UKC

Now that supertopo is dead, does anyone know of a US climbing forum for Yosemite beta? I'd like to know if the fixed ropes to mamouth ledge on el cap are currently in situ or not. 

Mountainproject.com will help for sure.

There's already a thread on the topic https://www.mountainproject.com/forum/topic/124172300/current-condition-of-... they are currently in situ and apparently in quite good condition. Tbh I think they're basically always there these days, rangers don't seem to be bothered by them for some reason (I rather wish they'd go and chop them every day...).

That's great. Thanks both. 

If you haven't been before, make sure you know how to pass knots quickly going up and down.

what happened to supertopo? 

Thanks Alex. I've been a few times, but I must admit it has been a while since I've passed a knot. Will make sure I brush up before I leave, along with hundreds of other big wall skills that have lapsed! Thanks for the reminder  👍.

It closed down back in 2019. I think it got too expensive to run. http://www.supertopo.com/climbers-forum/3198199/SuperTopo-Forum-to-shut-dow...

They got sued for copyright infringement related to use of images and it all got expensive and complicated is my understanding.

Supertopo said the legal threats on what was said (more than copyright on what was posted) on the forums forced them to close. It's part of why I think UKC moderation is so essential.

From the link to Chris's explanation that Duncan posted:

They are. I used them last week 

I don't want to derail the thread, so will start with something relevant, which is to say that I had a complete sh*tshow passing a knot and basically had to figure it out on the job, which resulted in a completely ramshackle not HSE approved technique. I did something similar with my method of lowering out on my first trip too, which involved a lot less lowering and a lot more swinging sideways. Oh to be young, confident, and mildly reckless 😅

In terms of moderation, I really empathise the situation supertopo found themselves in, and am saddened that it ended how it did, because they were a really valuable resource. 

Tangents aside, what route have you got in mind Duncan?

Oh nice. What did you get done? Are you still out there?

Haha. Sounds memorable. The plan is do Salathe but I don't want to jinx it but stating it on a public forum. Oh well.......

I was playing around on Jolly Rodger. Unfortunately my daughter took a fall in the dark and damaged her ankle so we had to self evacuate and got very little climbing. Now back in uk.

In fact a bit of a wash out. Rain followed by me being ill then my main partner only have a small window. 

Can't decide if I'm too old and weak now for the captain, or to try and solo the shield. Not soloed El Cap.

Have fun.

'Playing around' on A4+ is a bit of an understatement! How was it?

We had a good view of Jolly Roger from the adjacent Sunkist a few years ago - looks "fun!" 

As for playing the "too old" card on El Cap, my mate Bill was 70 for our ascent of North America Wall a couple of years back:

https://rockaroundtheworld.co.uk/2018/08/27/north-america-wall-trip-report/

"Solo The Shield" sounds like a great adventure! 

After Scarlett received what we thought initially was a broken ankle, we retreated. Not much climbing done