UKC

Pete Whittaker: Three Free Big Walls in Yosemite

© Pete Whittaker

We recently reported that Pete Whittaker had flashed the 32-pitch big wall route Freerider 5.12d , during a two-month long climbing trip in Yosemite National Park with Tom Randall. Having previously freed El Corazon (5.13b) 5.13b as a first taste of big-wall climbing shortly before his ascent of Freerider, Pete's limited experience certainly didn't hold him back - he rounded off the trip by freeing Golden Gate (5.13b) 5.13b, bringing his total to three free routes including the historic flash of Freerider.

Pete working The Move pitch  © Tom Randall
Pete working The Move pitch
© Tom Randall

Despite feeling the fatigue of spending the majority of their time suspended above Yosemite Valley, the "WideBoyz" - not a duo known for shying away from a challenge - decided to stick to their original aim. Pete described in his blog:

"We had gone to The Valley with a goal of wanting to free 3-4 big walls and attempt to flash one of them. I guess quite a big undertaking for someone who hadn’t climbed a wall and someone who hadn’t freed a wall, but Tom and I always come up with seemingly ridiculous goals and just throw ourselves at them with full force."

After spending some time 'resting' and recovering in Yosemite Valley, Pete decided to take on Golden Gate, the 38-pitch 5.13b as his third climb. He commented:

'The route that was going to be most realistic this late on in the trip was Golden Gate. We’d climbed the bottom section before on Freerider, a few of the top pitches as well on Corazon, so it only left the middle half of the route unseen.'

Having struggled with fatigue due to their earlier big-walling exploits, Tom decided not to attempt to free the route himself, but instead opted to support Pete on his ascent and provide "poor jokes and fancy dress costumes." 

Pete Whittaker: one banana in the Wideboyz bunch.  © Tom Randall
Pete Whittaker: one banana in the Wideboyz bunch.
© Tom Randall

Pete took 4 days on the route to reach the top of El Capitan, enduring painful skin and low energy levels. Despite managing the crux pitch of the route - The Move - first redpoint, he came into some difficulty on the 5.12c slab downmantle pitch: 'After ringing two Brits and texting one for beta, none of which were very useful on the beta front but all very encouraging phone calls, I finally realised I was doing the sequence wrong, what a massive waste of time!' 

Topping-out on El Capitan for the third time in two months, however, made the aches, pains and tiredness all the more worthwhile: 'finally hauled my aching body over the top, and with great relief gave myself a little smile and told myself ‘"I've got to be happy with that."’

Tom and Pete descending from the East Ledge, Yosemite  © Pete Whittaker
Tom and Pete descending from the East Ledge, Yosemite
© Pete Whittaker

Now back in the UK, the "WideBoyz" seem happy to finally be on home turf and are able to enjoy a more varied diet:

'It got hard towards the end of the trip, I guess when you’re on the wall (El Capitan) for 45% of two months it’s going to be. There is only so much Top Ramen and tinned tuna you can consume.'

Read more about Pete's trip on his blog.

 

Pete is sponsored by: Climb On, Five Ten, Patagonia, Sterling Rope and Wild Country


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18 Nov, 2014
you guys are legends
18 Nov, 2014
Agreed. I am going to there Mile End Wall lecture. Sav :-)
18 Nov, 2014
Heros! Epic achievement
18 Nov, 2014
It's only a matter of time before someone posts a link to a forum from across The Pond debating whether any of the three ascents constitute "free ascents" under the clearly specified rules of US big wall ethics, known only to a gnarly crozzler in Montana and a crusty guzzler in Arizona. Amazing effort Pete and Tom. But what have you ever done on grit? Oh. OK then, what have you ever done on cracks in the States? Oh. Damn. Aha, but you haven't tried Breakaway at Henna Cliff yet...?
2 Dec, 2014
Agreed
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