New (ish) East Buttress of El Cap Topo
Russ Walling
reference and a written description the entire way (and none of them good) I
decided to take some notes. Here is my rendition of just how a 90 year old
route should be done. Flame on.....
http://www.fishproducts.com/topos/yostopos/eastbutt.html
adios,
Russ
--
"...what are you? Attached to this world?"
Walt Shipley
--
*** http://www.FishProducts.com ***
Bill Wright
> After slogging my way up this thing last summer, eyeballing 4 topos of
> reference and a written description the entire way (and none of them good) I
> decided to take some notes. Here is my rendition of just how a 90 year old
> route should be done. Flame on.....
>
> http://www.fishproducts.com/topos/yostopos/eastbutt.html
Great job on the topo, Russ, especially for pitches 4 and 5. I did the
route this way for the first time last June. I had done the route
twice before climbing further to the left and the climbing here is
much better and not as hard as it looks. The ratings are accurate.
Here are some changes I'd add. Of course, you might not agree.
* The start of pitch 3, actually goes DOWN 10-15 feet and quite far
left, but this is probably obvious.
* I think the chimney at the start isn't that easy, certainly not
for a Yosemite chimney virgin.
* I agree that the crux pitch is the very long pitch 6 - physically
and psychologically. The hardest technical move is on pitch 2, of
course.
* Pitch 7 is indeed easy, but VERY slick - be careful.
* Written part for finding the route says if you go by you'll fall
off a 100-foot cliff. More like 400-feet! This is the top of the
Moratorium (another great route and a natural link-up).
Great topo and thanks for contribution to the climbing community.
Bill
Bill Wright
> reference and a written description the entire way (and none of them good) I
> decided to take some notes. Here is my rendition of just how a 90 year old
> route should be done. Flame on.....
>
> http://www.fishproducts.com/topos/yostopos/eastbutt.html
Two other comments on this page:
* I believe it is spelled "Frank SACHERER"
* You state two #2 Camalots and two #3 Friends. These pieces
are the same size. That gives you four of this size. There
is no pitch where you'll need more than two (and only two of
pitches that will require two of them). And this isn't
sandbagging. I like LOTS of gear, but damn, this would be
a huge rack in that first chimney.
Just my two cents, of course.
Bill
Russ Walling
wwwrigh...@yahoo.com wrote on 3/14/03 2:04 PM:
> Russ Walling <Ru...@FishProducts.com> wrote in message
> news:<BA96374F.1DEE1%Ru...@FishProducts.com>...
>> After slogging my way up this thing last summer, eyeballing 4 topos of
>> reference and a written description the entire way (and none of them good) I
>> decided to take some notes. Here is my rendition of just how a 90 year old
>> route should be done. Flame on.....
>>
>> http://www.fishproducts.com/topos/yostopos/eastbutt.html
>
> Great job on the topo, Russ, especially for pitches 4 and 5. I did the
> route this way for the first time last June. I had done the route
> twice before climbing further to the left and the climbing here is
> much better and not as hard as it looks. The ratings are accurate.
>
> Here are some changes I'd add. Of course, you might not agree.
>
> * The start of pitch 3, actually goes DOWN 10-15 feet and quite far
> left, but this is probably obvious.
I just went up and left... seemed sneaky hard. Maybe down and left is the
way. Didn't seem that obvious... looked like left and up was the eventual
way to go though.
> * I think the chimney at the start isn't that easy, certainly not
> for a Yosemite chimney virgin.
Might be 5.8 ;)
> * I agree that the crux pitch is the very long pitch 6 - physically
> and psychologically. The hardest technical move is on pitch 2, of
> course.
Right!
> * Pitch 7 is indeed easy, but VERY slick - be careful.
Noted.
> * Written part for finding the route says if you go by you'll fall
> off a 100-foot cliff. More like 400-feet! This is the top of the
> Moratorium (another great route and a natural link-up).
Typo.... was supposed to be 1000ft.
>Two other comments on this page:
> * I believe it is spelled "Frank SACHERER"
Correcto... typo
>* You state two #2 Camalots and two #3 Friends. These pieces
> are the same size. That gives you four of this size. There
> is no pitch where you'll need more than two (and only two of
> pitches that will require two of them). And this isn't
> sandbagging. I like LOTS of gear, but damn, this would be
> a huge rack in that first chimney.
This/these were added to the gear list mainly for the hanging belay on pitch
4, as since I had only two cams that fit the belay, I had to run out the
entire next pitch with zero pro. Same idea for the 8th pitch, with belays
on each end eating up the cams. I beefed the list up some from the skeletal
joke I was running.
> Great topo and thanks for contribution to the climbing community.
You're welcome! Thanks for the additional info. I'll fix up the topo for
the next upload.
Russ
Mad Dog
>You're welcome! Thanks for the additional info. I'll fix up the topo for
>the next upload.
Kudos to Russ and Bill. Rec.climbing at its betafinest.
Karl Baba
Nice Topo. I love the East Butt and have done it a few times rope
soloing the hard parts and free soloing the rest. On pitch 6, I'm not
sure that a 60 meter rope will reach from the top of the pedestal to
the belay noted on the topo, if it does, that's a rope stretcher!
I think that 10b one move crux is a sandbag! I just don't understand
it. I've taken a lot of "friends" up that route. THe second to the
last time I dialed the move, but then I went back and forgot how to do
it! Like that 10b move on DNB, weird.
For the third pitch, I climb straight up, the down and left to start
the face climbing. A lot down, like 20 feet. If the leader doesn't
clip anything until he's gripped, it works out better for the second.
Watch out for that Horsetail falls water. It picks up in the afternoon
so the route might look fine in the morning but get wet right when you
get to the 5.9 pitches!
Peace
Karl
Russ Walling
karl...@yahoo.com wrote on 3/15/03 4:18 PM:
topo in question:
http://www.fishproducts.com/topos/yostopos/eastbutt.html
> Nice Topo. I love the East Butt and have done it a few times rope
> soloing the hard parts and free soloing the rest. On pitch 6, I'm not
> sure that a 60 meter rope will reach from the top of the pedestal to
> the belay noted on the topo, if it does, that's a rope stretcher!
I had probably 8 inches left.... so not a "total" rope stretcher. Plenty of
rope drag too.... bring those slings!
See ya later,
Russ
--
"...like the Jester, sampling the Kings food for poison."
Peter Boardman, describing jumaring on a rope someone else has fixed.
Steelmnkey
>After slogging my way up this thing last summer, eyeballing 4 topos of
>reference and a written description the entire way (and none of them good)
None of them good? Did you have one of mine and would you have characterized it
as bad? I thought it was okay, but maybe it was shite.
>http://www.fishproducts.com/topos/yostopos/eastbutt.html
One comment:
Pitch 3 - you say pass up the two bolt anchor and head farther up to a tree. I
started to do this when we climbed it, but there was quite a bit of rubble
above the two-bolt anchor and at the time I didn't think I could guarantee none
of it would be dumped by me dragging the rope through it. YMMV.
G.
Tom Makielski
news:BA96374F.1DEE1%Ru...@FishProducts.com...
=====================================
FWIW . . . here's another written description of this great climb from Mark
Kroese, MountainZone.com Correspondent. I had it in my archives of route
descriptions. It had the file date of 3/02. I haven't taken the time to
compare the two. It may offer another perspective of East Butt.
=====================================
EAST BUTTRESS of EL CAPITAN: The 13 Pitches
The Rack:
Double set of TCUs from Blue to Orange, single set of the smaller ones.
6-8 wired nuts, medium sizes best.
Double set of Camalots, .5 to 2, one #3, nothing larger (if you plan to do
the offwidth, bring bigger stuff).
There is a fair amount of fixed iron on the climb, so quick draws are
useful.
Long slings are helpful for meandering pitches.
Pitch One:
Unlike most 5.9 Yosemite chimney climbs, this one is pretty reasonable. I
climbed right side in, with good foot holds on the left wall. Protection is
good. The real crux of the pitch is right at the end, a short fingery
section. Belay at slings below bolt.
Pitch Two
The crux move, a 5.10 a/b move right is now protected with a nice bolt. Once
you do the move, follow a cool groove to the belay. I climbed left side in
at first, then switched to straight in or slightly right side in. Cool
pitch, but a bit awkward. Rather than stopping at the obvious belay (at 90
feet), keep going. The belay tree is swarming with biting red ants that
found there way onto every part of my body, and challenged my ability to
keep my hands on the rope. Instead, keep going up easier ground for another
30-40 feet. Keep in mind that the next pitch drops down and left, onto an
arete.
Pitch Three/Four/Five:
Climb the 5.6 arete (protection sparse). Great climbing on varnished black
knobs. The leader should go as far as possible, heading to easier third
class ground. Move the belay up to the base of the next 5.7 pitch, belaying
at a tree.
Pitch Six
There are several ways to do this pitch. We stayed on the ridge (right). The
5.7 pitch is a bit greasy and devious. I went about 140 feet to the base of
a really good hand crack (steeper), right on the true ridge. There are
grassy cracks to the left that we did not climb.
Pitch Seven:
Awesome pitch. Steeper, follows a clean hand crack in a great position,
directly on the arete. Follow this pitch all the way to an obvious and
comfortable ledge.
Pitch Eight
I would call it full value Valley 5.9. Nothing heroic about the pitch, but
it's athletic and sort of awkward. I started slightly left of the ridge (two
feet?), using a crack for protection, then did a move that took me right
onto the ridge for a few feet, then back left into a left trending crack
that leads to an alcove at the base of the 5.9 offwidth. Belay at old bolts
(I went higher into the alcove, but it's less comfy).
Pitch Nine:
Great pitch. Bypass the 5.9 offwidth by climbing left onto the face. Go left
at an old purple sling that is threaded behind a flake. Clip an old funky
bolt, then two fixed pins (one newish), and follow the face climbing
straight up, ending below a roof, as the topo shows. I think this pitch can
be combined with the next pitch. Both are about 100 feet. We did not do it,
but a party willing to simul climb on 5.9 could do it.
Pitch Ten
The topo calls it 5.5 (whatever?), but I'd give it a 5.7 rating. Cool
climbing, trending left on a knobby face. Stop on a ledge on the left.
You'll know you are in the correct spot when you can see the large white
flake about 30 feet to the right.
Pitch Eleven:
Spectacular pitch, probably the best on the climb. Airy, exposed, moderate.
Follow flakes right, until the climber goes around the corner onto knobs. If
you are having trouble moving right, you're too high. The traverse is not
hard, but does go up and down a bit. The last part of the traverse goes
down, then back up on knobs. The pitch goes way up after the traverse, so
keep rope drag in mind when protecting. The knobs are protected with fixed
pins, although they are hard to find. This pitch ends on a ledge with loose
talus, a full length pitch. There is a spot to belay about 30 feet below the
talus (Chet belayed here), but you can keep going too.
Pitch Twelve
Unremarkable pitch. The climb backs off and you are near the top. Head
straight up above the belay, through a 5.6/5.7 slot. I belayed just below a
right facing corner, below a black, knobby face that starts with a bulge.
Pitch Thirteen:
This move is supposed to be 5.5, but I thought it was 5.8. Chet led it in
his 5.10 approach shoes, since it was so hot and our feet were pretty sore.
The temp was 90 degrees and there is no place to hide. Climb the black,
featured face just right of the right facing corner. There is one fixed pin.
After this move, trend slightly left on easier ground to a tree. You're
done. Follow a ramp right to the east ledges descent. You'll be on the
valley floor in 90 minutes. The first thing we did was jump in the river!
The climb can be done in about 8 hours, valley to valley. Start early to
beat the heat.
Mark Kroese, MountainZone.com Correspondent
Russ Walling
steel...@aol.com wrote on 3/17/03 3:33 PM:
>> http://www.fishproducts.com/topos/yostopos/eastbutt.html
> None of them good? Did you have one of mine and would you have characterized
> it as bad? I thought it was okay, but maybe it was shite.
I'll say it was the best of the bunch....
> One comment:
>
> Pitch 3 - you say pass up the two bolt anchor and head farther up to a tree. I
> started to do this when we climbed it, but there was quite a bit of rubble
> above the two-bolt anchor and at the time I didn't think I could guarantee
> none of it would be dumped by me dragging the rope through it. YMMV.
It is loose, but by careful rope management, like draping it in mazanita to
keep it from knocking stuff off, it seemed safe to me. Plus, no way I doing
such a short pitch with a new 60meter rope..... end to end baby!
Russ
Steelmnkey
>EAST BUTTRESS of EL CAPITAN: The 13 Pitches
13 pitches?
We did it in 9 and didn't really do any rope stretching to speak of.
G.