El Capitan - Lurking Fear In a Day

Photo Kate Rutherford.

I have always wanted to climb El Capitan. In fact, my subconscious voice frequently told me that you are not a real climber unless you climb El Cap. With that in mind, I made it a goal for myself to scale the 3000 foot walls of El Cap at some point in my climbing career.

Mid-way up. Photo Kate Rutherford.

In 2006, I attempted Lurking Fear with 2 other partners. I knew very little about aid climbing and had only been climbing for 3 years or so. Our team decided to climb the route ‘big wall style,’ i.e. we brought gear, food and water for 4 days and planned to haul our bags on every pitch. It was very slow and I found hauling cumbersome and difficult. I felt comfortable leading the straightforward aid pitches but was absolutely terrified on the traversing pitches. We ended up bailing after 10 pitches, when we realized that we were going to be too slow. I was disappointed but was determined to acquire the experience necessary to complete an ascent of El Cap.

Kate jugging at the start of the route.

Many years went by before I even got back to Yosemite. There were other places to go climbing, injuries to recover from and homework to complete. Finally, this past fall things started to come together for another shot at climbing El Capitan. I had asked my good friend Kate Rutherford to climb with me since she had climbed El Cap 5 times or so and would be a great partner. Kate is pretty hard to nail down so when she said she would be free for a week in September, I immediately bought a plane ticket and planned to head down there.

Photo Kate Rutherford.

We decided that we should try to do it in a day, since Kate hates hauling more than I do and I’m always up for a challenge. Plus, it is pretty pure style to just walk to the base of a formation and go up and over with just the gear you will need on your back. We gave ourselves a little bit of leeway since we decided to sleep at the base of the route and fix the first 2 pitches. It was also a good idea to practice our systems, since I was new to short-fixing and still hadn’t done too much aid climbing since my attempt on Lurking Fear 5 years ago.

After fixing the pitches, I started to have some doubt about this one-day ascent. I felt clumsy and slow while leading. Even jumaring felt tiring. I was worried I was going to let Kate down and ruin our chances of succeeding. I tried to get those thoughts out of my head and think more positively.

Photo Kate Rutherford.

We woke up at 4 am and started ascending our fixed line. Kate had the first block and I did my first lower-out without even epic-ing. I was trying to go as fast as I could so that, in Kate’s words, “the leader can have more fun,” i. e. get a proper belay. I still felt a bit clumsy and slow but my confidence was rising a little bit and I was starting to believe that we could do this.

After 3 pitches, I took over. I remembered leading these pitches 5 years ago and memories of being even more of a gumby came back to me. I thought to myself, that I have come a long way since those days. In the heat of the day, Kate took over and cruised through the A2 cruxes and passed a couple parties. I was jugging as fast as possible and I felt like we were going to do this. We were more than half way and still had several hours of daylight.

Kate cruising the A2 crux traverse pitch while passing another party.

After pitch 12, I took over and tried to navigate us through the wandering crack systems with a mix of free and aid. I took a little fall onto my aider after attempting this incredible difficult ‘step out of your aider free move,’ but regained my composure and eventually found an easier path. Things were going well until I was slowed down my some tiring aid/free climbing on pitch 13. I was so slow and scared and felt like I was wasting precious daylight. When I got to the belay, I remember feeling incredible defeated. I yelled down to Kate to ask her if she wanted to lead the next pitch. To my surprise, she encouraged me to keep going. Kate reminded me that this was my trip up the Captain and that it doesn’t matter if we finish in the dark. These are the moments where the climbing partnership is of utmost value and it is this combination of support and motivation that inspired and pushed me to continue climbing. The next pitch went better and then Kate took over for the final 3 pitches to the summit.

Kate jumaring in the fading light.

When we got to the summit, I was so elated and exhausted. We were dirty, tired, sore and proud. I never thought I would be capable of doing something like that and I realized that for this type of climbing it’s all about your attitude. If you believe that you can climb this huge route with just a windshirt, 3 liters of water, 1500 calories and a rack then you are going to do it. It’s all about being committed to completing the objective. It usually is easy to bail but it’s not as easy to keep going. It is this type of attitude that motivates me to continue to tackle challenging objectives and push myself to try things that initially seem impossible. I can’t wait for the next adventure.

Summit. And very tired!

Gear Review: Petzl Spirit Quickdraw

Climbing on the ThaiTanium Wal, Ko Yowabun, Thailand. Photo Dylan Taylor.

The petzl spirit quickdraws are a great addition to the sport climber’s rack. The thicker dogbones prevent twisting, making clipping easy, and giving me extra confidence when the possibility of falling is increased. This extra burly webbing is also appreciated when the draws are left up for projects so that the webbing is not degraded by the sun and rain.

Racking up. Photo Jonathon Spitzer.

The notchless, keylock gates on both caribiners ease the difficulty of hanging, clipping, and even cleaning overhanging routes. For those reachy bolts, it is easy to snap the upper caribiner into the bolt due to the caribiners bigger size and sturdiness of the webbing. When clipping, my hand naturally fits around the lower, bent-gate caribiner and I don’t find myself fumbling to get the rope clipped. The large size of the bent-gate caribiner (20 mm opening) also allows fast clips from small stances. The bent-gate caribiner is also locked into place with a rubber grommet that absolutely prevents it from spinning in desperate clipping situations.

Gotta love it when the draws are hung. Climbing in Thailand. Photo Dylan Taylor.

Since these draws are on the heavier side (109 g for 17 cm and 104 g for 11 cm), I don’t recommend them for alpine climbing or when light weight is essential. But even with 10 of these draws on my harness, I have never felt weighed down. I prefer the 17 cm quickdraw as these can be more versatile, prevent rope drag on wandering climbs, and aid in those height-dependent clipping situations. I have used these draws on sport crags all around the world and they have held up well showcasing their durability. I highly recommend adding one, two or a dozen to your rack! For more information click here.

Jonathon climbing in Italy.

Gear Review: Petzl Meteor III + Helmet

Photo Samantha Goff

I am the type of climber to almost always wear my helmet. I wear it while sport climbing, following trad climbs, on climbs I’ve done many times and especially in the alpine. It just helps me feel more confident when climbing out of my comfort zone. So it is very important for me to have a comfortable, functional and non-dorky helmet.

I still am able to look up even when carrying a backpack. Photo Jonathon Spitzer.

Last spring, I got a petzl meteor III+ helmet. At first glance, I was pretty impressed with the stylish purple and white graphics. I have used it for a variety of different types of climbing from sport climbing to alpine climbing. It is very lightweight, weighing at 235 g. I can’t even notice the additional weight in my pack during long approaches to climbs. It sits very comfortably on my head and fits my smaller sized head perfectly. It is a little difficult to adjust the buckles in the back since they are on the smaller size but that doesn’t compromise the fit. Under a hat or with a pony tail, the helmet remains centered on my head even through the cruxes. And now finally I am no longer the dorky climber with the crooked helmet!

Fits great with sunglasses too. Photo Jonathon Spitzer.

The ergonomic design of the helmet protects really well against rock and ice fall, allowing me to feel confident while pushing myself in sketchier climbing conditions. It is designed so that the front, back and sides of the head are all equally protected, while still allowing visibility and mobility to look upwards. I have been impressed with the helmet’s durability as well. It has traveled with me to many crags and mountains and has been on several airplanes, without showing any sign of significant wear and tear. A couple other great features are its compatibility with a headlamp and the removable and washable inside foam.

Protects the lower half of the head well. Photo Jonathon Spitzer.

This is the helmet for you if you want a durable, lightweight and comfortable helmet. For more information go to petzl's website. http://www.petzl.com/en/outdoor/mountaineering-and-climbing-helmets/meteor-iii

Photo Kate Rutherford

Europe - Part 3 - Highlights from Northern Italy

The Sella Group

When Jonathon and I were planning our trip to Italy, we had visions of climbing alpine rock on the famous limestone towers in the Dolomites. We decided to stop at a few of Italy’s classic sport climbing areas en route to get a couple final training days in on the steep rock. We first spent a day in Machaby for a day ofslab climbing on the metamorphosed, granitic rock. The rock is composed of minerals like biotite and mica, making it extra sparkly in the sunlight. We did a little cragging and did some multi-pitch climbing on one of the big domes. The climbs overlook the vineyards, wineries and the river that runs through town. It was a great introduction to small-town Northern Italy with good pizza, views of castles and plenty of sunshine.

Hanging out on the dome a couple pitches off the ground

Following pitch 3 (?)

Next stop was Arco, a touristy town on the northern tip of Lake Garda. Small and large limestone cliffs,ranging in height up to 300 meters and hosting well over 3000 routes, surround this area of Italy. We checked out the classic crags of Nago and Massone, while trying to avoid the sun since Arco is known for its heat and sunny weather. With a weather forecast that looked hopeful in the mountains, we decided to head to the Dolomites after the heat and the overhanging sport climbs had tired us out.

Narrow roads leading into the Dolemites

The character of Italy changes dramatically upon arrival to the small mountain villages within the Dolomites. The towns feel much more Bavarian-esk and there is a strong German and Austrian influence from the architecture to the languages spoken. The roads into the Dolomites are winding and narrow but they literally put you right at the base of these huge limestone towers. We decided we would first climb around the Sella group, in the western part of the park, and work our way east to the famous Tre Cime. We found a spot to set up our tent for the night and prepared our packs and racks for a small, warm-up objective for the next day on “The Thumb” on Punta Delle Cinque Dita.

Following a pitch on the Thumb

The next morning, we woke up to cloudy skis and a light drizzle. Since it didn’t look too bad, we decided we would still try to climb our attempted objective and just see what happens. Europe is all about taking lifts/trams to the base of climbs and this area was no different, except this lift looked like it might fall apart at any moment. Boarding the lift, was quite exciting. The lift does not stop or slow down and one-person runs and jumps into it and then the second person runs and jumps into it. The lift operator closed the door and then Jonathon and I were squished in this tiny, rickety cart and on our way up to the base of our route.

The rickety lift that brought us up to the base of the Thumb (center formation)

We picked a very moderate objective since we had heard that ratings are sandbagged, routefinding is challenging and that the leader must be comfortable climbing well above marginal gear. Jonathon led the first several pitches and for most of the time we weren’t entirely sure if we were on route. As predicted, gear was sparse and route finding was difficult. The climbing was easy, however, it was quite steep for 5.5. The clouds and wind continued and the rock got looser. After several pitches we decided to bail. Later, the hut guardian told us that people don’t climb this route anymore because it is too loose. It didn’t seem like it would fit the definition of a classic Dolomite climb, despite being included in the Dolomite Classics book.

Not wanting to waste the day, we thought we might try a different route that we had read about in the guidebook. Jonathon ran back to the hut and took a picture of the topo. We decided to go up the normal route (the north east face). We climbed 4 more steep pitches, still not entirely sure if we were on route but at least the rock wasn’t as loose. Then the wind started to blow and it started to sprinkle a bit. We decided to rappel the route. The rappel anchors are one glued in piton with a large metal ring. That seems to be the standard here in the Dolomites. Once on the ground, the skies opened up and it began to pour. At that point, it didn’t quite look like our high pressure forecast was going to be accurate.

Sad :(

After three days of rain, we decided that it didn’t seem too likely that we were going to get to climb anything in the Dolomites. The weather wasn’t going to cooperate with our time-restricted schedule and we were not psyched to sit around and wait for a possible sunny day. Fortunately, Arco is known for its year round sunshine and mild climate. We left the Dolomites on a rainy morning and returned to Arco that afternoon to sunshine and sport climbs.

Views from the top of Nago crag

We checked out some more great limestone crags with views of lakes and castles. We also did some adventurous multi-pitch climbs in the valley. On our final day in Italy, we climbed the lower and upper walls of Monte Colt, a large limestone formation just north of Arco. Monte Colt hosts 100s of routes of all levels and lengths and we went up Ape Mania to Nemisis. It was 12 pitches of climbing over 300 meters, mostly in the 5.10 range, with pitches up to 5.11c. The rock was typically solid, with just an occasional loose rock here and there. It was not so polished like many of the popular cragging areas in Arco, so the friction was pretty good. And the yellow and grey colors of the limestone beautifully contrasted the blue and green colors of the landscape below us. The climbing was entertaining and engaging, consisting of stemming up dihedrals, positive edges, and some great exposure on some pitches!

Leading up a very exposed pitch!

Topping out on Nemisis

Even though we got rained out in the Dolomites, it was still a great trip to Italy. Climbing continues to remind me to be flexible, have patience, and take in the whole experience. I have learned that climbing internationally is not always about the climbing necessarily; there are many more adventures beyond the actual climbing from sampling the local food, deciphering a new language and navigating the foreign lands. It was a grand adventure! Big thanks goes to Jonathon for making the trip happen and to Petzl for providing the gear!

Bolted chimney on diedre lamasone

One of the many castles we saw

The first place we stayed at

More narrow roads

Jonathon following the exposed 3rd pitch on Nemesis

On top of Monte Colt

Partying with the locals

My boyfriend :)

Europe - Part 2 - More Highlights from Chamonix

My week in Chamonix consisted of many more days of climbing from sport cragging to alpine routes! One of the highlights included an ascent of the Frendo Spur on the Augille du Midi with my friend Todd Passey, aka "The Toddfather."

The line ascends the buttress just to the left of the center one

Todd is super mountain-man/mountian-guide and I climbed as fast as could as he lead the way.

It was a super awesome and classic line. The rock is solid and clean and there are many steep 5.8/5.9 sections interspersed between lower 5th class sections.

Photo Todd Passey

After the rock section, the route traverses on this very narrow snow arete to the base of the final 700 feet of alpine ice up to AI 3/4.

Heading towards the very exposed snow arete

Towards the end of the ice pitches, the route parallels the rock buttress making it possible to place rock gear.

One of the final pitches

In typical Europe style, the route tops out right near the tram deck, making for an easy descent. Except this time, the tram remained stuck mid-air for about 45 minutes. Not so fun when you are starving!

On the next sunny day, I climbed the classic South Face of the Augille du midi. I teamed up with Nick Pope and we climbed the standard route, aka the Ray-Bouffat with some variations at the finish.

Wow!

Its about 7 pitches of amazing golden granite up to 5.10a. The rock was a little polished and there is a mix of face and crack climbing where you are either clipping old pins or placing gear.

The second pitch

Nick enjoying the amazing alpine granite, despite the snow!

Again, the descent was about as easy as it gets; 1 rappel to the tram deck. This time the tram didn't get stuck!

Rappelling down to the throngs of tourists

On our final day in Chamonix, Jonathon and I headed to the L'Arve Valley, about a 20 minute drive south from Chamonix. We climbed an 8 pitch route called Indian Jones on the large limestone buttress of La Maladiere. The cliff is severely overhanging and most of routes go at 7a or harder, but Indian Jones is a moderate 6b+ for most of the way. The route is accessed by doing about 5 overhanging, double rope rappels. That might have been the most exciting part!

Extreme rappelling. Photo Jonathon Spitzer.

It was super classic and steep line but with pretty good holds and edges. There were some techy face moves through traverses and a funky limestone chimney that Jonathon got stuck in! It was bolted well at the cruxes but otherwise they were a little sparse and there was the potential to take a 30 footer. Fortunately, that didn't happen! It was a great way to end the trip!

Photo Jonathon Spitzer.

Following pitch 3. Photo Jonathon Spitzer.

Jonathon and my shadow about mid-way up the route

Photo Jonathon Spitzer.

The famous limestone chimney. Photo Jonathon Spitzer.

Finishing the final pitch. Photo Jonathon Spitzer.