ElCap Reports

ElCap Report 6/10/2022

By Tom Evans

Yo… Today is my last day of the season.  There are few climbers on ElCap now and the weather looks a lot more like summer than late spring.  The sun is higher and higher in the sky daily and that makes the photography more difficult and less rewarding for me.  So, for me, it is time to go home.  I want to thank all of you who have supported my efforts this spring season.  Special mention goes out to Erik Sloan and Tom and Sondra Herbert for letting me stay with them during the season.  Here are some of the last shots of this season for your viewing pleasure.

ElCap Report 6/7/2022  Nostalgia Edition

By Tom Evans

Yo.. Nice weather, few climbers.  I haven’t been able to take enough good shots to make up a report of late.  As you guys seem to like the old stuff I have grabbed some oldies from the files for your enjoyment. In no particular order.

ElCap Report 6/5/2022

By Tom Evans

Yo… We have had a slight change of the weather of late.  Cloudy with some rain showers is the situation now.  Fortunately, the showers are very brief and have caused no difficulties.  The next week looks to bring a warming trend. This season has seen fewer climbers than in the past and that is why the reports are a bit on the thin side.  We need volunteer’s folks… so get here and help me have a good shooting season… that is a direct order from Captain Tom.  Don’t trifle with me Pukes!

ElCap Report 6/3/2022

By Tom Evans

Yo… Excellent weather continues to bless this season but climbers seem to be few and far between. The Nose remains pretty empty save a few NIADS now and then.  If this keeps up I might as well go back home. So come on out and keep me here!

ElCap Report 6/1/22

By Tom Evans

Yo… The weather is clear and warm with a daily breeze blowing from the west which is normal for this time of year.  The Captain is not crowded at all and everything is open for your climbing pleasure. I am starting to get a little overwhelmed with all the folks who want their shots drop boxed to them… you will have to wait folks as the internet is not fast enough to upload all those high rez shots… so you might have to wait until July when I get back to the land of the fast internet.  Send me a reminder in 2 weeks and I will keep you on the list.  My first obligation is to do daily photos and processing right here. Also, if you are in the Valley, please come get your shots in person to save me time and effort.  I am in the Lodge Café from 7 to 9 am daily.  When I am shooting at the tree, I can’t download shots for you.

ELCap Report 5/29/22

By Tom Evans

Yo.. Interesting weather these days as a cold front swept in from the north and cleared the clouds away and brought bright skies and strong winds to the Valley.  Lots of cool routes going down now. Unlike past seasons the crowds are not a problem as you have your choice of any route you want. So come on out and join the lucky few who are enjoying the great weather.

ElCap Report 5/28/22

By Tom Evans

Yo… Nice weather these past two days… cloudy and cool!  We are loving it after several days of hot weather. Lots of action but not much on the Big Two.  In fact,the Nose has been practically empty and Salathe is the same.  I hope you Cubicle Pukes at work are jonesin for some more shots of the big stone to keep your mornings worthwhile at work. Wake up!! This is the time to get your sorry asses out of the cubicle and on the road to Yosemite.

  ElCap Report 5/23/22

By Tom Evans

Yo.. I arrived in Yosemite on Friday 5/20/22 after an 8-hour drive through the night, from my home in SoCal. The drive was difficult on the dark and windy night and by the time I arrived here at 4:05am I was exhausted.  I have been making a slow recovery. The good news is that the weather has been as good as any spring I have been here! Sunny and cool here in the Valley.  There are not a lot of wall climbers here and thus the routes have been the regular ones with a couple of exceptions you will read about below.

The permit system has rendered a huge reduction in Tourons and a new traffic pattern is keeping the traffic moving even on the weekends!  However, AMARK is trying to maximize profits by running very few shuttle buses and people are complaining about long waits at stops… up to an hour in some cases with only two buses running the entire loop.  So be warned and use a bike if you have one. It appears to me that most people are driving around instead of trying to use the buses. Masks are required on buses. Ok… enough system news for now.

As I have reached geezer status now, I will not be writing a lot of reports and the climbers you are interested in may not be on a particular report due to dark clothing (that epidemic continues here) or lack of identification, etc. So, Cubicle Pukes… this is it… you get what you get and your gonna love it anyway! Better yet get the hell out of that cubicle and come to the Valley. The place is deserted so you can climb anything you have a mind to. Or, just hang out in the meadow and enjoy the view and company.

Today's ElCap Report...written just for you... Unique in all the world!

ElCap Report 10/20/21 

By Tom Evans

Yo… This is the last report of my abbreviated late Fall season.  The weather is threatening to end the season within the next few days.  As a result, I bailed for home on 10/20/21 as did many other people who took a hard look at the weather forecast.  For me this has been a really short season as I only got two weeks of shooting. The permit system seems to have been no big deal as many teams signed up.  It was nice to get back to Yosemite after an almost 2 year absence.  If you missed getting your pics from me while I was here, then use the contact button to contact me.  I need the climb and dates you did it and any identifying information you have .. like bag colors or clothing colors etc.

ElCap Report 10/16/2021

By Tom Evans

Yo… Several days of sunny and warm weather have been drawing climbers to the great wall.  Strangely enough, the upper east side is seeing more climbers than the Big Two these days.  Shortest Straw has been very popular, having women’s teams, solo’s, and men’s teams lining up for a shot at it.  There have been some free climbing attempts on other routes as well.  The season is winding down now as the extended weather forecast calls for rain and snow a week or so in the future.  The Nose has seen a higher than normal bail rate thus far.  For me the infection of ElCap by climbers wearing dark clothing has been particularly egregious, as it dulls my photo compositions.