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apollodorus
Jul 15, 2003, 5:19 AM
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El Capitan has the most famous, and some of the greatest big wall routes in the world. The Nose, Salathe, Sea of Dreams and Reticent evoke awe and respect from those who hear their hallowed names.
But, what about the others? What is the lamest, stupidest wall route on El Cap? In other words, of all the wall routes on El Cap, which one is most likely to evoke snickers and jeers from people who overhear someone talking about it?
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moabbeth
Jul 15, 2003, 5:31 AM
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Dude, you just used words like "stupid" & "lame" in the same sentence as EL CAP!!! Shame shame shame :shock: . Watch out or those bears at the base of the Trip might follow you around with some bad karma :wink: .
But seriously, how many people on this site have climbed so many El Cap bigwall routes enough times that they are able to accurately differentiate what is a "lame" route and what isn't. Other than Ammon, Pete and a handful of others here, I don't know if there are enough big wall climbers here with that level of experience and time on the wall to answer the question you're asking.
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tripperjm
Jul 15, 2003, 7:50 AM
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In reply to: What is the lamest, stupidest wall route on El Cap? In other words, of all the wall routes on El Cap, which one is most likely to evoke snickers and jeers from people who overhear someone talking about it? In reply to: Dude, you just used words like "stupid" & "lame" in the same sentence as EL CAP!!! Shame shame shame :shock: . Watch out or those bears at the base of the Trip might follow you around with some bad karma :wink: . |
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evoltobmilc
Jul 15, 2003, 8:36 AM
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In reply to: My least favorite was Dihedral Wall, and in no way would I ever call it "stupid or lame".
tripper,
What'd you dislike about Dihedral Wall? I was looking at doing it cause it sounded pretty cool. Pros & cons?? Thanks!
David
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tripperjm
Jul 15, 2003, 9:32 AM
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In reply to: In reply to: My least favorite was Dihedral Wall, and in no way would I ever call it "stupid or lame". tripper, What'd you dislike about Dihedral Wall? I was looking at doing it cause it sounded pretty cool. Pros & cons?? Thanks! David |
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mesomorf
Jul 15, 2003, 1:57 PM
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The first ascencionists of Wings of Steel caught a lot of "shit" while they were working on that route.
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rockitjeff
Jul 15, 2003, 2:54 PM
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k jack- dish some slander... who WAS your partner on D-Wall?
:P
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keinangst
Jul 15, 2003, 4:39 PM
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I would have to say, from experience, that the lamest route up El Cap is the one called Yosemite Falls Trail.
I mean, I free soloed the whole thing on my first try! And in less than 3 hours. Put that in your pipe and smoke it, Yuji!
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hasbeen
Jul 16, 2003, 7:12 AM
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There's a book called Wings of Steel about the FA, by Richard Jensen. Those guys are pretty out there, as is the book. But it's really not a bad read about "slow mode" up on a wall. Those guys did a lot of work and comparatively WoS isn't really a terrible route.
The West Buttress always seems to be overgrown and the NA has a ton of diaorite, probalby the most except perhaps the Ranch.
No one seems to like Dihedral's left-leaning nature, plus the fact it's a drainage. same for Horse Chute.
Does Mediterranio even still exist?
And, hey, the East Butt ain't the greatest route on the planet either (though some say this doesn't really count--I call BS, cause you climb El Cap and descend the East Ledges).
But, ya know, all routes have their own particular charm, so who's to really make that call anyway?
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apollodorus
Jul 16, 2003, 7:25 AM
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In reply to: Does Mediterranio even still exist?
No. The National Park Service used a big rubber eraser to scrub the line off the wall. The White House thought that it sounded too much like "French".
Seriously, though, what do you mean, 'Is the route still there'?
Pieces fall off (e.g., the Chandelier, on Surgeon General (burn me at the stake if I got that wrong)), but routes don't go away.
I'd heard that Wings of Steel was mostly drilled, and the FA guys chopped the route as they went up.
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hasbeen
Jul 16, 2003, 7:27 AM
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It was done by these Spanish guys (Gallego's?) and dissed for style at the time. I don't know if it was chopped and replaced or just taken out of the guidebook. Pretty piece of the wall though.
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tripperjm
Jul 16, 2003, 8:09 AM
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In reply to: k jack- dish some slander... who WAS your partner on D-Wall? :P
Good to hear from you Jeff. I don't generally cold name people, it was a long time ago, his first wall and several years later he went on to...... quit climbing. haha1 You do know him, he was from those old days back in Josh though.
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rockitjeff
Jul 16, 2003, 8:00 PM
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hi jack.. i applaud your discretion.. not that i am in any position to throw slander; one el cap route to my name.. but... i'll do many, yet...
let's plan on an ascent when grey and 50? and? let's bring a couple gurls with us.... complete with sound-proof porta ledges so i don't have to hear your moans from 10 feet away ...
p.s. that wings of steel debacle was pretty wild.. others here know the story better than me but valley boys ( *cough* mile paul *cough*) not just chopping the first pitch or two and pulling the ropes.. . .they even shieet all over the pile of ropes left at the base.. think the deal was WAYYYY too many hook holes drilled on the first blank pitch..
.. i recall bouldering with Jenson at Pirates Cove a few weeks later... his feelings were pretty tweaked.. . but he did not exactly crawl away did he? added a couple other routes on the captain. ....
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iamthewallress
Jul 16, 2003, 8:38 PM
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Anyone have any stories to tell about the Seventh Day Adventist guys (Ring of Fire was one of the routes, perhaps...I forget.) who drilled a ladder of shallow bathook holes from the base to summit of El Cap? Is this tale exagerated? Any repeats of their route (if it could even be found)? I heard that they spent 50 or 60 days up there.
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alpinestylist
Jul 16, 2003, 9:24 PM
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Registered: Feb 22, 2002
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Wall of Early Morning Light has been taking crap for years.
Ring of Fire, Central Scrutinizer?, Winds of Change, and its neighbor, highway to hell sports that insane first pitch, but is supposedly heavily drillled. Any of those Gallego routes are wicked manufactured (at least thats the word).
I probably haven't climbed enough el cap routes to way in, just some scuttlebutt I've heard
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hasbeen
Jul 16, 2003, 9:36 PM
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You're referring to Richard Jensen and the other guy. While the scuttlebutt is exaggerated, they do move extroidinarily s-l-o-w. Buy Wings of Steel, if you can find it (I think it's mainly in Christian bookstores, I got my directly from Jensen about 10 years ago). Or if you remind me I'll bring you a copy next time I'm in the Valley. Weird, though fairly interesting, read.
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