ElCap Reports

ElCap Report 6/15/12

By Tom Evans

Yo… Cooler today with some high clouds making for pleasant climbing for most of the day. However around 4pm a thunderstorm drifted down from behind the Dome and now it is booming and raining. Seems like the weather people have been right on this season. When they say rain, it rains! At the moment the rain is pretty hard but should subside pretty soon. Hope the folks on the Nose are ready for this!

Today’s ElCap Report…written just for you…unique in all the world!

Zodiac: This Charlie Porter route is very popular at the moment. Three teams are on it with in a few pitches of each other.

Highest are Wes Goulding and Dave Gerwe, and while not the fastest team of the season, they are making steady progress and could be off tomorrow.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1)  Wes and Dave reaching the belay at the Mark of Zorro.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

　

2)  Wes climbing above the MOZ.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

　

3)  Dave cleaning as the kit goes skyward.

　

Lower down a solo climber has reached the start of the Circle pitches.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4)  Solo climbing on the correct pitch to the Circle. Many go lower on the Straw pitch by mistake. Who is this guy? Someone must know him!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

　

5)  This looks to be a Korean team because of the great colors they are wearing but that is not the case. The solo is on the left and Matt Lambert’s crew is on the right. Matt’s team climbed from the top of 4 today and will most likely pass the solo here.

　

Mescalito: Colorado boys, Dan and John, are moving along on the long right leaning dihedral. They are getting them done so far.

　

Nose: Two teams were not visible today, because they are high on the route and around corners blocking my view. One is the Canadian’s and the other is the three guy wall style team. Oliver and Francis made the top just after dark yesterday for a 18 hour NIAD.

Scott Stowe and Trevor Jones climbed from ECT and went to Camp 5 this afternoon. Trevor seems to be adapting well to the climbing and Scott just puts the pitches away in his usual style.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6)  Scott Stowe hauling loads on the very edge of the Nose.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

　

7)  Scott belaying Trevor while he does the pendulum pitch to the Grey Ledges traverse.

　

Lower down, the team of three, who climbed the Legs yesterday was last seen climbing the Grey Ledges traverse this afternoon and I think just might stay at Camp 4 because of the rain we are presently having.

Salathe: I did see the team from yesterday, at Hollow Flake, climb to and up the Ear this morning. I last saw them on the long pitch to the Alcove.

Brian and Travis topped out this morning around 10am.

In other news: Not much other news. The excitement is building around the speed record try on early Sunday morning. Be here or miss the most spectacular event in American sports. If you can’t make it, be sure to read the Report Sunday evening for all the details, and, of course, exclusive photographs from ElCap Pics himself! Trust me … it doesn’t get any better than this!!

4:45pm now and the rain has slacked off here in the heart of “Tool Town”. It was a nice dust settler.

So that’s the way it is, for this Friday, the 15^th day of June, 2012.

Chow for now…

Tom