The Nose, El Capitan - Yosemite Valley, CA
by Scott Ghiz
Introduction
I would like to thank everyone who provided "beta" to us
prior to our ascent of the Nose on El Cap. This is the primary
reason that we are putting together this information package. We
hope that others will be able to gleen valuable knowlege from
our experience.
Mark Carroll and I (Scott Ghiz) climbed "The Nose" on El Capitan,
September 14th to September 19th, 1994. The following description
is based on the condition of the route at that time. We have
included our own "Notes" regarding our experiences good and
bad. We hope you find this beta informative and interesting.
Please send comments and questions via email to:
ghiz@protocol.zycad.com
ghiz@aol.com
71762.2503@compuserve.com
Thanks you.
Pitch-By-Pitch Detail
Park on the left shoulder of the valley loop road directly across
from the trail that leads into the woods beneath the Nose. Follow
this trail somewhat indirectly to the toe of the great south
buttress of El Cap. Continue up and right until you reach the
base of El Cap propper. Walk-in without the haulbag takes about
12 minutes, with the "pig" figure on 40 minutes.
In order to reach the start of the first pitch, about 200 feet
of class 3/4 climbing must be negotiated. This section is totally
non-direct. You could easily get the chop right here, be careful.
Pitch 1:
Start up some easy broken rock to a shallow right leaning crack/
corner. Mixed A1 and 5.8 free climbing. Straight forward. This
pitch is about 120 feet long and takes medium gear. 3 bolt belay.
Pitch 2:
Climb up a left facing corner (0.5 tri-cams helpful here) until
you can reach a swaged cable (5.9/A1). Clip your harness into this
and swing right to a right leaning crack with pin scars. A1 on
small to medium cams. Fixed pin midway on this section. Pitch is
about 75 feet long to a multi bolt belay.
Pitch 3:
Climb the obvious crack above mixing free and aid to the belay on
the right (5.8 A1). Small to medium nuts, small to medium cams.
A few new 3/8" bolts grace this pitch along with some VERY ratty
old fixed nuts and pins/bongs. Pitch is about 75 feet long ending
at many old and new bolts.
Pitch 4:
Follow broken rock up left to a relatively steep right facing
corner. Aid this (A2) on small to medium gear about 40 feet to
a pendulum point (awkward). Tension right lower and further
than you think to a point where you can layback up to another
pendulum point. Continue to tension right to the left end of
Sickle Ledge. Clip a new bolt here and continue right another
50 feet to the main anchors. A crappy bivy, sleep on the
ground.
* Note - Be careful not to get your ropes or aiders caught
while climbing onto (or following onto) Sickle Ledge. It is a
real pain to get them unstuck. There may be a short setion of
fixed rope leading to the first pendulum point, it makes the
climbing go quicker.
We fixed four ropes to the ground from here and hauled our haul bag
(sans sleeping gear and headlamps) up to the top of the next
pitch (pitch 5, class 4). We also took a day off to rest and
relax.
Pitch 5:
100 feet of class 4. No fixed belay, but great nut
placements. The easiest climbing on the route, but the most
difficult hauling/humping of the pig to the top of this pitch.
Pitch 6:
Follow the broken left facing corner for about 70 feet until
you can break out right to a short thin hands crack (15 feet of
5.9). Fixed belay, pins, nuts and bolts. Medium easy hauling
once the bag is rolled around the corner. No need to lower it
out.
Pitch 7:
Lower out about 50 feet and tension over to the right until you
can grab a good hold in a large left facing corner. Easy climbing
(5.3) with no gear until you get to a semi-fixed belay at the
same height as your belayer. Clip these anchors and continue up
to Dolt Hole with good gear and fun climbing (5.7/5.8). Fixed
belay, good bolts. Lower the bag out, pull the lower out line
back and rappel across the pendulum or tie off short and use a
single strand to lower out on. A 50 meter rope will end up short
during the lower out and you will end up swinging hard into a
corner as you follow. Medium easy hauling, nothing for the bag
to hang-up on.
Pitch 8:
Strenuous 5.9 hands/fist or easy A1 brings you to a long bolt
ladder. Climb to the top of the bolt ladder and lower down
until about 10 feet above the belay. Swing over to the
Stoveleg cracks. As the leader, try not to place gear until
fairly high on the crack. Climb up until adjacent to a good
fixed rappel anchor on your right. The fixed belay is fair.
Long pitch (140 feet), 5.8/5.9 (we aided some of this). Easy
hauling, no need to lower the bag out. There is enough rope
to lower yourself out from the pendulum point if you tie off
short and use a single strand.
* Note - There was a fixed rope extending down from the top of
the bolt ladder down to the belay at Dolt Hole. This rope had
a knoted bight of rope at the level of the Dolt Hole belay. My
partner simply clipped directly into this loop and tensioned
over to the Stoveleg crack. He then unclipped the fixed rope
and began leading and placing gear as normal. I followed the
pitch by tying off short to the lead rope and using the fixed
rope to swing around to the crack just as my partner did.
Pitch 9:
Fairly short pitch, about 80 feet. Follow the ever widening
crack to a fixed belay on the right, three old bolts and a
bong, just below a small roof. The off-width section is about
30 feet long and will take medium gear in the back of it,
although a #4 Camalot comes in handy. I aided most of this
pitch (A1), otherwise 5.9/5.10 free climbing. Easy hauling.
Pitch 10:
Climb up into an easy chimney with fixed pins and good gear
placements. 50 feet of fairly easy climbing leads to 5.8/5.9
hands (mixed A1). Run the pitch almost a full rope length (50
m) to a semi-fixed belay. You will pass another semi-fixed belay.
This will combine pitch 11 with pitch 10. Easy hauling to the
right of the crack.
Pitch 11:
Should be combined with pitch 10 as described above.
Pitch 12:
Wide hands to short squeeze chimney to a ledge (with fixed
anchors) to a fist crack lead to Dolt Tower. The pitch is about
80 feet long and takes #2.5 Friend/#2 Camalot up to #4 Camalot
for the final fist crack...leave the brass nuts in the haul
bag. I mixed up the climbing, free at the start (5.9) to aid
(A1) at the end, leap-frogging #4 Camalots up the final section
to Dolt Tower. Excellent anchors. Medium Difficult hauling
due to decreased leverage while hauling from a large ledge.
A good bivy, nice place to take a break. Drag the pig to the
right side of the ledge and move the belay over there before
beginning the next pitch.
Pitch 13:
Tension down and right off Dolt Tower to a left facing corner
with an awkward slot. The slot has a medium crack in the back
of it (#1.5 friend). Follow the slot to a pair of thin hand
cracks which lead to a small ledge with fixed anchors. The
pitch is about 60 feet long and takes mostly small to medium
gear. Difficult hauling because the bag is bound to hang up on
any one of the flakes in the corner. The bag should be lowered
here. There was enough rope left for me to lower myself off
the belay while following the pitch.
Pitch 14:
Climb the obvious fist crack in a left facing corner. The
first part of the pitch is easy free climbing (20 feet of
5.6). The remaining 90 feet of fist crack goes at 5.9 or A1.
I aided quite a bit of this. Mostly #3 and #4 Camalots. There
is a bolt a little over half way up on this pitch. Nice fixed
belay on a ledge with good bolts. Medium easy hauling.
Pitch 15:
Easy free climbing for 75 feet up and right to El Cap Towers
(5.5). Lower out the bag and follow the pitch on belay. No
jugging. Once you get to the nice big El Cap Towers either
lounge out or help your partner haul the pig (medium difficult
hauling). I chose to lounge. Excellent bivy! The best one on
the route.
* Note - We stayed here on our first night. We began jugging
our fixed lines from the ground at around 5:00 am. Two BASE
jumpers launched as we were jugging the ropes. I first thought
some really big rocks were falling, then I looked up in the
pre-dawn light and thought a couple of fighter jets were taking
a close fly by. But it was two jumpers. They make a lot of
noise. When we showed up at Sickle Ledge, there were five
other people there! We just continued up with some guy with a
portaledge complaining about how crowded it is and how it sucks
and....blah..blah...blah.....It didn't stop us. We arrived at
El Cap Towers at about 7:00 pm. Although, we got held up by
a German party of three when we let them pass on the stovelegs.
This delay cost us at least 1 hour, probably more. We passed
them at Dolt Tower. Then they passed us at El Cap Tower when
they opted to fix ropes at night up to the top of the Boot
Flake. The leader bivied on the top of the Boot and the other
two guys slept at the base of the Texas Flake. They stayed
ahead of us for the rest of the climb. Another base jumper,
this time at dusk. It was really wild. He looked like the guy
in the movie "Rocketeer". He was tearing thru the air with
his arms at his sides. He shot past us and deployed his chute
well below our level. What a fantastic perspective! I got to
try that some day.
Pitch 16:
The Texas Flake. Climb off the left end of El Cap Towers into
a right leaning ramp system. Follow the ramp system with
cracks up the the right side of the Texas Flake (5.7, 50
feet). Climb awkwardly up into the chimney past chockstones
with fixed slings (awkward 5.8...even with grabbing slings).
Move to the far left side of the chimney and begin squirming.
The key is to keep your back to the flake. Good footholds will
be found on the main wall. The chimney gets easier as you get
higher. Right at the top of the flake, reach back and clip a
couple of bolts before your exit move. Haul the bag on the
outside of the flake. Good 1/2" bolt on the main wall to haul
off of. When following, try to stay outside of the chimney as
long as possible...good luck.
Pitch 17:
The Boot Flake. Great pitch, great exposure. A1 bolt ladder
leads up and left to a short A1 crack with mostly fixed gear.
The Boot Flake is easily aided on #1 and #2 Camalots and a #3.5
Friend. A couple of pieces of fixed gear will be found here.
At the top of the aid section, clip a bolt for directional and
continue up and left to excellent fixed bolts on a nice ledge.
Comfortable bivy for one here. Easy hauling. The pitch is about
100 feet long. The second should tie off short and follow the
pitch on aid until the line stops traversing, then jug the rest
of the pitch.
Pitch 18:
The King Swing. Interesting pitch. Lower out until your
harness is even with the top of the toe of the boot. Does this
make sense? I've heard that you can simply tension to the
first anchor. Not us. Mark had to swing like a maniac to
reach the second pendulum point. The anchor is a single,
partially driven Lost Arrow (I think it's a #6) with a bunch of
slings on it. Again, lower out just enough to tension over to a
left facing corner. The corner has an awkward flare with a
medium-small crack in the back. Free climb (5.9) or pull on gear
up this corner until you can step left and up to the belay
ledge. This belay is situated about 50 feet directly to the
left and around the corner from the top of the Boot Flake.
You must lower the haul bag out here. Medium-easy hauling once
the bag is lowered. Retrieve the lower out line, tie in short to
the lead line and rappel off the top of the Boot with the
lower-out line. Jug up to the second pendulum point and lower
out again, this time using the lead line. Be careful about
getting the ropes snagged here. There are plenty of old
bleached lines stuck here to remind you to keep an eye on your
ropes.
Pitch 19:
Mixed free climbing (5.9) and aid (A1) up a corner/crack
system. Mostly small to medium gear (small aliens, small
nuts). This pitch leads to an overhang (90 feet). Two fixed
pins and a fixed nut are here along with your medium cams for
the hanging belay. This is where the topo indicates to belay.
* Note - I continued up another 20 feet to a fixed pin with a
biner on it. From here I pendulumed to a fixed rope and
continued to grapple my way over to a good fixed belay on the
class 4 ledges before Camp 4. I combined pitch 19 and part of
pitch 20. I ended up at the point marked "haul" on the topo.
We didn't eliminate a pitch, just kind of shifted it. The
hauling sucks here, as we found out. The bag hung-up in a
bunch of grooves and Mark had to go down and free it. It's
probably best to make an additional pitch by belaying under the
overhang. Then continuing up to the top of the corner (60
feet) and lowering down and left to the same anchors where I
ended up. The hauling would be out of harms way.
Pitch 20:
Continue up the corner as described above (small and fixed
gear). Lower down and left to some good fixed anchors. Either
stop and haul here or continue left on questionable class 4
rock. There are some very large loose blocks which if cut
loose would probably kill someone below. Continue left another
50 feet to a decent ledge with fixed gear. Reasonable bivy here
for one or two people. Lower the bag out and follow the class
4 section on belay.
Pitch 21:
A fun pitch. Step left off the belay and up into a right
facing corner (medium cams) with loose flakes. Climb up to and
past a couple of manky bolts (5.9 face...5.7 Gunks face) to
Camp 4 (100 feet). Make sure you clip the the bolt up and
right of Camp 4. This will keep the lead line off a sharp edge
and out of the human shit. Haul from the back of Camp 4.
Difficult to haul the bag onto Camp 4. Lower the bag around the
corner. Good bivy, not that comfortable. It didn't smell too
bad when we were here and there was no shit on the ledges.
* Note - We arrived here at about 4:00 pm and decided to bivy.
We fixed the next pitch and relaxed. Not that much climbing,
but the traversing took a lot out of us. A Spanish team
reached Camp 4 at dark. They had no room to bivy here so they
fixed ropes down to the last belay and stayed there for the
night. It may have been more comfortable than Camp 4. In the
middle of the night I heard something ripping through the air.
A pine cone landed on top of my sleeping bag and scarred the
crap out of me. I thought it was a shit bag! It was a nice
reminder that top isn't too far away. We saw two base jumpers
the next morning. We're kind of used to them now.
Pitch 22:
Climb up and right for about 50 feet until a step right leads to
a very shallow left facing corner. Follow this corner up and back
left to the fixed belay at the base of the Great Roof (90
feet). Small to medium gear and quite a bit of fixed pins.
Lower the bag out. Difficult hauling, lots of stuff for the
bag to get caught on.
Pitch 23:
The Great Roof. Easy, easy aid (A1) up to the Great Roof, mostly
small cams to medium-big nuts. The roof itself is totally
fixed to one free move to the hanging belay (100 feet).
Reasonable fixed gear at the belay. Very easy hauling after the
bag is lowered out. You can put the lower out line away now.
It's a straight shot to the summit from here. The second should
jug up to the roof and then either get a belay or tie off short
while following the roof on aid.
Pitch 24:
The Pancake Flake. Very free climbable for 5.10 (or easy aid).
Medium gear and a bunch of fixed pins and bolts. After the flake,
A1/A2 on small nuts and cams for 30 feet to fixed belay on ledge.
Pitch is about 90 feet long, 5.9/5.10, A1/A2. Easy hauling.
Pitch 25:
Climb up a nasty flare with a small crack in the back. Climb
this (A1 or 5.10+) for about 30 feet until a dike leads left 10
feet to a better crack (#1 Camalot). Follow this crack up and
back right to short a 5.9 flare (#1 Camalots in the back).
After reaching easy ground, Clip a bolt for direction and climb
easily up left and then back right (5.6) to the highest of the
belays at Camp 5 (130 feet, 5.9 A1). Decent fixed anchors.
Medium-easy hauling. Good bivy at about three different spots.
Pitch 26:
Follow a thin crack on aid (A1), past some fixed pins, left of
the main corner for 75 feet to the Glowering Spot. Great
ledge. Great photos. You will switch to the crack in the
corner just before reaching the Glowering Spot. Small nuts for
the thin crack (some small brass nuts) and Camalot Jr's for the
corner near the top of the pitch. Easy hauling.
Pitch 27 & Pitch 28:
Combine these two pitches. A1 up the left facing corner on
medium to big gear (#4 Camalot at one spot). 75 feet to top of
corner (end of pitch 27). Move right easily to a difficult short
step up (5.8) and then move back left to some more free climbing
(5.7) to the highest ledge, Camp 6. Long pitch, about 150 feet.
Try to go back and unclip any gear you place on the 5.8 section
to the right of the main line. It will be much easier for you
and you second.Medium hauling because of the last 50 feet of lower
angle stuff. Great bivy for two. There are decent ledges 30 feet
below Camp 6 for a couple of other people.
* Note - We arrived at Camp 6 around 3:30 pm. We could have
kept going but decided to fix the next two pitches with one
rope and bivy there. The Spaniards jugged our fixed line and
topped out around 11:00 pm that night. Although, Camp 6 is
comfortable, it was like sleeping and eating on the floor of
the men's room in the NY Port Authority...under the urnals. I
can still "taste" the smell. It rained that night and we could
see a thunderstorm moving south to north somewhere the the west
of us. We were pretty scared; not because we might have to
ride out a storm, but the thought of spending another night at
Camp 6 grossed us out so bad that we would have climbed through
a blizzard to get out of there. We were jugging the fixed line
at 6:00 am under cloudy skies.
Pitch 29 & Pitch 30:
We combined these pitches above Camp 6. Free climb up and left
(5.8) for about 30 feet to the start of the double hand
cracks. Aid (A1) up the hand cracks for about 60 feet passing
some fixed pins and a belay station (end of pitch 29) (#1 and #2
Camalots). Continue up to where the hand cracks converge.
Tension right off either a fixed camming unit or a good
knifeblade for about 15 feet to a shallow right facing corner.
Follow this corner (A1) on using very small nuts. There is
quite a bit of fixed gear here (pins and nuts). The crack
opens up to about #1 Camalot size up higher. About 15 feet
before the fixed belay, a thin crack will run straight up to
the anchors. It will be easier to follow the #1 Camalot crack
up left to a point where you can reach back to the right and
clip the belay. Good anchors. You will be just about out of
rope here (160 feet). This is the longest pitch of the route
(5.8 A1). Very easy hauling.
Pitch 31:
Easy aid (A1) on medium gear following a steep right facing
corner/bulge for about 50 feet. Then follow a hand crack up
moderate rock for another 40 feet (5.8 A1) to a very scarry
fixed belay. There is a VERY large boulder teetering on the
brink of cutting loose. It is held in with a bunch of ratty
fixed slings. TRY NOT TO TOUCH IT...YOU MIGHT GET KILLED!
This probably the most dangerous part of the climb. If this
block cuts loose, you will die, your partner will die and you
will most likely kill others on the route below...have fun.
Easy but delicate hauling.
Pitch 32:
Climb ever so gently around the death block to follow a corner
into a secure belay alcove (80 feet, 5.8 A1). 25 feet below
the alcove is another death block. It is very tempting to free
climb by it...do not. This block is about the size of a medium
suitcase and is just sitting on a ledge. I almost cranked up
on to it. I strongly recommend aid climbing by it. It takes a
little longer but is much safer. Tell your second about it.
Easy hauling.
Pitch 33:
Fun climbing out of the alcove on fixed gear (5.9 face or easy
and quick A1). Follow the corner up to the final crack on the
face. This crack widens from small nuts to #2.5 Friends at the
top. Good fixed belay. This pitch is about 70 feet long (5.8
A1). Easy hauling.
Pitch 34:
The last pitch. Easy aid (A1) up the final bolt ladder on
brand new 3/8" bolts. the bolts lead up two overhanging bulges
to a 25 foot traverse to the right. When the bolts end, easy
free climbing (5.3) leads up right and back left to a great
fixed belay (120 feet). Easy hauling until the bag gets to the
edge. VERY difficult to hear your partner. I belayed Mark up
the final pitch after hauling the bag.
Short class 3 pitch to a tree where you can take off your
harness and relax.
* Note - We topped out at 12:00 noon into a thunderstorm, so
instead of attempting the East Ledges rappel decent, we opted
to walk down the Yosemite Falls trail. This trail is about 8
miles long. the first 5 miles are not too bad, but the last 3
miles are murderous decending switchbacks. Just when you think
your'e almost down, you start going back up just to start
decending all over again. It's a week later and I'm still a
little sore from the walk down! It took us five hours to walk
down (2:00 pm - 7:00 pm). I think next time I'll just jump off
the top and try to land in some trees.
Gear List:
2 sets of brass nuts (pitch to the Glowering spot, pitch
above Camp 6..others)
2 sets of wired nuts
2 #0.5 tri-cams (first four pitches)
2 #1.0 tricams (first four pitches)
2 sets Camalots
2 sets Camalot Jr's
1 set of Friends to #4
1 #0 Friend
1 #0.5 Friend
1 each of the three smallest TCU's
1 each of the two smallest aliens
20 full length slings with 2 biners on each sling
20 free biners
6 locking biners (belays, bivys, hauling)
2 nut tools (each person carry one)
1 wall hauler
1 backup pulley
1 haul bag swivel (VERY helpful when the bag rolls)
1 11mm x 50 m lead line
1 11mm x 50 m haul line (good for backup if the lead line gets
damaged)
1 9mm x 50 m lower out line
Conclusions:
Overall, we found the most difficult climbing on the first four
pitches. Sickle Ledge is a bad place to bivy. We made steady
progress on the Stoveleg Cracks because leap-frogging camming
units is easy. We aided about 75% of the stovelegs. Dolt Tower
seems like a nice bivy. El Cap Towers is a great bivy. The Texas
Flake is not too bad. We are Gunks climbers and never do chimneys.
We found the climbing from the top of the Boot Flake to the pitch
before Camp 4 to be a pain because of all the traversing. You can
survive a night at Camp 4. Camp 5 is a better bivy. Camp 6 is a
nice ledge but is a smelly, gross place. The longest pitch on the