UKC

Is it possible to tackle a big wall given that I haven't done it before, lead HVS and would be attempting it in one week in the School summer holidays? Can you hire a guide? Or gear for that matter?

In reply to emV:

You presumably already have considerable experience of huge long multipitch routes in the Welsh, Cumbrian and/or Scottish mountains. If not, your ambitions are extremely unrealistic. Not to mention the gross uneconomic indulgence of going all the way to Yosemite for just one week.

In reply to Gordon Stainforth: Maybe he's just going to Yosemite for 1 week as part of a longer trip.

to the op: You can hire a guide for big walls but it will set you back a few grand for stuff like el capitan.

In reply to emV: Sounds a bit optimistic to me. Can you climb full on at your limit for 3 days, haul all your equipment including portaledges and gallons of water using the appropriate techniques and equipment as well as be able to crap in a paper bag and carry that out in a specially adapted pipe back down to the valley. Then of course there is the heat. If you are thinking July/August. I'm not sure that they get done then as it can be too hot but perhaps someone else will advise otherwise. I always thought the big wall season was spring and autumn.

Al

In reply to emV:


Anything is possible.

That said... Your stated ambition is IMO extremely unrealistic. Personally I'd build some harder free-climbing and lots of aid experience over the next couple of years, build up your kit then think again. I tried it in my 2nd (or 3rd?) year climbing with a month set aside. I guess I was onsighting E1 pretty comfortably in the uk at the time. We were completely shut down.

In your time frame you could tackle one/some of the big easy free routes if you have the gear, the skills and a willing partner but don't underestimate them.

No idea if you can get a guide but with enough money most things are available. You'd still have your work cut out.

jk

In reply to jkarran:

Out of interest, what did you do to train for your trip there? What was your crack climbing ability like at the time?

It's a bit of a long-term goal, thinking of aiming for a shot the year after next.

In reply to emV:

I think you'd be asking a lot of yourself. There are suitable big walls to train on in the Valley, eg Leaning Tower, but to go straight onto one of the El Cap classics (presumably the Nose) would probably see you bail sooner rather than later. We met some guys on the top of Half Dome who'd started up the "normal" route on the N face but they'd bailed at the end of day one having climbed 3 pitches simply owing to inexperience and consequently underestimating what the route demanded. iirc they led E4 in the UK.

As to hiring a guide -- yes you can, but I'd doubt anyone would be willing to take you on a big wall straight off.

But, do go to Yosemite. It's a fantastic place; I just wish I'd gone 20 years earlier! Oh, and be prepared to be spanked, as a Yosemite dirtbagging mate would say.

Meanwhile, this might whet your appetite: http://www.supertopo.com/packs/road2nose.html

In reply to emV: The obvious wall to attempt as a first go is the Washington column. From memory it is 5.10a (HVS ish) and A2 (though I could be slightly out as I haven't got the guide to hand and it was a long time ago!). If there's any free climbing harder than HVS you can frig it anyway.

The normal approach is to climb the first 3 pitches to the bivi ledge hauling gear and fix a rope on the next 2 aid pitches (over the Kor Roof).
The next day you jumar the fixed ropes and climb the remaining pitches (about 6 more) and abseil back to the ledge to pick up your gear. so you don't have haul the whole route. I believe the walk off is horrendous anyway.

As its only 3 pitches of hauling you might get away with a big sturdy holdall instead of a haul sack though you'll still probably trash it. You would need one pulley and a couple of jumars each.

If you intend to try this get some aid practice in before you go and learn to jumar if you've not done it before. The Kor roof is not really the place to learn this! The aid is all clean, ie. no hammering or pegs needed but a few tricams might be handy as the narrower head width fits the old peg scars better than Friends though they're not essential.

The biggest problem is probably that in the school summer holidays it will probably be far too hot to climb in the valley (unless your Japanese). You may well be better off heading over to Tuolomne.

Good luck, its an awsome place.

In reply to emV:

You can get a guide but it will be expensive (four figures) and you'll spend most of your time jugging and very little of it leading.

A week is very tight - unless you aim for one of the 1-2 day walls (see supertopo website "Road to the Nose").

You need to be prepared to have your leading grade spanked a bit when you first arrive - the grade translation tables don't tell the whole story. 40-50m pitch after 40-50m pitch of sustained moves on smoothish granite starts to get at your head. Gritstone cragging it ain't.

You can hire gear.

Overall, at that grade and if you only have a week I'd suggest:
- Cathedral Peak (Toulumne) and Eikhorn's (sp.?) pinnacle
- Royal Arches (remember to ab off from the last pitch, not try to get down to North Dome gully)
- Snake Dike (lots of threads on here)
A day each end travelling and two days to rest/congratulate yourself.

J

Washington column south face goes at a C1 now. Check out Chris MacNamara's book Road To The Nose for an intro to Yosemite big walls.

In reply to jkarran: I've been climbing more than 20 years and have more free climbing gear than some shops but am reluctant to invest in specific big wall equipment.

In reply to Gordon Stainforth: My brother lives in California. It would be as part of a longer family holiday.

In reply to tradlad: Am a teacher. Has to be during hols.

In reply to emV:

I did the south face of washington column after I'd been leading climbing for 2 weeks, I was with 2 other who had lead a lot more than me but never big walled.

I borrowed a harness and some gloves, geared up the night before in Camp4 and we set off. Did made the classic mistakes, left a rope in the car, had to hike back to get it, learned to jumar on the first pitch, learned to haul a bag on the first pitch...

We got a rope up over the Kor roof on the first day, slept on Dinner ledge, jugged the line in the morning and got 2 pitches further before a thunder storm sent us running (absailing) for cover.

I'd say prepare as much as you can and then just go for it, it's a steep learning curve, you might fail but where's the fun in sitting in the car park?

George

In reply to emV:

some good advice provided so far - think John LIsle advice is good - I went there a few yrs ago with a leading grade of E2-3 and we had to drop back to 5.9-5.10. We had 3 weeks there and climbed 2 Big Walls and lots of free climbs, + aid route on Lost Arrow Spire and some stuff in Tuolomne. If you have a week and lead at HVS I'd look for great routes (such as Royal Arches) which are well within you're grade and have fun rather than epics.

In reply to plexiglass_nick:


Not enough. We did some aid practice in the weeks before. I could jam as well as most reasonably rounded HVS/E1 uk climbers, well enough for the odd move. Was also climbing 3-4 times a week inside and out. Did no specific fitness training, probably a mistake, the approaches are quite draining with big packs in the heat, as is hauling. We planned to figure out the hauling and general wall living stuff in the first week or two on something easy.


Biggest problem I had was just being overwhelmed. Overwhelmed by how much determination is required, how grim it is having to get up and climb the next day and the next when your fingernails are coming off.

We also got the tactics all wrong taking so much stuff (too much) we were slow, carrying it all in in one hit on start day, climbing in the heat of the day, not taking good enough care of our hands and feet. Climbing an 'easy' wall seems to be basically hard work requiring about 90% determination with a little skill and luck thrown in. I didn't have what it takes.

Anyway, that's my experience. It's a spectacular place and I'd go again under the right circumstances. I don't know if I'd stand a better chance now knowing what to expect, I suspect I'm still not tough enough mentally. Give it a go, it's an experience

jk

In reply to emV:


Fine. If you want to do it you'll need the right kit, you can always sell on jammers, pulleys, haulbag etc.

jk

In reply to emV: A few further points

I climbed 5.10a/b on nmy first trip there which was as hard as I was climbing here at the time so you won't necessarily get spanked, it depends how good your crack climbing is. Its one of my preferred styles and we did a lot of trips to Millstone before we went.

For the Washington column the only specialist kit you'll need is a pair of jumars each and a pulley, plus something to haul up 3 pitches.

As a teacher you'd be better off going to Yosemite at Easter, especially a year when it falls late. It really is bloody hot in the summer in the valley, you could well fry on a wall. No doubt you've booked your flights now so Tuolomne could well be a better bet.

In reply to pec: Actually I was thinking of 2010 or 11

In reply to emV:

although its theoretically possible to climb and "easy" wall in 7 days for a complete beginner, to jump on a route like the nose the timeline normally looks like this.

day one: gear up, buy food, pack. get beta and worry about gear food and water
day two: climb and haul to sickle fixing the next two
day three: rest
day four: 4 am start, blast
fast team 3 days to summit
slow team 5 days to summit (at HVS this is you)
plus one day walk off and recover.

even if you loose the rest and suffer the walk off in the dark (getting lost on the way down FYI, its not as simple as McTopo says) and climb faster than I think you will you are still cutting your time and leaving nothing for a cluster'. you will also have no time to check out the decent or hang in the valley.

the other guidelines are as follows:
if you need to ask if you can do it, then you cant.
(not being funny here, big walls are more about attitude than skill, you have to WANT to be climbing rather than be on the summit)
you will probably fail the fist time even if you are fit and strong.

try something smaller like West face, regular route or south face if you only have 7 days.