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Durin
Mar 25, 2009, 8:09 AM
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So, I'll be in Yosemite for one day this week. It's supposed to be sunny, high 65, low 38.
My climbing partner and I were planning to do the East Buttress of Middle Cathedral. Is this going to be ridiculously cold, and possibly covered in snow/ice?
What else is of similar commitment/length/difficulty that might be south-facing? My only thoughts are EB of El Cap (a bit harder, also, horsetail falls? Then, Royal Arches + Crest Jewel?)
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silascl
Mar 25, 2009, 5:45 PM
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If you don't get any answers here, try http://supertopo.com/climbing/forum.html
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sspssp
Mar 25, 2009, 5:57 PM
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Finding long, dry routes in Yosemite in March can be a challenge.
On a nice sunny day that isn't too windy, EB of middle won't be too cold. There could be wet sections on the route. The descent gully will have snow/water in it. Doable but not pleasant.
EB of ElCap is a bad choice. Too easy to get hammered by horse tail falls when the afternoon wind picks up.
Freeblast (first 10 pitches of Salathe) might be a good choice (and you can rap the route if any given pitch shuts you down). It will be cold until the sun hits around mid-morning.
The nose could be another option. As long as there are no parties hauling (not too many parties in March) and as long as you don't mind some aid, you can climb up as high as you can get and then start rapping down.
Most long stuff like Royal Arches have section that has water cascading on it.
Nutcracker is shorter/easier but it is sunny. The third pitch 5.7 lieback will be wet, but this probably only makes it 5.9 or so. The rest of the route is usually dry.
Commitment/Sellenegella is another possibility to consider. The base of this route gets early morning sun. The 2 pitch of Commitment has a runnout 5.6 slab that will have wet spots, but you can usually climb between them. The rest of the route is usually dry. If it gets really windy, you can get a cold/wettish breeze from Yosemite falls.
(This post was edited by sspssp on Mar 25, 2009, 6:18 PM)
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majid_sabet
Mar 25, 2009, 6:01 PM
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what is your climbing ability ?
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cclarke
Mar 25, 2009, 6:15 PM
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If I had just one day in March with those conditions, I'd spend it at the Cookie or on the El Cap base routes. But any south facing crag would do fine.
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dingus
Mar 25, 2009, 6:33 PM
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Durin wrote: So, I'll be in Yosemite for one day this week. It's supposed to be sunny, high 65, low 38. My climbing partner and I were planning to do the East Buttress of Middle Cathedral. Is this going to be ridiculously cold, and possibly covered in snow/ice? What else is of similar commitment/length/difficulty that might be south-facing? My only thoughts are EB of El Cap (a bit harder, also, horsetail falls? Then, Royal Arches + Crest Jewel?)
It snowed down to the valley floor last Sunday though I'm guessing the lower stuff is mostly melted out.
EB Middle is doable enough in the spring. The problem is the descent. Many a climber has come to woe the early season ascent of this route as they stand atop a thousand foot tall gully choked with season-long rock hard snow. Turns a fairly straight forward descent into a friggin epic.
Angus and I were contemplating an early season ascent one day. I was up for it but had read in the past not so distant to that day, of just an epic.
"If you don't mind, let's drive on past and see if we can see up the gully from higher in the valley."
Well we did, we could and it was CHOKED with snow, bottom to top.
We elected to climb Arrowhead Arete that day. While it is not of similar length (hald that) of E Butt, the overall package of approach climb and descent makes it the more serious climb, imo.
Serenity/Sons of Yesterday is the classic (crowded) winter grade III sun facing climb. Rap the route.
Absolutely Free to Hawkman's Escape is another (grade IV) that climbs OK when snow is present. Again south facing. The Hawkman's portion of this climb is quite serious for the grade, don't jump on it lightly.
E Butt El Cap - horsetail falls is running. When the afternoon breeze kicks in the falls drench the route. The patina of the face pitch down low on the route is a result of this drenching.
There just isn't a lot of non-epic long routing to be done in the Valley when the snow is settled in. Plenty to epic on though, if you're game.
Just don't forget the descents. They are typically in dark shaded couloirs and gullys and hold snow well after the open faces are in the clear.
I've seen snow in the Cathedral gully in late June btw. Probably not this year however,
Oh, going over the top of middle instead of down the gully, and up and around to Higher and then down past the Braille Book? Epic as well.
Cheers
DMT
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sspssp
Mar 25, 2009, 6:40 PM
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Serinity/Sons is one to consider, but the first 25' or so of Serinity will be wet and it doesn't take any pro. It is not as hard as it looks, but unless you are solid on 10a pin scars, I would want to have lead it in a dry condition before climbing it when wet.
Going over the top of middle, over the top of upper, and taking the NEB/Braille book descent isn't that bad. I did this after climbing North Buttress (instead of the catwalk) and it is a bit of a hike, but not epic. However, if you haven't done NEB or Braille book, I'm not sure I would really recommend it either. The snowy descent down middle gulley would be a lot worse without ever having done it in dry condition also.
Absolutely Free is a bit obscure. I like this route and have always been puzzled it wasn't a little more popular. But I've never tried it in early season.
(This post was edited by sspssp on Mar 25, 2009, 6:41 PM)
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mr_rogers
Mar 25, 2009, 7:33 PM
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Did the EB of MC in mid march last year. We had belay parkas and warm clothes with us, but only wore them while racking up and belaying on the first pitch. Much of the climb was done in t-shirts.
The descent, as has been pointed out, required some attention. The path to the descent gully had large sections that were covered in hard spring snow. We actually roped up and 4th classed much of this as we were in sneakers and if you slipped you weren't likely to stop. The gully itself was also filled with snow, and although low angle we ended up rapping most of it. We probably would have been fine had we brought aluminum crampons. Finally, watch out for ice-fall coming down the gully from up high.
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shimanilami
Mar 25, 2009, 8:26 PM
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No offense, Durin, but your profile says you only lead 5.9 trad. That route can be an epic for 5.9 leaders even in perfect conditions. And this will be your first trip to the valley this year, I presume, so you're rusty.
Again, no offense, but I'd hate to see you become one of Majid's victims clients. Perhaps you should pick something else.
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shimanilami
Mar 25, 2009, 8:29 PM
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By the way, last year was a very dry year. I was on El Cap seven times in the first 3 months alone. This year has been quite a bit wetter, so I don't know how much you can take from last year's experience.
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majid_sabet
Mar 25, 2009, 8:44 PM
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shimanilami wrote: No offense, Durin, but your profile says you only lead 5.9 trad. That route can be an epic for 5.9 leaders even in perfect conditions. And this will be your first trip to the valley this year, I presume, so you're rusty. Again, no offense, but I'd hate to see you become one of Majid's victims clients. Perhaps you should pick something else.
mine says 5.6 so what
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shimanilami
Mar 25, 2009, 8:48 PM
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majid_sabet wrote: shimanilami wrote: No offense, Durin, but your profile says you only lead 5.9 trad. That route can be an epic for 5.9 leaders even in perfect conditions. And this will be your first trip to the valley this year, I presume, so you're rusty. Again, no offense, but I'd hate to see you become one of Majid's victims clients. Perhaps you should pick something else. mine says 5.6 so what
Be honest, Majid. 5.6 is a bit of a stretch for you.
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majid_sabet
Mar 25, 2009, 8:53 PM
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shimanilami wrote: majid_sabet wrote: shimanilami wrote: No offense, Durin, but your profile says you only lead 5.9 trad. That route can be an epic for 5.9 leaders even in perfect conditions. And this will be your first trip to the valley this year, I presume, so you're rusty. Again, no offense, but I'd hate to see you become one of Majid's victims clients. Perhaps you should pick something else. mine says 5.6 so what Be honest, Majid. 5.6 is a bit of a stretch for you.
I have heard that valley offers few 5.8 that are among the most dangerous climbs .
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Hammertoes
Mar 29, 2009, 4:42 AM
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Snow is melting fast. Rocks are always cold in am. But the arm pump you'll get if this is your first trip will take care of it. enjoy the ride.
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Durin
Mar 29, 2009, 4:51 AM
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We ended up cragging on the north side of the valley -- EB of MC looked like it was in the sun but then got hit by a little storm in the late afternoon. The descent gully did look pretty full of snow.
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