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On the 16th June, Chris Bevins made the first British solo ascent of The Nose, C2, on El Capitan, Yosemite, in a single sub-24 hr push. A feat that puts him in the company of just handful of other people... Read more at http://www.ukclimbing.com/news/item.php?id=68143
Well done.
Don't think many people realize what effort is required to achieve this.
I certainly did not, setting off innocently by myself at dawn in May 1994.
I was climbing faster than folks on the fixed lines to Sickle, but have never been such a lather of sweat. No rest from the effort unlike pitched climbing in a pair.
By the fifth pitch I had two or three parties to battle through before the stovelegs.
I drank my water and abbed off, walked back to camp 4 and went single pitching.
Moral. Do some research before you set off.
Don't think many people realize what effort is required to achieve this.
I certainly did not, setting off innocently by myself at dawn in May 1994.
I was climbing faster than folks on the fixed lines to Sickle, but have never been such a lather of sweat. No rest from the effort unlike pitched climbing in a pair.
By the fifth pitch I had two or three parties to battle through before the stovelegs.
I drank my water and abbed off, walked back to camp 4 and went single pitching.
Moral. Do some research before you set off.
Correction
Very well done.
Very well done.
In reply to UKC News:
What an amazing achievement.
I'd love to know the intricacies of how he did this - running pitches together, running it out, how much he freed etc etc.
E
What an amazing achievement.
I'd love to know the intricacies of how he did this - running pitches together, running it out, how much he freed etc etc.
E
In reply to UKC News:
Great achievement! The Nose is something I (like many climbers, I suspect) aspire to, but to do it solo, in a day, is just way beyond that!
(Minor gripe about the "brief history": no mention of the first free ascent?)
Great achievement! The Nose is something I (like many climbers, I suspect) aspire to, but to do it solo, in a day, is just way beyond that!
(Minor gripe about the "brief history": no mention of the first free ascent?)
In reply to UKC News: Well done Chris - epic effort! Def deserve a beer when your back!
In reply to UKC News: Would be nice to have included First Free Ascent and First Free Ascent in sub 24hrs well done Lynne Hill.
In reply to Ian Dunn: Common knowledge?
In reply to UKC News: Awesome effort! Get him interviewed
In reply to Rick Graham:
Agreed. Very well done indeed.
Agreed. Very well done indeed.
In reply to Enty:
Exactly - I know with team IAD ascents they do these mega pitches by in effect climbing together, or putting ropemen on to runners etc. but I don't see how you do that soloing. Presumably he had cover lots of ground three times - lead pitch and fix, rap, jug back up? And is there much free-soloing involved? :-/
> I'd love to know the intricacies of how he did this - running pitches together, running it out, how much he freed etc etc.
Exactly - I know with team IAD ascents they do these mega pitches by in effect climbing together, or putting ropemen on to runners etc. but I don't see how you do that soloing. Presumably he had cover lots of ground three times - lead pitch and fix, rap, jug back up? And is there much free-soloing involved? :-/
In reply to TobyA:
I reckon he would have done 70-80% of it free. Typically you would tie off the other end of the rope at a belay (usually bolt belays on the Nose) and then free climb with a modified gri-gri (or similar) running through the rope putting in gear as you go.
Really good to hear. Well done Chris Bevins
>
> Exactly - I know with team IAD ascents they do these mega pitches by in effect climbing together, or putting ropemen on to runners etc. but I don't see how you do that soloing. Presumably he had cover lots of ground three times - lead pitch and fix, rap, jug back up? And is there much free-soloing involved? :-/
> Exactly - I know with team IAD ascents they do these mega pitches by in effect climbing together, or putting ropemen on to runners etc. but I don't see how you do that soloing. Presumably he had cover lots of ground three times - lead pitch and fix, rap, jug back up? And is there much free-soloing involved? :-/
I reckon he would have done 70-80% of it free. Typically you would tie off the other end of the rope at a belay (usually bolt belays on the Nose) and then free climb with a modified gri-gri (or similar) running through the rope putting in gear as you go.
Really good to hear. Well done Chris Bevins
In reply to UKC News: Fantastic effort, well done Chris!
In reply to UKC News:
Awesome achievement, great work.
Awesome achievement, great work.
In reply to TobyA:
I've done some aid soloing and I've done The Nose - in 3.5 days (not solo ha ha!!) so I'd love to know his systems which enable you to move quick enough to do this in 24h.
UKC - This is an amazing ascent - interview please!!
E
> (In reply to Enty)
>
> [...]
>
> Exactly - I know with team IAD ascents they do these mega pitches by in effect climbing together, or putting ropemen on to runners etc. but I don't see how you do that soloing. Presumably he had cover lots of ground three times - lead pitch and fix, rap, jug back up? And is there much free-soloing involved? :-/
>
> [...]
>
> Exactly - I know with team IAD ascents they do these mega pitches by in effect climbing together, or putting ropemen on to runners etc. but I don't see how you do that soloing. Presumably he had cover lots of ground three times - lead pitch and fix, rap, jug back up? And is there much free-soloing involved? :-/
I've done some aid soloing and I've done The Nose - in 3.5 days (not solo ha ha!!) so I'd love to know his systems which enable you to move quick enough to do this in 24h.
UKC - This is an amazing ascent - interview please!!
E
In reply to Enty:
Most tips and techniques are on supertopo and John Long / Middledorf books.
Most people had best not know how Alex Honald does it.
> (In reply to TobyA)
> [...]
>
> I've done some aid soloing and I've done The Nose - in 3.5 days (not solo ha ha!!) so I'd love to know his systems which enable you to move quick enough to do this in 24h.
>
> [...]
>
> I've done some aid soloing and I've done The Nose - in 3.5 days (not solo ha ha!!) so I'd love to know his systems which enable you to move quick enough to do this in 24h.
>
Most tips and techniques are on supertopo and John Long / Middledorf books.
Most people had best not know how Alex Honald does it.
In reply to Rick Graham:
Solo in a day? Or just solo tips? Big difference.
E
> (In reply to Enty)
> [...]
>
> Most tips and techniques are on supertopo and John Long / Middledorf books.
>
> [...]
>
> Most tips and techniques are on supertopo and John Long / Middledorf books.
>
Solo in a day? Or just solo tips? Big difference.
E
In reply to Enty:
Know the route? Travel light so total commitment? Good timing to miss the crowds. I guess.
> (In reply to Rick Graham)
> [...]
>
> Solo in a day? Or just solo tips? Big difference.
>
> E
> [...]
>
> Solo in a day? Or just solo tips? Big difference.
>
> E
Know the route? Travel light so total commitment? Good timing to miss the crowds. I guess.
In reply to UKC News:
NAID?
Any one care to fill the uninitiated in? Done a quick Google not found anything enlightening. I'm guess it's not Aid?
NAID?
Any one care to fill the uninitiated in? Done a quick Google not found anything enlightening. I'm guess it's not Aid?
In reply to IanC:
Nose In A Day
> (In reply to Rick Graham)
>
> Not a Troll just dyslexic. Anyone care to answer?
>
> Not a Troll just dyslexic. Anyone care to answer?
Nose In A Day
In reply to IanC:
It'll be a mix of aid and free. Free is much faster where possible but you'll struggle to solo the hard pirches (great roof is 8b or so and changing corners 8b+ or so).
> (In reply to UKC News)
> NAID?
>
> Any one care to fill the uninitiated in? Done a quick Google not found anything enlightening. I'm guess it's not Aid?
> NAID?
>
> Any one care to fill the uninitiated in? Done a quick Google not found anything enlightening. I'm guess it's not Aid?
It'll be a mix of aid and free. Free is much faster where possible but you'll struggle to solo the hard pirches (great roof is 8b or so and changing corners 8b+ or so).
In reply to UKC News: Hi guys! psyched you are all so interested. I'm in the mid of putting together an interview for UKC and i imagine this will cover some of the techniques used.. watch this space
In reply to chrisbevins:
Hi Chris. Of course we're all interested, this has to be one of the most impressive assents by British climber this year! Well done and we wait with bated breath for the full report.... Congratulations
Hi Chris. Of course we're all interested, this has to be one of the most impressive assents by British climber this year! Well done and we wait with bated breath for the full report.... Congratulations
In reply to The_flying_climber:
Ditto
E
> (In reply to chrisbevins)
>
> Hi Chris. Of course we're all interested, this has to be one of the most impressive assents by British climber this year! Well done and we wait with bated breath for the full report.... Congratulations
>
> Hi Chris. Of course we're all interested, this has to be one of the most impressive assents by British climber this year! Well done and we wait with bated breath for the full report.... Congratulations
Ditto
E
In reply to UKC News:
I know this has already been raised, but can we please make sure that Lynn Hill's achievement is recognised in the list of important ascents of the Nose?
Yes, it is common knowledge, but for this reason its absence in the list will provoke questions of the climbing community. Why has, one might ask, what many regard as the most astonishing ascent of the 20th Century been airbrushed from the Nose's 'brief history'? I'm sure it was not intentional, but to an outsider (or future historian) the answer might lie with the gender of the climber in question.
I know this has already been raised, but can we please make sure that Lynn Hill's achievement is recognised in the list of important ascents of the Nose?
Yes, it is common knowledge, but for this reason its absence in the list will provoke questions of the climbing community. Why has, one might ask, what many regard as the most astonishing ascent of the 20th Century been airbrushed from the Nose's 'brief history'? I'm sure it was not intentional, but to an outsider (or future historian) the answer might lie with the gender of the climber in question.
In reply to Ben1983:
Looks to me like the "brief history" is about the progression to NIAD and solo ascents, and the eventual convergence of those two feats together. Notice that it only discusses the solo speed record (Honnold) and not the overall speed record (Honnold-Florine).
> (In reply to UKC News)
> I know this has already been raised, but can we please make sure that Lynn Hill's achievement is recognised in the list of important ascents of the Nose?
> Yes, it is common knowledge, but for this reason its absence in the list will provoke questions of the climbing community. Why has, one might ask, what many regard as the most astonishing ascent of the 20th Century been airbrushed from the Nose's 'brief history'? I'm sure it was not intentional, but to an outsider (or future historian) the answer might lie with the gender of the climber in question.
> I know this has already been raised, but can we please make sure that Lynn Hill's achievement is recognised in the list of important ascents of the Nose?
> Yes, it is common knowledge, but for this reason its absence in the list will provoke questions of the climbing community. Why has, one might ask, what many regard as the most astonishing ascent of the 20th Century been airbrushed from the Nose's 'brief history'? I'm sure it was not intentional, but to an outsider (or future historian) the answer might lie with the gender of the climber in question.
Looks to me like the "brief history" is about the progression to NIAD and solo ascents, and the eventual convergence of those two feats together. Notice that it only discusses the solo speed record (Honnold) and not the overall speed record (Honnold-Florine).
In reply to Ben1983 and Ian Dunn:
I have now added it in but had omitted it originally, not on gender grounds but exactly as Epsilon stated, to show the progression from the first 45 day ascent (11 on final summit push) to Chris' NIAD solo and Alex's amazing 5 hour 50 minute solo ascent.
In addition to this I didn't want to take the limelight away from Chris' ascent, as can be seen by the date of Lynn's free ascent coming after the first NIAD solo, it wasn't part of the progression to enable solo in a day ascents to occur.
I also ommitted many other historically significant ascents that I also felt weren't relevant to the newspiece, but can see how it would be interesting to someone who didn't know about The Nose to know it had been freed.
Well done to Ben on an amazing achievement, I look forward to interviewing him in the coming week.
Cheers,
Dunc
I have now added it in but had omitted it originally, not on gender grounds but exactly as Epsilon stated, to show the progression from the first 45 day ascent (11 on final summit push) to Chris' NIAD solo and Alex's amazing 5 hour 50 minute solo ascent.
In addition to this I didn't want to take the limelight away from Chris' ascent, as can be seen by the date of Lynn's free ascent coming after the first NIAD solo, it wasn't part of the progression to enable solo in a day ascents to occur.
I also ommitted many other historically significant ascents that I also felt weren't relevant to the newspiece, but can see how it would be interesting to someone who didn't know about The Nose to know it had been freed.
Well done to Ben on an amazing achievement, I look forward to interviewing him in the coming week.
Cheers,
Dunc
In reply to Duncan Campbell - UKC:
I'm sure Ben's flattered, but may well be puzzled about why you want to interview him!
> Well done to Ben on an amazing achievement, I look forward to interviewing him in the coming week.>
I'm sure Ben's flattered, but may well be puzzled about why you want to interview him!
In reply to UKC News:
Well, I am receiving a prize for my contribution to the Environmental History of the Eastern Alps this summer
Sadly, that is entirely insignificant next to the other Ben's achievement!
I appreciate the reasoning for not mentioning Lynn Hill's ascent (and note that I did not actually make the accusation of discrimination for that reason) - although, to be honest, I don't think her contribution can really be isolated from the other developments in aid, free and speed climbing on the Nose in the late-80s/early 90s. In the social environment of the valley, inspirational climbing of one type was hardly going to be ignored by those pushing other boundaries of the sport.
Well, I am receiving a prize for my contribution to the Environmental History of the Eastern Alps this summer
Sadly, that is entirely insignificant next to the other Ben's achievement!
I appreciate the reasoning for not mentioning Lynn Hill's ascent (and note that I did not actually make the accusation of discrimination for that reason) - although, to be honest, I don't think her contribution can really be isolated from the other developments in aid, free and speed climbing on the Nose in the late-80s/early 90s. In the social environment of the valley, inspirational climbing of one type was hardly going to be ignored by those pushing other boundaries of the sport.
In reply to UKC News: is climbing solo not climbing without a rope?
In reply to Donnie: Not necessarily no, and with aid climbing almost never.
In reply to TobyA: Every day's a school day! So there's free solo-ing and aid solo-ing? When Alex Honold solo-ed it was that free?
In reply to Donnie:
Americans normally call "free solo" what we just call "soloing", i.e. no rope, don't fall off sort of stuff! But you can "rope solo" - climbing on your own but using a rope and placing runners in the normal way, you just replace your partner with a mechanical device or lots of knots (google if you really want to see how it can be done!).
On the Nose, no - not all of it, either not free in the sense that he used a rope to protect bits and also not free in that he pulled on gear in places I think. He has free soloed lots of hard stuff of course, but the Nose fully free is SO hard (8b+ or something isn't it?). No one has free soloed those pitches as far as I know.
> So there's free solo-ing and aid solo-ing?
Americans normally call "free solo" what we just call "soloing", i.e. no rope, don't fall off sort of stuff! But you can "rope solo" - climbing on your own but using a rope and placing runners in the normal way, you just replace your partner with a mechanical device or lots of knots (google if you really want to see how it can be done!).
> When Alex Honold solo-ed it was that free?
On the Nose, no - not all of it, either not free in the sense that he used a rope to protect bits and also not free in that he pulled on gear in places I think. He has free soloed lots of hard stuff of course, but the Nose fully free is SO hard (8b+ or something isn't it?). No one has free soloed those pitches as far as I know.
In reply to Duncan Campbell - UKC:
Thank God you've added that. It will go some way to redressing the fact that Lynn was never recognised as a good climber in her day. As I recall, at the time her ascent was never properly recognised. Everybody said that the Nose free was probably quite easy and the real challenge was to aid solo it.
Thank God you've added that. It will go some way to redressing the fact that Lynn was never recognised as a good climber in her day. As I recall, at the time her ascent was never properly recognised. Everybody said that the Nose free was probably quite easy and the real challenge was to aid solo it.
In reply to Hugh Cottam:
I've just got up off the floor after reading this.
I think you got the bit about aid and free the wrong way round. The Nose was soloed in 1969.
Hill's free ascent of the Nose is still recognised as one of the greatest rock climbing achievements of all time - as it was at the time.
E
> (In reply to Duncan Campbell - UKC)
>
> Thank God you've added that. It will go some way to redressing the fact that Lynn was never recognised as a good climber in her day. As I recall, at the time her ascent was never properly recognised. Everybody said that the Nose free was probably quite easy and the real challenge was to aid solo it.
>
> Thank God you've added that. It will go some way to redressing the fact that Lynn was never recognised as a good climber in her day. As I recall, at the time her ascent was never properly recognised. Everybody said that the Nose free was probably quite easy and the real challenge was to aid solo it.
I've just got up off the floor after reading this.
I think you got the bit about aid and free the wrong way round. The Nose was soloed in 1969.
Hill's free ascent of the Nose is still recognised as one of the greatest rock climbing achievements of all time - as it was at the time.
E
In reply to UKC News:
I was a few routes over trying to solo Zodiac when he must have done this. In the time he did the whole of the nose I managed to hump a ton of shit to the base and climb 3 pitches.
Brilliant stuff.
PS. The weather in the Valley has been ideal for two weeks. Sunny and cool (for Yosemite).
I was a few routes over trying to solo Zodiac when he must have done this. In the time he did the whole of the nose I managed to hump a ton of shit to the base and climb 3 pitches.
Brilliant stuff.
PS. The weather in the Valley has been ideal for two weeks. Sunny and cool (for Yosemite).
In reply to David Coley: Hi Dave, are you still bending skyhooks?
In reply to David Coley:
How did you get on - I couldn't find any pics of you on El Cap report. I always follow the Brits on there.
E
How did you get on - I couldn't find any pics of you on El Cap report. I always follow the Brits on there.
E
In reply to Sean Kelly:
No back working in San Fran' for a few days
No back working in San Fran' for a few days
In reply to Enty:
Not very well. I only had a short window between working in San Fran'. I climbed for a day, worked out it might take me 8 to top out and be back on the valley floor with all the kit even if I didn't get entangled with various teams also on the route. So bailed and soloed The Prow instead. Which was very good fun.
Tom did see me, but I wasn't worth the web space I guess!
> (In reply to David Coley)
>
> How did you get on - I couldn't find any pics of you on El Cap report. I always follow the Brits on there.
>
> E
>
> How did you get on - I couldn't find any pics of you on El Cap report. I always follow the Brits on there.
>
> E
Not very well. I only had a short window between working in San Fran'. I climbed for a day, worked out it might take me 8 to top out and be back on the valley floor with all the kit even if I didn't get entangled with various teams also on the route. So bailed and soloed The Prow instead. Which was very good fun.
Tom did see me, but I wasn't worth the web space I guess!
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