find international climbers and the odd American who is practiced in usage of double ropes, but she should be aware that this is not the norm and most of her potential partners will not only be unpracticed in the technique but will be uninterested in the idea of implementing it.

A very large number of the classic crack routes in the Valley and many other places were put up with nuts and hexes. 

Sure, she can climb an enormous amount with a single rack of cams or even none at all. None-the-less she should be aware that more so in the UK, she will probably be interested in climbing with many cams for many routes. A great many of my favorite pitches in the valley would be difficult to impossible to protect well with just nuts and even a single rack would leave one significantly wanting unless they're very bold.

Your partner will typically have a rack which, when combined, will complement yours.  But they may also have compliments for you.

My British friend encountered other Europeans who were puzzled at Americans' fascination with cams and placed far more nuts than we tend to, and she herself often placed far more nuts than is common for us to do here (or at least, far more than anyone I've previously climbed with did). Without a doubt climbing and protecting with primarily nuts is far more feasible in Yosemite than many Americans realize. None-the-less most people would want more than a single rack of cams-- my English friend sure did, anyway.

Cannot argue with this statement.

Cheers. =)

Do it. Someday may never come 

Yes, make the trip, it will be unforgettable. Most days you will be able to find a single or multi-pitch partner through Mountain Proj or in person. The moments you spend hanging out in El Cap meadow, swimming in the river, hiking to incredible waterfalls, will be worth the trip by themselves! 

How is getting camping in the valley these days?

Is camp 4 reservation only?  

My Yosemite beta is outdated.  I hope my questions will help the OP with the trip.  There are places you can camp outside of the park in the BLM land.

The only problem with spending a month in the valley is that you won’t want to leave and you’ll spend the next year scheming for the next season to be even longer

Camping and traffic are worse and worse every year. Yosemite is being loved to death. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't go. It just means you need to accept millions of people want to spend time there and you have to compete and deal with that. From May 1 to September 15, the camping limit in Yosemite is 14 nights, and only seven of those nights can be in Yosemite Valley or Wawona. And worse yet, it's total BS but they made Camp 4 reservations, which is bogus. It used to be if you wanted a site bad enough you got there in the middle of the night and waited with other climbers. Now it's tourists and tech savvy people who get the reservations. So you're best bet without reservations is to show up and try to get canceled reservations. Be prepared for long drives from outside of the park each day and checking for sites everyday. You may get a lucky and get a site for a few days. Then go back to commuting in. At least that's the legal way to do it. Or you can drive around and ask people if you can park at their campsite and offer to pay for it.

PSA: Yosemite has too many rules and too many people. Try Colorado. I hear Rifle and Indian Creek are great places to escape the crowds.

Ricky Harline wrote:

Allow me to make my statements more precise, then.

Most Americans climbing in Yosemite Valley will be unpracticed in climbing on double ropes. Many here are far more accomplished climbers in general as well as have far more time in the valley than myself, but I have a good few dozen days in the Valley and have never seen anyone climbing on double ropes.

An English friend who was here last season who I did some multipitch in the valley with as well as my first wall was puzzled at how uninterested Americans were in using double rope systems. I am sure it is possible to find international climbers and the odd American who is practiced in usage of double ropes, but she should be aware that this is not the norm and most of her potential partners will not only be unpracticed in the technique but will be uninterested in the idea of implementing it.

Sure, she can climb an enormous amount with a single rack of cams or even none at all. None-the-less she should be aware that more so in the UK, she will probably be interested in climbing with many cams for many routes. A great many of my favorite pitches in the valley would be difficult to impossible to protect well with just nuts and even a single rack would leave one significantly wanting unless they're very bold.

My British friend encountered other Europeans who were puzzled at Americans' fascination with cams and placed far more nuts than we tend to, and she herself often placed far more nuts than is common for us to do here (or at least, far more than anyone I've previously climbed with did). Without a doubt climbing and protecting with primarily nuts is far more feasible in Yosemite than many Americans realize. None-the-less most people would want more than a single rack of cams-- my English friend sure did, anyway.

Cheers. =)

I can attest to this having climbed a wall with the same partner last season and spent time climbing with a few other British climbers. They place a ton of nuts and in places I would 100 percent just throw in a cam. There seemed to be a mindset of "what if I need this cam later". I also found them to be almost universally very bold climbers. Full effort and seemingly low amount of fear. Make light of pretty much any situation. Grades were more of a guideline and they seemed to have much less reservations about hopping on hard, scary, committing routes regardless of grade than most Americans I know. 

My favorite story about English climbers in the Valley is this. I was going to try El Cap and was prepping for The Nose. This was a few days before Halloween last season and it got really cold for a few days. The weather window started closing in on us and we opted for Lurking Fear instead (unsuccessfully). I was driving to go to the store for supplies and saw my English buddy hitchhiking out of camp 4 with a partner and some relatively small backpacks. I asked where they were going and they said El Cap meadow. It was 4 pm and getting cold. They were going to try to climb The Nose in a push. Having never aid climbed before. I asked what they had and they said a few ascenders and ladders between them, some water, snacks and puffies. No bivy gear, just more stoke than I've ever seen. They didn't make it to the top, having only made it to Dolt at 5am. But that was the tenacity of the British spirit in action for me. I couldn't fathom going up a route as imposing as The Nose in that casual style acting like it was just another day cragging.

Cheers Ricky, thanks again for the Skull Queen A4!

Greg Miller wrote:

Been twice… the scenery is very pretty but the climbing is overrated and the crowds are obnoxious.

Please explain. 

I'm 77 and have done many walls in Yosemite, and if I was young again, I would repeat the adventure.  I might add since your from the UK that I have many old climbing friends from the Lake District, and I've hung out with John Porter, ( past president of the AC), for over 60 years.  I agree with the bulk of comments already said, and yes, there are enough single and multi-pitch trad climbs to last a lifetime.  If your interested in longer free climbs, there are plenty of those to choose from.  One I always seem to go back to is the NE Buttress of High Cathedral Rock, but going on 78, I probably will stay clear of that, in the future!  Here is a photo of one of the classic pitches:

Nuts work great in Yosemite. Some people climb easier climbs with nothing but passive pro for the challenge or to emulate the past. But then again some of the best climbers I've climbed in Yosemite with brought no nuts at all. Just a double rack of cams down to microcams. Mostly for the speed of placing/removing/racking.

"The climbing is overrated"   Of course what is good is subjective and you have to like crack climbing to appreciate much of Yosemite climbing, but many all time classics are there plus hundreds of other great climbs. Yosemite Valley rightly deserves it's place as one of the best climbing spots in the world. Tuolumne Meadows is also a world class climbing area in it's own right, but it won't be open in April/early May.