EL CAPITAN FIASCO!!!

Winter 1997

by
Cameron McPherson Smith
PHOTO: Here I am conducting an extraordinarily unpleasant series of maneuvers on the descent!! Talk about a drag! I spent half an hour dismantling this nasty tangle caused by a rope which was blown onto -- and hung up on -- a flake 50 feet away!!! Photo by my partner Chiu Liang Kuo.

Well here are some pics and words describing elements of my latest attempt to knock off one of the 50 classics. A great experience, but we didn't get far! Well, next time. For the moment, if you were involved in the flamefest in which I was hammered for publically expressing my disappointment in the outcome of this ascent (what a headache!!!), you may be happy to know that Chiu and I are working on another project together; he will come to Ecuador this July to help build the Manteno which I will sail from Ecuador to Acapulco to Hawaii as part of the Manteno Expedition 1998

Here is a photo of Chiu, somewhere around the Sickle (pitch 4, bivvy 1).

Here is a photo of me at dusk on Dolt Tower (pitch 12, bivvy 2), hours before the 'Night of the Shrieking Winds'.

Just a few thoughts for people contemplating the Nose, which I bailed from a few weeks ago when my partner decided to retreat after a windy night on Dolt Tower (I was extremely disappointed! I felt great and wanted to continue!). Veterans will not neeed this information...it's for semi-experienced climbers contemplating a wall, in particular this wall. Just assorted notes, and some photos.

Harness: If you're as cheap as I am you may try climbing the route in a Black Diamond Alpine-Bod harness. That's what I wore. Very bad idea. Not so bad going up, but rapping with this thing for multiple steep raps just about rearranged some crucial anatomy. Loosening the leg loops helped. Next time I'm on a wall that size I'll wear a more substantial harness! Also, if you're as saftey-conscious as I am, a good idea is to wear a one-inch webing backup...just a loop around the waist, clipped through the central harness beiners. At the very worst, this can save you from the chop if, for example, your headlamp dies on a rap and you fail to notice your harness has become unthreaded or something.

Rapping: I guess I was more disappointed about having to rap 12 pitches than anything else. I detest rappeling. Anyway, you've heard the saftey tips...I'd say stick with them and USE A PRUSSIK SAFTEY ON EACH AND EVERY RAPPEL!. If you are using a sticht plate (what I use) you can make raps more smooth by rapping through two or even three bieners, rather than just one. This really helps. Rapping with the Pig: well, I let my partner do it. I thought it would be better to just have one guy rap, then lower the bag, then rap down, but my partner wanted to go faster and rap with the beast hanging from the central harness biener. i was not willing to do this, it is simply a setup I do not like. Go figure. Anyway, he did all that, and I often gave him a belay with a spare rope for his raps, in case the bulk and complications of the bag made him lose control. We did a few regular raps followed by the second man lowering the haul bag with a belay device. This is my preferred method; Have the first man going down keep the tag line tied to the bottom of the haul bag so he can reel it in. Alternately, clip a sling from the top of the haul bag to one of the rap lines your partner just used (lowering the haulbag with the tag line if it is long enough) to make sure it arrives at his belay station rather than 40 feet off to the side.

Lower-Out Line: We used a 20m section of old 7mm rap line. We did not want to take the full 50m, so i just cut it (also good because i cannot be tempted to use that old ratty line any more for rapping!). The 20m section was fine on up to Dolt. Should be good above as well.

Swivel and Wall-Hauler. Excellent, the wall hauler has replaced the old jumar rigup I used to use. Fast and easy. I clip to the puller line and just use body weight to haul. I bought a 99 cent swivel at a hardware store, sort of a joke compared to the lush 59 dollar swivel made by Rock Exotica. However, Chiu, who has experinece in metallurgy, said the swivel was very good, forged, and would definitely be Ok. I agreed to use it but I hated to have that bag on that little swivel...but it was fine and I saved 59 bucks. The swivel consisted of two d-rings connected on their straight edges by a screw shaft. A nut on each end of the shaft keeps the d-rings on. Nuts are welded onto the shaft ends. Worked like a charm.

Organization: be clear and confident and organized.

Trying the climb in winter: I wanted the experience of a winter wall. I actually felt a little bit 'jipped' (ridiculous, I know) because the weather was fantastic, could not have been better: 40 degrees or so, clear sky. You don't sweat like crazy and keep at a good temperature while aiding. We carried an axe and crampons in the bottom of the pig in case the last pitch, a slab of 5.3 or so, was iced up or snowy. We carried a stove (Gaz with tinned fuel, no spilling of liquid fuel etc as with the MSR we normally use on alpine climbs). We used synthetic bags. I have a sleeping system worked out to perfection: thermarest pad (not inflatable, just a pad), 3/4 length. Use for upper body. from knees down are on backpack or rope or something. Sleeping bag inside goretex bivvy bag (never leaves the bivvy bag so it really cannot get wet). Inside the sleeping bag, space blanket. If it gets really cold, I can get into the body-bag shaped space blanket, which acts as a VBL and is like being in an inferno. We carried an extra sleeping bag. We climbed in shell gear (bibs, jacket) over long-johns. A 'belayer coat' would be good. Still, it was not a winter wall experience. Could have become one at any moment, though....Part of the game!

Ledges; Dolt is a great bivvy. I don't know why people complain about Sickle, to me it was fine. Sloping a little, but I just racked my legs in some loops of rope and was fine. I guess I am used to crummy bivvies, so Sickle seemed pretty nice to me.

Here I am rapping off with ice chips descending from the wall above...It was like being bombed by hardened slurpee-cones! So bring your helmet! Even though any one of these could break your arm, a helmet is better than nothing. Note the 'poop tube' hanging from my harness. What a pleasure to spend all day with that thing lashed to your waist!
Guess that's it!

Good luck, and be organized and powerful and CONFIDENT!

Cameron

p.s. training: heavy work e.g. piano moving, throwing cement, etc.