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scottglasberg
Apr 20, 2004, 3:13 AM
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It's incredibly hard to climb without the convenience of your own car. A real priveledge is having one of your parents climbing. If you really want to climb one of El Cap's routes you're obviously going to have to train extensively. With no prior of those walls it's hard to reach that level in such a short period of time. Train for a while. Training is key. Get experience, and don't always shoot for the glory that may arise in others, do it for yourself. Records are great, but records are earned. -17 yr old Scott Glasberg
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bobby_s
Apr 20, 2004, 3:27 AM
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5 grand. That's pretty absurd. You need a double set of cams with a few extras thrown in, stoppers, some aiders or slings/tied webbing and make your own aiders, two ropes. You could definately fill this bill for less than a grand.
Clove hitch works fine so you don't need grigi, soloist, silent partner, etc.
Portaledges and haul bags often go really cheap in the valley as does all the gear listed above. A hammock costs only a few bucks. Climb the Nose (not the best route to solo) but you can sleep on the ledges).
You can live in the valley for under 50 bucks a month. I have lived there for a few dollars a month. Beer (which might not be an issue for a 15 year old) always seems to be the biggest overhead.
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scottglasberg
Apr 20, 2004, 3:56 AM
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hey any notary boulders in Yosemite..? Im not a wall climber but I would love to live in Yosemite and climb some boulders.. Let me know. -Scott Glasberg
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thebiznisguy
Apr 20, 2004, 3:59 AM
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I'm not trying to offend you by saying this, so please don't take it that way.... I have no idea what your abilities are, so I would never try to say they are insufficient. But why do you want to climb El Cap? Is it for recognition, fame, or maybe the desire to conquer? When I climb, the rock is sacred.... it was there ages before me, and will remain long after I am gone. If I approach the rock with a "must get to the top... must defeat this climb" type of attitude, it completely drains the mystery from the experience. I guess what I'm trying to say is if you can learn to look at a climb and say "what can I learn from this.... how can I appreciate it.... and how can I enjoy it in a new way?" you will always be happy, whether its 5.7 Illinois sandstone, or El Cap.
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fullahsiffur
Apr 20, 2004, 4:33 AM
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Hey moeman, I'm going for some pretty lofty mountaineering goals. Of course, this means I have a lot of disadvantages right from the start.
- I live in Oklahoma.
- Our mountains were in their prime nearly 600 million years ago. ( :? )
- I have to do an obscene amount of fund saving/earning/soliciting to make even one trip. ( :x )
- Because of these three points, plus worried parents, there is no option besides guided services. ( :evil: )
Some benefits we do have at our ripe old ages (I'm still fourteen) is that if we look hard enough, there are ways for us to get sponsored just because most of the rest of the kids our age do nothing but stay home and watch TV.
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ammon
Apr 20, 2004, 5:26 AM
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In reply to: Clove hitch works fine so you don't need grigi, soloist, silent partner, etc.
No offense, but... Have you ever solo-climbed 3000 feet of stone with a clove-hitch?
Me neither. Doesn't sound like good advice when there's a handful of good solo devices that will save you a TON of time and frustration.
I think if you skimp on anything, it shouldn't be what will arrest your fall if something blows.
Cheers, Ammon
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ammon
Apr 20, 2004, 5:32 AM
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Oh, and invest in a steel locking carabiner.
A few years ago someone had to get plucked off El Cap because their (aluminum) carabiner broke (probably cross-loaded) while aid soloing. He fell all the way to the end of the rope and got seriously messed up.
Be safe, Ammon
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ricardol
Apr 20, 2004, 2:16 PM
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In reply to: In reply to: In reply to: I just did my first trad lead! Oh man. I love finally getting out of the gym Looks like you've got your work cut out for you. Hehe yeah I do... Its a crazy idea, but its still possible, eh?
definatelt possible -- i soled zodiac 9 months after my first trad lead .. (11 months after i started climbing)
i spent probably close to $3000 to get that ascent done .. -- i would not recommend skimping on anythiung .. wall suffering is bad enough .. bring the best gear you can afford.
-- ricardo
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smithclimber
Apr 20, 2004, 3:54 PM
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In reply to: definatelt possible -- i soled zodiac 9 months after my first trad lead .. (11 months after i started climbing)
You may not have been the "youngest person to solo an El Cap route", but I think you may very well be the "person who soloed an El Cap route with the least amount of climbing experience" (total number of days from the 1st day you ever tried climbing until the day you stood atop Zodiac by yourself).
I'd say that's even more distinguished than being the "youngest to solo El Cap". Many kudos and congratulations to you, Ricardo. :D
In reply to: i would not recommend skimping on anythiung .. wall suffering is bad enough .. bring the best gear you can afford.
This is good advice... listen to the man.
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tedc
Apr 20, 2004, 4:52 PM
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Can you do it? Hard to say. Ask again in six months when you have completed "half" of your training/prep and see what folks think of your six month progress and your likely hood of success after six more months of prep.
Good milestones for the next six months: (I never been up El Cap so these come with a grain of salt)
Dial Hauling on min. of two pitch routes w/ hanging belay
Dial your solo system on min. of two pitch routes w/ hanging belay
Purchase, use and be totally familiar with all the gear and placements you expect to see/use on your intended route.
Spend a couple nights on a wall.
Lead muitiple C2 pitches (3-4) in 2hrs each.
Lead solid (runout) 5.9 (maybe in wall shoes).
Read and UNDERSTAND all of passthepitonspete's big wall info. (Not that you will want to use it all but if you can really understand it while reading it you probably have a pretty good grasp of the technical systems you will need.)
Probably more. Anyone?
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smithclimber
Apr 20, 2004, 5:36 PM
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In reply to: Good milestones for the next six months: (I never been up El Cap so these come with a grain of salt) Dial Hauling on min. of two pitch routes w/ hanging belay Dial your solo system on min. of two pitch routes w/ hanging belay Purchase, use and be totally familiar with all the gear and placements you expect to see/use on your intended route.
This is all great advice.
In reply to: Spend a couple nights on a wall.
This might be a good idea, but is by no means necessary. Just be completely familiar with everything involved with sleeping on a wall, etc.
Consider practicing using the bathroom from a hanging stance (even if it is only 4 feet off the ground).
In reply to: Lead muitiple C2 pitches (3-4) in 2hrs each.
A good goal to shoot for, but again not mandatory.
In reply to: Lead solid (runout) 5.9 (maybe in wall shoes).
:shock: This one I KNOW is NOT mandatory. If you can lead 5.7/5.8 on terrain that isn't very runout, you'll be alright. After all, you aren't going to be doing NJ Turnpike anytime soon.
Tedc, what El Cap routes did you have in mind when you said this?
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mistymountainhop
Apr 20, 2004, 6:14 PM
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[quote="moeman
Oh and also one reason I was wondering about the possility of setting a record is if I could convince people I was going to do something along those lines, perhaps I might be able to get some assistance from gear companies in acquiring the $1000s of dollars of gear neccesary for that thing. I don't think my light trad rack could get me very far on the Big Stone...
Just some ideas, you know...
I seriously doubt a gear company would sponsor you for youngest solo of El Cap, that would promote reckless activity. remember a few years ago when that one 7 y/o was killed in a plane crash because she was trying to get the record? After that Guiness refused to put many age records in the book based on how unsafe they were. But go ahead and try.
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tedc
Apr 20, 2004, 6:15 PM
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In reply to: Tedc, what El Cap routes did you have in mind when you said this?
Nothing in particular. Just that if all your required skills are just barely marginal your chance for success is slim. But I agree with your technical analysis of the climbing grades required to summit El Cap.
Ted (Grain of Salt) C.
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dsafanda
Apr 20, 2004, 6:58 PM
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I'm not sure if Chris Mac was the youngest to solo the big stone or not. I think we was 16 and his bother Morgan was 14 when they climbed it for the first time. It probably wasn't too long after that that Chris climbed it solo. I do know one thing. He didn't spend too much time writing about it online or talking about it...he just did it! You and only you will know when you're ready.
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dsafanda
Apr 20, 2004, 7:27 PM
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Yes...that kid jugged the Nose. Not really the same thing as soloing ElCap is it?
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ammon
Apr 20, 2004, 7:45 PM
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In reply to: Read and UNDERSTAND all of passthepitonspete's big wall info. (Not that you will want to use it all but if you can really understand it while reading it you probably have a pretty good grasp of the technical systems you will need.)
Not to get off topic..... but, I like how PTPP get's all the credit for the bigwall info. Yeah, he took the time to type it into these threads. BUT, the information came from Chongo and Pete used his book to answer a lot of the earlier aid questions in this forum.
In reply to: I'm not sure if Chris Mac was the youngest to solo the big stone or not.
Does anybody bother reading the other posts before chiming in?
Scott Thelan IS the youngest person to have soloed El Cap at age 14.
In reply to: Consider practicing using the bathroom from a hanging stance (even if it is only 4 feet off the ground).
LOL. This IS funny. Isn't that kinda like "practicing how-to suffer"? NEVER, practice suffering. You'll have plenty of time with the real deal.
Cheers, Ammon
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kinnairdkeeper
Apr 20, 2004, 8:00 PM
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hey moeman, i live in Castlegar B.C im 16 right now and have beenclimbing for 5 years(trad and aid for 4).I have big dreams of hitting halfdome and the captain too. I admire your aspiring to aid solo the cap.It seems like u know what you want to get into.All my multi pitch climbing takes place in the alpine, such as the bugaboos and valhallas.Iv climbed grade4,5 walls in the bugs and know its very serious.I think maby u should first think of at least spending a season on the cap trad climbing with a partner before u decide to do anything solo on it.Now i dont know u or your capabilitys but in general this would be a good idea for anyone i think...if your looking for a partner i would be interested(i drive) and hope to get down to the valley in sept.2004 or sept maby apr.2005. cheers. :D
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doones
Apr 20, 2004, 8:15 PM
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That’s why I said check it out... he may not have soloed The Capitan however his achievements are impressive for his age. I thought moeman would fine it interesting.
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dsafanda
Apr 21, 2004, 1:43 PM
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You're right...it is an impressive accomplishment for a young boy that age and it may be a helpful link for moeman. I don't think Corey lead a single pitch on the Nose. moeman is contemplating leading every single pitch of his chosen route. To some extent, I guess I feel like there is such a huge difference between those two approaches that it seems unfair to compare them as related activities. What do I know. I had probably never even heard of ElCap when I was that age let alone contemplate climbing it.
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the_dude
Apr 23, 2004, 3:49 PM
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In reply to: Scott Thelan IS the youngest person to have soloed El Cap at age 14.
Yeah, a year later he soloed The Shield at age 15. Bad Ass
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ammon
Apr 26, 2004, 4:31 AM
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In reply to: Yeah, a year later he soloed The Shield at age 15. Bad Ass
Hhhhhmmm?
Don't think so. I climbed The Shield with him the year after with Sam Shannon.
Is that Al Dude?
Cheers, Ammon
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the_dude
Apr 28, 2004, 2:41 AM
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He told me he soloed it after he climbed it as a team ascent. I guess it could have been the following summer. So maybe he was 16? I think the solo thing ended up as a story in National Geo Kids.
Cheers
The Dude
sorry, not Al dude
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ammon
Apr 28, 2004, 3:24 AM
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In reply to: He told me he soloed it after he climbed it as a team ascent.
Oh.... that's very possible. I left the Valley for a month and a half right after our ascent.
In reply to: sorry, not Al dude
Yep, I realized that after I posted the question.
Cheers dude, Ammon
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