6 ms·

On El Capitan’s Dawn Wall, Climb Thought to Be Toughest Progresses Slowly

100 points by wallflower 12y ago

baddox 12y ago
Does anyone have a source with more technical details about the climb, the gear they use, the route they take, etc.? I have no experience rock climbing other than belaying once for a friend, but I know several climbers so I have caught onto the excitement.
- jonah 12y ago
  Here's a piece about the legendary Bill Denz doing the Dawn Wall in 1978. http://www.alpinist.com/doc/web13s/wfeature-bill-denz http://www.alpinist.com/doc/web13s/wfeature-bill-denz (Alpinist is an awesome mag btw.)
- msds 12y ago
  Can't find any particularly good sources, but the comment section of [1] has good information on the route (essentially, winding around "Mescalito", a classic aid route) and well-informed speculation on the gear. Essentially a pretty standard setup for hard free climbing on big walls - trad, augmented with a mix of bolts and fixed gear. [1] http://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/t.php?t=605685 http://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/t.php?t=605685
- renglis 12y ago
  Gripped: http://gripped.com/news/big-push-dawn-wall/ http://gripped.com/news/big-push-dawn-wall/ Rock and Ice: http://www.rockandice.com/lates-news/dawn-wall-update-caldwell-and-jorgeson-both-send-crux-pitch http://www.rockandice.com/lates-news/dawn-wall-update-caldwe... SuperTopo (like HN for climbers): http://www.supertopo.com/climbing/thread.php?topic_id=2530960 http://www.supertopo.com/climbing/thread.php?topic_id=253096...
- narenst 12y ago
  This blog post explains the different pitches and their progress day-by-day. It gives the difficulty of each pitch. http://eveningsends.com/climbing/like-dawn-tommy-caldwell-kevin-jorgeson/ http://eveningsends.com/climbing/like-dawn-tommy-caldwell-ke... Climbing big walls (that take multiple days) is a big logistical problem. This page explains the basics of big wall climbing climbing including planning and gear. http://www.climbing.com/skill/your-first-big-wall/ http://www.climbing.com/skill/your-first-big-wall/
- Cogito 12y ago
  ElCap Reports also has some nice commentary and lots of great photos. Seems a little light on the technical details you want but there is plenty of interest there. http://www.elcapreport.com/ http://www.elcapreport.com/
- Intermernet 12y ago
  Climbing Magazine: http://www.climbing.com/news/dawn-wall-four-5-14-pitches-down-two-to-go/ http://www.climbing.com/news/dawn-wall-four-5-14-pitches-dow... Evening Sends (seems to have more info than anywhere else): http://eveningsends.com/climbing/like-dawn-tommy-caldwell-kevin-jorgeson/ http://eveningsends.com/climbing/like-dawn-tommy-caldwell-ke...
Intermernet 12y ago
For anyone after numbers supporting the claim that this may be the worlds hardest free climb, consider this. The hardest climbs in the world (using US grading system) are graded 5.15c . These currently exist as isolated pitches of less than 150 feet. The Dawn Wall has 19 pitches (15 have now been completed). at least 6 of these pitches are graded 5.14 and above, and most of the remainder are 5.13 . These are all very hard pitches. The overall difficulty of a multi-pitch climb (using the US grading system) isn't really based on the grade of the hardest pitch. Completing this climb is the equivalent of doing 19 very hard climbs in a row, with 6 of them being accessible to a handful of very dedicated climbers in the world. Here's some videos from 2013 (yes, they've been working on this for a very long time) http://www.rockandice.com/lates-news/exclusive-dawn-wall-project-videos-sharma-caldwell-jorgeson http://www.rockandice.com/lates-news/exclusive-dawn-wall-pro...
- nether 12y ago
  Also, 5.10 used to be considered the hardest climb humanly possible. Today, 5.12 is achievable by many climbers after years of practice. 5.14 routes are doable by a small subset, this is where anatomy and sheer innate talent begin to elevate the elite from the hard workers. Beyond 5.14, it's the best of the super climbers who also have some amount of luck in that they had the right nerves and physical preparation to dyno a 5.15 move once, but perhaps not every time. These are the climbs that can't be consistently repeated successfully even by the best.
  - steveax 12y ago
    Every grade at some point is considered the hardest, but what I suspect you're referring to is the Yosemite Decimal System [1] which postulated 5.9 as the hardest grade possible (5.1 and 5.10 are the same from a numeric point of view). I always thought the Australian system (start at one and go up) made the most sense, but the context the the British grading system [2] provides is wonderful. [1]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yosemite_Decimal_System http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yosemite_Decimal_System [2]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grade_(climbing)#British http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grade_(climbing)#British
- 12y ago
ryannevius 12y ago
For some good background on Tommy, and the project, here's a quick video overview: https://vimeo.com/58005535 https://vimeo.com/58005535
jonah 12y ago
Rock & Ice has some daily videos which give a nice first-hand view of the situation: http://vimeo.com/rockandice/videos http://vimeo.com/rockandice/videos
hammerdr 12y ago
http://www.supertopo.com/inc/photo_zoom.php?dpid=Ojg7PjwgICEjLQ http://www.supertopo.com/inc/photo_zoom.php?dpid=Ojg7PjwgICE... [Warning: beta] That's a pretty good breakdown of the route. One of them completed pitch 15 yesterday and today were mapping out pitch 16 / continuing pitch 15. There's contention over whether 15 or 16 is more difficult :) Pitch 16 is the dyno pitch (video of him dyno-ing: http://vimeo.com/80908548 http://vimeo.com/80908548) though it sounds like they might be doing a workaround to not have to do the dyno (they think its hard to do consistently.. for obvious reasons). http://instagram.com/p/xb6x5Oj5dz http://instagram.com/p/xb6x5Oj5dz - a picture of how high and exposed they are on El Cap. And, more information just if you're still wanting to listen to a climbing nerd. Free climbing means that they climb without "aid" - e.g. nothing is pulling them up the wall but themselves. They still use ropes and other devices for protection. Pitch is a "section" like the article says, but you have to climb between these sections before you get any rest. Otherwise, you have to stayed glued to the wall on your own power. Once you get there, you set up camp and wait for the other person to climb up to you. Up you go the next pitch, etc. etc. Dyno is a move that requires a person to leave solid contact with the wall and move to another place. This is usually seen as a leap from one hand hold to the next hand hold. Traverse is a lateral, not upward movement. Yosemite is one of the world's premiere Big Wall locations. To do this in this place is iconic. Climbing can be very much like (a very physical) puzzle game. Especially for long climbs. You need the right gear, the right moves, the right body position, etc. in order to keep going. It's both mentally and physically taxing.
- Intermernet 12y ago
  That dyno is one of the best ever :-) I think Malcolm Matheson on Mirage comes close though: http://www.chockstone.org/Interviews/SCarter/hb3.jpg http://www.chockstone.org/Interviews/SCarter/hb3.jpg
beefman 12y ago
It must be Caldwell's left hand shown in the inset "Caldwell accidentally sawed off much of his left index finger with a table saw in 2001. Doctors were able to reattach the severed portion, but Caldwell subsequently had it removed so as not to hinder his climbing career." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_Caldwell http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_Caldwell
sgrytoyr 12y ago
Fantastic achievement if they pull it off. Incidentally, Alex Honnold, one of the climbers interviewed in the article, is the star of one of the most frightening videos I have ever seen - him free-soloing El Sendero Luminoso: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Phl82D57P58 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Phl82D57P58 Even though I know perfectly well that nobody fell to their death on that climb, and have done a fair bit of climbing myself, I can’t watch this video without having a powerful physical reaction. It’s mind-boggling what some people are capable of.
- gojomo 12y ago
  Notable, also: the risk of free-solo climbing has scared off a corporate sponsor (Clif Bar) of Honnold and others. http://www.outsideonline.com/news-from-the-field/Report-Clif-Bar-Fires-its-Riskiest-Sponsored-Climbers.html http://www.outsideonline.com/news-from-the-field/Report-Clif...
  - nborgo 12y ago
    Alex wrote about the topic after losing that sponsorship: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/20/opinion/the-calculus-of-climbing-at-the-edge.html http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/20/opinion/the-calculus-of-cl... It's a nice, quick read. Especially if you're even vaguely interested in climbing.
- InclinedPlane 12y ago
  That's an impressive achievement. El Sendero Luminoso is rated a 5.12d V climb. For those who don't know, back in the mid 20th century when climbing started becoming very popular they invented the "Yosemite Decimal System" for rating climbs, 5.9 was considered the most difficult class possible. However, climbing improved and starting in the '70s or so people were able to climb routes that were much more difficult than 5.9s, so they just extended the scale. But whereas 5.9 is just one level, 5.10 is actually 4 separate classes (5.10a-d), as is 5.11. That gives you a sense of how difficult (technically beyond impossible from the perspective of a 1960s era climber) a 5.12d class climb is. Additionally, the V grade indicates that it is normally considered a 2 day climb. Honnold's climb is simply astounding.
cromulent 12y ago
Inspiring stuff. Such a pity that it is illegal to jump those Yosemite walls.
arethuza 12y ago
Although not on the same scale, some climbs on Hoy in Orkney at the far north of the UK were originally done as multi-day aid climbs in the 60s. Here is a trailer of a film for Dave MacLeod free climbing one of these routes a few years back: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Ds5LZel0WU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Ds5LZel0WU
mbostleman 12y ago
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/05/0528_030528_rockclimbers.html http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/05/0528_030528_... An interesting side note about Caldwell is that he was held hostage, along with others, by rebels in Kyrgyzstan in 2000 while climbing there. He pushed a captor off the side of the mountain which led to their escape. Bad ass.
spuz 12y ago
I've been following Tommy and Kevin's progress closely on www.elcapreport.com, and one thing that fascinates me is how much travelling up and down the wall the two climbers make beyond the scope of the actual ascent. For example, before attempting a single pitch, Kevin has been moving up the pitch on a rope in order to tic the holds (place small chalk marks beside them to make them visible). Also, having successfully climbed a pitch, they might abseil back down to the camp from the previous night to rest before moving up again the next day. Or Tommy might go up to help a cameraman get set up in a position before going back down and attempting a pitch. In order words, their progress is not necessarily measured by their position on the wall, but rather the sequential 'freeing' of each pitch in turn with all kinds of logistics involved in between. It's very different from say mountain climbing, but of course at this level, there is probably no other way that it can be done.
peterwwillis 12y ago
Some of the most interesting aspects of climbing to me are the mental and physical challenges that humans continue to plow through. I mean, look at free solo climbing. You have to be so confident of your physical endurance, mental endurance and climbing skill that you are absolutely certain you will not fail, and then rely on sheer adrenaline to get through any rough spots. This after completely ignoring routine problems such as weather changes, holds breaking, animals/insects, physical injury, etc. How is it even possible for us to accomplish this physically, much less to work past the fear and uncertainty and keep the mind focused enough to work on complicated problems and accomplish a challenging task? Other animals have no difficulty climbing walls. But typically they have some kind of natural advantage that helps them scale the nearly sheer surfaces... scales to provide friction, nails to dig into tiny pits, a high strength to weight ratio, hard friction-y pads and tough keratin hooves. Of course, we couldn't get very far without our specially designed climbing shoes, but even without shoes we still manage to lumber our weak, squishy bodies up complicated pitches. And the real kicker is we don't do it to avoid predators or reach food stores; we just feel like climbing.
lotsofmangos 12y ago
I watched people climbing El Capitan when I visited Yosemite. Anyone who manages to get up that cliff face by climbing by any method is amazing. What these guys are doing is right at the limit.
songgao 12y ago
Daily updates from Tommy's wife: http://tommyandbecca.blogspot.com/ http://tommyandbecca.blogspot.com/ edit: pronoun

100 points by wallflower 12y ago

Does anyone have a source with more technical details about the climb, the gear they use, the route they take, etc.? I have no experience rock climbing other than belaying once for a friend, but I know several climbers so I have caught onto the excitement.

jonah 12y ago
Here's a piece about the legendary Bill Denz doing the Dawn Wall in 1978. http://www.alpinist.com/doc/web13s/wfeature-bill-denz http://www.alpinist.com/doc/web13s/wfeature-bill-denz (Alpinist is an awesome mag btw.)
msds 12y ago
Can't find any particularly good sources, but the comment section of [1] has good information on the route (essentially, winding around "Mescalito", a classic aid route) and well-informed speculation on the gear. Essentially a pretty standard setup for hard free climbing on big walls - trad, augmented with a mix of bolts and fixed gear. [1] http://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/t.php?t=605685 http://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/t.php?t=605685
renglis 12y ago
Gripped: http://gripped.com/news/big-push-dawn-wall/ http://gripped.com/news/big-push-dawn-wall/ Rock and Ice: http://www.rockandice.com/lates-news/dawn-wall-update-caldwell-and-jorgeson-both-send-crux-pitch http://www.rockandice.com/lates-news/dawn-wall-update-caldwe... SuperTopo (like HN for climbers): http://www.supertopo.com/climbing/thread.php?topic_id=2530960 http://www.supertopo.com/climbing/thread.php?topic_id=253096...
narenst 12y ago
This blog post explains the different pitches and their progress day-by-day. It gives the difficulty of each pitch. http://eveningsends.com/climbing/like-dawn-tommy-caldwell-kevin-jorgeson/ http://eveningsends.com/climbing/like-dawn-tommy-caldwell-ke... Climbing big walls (that take multiple days) is a big logistical problem. This page explains the basics of big wall climbing climbing including planning and gear. http://www.climbing.com/skill/your-first-big-wall/ http://www.climbing.com/skill/your-first-big-wall/
Cogito 12y ago
ElCap Reports also has some nice commentary and lots of great photos. Seems a little light on the technical details you want but there is plenty of interest there. http://www.elcapreport.com/ http://www.elcapreport.com/
Intermernet 12y ago
Climbing Magazine: http://www.climbing.com/news/dawn-wall-four-5-14-pitches-down-two-to-go/ http://www.climbing.com/news/dawn-wall-four-5-14-pitches-dow... Evening Sends (seems to have more info than anywhere else): http://eveningsends.com/climbing/like-dawn-tommy-caldwell-kevin-jorgeson/ http://eveningsends.com/climbing/like-dawn-tommy-caldwell-ke...

Intermernet 12y ago

For anyone after numbers supporting the claim that this may be the worlds hardest free climb, consider this. The hardest climbs in the world (using US grading system) are graded 5.15c . These currently exist as isolated pitches of less than 150 feet. The Dawn Wall has 19 pitches (15 have now been completed). at least 6 of these pitches are graded 5.14 and above, and most of the remainder are 5.13 . These are all very hard pitches. The overall difficulty of a multi-pitch climb (using the US grading system) isn't really based on the grade of the hardest pitch. Completing this climb is the equivalent of doing 19 very hard climbs in a row, with 6 of them being accessible to a handful of very dedicated climbers in the world. Here's some videos from 2013 (yes, they've been working on this for a very long time) http://www.rockandice.com/lates-news/exclusive-dawn-wall-project-videos-sharma-caldwell-jorgeson http://www.rockandice.com/lates-news/exclusive-dawn-wall-pro...

nether 12y ago
Also, 5.10 used to be considered the hardest climb humanly possible. Today, 5.12 is achievable by many climbers after years of practice. 5.14 routes are doable by a small subset, this is where anatomy and sheer innate talent begin to elevate the elite from the hard workers. Beyond 5.14, it's the best of the super climbers who also have some amount of luck in that they had the right nerves and physical preparation to dyno a 5.15 move once, but perhaps not every time. These are the climbs that can't be consistently repeated successfully even by the best.
- steveax 12y ago
  Every grade at some point is considered the hardest, but what I suspect you're referring to is the Yosemite Decimal System [1] which postulated 5.9 as the hardest grade possible (5.1 and 5.10 are the same from a numeric point of view). I always thought the Australian system (start at one and go up) made the most sense, but the context the the British grading system [2] provides is wonderful. [1]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yosemite_Decimal_System http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yosemite_Decimal_System [2]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grade_(climbing)#British http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grade_(climbing)#British
12y ago

ryannevius 12y ago

For some good background on Tommy, and the project, here's a quick video overview: https://vimeo.com/58005535 https://vimeo.com/58005535

jonah 12y ago

Rock & Ice has some daily videos which give a nice first-hand view of the situation: http://vimeo.com/rockandice/videos http://vimeo.com/rockandice/videos

hammerdr 12y ago

http://www.supertopo.com/inc/photo_zoom.php?dpid=Ojg7PjwgICEjLQ http://www.supertopo.com/inc/photo_zoom.php?dpid=Ojg7PjwgICE... [Warning: beta] That's a pretty good breakdown of the route. One of them completed pitch 15 yesterday and today were mapping out pitch 16 / continuing pitch 15. There's contention over whether 15 or 16 is more difficult :) Pitch 16 is the dyno pitch (video of him dyno-ing: http://vimeo.com/80908548 http://vimeo.com/80908548) though it sounds like they might be doing a workaround to not have to do the dyno (they think its hard to do consistently.. for obvious reasons). http://instagram.com/p/xb6x5Oj5dz http://instagram.com/p/xb6x5Oj5dz - a picture of how high and exposed they are on El Cap. And, more information just if you're still wanting to listen to a climbing nerd. Free climbing means that they climb without "aid" - e.g. nothing is pulling them up the wall but themselves. They still use ropes and other devices for protection. Pitch is a "section" like the article says, but you have to climb between these sections before you get any rest. Otherwise, you have to stayed glued to the wall on your own power. Once you get there, you set up camp and wait for the other person to climb up to you. Up you go the next pitch, etc. etc. Dyno is a move that requires a person to leave solid contact with the wall and move to another place. This is usually seen as a leap from one hand hold to the next hand hold. Traverse is a lateral, not upward movement. Yosemite is one of the world's premiere Big Wall locations. To do this in this place is iconic. Climbing can be very much like (a very physical) puzzle game. Especially for long climbs. You need the right gear, the right moves, the right body position, etc. in order to keep going. It's both mentally and physically taxing.

Intermernet 12y ago
That dyno is one of the best ever :-) I think Malcolm Matheson on Mirage comes close though: http://www.chockstone.org/Interviews/SCarter/hb3.jpg http://www.chockstone.org/Interviews/SCarter/hb3.jpg

beefman 12y ago

It must be Caldwell's left hand shown in the inset "Caldwell accidentally sawed off much of his left index finger with a table saw in 2001. Doctors were able to reattach the severed portion, but Caldwell subsequently had it removed so as not to hinder his climbing career." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_Caldwell http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_Caldwell

sgrytoyr 12y ago

Fantastic achievement if they pull it off. Incidentally, Alex Honnold, one of the climbers interviewed in the article, is the star of one of the most frightening videos I have ever seen - him free-soloing El Sendero Luminoso: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Phl82D57P58 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Phl82D57P58 Even though I know perfectly well that nobody fell to their death on that climb, and have done a fair bit of climbing myself, I can’t watch this video without having a powerful physical reaction. It’s mind-boggling what some people are capable of.

gojomo 12y ago
Notable, also: the risk of free-solo climbing has scared off a corporate sponsor (Clif Bar) of Honnold and others. http://www.outsideonline.com/news-from-the-field/Report-Clif-Bar-Fires-its-Riskiest-Sponsored-Climbers.html http://www.outsideonline.com/news-from-the-field/Report-Clif...
- nborgo 12y ago
  Alex wrote about the topic after losing that sponsorship: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/20/opinion/the-calculus-of-climbing-at-the-edge.html http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/20/opinion/the-calculus-of-cl... It's a nice, quick read. Especially if you're even vaguely interested in climbing.
InclinedPlane 12y ago
That's an impressive achievement. El Sendero Luminoso is rated a 5.12d V climb. For those who don't know, back in the mid 20th century when climbing started becoming very popular they invented the "Yosemite Decimal System" for rating climbs, 5.9 was considered the most difficult class possible. However, climbing improved and starting in the '70s or so people were able to climb routes that were much more difficult than 5.9s, so they just extended the scale. But whereas 5.9 is just one level, 5.10 is actually 4 separate classes (5.10a-d), as is 5.11. That gives you a sense of how difficult (technically beyond impossible from the perspective of a 1960s era climber) a 5.12d class climb is. Additionally, the V grade indicates that it is normally considered a 2 day climb. Honnold's climb is simply astounding.

cromulent 12y ago

Inspiring stuff. Such a pity that it is illegal to jump those Yosemite walls.

arethuza 12y ago

Although not on the same scale, some climbs on Hoy in Orkney at the far north of the UK were originally done as multi-day aid climbs in the 60s. Here is a trailer of a film for Dave MacLeod free climbing one of these routes a few years back: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Ds5LZel0WU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Ds5LZel0WU

mbostleman 12y ago

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/05/0528_030528_rockclimbers.html http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/05/0528_030528_... An interesting side note about Caldwell is that he was held hostage, along with others, by rebels in Kyrgyzstan in 2000 while climbing there. He pushed a captor off the side of the mountain which led to their escape. Bad ass.

spuz 12y ago

I've been following Tommy and Kevin's progress closely on www.elcapreport.com, and one thing that fascinates me is how much travelling up and down the wall the two climbers make beyond the scope of the actual ascent. For example, before attempting a single pitch, Kevin has been moving up the pitch on a rope in order to tic the holds (place small chalk marks beside them to make them visible). Also, having successfully climbed a pitch, they might abseil back down to the camp from the previous night to rest before moving up again the next day. Or Tommy might go up to help a cameraman get set up in a position before going back down and attempting a pitch. In order words, their progress is not necessarily measured by their position on the wall, but rather the sequential 'freeing' of each pitch in turn with all kinds of logistics involved in between. It's very different from say mountain climbing, but of course at this level, there is probably no other way that it can be done.

peterwwillis 12y ago

Some of the most interesting aspects of climbing to me are the mental and physical challenges that humans continue to plow through. I mean, look at free solo climbing. You have to be so confident of your physical endurance, mental endurance and climbing skill that you are absolutely certain you will not fail, and then rely on sheer adrenaline to get through any rough spots. This after completely ignoring routine problems such as weather changes, holds breaking, animals/insects, physical injury, etc. How is it even possible for us to accomplish this physically, much less to work past the fear and uncertainty and keep the mind focused enough to work on complicated problems and accomplish a challenging task? Other animals have no difficulty climbing walls. But typically they have some kind of natural advantage that helps them scale the nearly sheer surfaces... scales to provide friction, nails to dig into tiny pits, a high strength to weight ratio, hard friction-y pads and tough keratin hooves. Of course, we couldn't get very far without our specially designed climbing shoes, but even without shoes we still manage to lumber our weak, squishy bodies up complicated pitches. And the real kicker is we don't do it to avoid predators or reach food stores; we just feel like climbing.

lotsofmangos 12y ago

I watched people climbing El Capitan when I visited Yosemite. Anyone who manages to get up that cliff face by climbing by any method is amazing. What these guys are doing is right at the limit.

songgao 12y ago

Daily updates from Tommy's wife: http://tommyandbecca.blogspot.com/ http://tommyandbecca.blogspot.com/ edit: pronoun