ElCap Reports

ElCap Report 5/25/16    
By Tom Evans
Yo.. Well here we are again ElCap fans!  I delayed my coming up to Yosemite due to the weather forecasts that turned out to be mostly wrong!  I drove up yesterday and as soon as I reached the park boundary the rain started.  I headed to ElCap to see just what was going on up there.  There were 4 or 5 parties scattered across the face.  I took a few shots and left to set up camp at the Ranch.  After a good night’s sleep I headed to ElCap to photograph whomever I could see.  The day started well enough, although unseasonably cool. 

Today’s ElCap Report… written just for you.. unique in all the world!
Zodiac:  I did spot the team of Corey and Kim doing the first few pitches yesterday and today they were back at the top of three and blasting.
1) Here they are at the top of 3.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shortest Straw: I spotted this Polish team doing 4 and 5 yesterday, and today they climbed into the White Circle.  They continued climbing through a ferocious thunder storm that struck around 1:30pm.
2) Here the leader is on the pitch into the Circle.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3) Lower down the second is belaying at the start of the first Circle pitch.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4) By early afternoon both climbers were in the Circle.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5) They continued to climb through the storm as they were sheltered by the overhanging rock.  I was running for the van when I stopped to get this shot.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kaos: Tito and Brandon Adams are moving along well on this route.  Unfortunately I wasn’t able to get a good shot of them today.

Zenyatta Mondatta:  I spotted Sean Warren, who soloed SSPO last fall, at the base of ZM this afternoon giving it a hard look for his next solo.
6) Sean looking it over.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Atlantic Ocean:  Chris and Nathan from Canada, have fixed to the start of the roof pitch and were hiding under it when the storm hit.

Nose:  There were two teams above Eagle ledge and both were caught out in the weather.  They looked to be doing ok and had rain gear on during the deluge.
7) The lower of the upper teams is seen here on the Lynn Hill traverse.  BTW that block you see in the upper right has been there forever and is climbed over all the time... it looks pretty tenuous but seems to be solid!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There were two teams going upward low on the route and a team of three bailing.

Never Never Land:  A team of three are working on freeing this line and have miles of line stung on the route.  They are Mason Earle, Nik Berry, and Niels Tietze.  I spotted Mason working on the 10th pitch yesterday as seen here.
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Today Niels was out doing something.
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10 Here was the view from my van as the storm broke hard over ElCap.  Later when I drove to the lodge to do the Report I noticed that no rain had fallen at the lodge!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In other news:  Several teams are fixing now and will be blasting in the next few days as the weather turns excellent this weekend.  These include a solo and Aurora, a team of three on the NA Wall, Sean on ZM and an undetermined number on the Nose.  So tuned for the latest.
I am staying up in Foresta at the Ranch.  It is a long drive, out and back, each day and in a month I will spend close to $500 for just the gas!  So if you have enjoyed reading the report, and have a mind to make a donation, then please do so, as I can use the help.

The new free climbing guide can now be preordered at a discount!  rockclimbyosemite.com is the link

So that’s the way it is, on this Wed. the 25th day of May,2016.
Capt. Tom… back at the helm… El Capitan, Yosemite Valley, California!!  The place where dreams are realized!  It doesn’t get any better than that!!