Anna and me decided to make a trip to Yosemite and try our hand at bigwalling. The post below describes our first attempt. This is our second effort. This photo sums up the effort beautifully and not just because Anna is in the shot. :)These photos were from a generic disposable camera which I smashed open on accident. Pretty bad quality but the subject matter makes up for it!
My second trip to the valley was an eye opener. 4 years ago my first time was with my usual attitude to climbing: I showed up with little more than a desire to climb some things and have a lot of fun. I thought I might try Astroman. I walked into to camp 4 with my gear and paid little attention to the sign that said CAMP FULL. I left my bag at the empty booth and strolled through camp. Within 5 minutes I ran into a mate I had met from Squamish. He told me the ins and outs of the camping and hooked me up with a camp site. I never climbed Astroman that trip but I had lots of fun. I climbed long routes every day, then got pissed on Cobras and passed out by the camp fire through the Autumn. I eventually climbed the Rostrum route and Astroman was on the cards, but I left the valley for Joshua tree where I met up with a naked fire spinner and her infamous straight jacket.
This trip I was determined to climb the Freerider. A couple years ago I had a big climbing day with Jakey B from tassie before he went to the valley and he ended up smashing the route when he got there. When he got back, he said I would probably have a good shot at it... Even after he had "altered" one of the crux pitches by breaking off a hold.
After our first botched effort followed by more crap weather we went up as soon as it stopped raining. The route was wet and I ended up pulling on gear or properly aiding 12 of the pitches. I swore some were impossible because of the wet. As usually happens in climbing, as soon as you swear its impossible some swiss guy who has the build of an action doll comes behind you and frees it onsight.
This was our bivy at the round table. Must be nice with a portaledge. We strung up a rope like a web with our asses hanging over a 800 metre drop. Kinda comfy!
5 
on the hollow flake for an evening of Glasnost with the Russians. Nostrovia! We shared the Hollow Flake and the Block bivy with these guys. Very nice. It was interesting to hear them screaming profanities at each other in Russian.
Anna-V led the last pitch and in keeping with the style of our ascent AIDED the 5.6 move to the top!
After five days on the wall we summited El Capitan! Cedar Wright (who we met in Arapiles) took the shot and it was a cool little moment. He was working golden gate and living on the top with his mate Nick.
WARNING: ETHICS RANT BELOW! DO NOT READ IF EASILY BORED!
After me and Anna climbed the Freerider, I took a few days off then went up again with Tobias Wolf from Dresden. We hauled to heart and slept. Woke up at 4AM and got to the spire in one day with no falls. I didnt free four pitches but Tobias freed everything. The dihedral was top roped and he got the boulder pitch in 2 shots after top rope. Finished in 3 days. It was fun... Escept the part where I threatened to kill him. Not really, but their were moments of tension.
I recently watched Blood Sweat and Bagels again to show my mom some of what we climbed. I had forgotten just how badly they got pummeled! Not that we didnt get our buts kicked as well, it's just reassuring to see real "rock climbers" struggle on this route. Freeing el cap is not easy. "No shit", you say? Well "Ingvar Says" Freerider is pretty much a trade route. Now this is interesting.
In BS&B these fellas originally had their little hearts set on the Salathe route. They abseiled in and top roped the headwall. This is not terribly controversial. The fact that some climbers have gone for the onsight or at least ground up ascent is inspiring, but the way the poms did it is the way most people(almost everyone)who wants a realistic chance of freeing Salathe will approach the route. However, they went up freeblast then rapped off and came back to haul up. Eventually they gave up on the idea of Salathe and went for Freerider. Not a big deal, but read on and you will see my point.
Not to talk too much shit about this, but Zac V from the Blue Mountains tried the salathe ground up the first time he was in the valley. He didnt free it but he tried. Hats off. Why is this a big deal? Cuz their was alot of people who rapped by us or jugged passed us to get to pitches in the middle of el cap so they could "work" them for a one day ascent. This last season in the valley opened my eyes to the fact that it still takes the best climbers in the world to free el cap ground up. Freerider IS NOT a trade route. There were probably less than a dozen teams to free El Cap in various styles while I was there. A few of those were one day ascents after heaps of working the route, stashed gear, etc. Zac V. sent Freerider this trip with one fall going from the ground and leading every pitch.
The point of this rant is a BIG congrats to Lee and Lowry, Jake and Ben, and Zac V. for the ground up sends. Folks in the valley are still talking about their visits. After I send Freerider I may try for a day ascent as well. Its kind of strange that there were very few people freeing el cap this season. Maybe it is too easy to even bother with!
see ya later kids!
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