Called simply El Cap or The Captain, this immense granite wall rises 3,300 feet from the talus slopes to the Valley rim above.

- Around 3000 ft of climbing - Around 33 pitches - Crux moves at 5.13a and 5.12d
Highlight: Great views over Yosemite Valley. The idea of going ropeless on a 2,900-foot free climb up slick granite on El Capitan, with multiple pitches of 5.11 and 5.12, will seem ‘horrifying’ or ‘unrelatable’ to most climbers, but it’s clear that Alex prepared long and hard for his ascent and that he felt he could control the variables, his mind included, while he climbed. A very happy @adam.ondra, sun cracked lips and all, down in El Cap Meadows after sending the Dawn Wall route yesterday on El Cap, repeating @tommycaldwell's visionary line. Start the chimney with some 4th class walking.

Why Alex Honnold’s Free Solo of El Cap Scared Me We all know Alex is the greatest climber of our generation. Hang it from a sling or something. The El Capitan trailhead is located at the Tamarack Flat Campground which is accessed by taking the Tioga Road (Highway 120 – close December to May) away from Yosemite Valley and then turning right on to Big Oak Flat Road. The last death from climbing el cap. It's a variation of the Salathe Wall, another world-famous route on El Cap. Pitch #1 : Hike to the "edge of the world" and the route is right there. The follower will be gagging while wearing a pack.

El Cap Meadow – On your way back out of the valley, the road passes right in front of the base of El Capitan at El Cap Straight, and there is a pull-out on the left side of the road so that you can stop and take a look from up close.

In 1998, Alex Huber made the first ascent of the easiest and most popular free route on El Capitan when he sent the Freerider in 1998. I trust him with my life.

Before you go, you’ll want a good resume of basic aid climbing skills and the ability to climb up to 5.11. Matt Samet, Editor of Climbing. At 5.9 C2, the Nose is considered to be the easiest full-length route on El Capitan, which makes it extremely popular and draws relatively inexperienced big-wall climbers. The Nose is one of the original technical climbing routes up El Capitan.Once considered impossible to climb, El Capitan is now the standard for big-wall climbing.It is recognized in the historic climbing text Fifty Classic Climbs of North America and considered a classic around the world. Over 70 big wall routes have been established on El Cap's Southwest and Southeast faces, though most of these are variations connecting two or more of the earlier established routes. In 1998, Alex Huber made the first ascent of the easiest and most popular free route on El Capitan when he sent the Freerider in 1998. I trust him a little less with his own. The Nose: How to Climb El Capitan's Most Famous Route . If you go 20ft past the start, you will fall off a 1000ft cliff. Yosemite has a lot of what you’ll need to prepare for your first climb up El Capitan, including short practice aid and free routes. The route Wings of Steel (first climbed by Mark Smith and Richard Jensen in 1982) was El Cap’s infamously difficult, and unrepeated, aided climb — that is until Ammon McNeely climbed it in 2011. Danger Zones: The Nose – Accidents On El Cap’s Most Popular Route. At 5.9 C2, the Nose is considered to be the easiest full-length route on El Capitan, which makes it extremely popular and draws relatively inexperienced big-wall climbers. But the Nose also is a complex climb, requiring a large repertoire of techniques that may be unfamiliar to newcomers. Eventually you will be doing some easy chimney moves and stemming. El Capitan.


Best lunch Spot: At the summit there is a makeshift stone bench built under the shade of a tree. From the foot of El Cap, the route rises along a high-angled wall, following one vertical crack to another, both just wide enough for Honnold to wedge his fingers or fists into, depending on the spot. Share. Description: El Capitan is often overlooked as a day hike but it's maintained trail climaxes in jaw dropping views over Yosemite Valley and Half Dome. Freerider is a 5 star, classic route on El Capitan (and a contender for one of the most famous free-climbs in the world), first climbed by Huber Baum (one of the famous Huber brothers) in 1998.