UKC

Just finished reading Andy Kirkpatricks book, Psychovertical. Really enjoyed it, great read. When he talks about the reticent wall, he mentions a lot how it's inescapable after the lay lady ledge, that it's a point of no return. Is this true, or done for effect? He mentions bolts at every belay so presumably it's not cos of bad anchors. Too steep? too traversy?

Just wandering. Great book though, recomended

In reply to GDes:

Andy's neglecting the very useful base jump!

In reply to GDes:

If no one here can answer this, I can't. You could Email Andy via his web-
site, he'll probably write back to you when his tour has finished.

http://www.andy-kirkpatrick.com/

In reply to GDes: From reading the book, it sounds like quite a steep route, and there will almost certainly be some traversing in there. Combined with a lack of decent gear and huge hauls bags it probably is as difficult as he suggests to retreat.

In reply to jcharles:

Brit Kevin Thaw has done Reticent also.

Tomaz Humar's account
http://dhaulagiri.extremekanal.com/A5/retiframe.htm

Andy K's Supertopo comments:

http://www.supertopo.com/rockclimbing/route.html?r=ybelreti

Climbed the route alone (12 days) in the summer. Was suprised how easy the crux was in comparison with some of the pitchs below. I heard some stories about Silva Vidal altering the crux but coudn't see what she could of done - or needed to do (and she's the last person who'd do such a thing - shame on you American gossips).

There are three good (well as good as you'll get on NW A5) medium heads that may have been trenched (Humar admited to a least one) were Steve used beaks. They're the type of placements that would become unusable very quickly if using tipped out beaks, prehaps leading to a bit of trenching (better then a rivet?), who knows. The hooking has one thin (crumbly) move followed a little while later by some time bomb pankake flates you must hook in order to reach some good heads. If you blow it the heads won't stop you and I recon you'd be a dead for sure.

Wally Barker pulled off part of the flake a while back so again this has taken some of the sting out of it. Once you reach the half way mark sudenly the pitch gets totaly mellow. Wino tower is much tougher and LLLLOOOONNNNGGGG (8 hours) wereas the Natural took only 3.
Whatever grade it realy is (if it's now NW A4+ then Auroa, Lost in America etc are NW A2)it's the best line I've done on the .

ALSO: http://www.climbing.com/news/hotflashes/reticentspeed06/

Reticent Wall in a Single Push
By Dougald MacDonald

Photo by Luke Laeser
Ammon McNeely, Ivo Ninov, and Dean Potter raced up El Capitan’s Reticent Wall (VI 5.7 A5) in 34 hours 57 minutes on July 12-13. This was the first single-push ascent of the route, and it marked McNeely’s 50th ascent of El Cap.

The Reticent Wall takes a direct line to the right of the Nose of El Capitan. Established by Steve Gerberding, Lori Reddel, and Scott Stowe in 1995, the 21-pitch route is considered one of El Cap’s hardest aid climbs. It starts on the relatively modest New Dawn, and then most of the 14 pitches above that route’s Lay Lay Ledge are rated A3 or harder.
Comment on this story

cheers. I guess if it's that steep and the gear is non existant you'd be bugered trying to keep in contact if you abbed off. Brilliant account of it anyway. The last bit where he reaches the crack at the end of the crux, gets the cam in his hand for a bomber placement, and just waits a while to relish it...brilliant. Effort spending 14 days on yer tod, I get lonely driving from sheffield to bristol.

Hi
In reply to your question - at time I thought it would have been impossible alone, as retreat from any route on El Cap on that side is very difficult even with partners (requiring down aiding, lowering bags on overhanging terrain ect).

BUT

Two years later I had to retreat from a new route on the Troll wall alone, and managed it (with some bag throwing). But this was done almost in reverse, like soloing, meaning abseiling and down aiding, fixing the rope, jugging bag, then multiple abseils with haul bags. Luckily this was all done in OK weather, plus the troll is only vertical.

Thanks for buying the book by the way.

Cheers

Andy

In reply to andy kirkpatrick: Probably not much fun. Down aiding on hooks when swinging around on rope must be near impossible no? must be so much outward pull on them.

Think i'd read bits of it before, like the Fitzroy supercouloir bit. But i liked the way it all fitted round the reticent.

In reply to andy kirkpatrick:

Just to say you gave a great talk in Buxton last night, Andy. Truly inspiring.