Climbing El Capitan stole the national spotlight with Alex Honnold’s death-defying free-solo climb on “El Cap”. The process of preparing and executing that dream was made into the Oscar-winning National Geographic documentary, Free Solo, by Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi.
Maybe you’ve seen it.
Sep 28, 2018 How They Filmed the First El Capitan Climb With No Ropes in 'Free Solo' Vanity Fair - Duration: 7:21. Vanity Fair 5,929,332 views. A day climbing in Yosemite with El Capitan's two most extraordinary women: Dierdre Wolownick (Alex Honnold's mother), now age 68, and Pearl Johnson, age 9. Dec 13, 2018 Directed by Jimmy Chin, Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi. With Alex Honnold, Tommy Caldwell, Jimmy Chin, Cheyne Lempe. Alex Honnold attempts to become the first person to ever free solo climb El Capitan. Jun 25, 2020 'There's a first time for everything, but there's only one first time for everything.' Her parents assumed Schneiter would be the youngest girl to ever climb El Capitan.
It is the portrait of a straight-speaking, dedicated rock climber with incredible mental control who managed to do what was previously thought impossible. He climbed El Capitan without safety ropes, putting himself intentionally into a “you slip, you die” situation that goes on for one tenuous pitch after another for 3000 feet (900 m).
But that isn’t the only way to climb El Capitan.
In some ways what Alex did is the most mind-blowingly difficult thing to do, but there are other styles of climbing El Cap that are much harder in other ways.
And although this compelling story rightfully captured the minds and hearts of people all over the country it sits in context of one inspiring story after another that plays out on the steep walls of El Capitan.
So many ways to Climb El Capitan
Climbing El Cap is hard (really hard) no matter how you do it. However, “hard” can take on a lot of different forms and there is a lot of nuance in the way that different people approach the goal of getting to the top.
Climbing Routes
First of all, there are different routes on El Capitan. Roughly a third of Yosemite Bigwalls: The Complete Guide is devoted to the climbing equivalent of trail maps for El Capitan, each route with its own name. These range from relatively straight-forward beginner big walls like The Salathe Wall to desperate expert-only scare-fests like The Tempest, and from famous climbs like The Nose that often have multiple climbing parties on it at once to routes that haven’t even seen a second ascent.
Climbing routes on the right side of El Capitan’s southwest face. Image Erik Sloan/Yosemitebigwall.com
Aid, Free, Solo and Free Solo – what’s the difference?
There are different styles of climbing and the climber lingo to describe them often confuses people.
Free soloing
Free soloing – the style that Honnold recently made famous, means an ascent that is done alone without any ropes for protection/safety. However, people are often confused because climbers also talk about free climbing and soloing. These are very different styles that both involve ropes, and are much more common in general and particularly on big walls like El Capitan.
Free climbing
Free climbing is climbing with ropes but without using those ropes for upward progress. The ropes catch the climber if they fall, but all the climbing is done by pulling or pushing on the rock itself. Depending on the features of the rock available for the climber to grab, this can be relatively easy, or nearly impossible.
Emily Harrington free climbing Golden Gate (5.13 VI, 41 pitches) on El Capitan. Notice the belayer behind her managing the ropes she uses for protection and the gear near her left hand. Source: Vimeo/Jon Glassberg
With a safety rope, climbers can try harder things when they are free climbing instead of free soloing. When projecting a route, climbers take dozens of falls as they work out the sequence of moves that will work for them. In the US, climbers measure the pure gymnastic difficulty of a route using the Yosemite Decimal System (YDS). Initially, the easiest climbs were rated 5.0 and the hardest climbs were supposed to be 5.10. However, as climbers got better, it became obvious that the scale had to keep getting harder, so we ended up with 5.10a, 5.10b, 5.10c, 5.10d. Then climbers started climbing things harder than 5.10d, and we turned the dial to 11. Climbers put up 5.11a, b, c and d routes, before adding 5.12, and 5.13, etc. with the letter grades for each level. So far the hardest climb in the world is 5.15d. That route, Silence, is only 45 meters (just under 150 feet) long, but the most technically difficult route in the world.
When Alex Honnold chose an El Capitan route to free solo, he picked one of the easiest big wall free climbing routes on El Capitan, Free Rider (5.12d). Then he spent a lot of time over many years “freeing” the route (with ropes) before daring to attempt it free solo (without ropes).
Usually, free climbing attempts on El Capitan tend to follow old climbing routes. Lynn Hill made a huge splash in the climbing world when in 1993 she became the first person, male or female, to “free The Nose”. Since then only a few people have been able to repeat her effort.
More recently, the film Dawn Wall showcases Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson’s 2015 ascent of a visionary free route on El Cap of the same name. Dawn Wall is rated 5.14d overall, with 18 pitches (climbing sections) out of 32 pitches total, that are technically harder than anything on Free Rider. Then, on top of the drama of cutting-edge free climbing, add in the special kinship that is built between climbing partners. If you enjoyed Free Solo, definitely check this one out too. Alex Honnold even makes a brief appearance in this film too.
Aid climbing
Aid climbing, or “aiding” came first and most common on El Capitan and other Yosemite big walls. Climbers place gear in the rock and then use that gear to make upward progress. In case you are tempted to think that this is easy, let me assure you that it’s not. Easier? Yes. Easy? No. Aid climbing has its own separate difficulty rating depending on how solid the climbing gear is and what kind of gear is used. An A0 climb has solid gear, close together, but on an A5 route climbers are linking together so many marginally secure pieces that an unexpected fall could pop out all of the pieces sending the climber and all partners to their deaths.
For most people, covering the amount of terrain on a face the size of El Cap involves at least a little bit of aid climbing. For example, The Nose is rated 5.14a for free climbers, but most people will climb it as a 5.8 free climb with relatively easy aid climbing through the harder free sections.
Aid Climbing on The Salathe Wall on El Capitan. You can see the webbing ladders called aiders or etriers used to make upward progress. Photo:Theresa Ho
Solo climbing
Solo climbing means climbing alone, but may be free climbing or aid climbing, with ropes. So, if a climber says, “I soloed The Nose”, what she means is simply that she climbed the The Nose route on El Capitan without a partner. On a big wall like El Capitan, a solo ascent can be brutal because you’re covering the same ground 3 times. The first time, you ‘lead’ the pitch, a section of a climb, trailing multiple ropes behind you. Then you descend down to the anchor by lowering yourself down the rope (rappelling) and removing all of the safety gear that you left behind while leading. Then you have to climb the rope again up to the top where you can haul all your gear up to your new position and repeat the process.
Speed climbing
Now take all those different styles of climbing and try to do them fast. That’s speed climbing.
Indoor speed climbing, like what you will see in the Olympics, is entirely free climbing and climbers don’t have to worry at all about placing safety gear. The route follows a standard course that is replicated all over the world. Speed climbers rehearse the exact moves needed to climb the route in a burst of anaerobic strength, and it looks like flying. El Cap speed climbing is almost nothing like that.
Speed ascents of El Capitan focus more on precision, efficiency and risk management. Sure, people are trying to move quickly, but the military saying “Slow is smooth, smooth is fast” rules the day. Depending on the style of ascent, the climbs can take anywhere from a few hours to more than a day.
Stopping to place gear takes time, so whenever possible climbers will free any sections they can climb quickly with minimal safety gear. When the going gets hard, they switch to aid climbing to keep moving.
Still, speed records depend a lot on the style of climb.
Here are a just a few examples to give you a sense of how long it takes speed climbers to climb The Nose on El Capitan (times for other routes vary substantially). For reference, the first ascent party, Warren Harding, Wayne Merry and George Whitmore spent 47 days pioneering the route. A typical modern party on The Nose will take 3-4 days to finish the climb using a mix of aid and free climbing.
- John Long, Jim Bridwell and Billy Westbay completed the first Nose In A Day ascent in 1975 (using aid).
- After being the first person to free The Nose in 1993, Lynn Hill returned in 1994 to complete the climb free in a day, completing the climb in 23 hours.
- At that time, the fastest times for free + aid ascent was by Hans Florine and Peter Croft at 4 hours 22 minutes. Now, that record is under 2 hours. (Alex Honnold and Tommy Caldwell summited in 1:58:07 on June 6, 2018).
- The current women’s record is 4:43 (Chantel Astorga and Mayan Smith-Gorbat in 2013).
- On August 5, 2016, a current Yosemite Mountaineering School climbing guide, Miranda Oakley, became the first female ever to solo The Nose in a day, taking 21:15 to climb it by herself.
El Capitan Camping
Climbers would call it “bivying” as in “We bivyed on El Capitan.”
Regardless of what you call it, if it takes 3-4 days to climb El Capitan, you need to have some way of spending the night.
How does that work?
Sleeping and Spending the Night
If possible, climbers will stop on a ledge system and spread out their sleeping bags there. However, sometimes there aren’t any convenient ledges, or the ledges are too small or sloping.
In that case, a prepared climber will carry a portaledge with her. These “portable ledges” are like heavy-duty aluminum frame cots that hang from an anchor instead of standing on legs. From this comfortable stance, climbers can relax, cook dinner and bed down in relative comfort with one of the most amazing views imaginable.
But make no mistake, this isn’t ultralight backpacking.
Portaledges are heavy. They weigh nearly 20 pounds all by themselves.
Climber Ryan Sheridan coils a rope high on El Capitan. Behind him you can see a portaledge where climbers spend the night. Photo: Erik Sloan / Yosemitebigwall.com
Finding Water on El Cap
Plus, unlike a backpacker who can often refill his water from a nearby river, El Capitan climbers bring all the water they need with them from the ground up. If you count on a gallon of water per person per day, that weighs more than 48 pounds of water for two people spending only 3 days on the route. That means the water and portaledge alone are 68 pounds before you add in any food, cooking gear, sleeping bags/pads, extra clothes or any of your actual climbing gear.
Because water weighs so much, it’s precious and almost everything that is carried up will be either drunk or eaten. Conserving every drop of water makes you appreciate faucets, and especially hot and cold running water in a whole new way!
Unlike backpacking meals, there is no point in dehydrating food when you also have to carry the water needed rehydrate it anyway. On big walls, foods like canned fruit in juice that you can drink afterward go back on the menu.
For really long ascents, some climbers cache water along the route prior to the climb itself, going up and down repeatedly to make sure they have enough supplies along the way. For a 19-day effort like Tommy and Kevin’s ascent of Dawn Wall, friends helped by ferrying supplies including food and water up to them along the way.
Hauling
In addition to the weight, if the route isn’t overhanging so that the haul bag hangs away from the wall, climbers also have to contend with the friction of the haul bag scraping against the granite and getting caught on features in the rock.
Lighter climbers and those on longer routes often end up resorting to pulley systems that provide a mechanical advantage in order to haul these unwieldy loads.
Bathroom matters
Also, people always want to know – what about, you know, when you have to go? You can’t bury it in solid granite, and you’re on a small ledge or portaledge so it’s not like you can disappear into the bushes. With multiple parties on the same route at one time, the only reasonable thing you can do is forgo modesty and pack it out.
You can buy commercial kits like the wag bag, or just ask your partner to look the other way while you do your business in a plastic ziploc. Double bag. Maybe add some kitty litter or wrap the final package in aluminum foil to help control the smell. Then store the package securely in a container that won’t break even if it’s being dragged up the side of a granite cliff. It’s not exactly glamorous, but much better than having the party above you let fly.
Learning to climb El Capitan
Learning to climb a big wall like El Capitan takes a lot of practice. Most of the time people start in the climbing gym or on short walls to make sure their systems are efficient. Getting small things right – like the length of aiders, the slings the second person used to climb the rope, or practicing how to “lower out” if the line of gear is horizontal instead of going straight up – can make a huge difference in the amount of energy it takes to complete a long climb.
Once these basic systems are dialed in, the next step is a smaller Yosemite Wall like Leaning Tower or Washington Column, before embarking on climbs the size of El Cap.
To get a head start on learning all the skills needed for big walls, go climbing with a guide from Yosemite Mountaineering School. As the only authorized guide service in Yosemite, these guides have climbed El Capitan dozens of times and are great teachers for climbers of any experience level.
Learn to rock climb in Yosemite with the Yosemite Mountaineering School. Photo: Yosemite Hospitality by Marta Czajkowska
Published on August 27, 2019
El Capitan viewed from Cathedral Spires. |
Yosemite Big Wall Climbing Info
Yosemite is big wall paradise. The walls are enormous, the rock solid, and the weather ideal. Below I have offered a primer to help you plan a Yosemite big wall adventure. I have also included some personal tips and techniques and the gear I am currently using. Enjoy!
Yosemite is big wall paradise. The walls are enormous, the rock solid, and the weather ideal. Below I have offered a primer to help you plan a Yosemite big wall adventure. I have also included some personal tips and techniques and the gear I am currently using. Enjoy!
— Chris McNamara
P.S. email me if you have any beta that should be added to this page
Yosemite Big Wall Skills
Yosemite offers short practice aid routes, 3000-foot A5 nightmares, and everything in between. No matter what you plan to climb, you will need basic free climbing and aid climbing skills before you arrive in the Valley. Train in both a climbing gym and your local crag and read our How To Big Wall Climb Book. Consider purchasing Road to The Nose, a guidebook that offers advice on training for Yosemite big walls and also includes numerous topos for moderate routes. For a more complete selection of big wall routes, check out Yosemite Big Wall SuperTopos.
Yosemite offers short practice aid routes, 3000-foot A5 nightmares, and everything in between. No matter what you plan to climb, you will need basic free climbing and aid climbing skills before you arrive in the Valley. Train in both a climbing gym and your local crag and read our How To Big Wall Climb Book. Consider purchasing Road to The Nose, a guidebook that offers advice on training for Yosemite big walls and also includes numerous topos for moderate routes. For a more complete selection of big wall routes, check out Yosemite Big Wall SuperTopos.
Good Practice Aid Climbs
Here are some El Capitan base routes to hone your aid skills and get you familiar with Yosemite granite. All these climbs are included in the Road to The Nose guidebook. Also, here are some Southern California practice areas
Here are some El Capitan base routes to hone your aid skills and get you familiar with Yosemite granite. All these climbs are included in the Road to The Nose guidebook. Also, here are some Southern California practice areas
Route | Pitches | Source |
Pacific Ocean Wall Base | C1 | The Pacific Ocean Wall is an intimidating climb with a very moderate first pitch. This is a great first aid climbing lead. |
North America Wall Base | 1 | This pitch offers sustained nut and small cam placements with a few 'aid boulder problems' below the anchor. |
C2 5.7 | This wandering and adventurous climb leads to El Cap Tree, an 80-foot ponderosa, the only major tree on El Capitan. | |
Dihedral Wall Base | 2 | These two pitches ascend the lower portion of an enormous 600-foot dihedral. They are sustained and involve some tricky placements. |
La Escuela | C1 | A great first aid lead. Some of the placements are a little awkward but they are generally secure. |
Good First Big Wall Climbs in Yosemite
Below are five moderate Yosemite big walls. None of these climbs is easy and you will need to have your aid skills wired before attempting one. Most of these climbs are included in the Road to The Nose guidebook.
Below are five moderate Yosemite big walls. None of these climbs is easy and you will need to have your aid skills wired before attempting one. Most of these climbs are included in the Road to The Nose guidebook.
Rating | Pitches | Description |
Washington Column, South Face | 10 | A popular first wall. This climb is probably the easiest Grade V wall and is usually crowded. |
Leaning Tower, West Face | C2F 5.7 | Probably Yosemite's shortest Grade V wall but also the most overhanging. Most of the crux sections have fixed gear and there are many bolt ladders. |
12 | A steep and popular route. While most crux sections are fixed, the exposure and thin crack systems make this climb challenging both mentally and physically. | |
Lost Arrow Spire Tip | C2 5.7 | A true Yosemite classic climb. While only two pitches long, the exposure will make you feel like you're halfway up El Capitan. |
Skull Queen | 13 | A more difficult and less crowded variation to the South Face. |
Brief ad break: please help support this site by checking out the Yosemite Big Walls guidebook. There is a free sample download here
View the Index and Introduction |
View a list of new routes since the Second Edition and read the Preface about What's New? |
Good Long and Moderate Big Wall Climbs
After climbing a few shorter big wall routes, you may be ready to tackle the biggies: Half Dome and El Capitan. Listed below are some of the most classic Grade VI big walls in Yosemite. Take a look at the list of climbs to develop a good tick list of great Yosemite climbing routes. Check out our list of Yosemite's 40+ best big wall climbs
After climbing a few shorter big wall routes, you may be ready to tackle the biggies: Half Dome and El Capitan. Listed below are some of the most classic Grade VI big walls in Yosemite. Take a look at the list of climbs to develop a good tick list of great Yosemite climbing routes. Check out our list of Yosemite's 40+ best big wall climbs
Route | Pitches | Source |
Half Dome, Northwest Face | C1 5.9 | My (Chris McNamara's) favorite route. Loads of quality free climbing in a spectacular location. Most of this route can be climbed at 5.9 or easier. |
The Nose | 31 | Considered by many to best rock climb in the world. Period. |
C2 5.9 | Almost as classic and slightly harder than the The Nose. Many memorable pitches and ledges. | |
Lurking Fear | 19 | One of the more moderate and shorter routes on El Capitan. The first half requires mostly aid climbing and the second half requires mostly free climbing. |
Zodiac | A2 5.7 | The most moderate route on El Capitan's overhanging southeast face. Spectacular exposure and easy hauling. |
Climbing Safety
More than 100 climbing accidents occur every year in Yosemite. The two documents below include some helpful information to help you avoid an accident.
More than 100 climbing accidents occur every year in Yosemite. The two documents below include some helpful information to help you avoid an accident.
Staying Alive by John Dill, Yosemite Search and Rescue |
Two Climbing Accident Summaries by Tyson Hausdoerffer |
Climbing Ethics
Macos snap to edge. The document below contains a number of tips that all big wall climbers should adhere to in order to keep Yosemite the climbing paradise it is today. Also, here is a great thread on making a poop tube or big wall waste system and a discussion on big wall passing ethics.
Macos snap to edge. The document below contains a number of tips that all big wall climbers should adhere to in order to keep Yosemite the climbing paradise it is today. Also, here is a great thread on making a poop tube or big wall waste system and a discussion on big wall passing ethics.
View Low Impact Climbing in Vertical Wilderness andTaking Care of the Big Stone by Jesse McGahee, Climbing Ranger, and Steve Grossman |
Favorite Big Wall Links
OutdoorGearLab Big Wall Gear Reviews
Live El Cap and Half Dome Cams
Yosemite Climber's Information
National Park Service's Climbing Page
OutdoorGearLab Big Wall Gear Reviews
Live El Cap and Half Dome Cams
Yosemite Climber's Information
National Park Service's Climbing Page
How Long Did It Take To Climb El Capitan The First Time
Chris McNamara's Aid Rack
Does moviepass work for el capitan la. Here are the two aid racks I use most often on Yosemite big walls (Here is the big wall gear list with links). I have also included a checklist of what to bring on multi-day walls. I did not include a rack for a sample A4 nailing route because nailing racks vary wildly depending on the route. Keep in mind that everyone prefers different gear and my rack not necessarily the best rack for you. Also, I tend to go light and you will probably carry more cams, nuts, pitons, etc. Here is a detailed description of basic wall gear and protection or a description of haul bags, portaledges, and bivy gear
Does moviepass work for el capitan la. Here are the two aid racks I use most often on Yosemite big walls (Here is the big wall gear list with links). I have also included a checklist of what to bring on multi-day walls. I did not include a rack for a sample A4 nailing route because nailing racks vary wildly depending on the route. Keep in mind that everyone prefers different gear and my rack not necessarily the best rack for you. Also, I tend to go light and you will probably carry more cams, nuts, pitons, etc. Here is a detailed description of basic wall gear and protection or a description of haul bags, portaledges, and bivy gear
Rack for all clean routes (Example: The Nose) | Rack for mostly clean routes (Example: Zodiac) | Misc. gear for multi-day walls: |
1 ea DMM Offset Nuts 1 set DMM Peenuts 1 set DMM Brass Offsets #2-3, 2 ea #4-6 2 ea cam hooks (narrow) 2 sets of Black Diamond X4's to #5 or Aliens 1-2 sets of Black Diamond Offset X4's to #5 2 sets of Black Diamond Camalots #0.5-3 1 each of Camalots #4 and #5 1 medium Black Diamond Pecker (optional) 1 60m x 10.2mm climbing rope 1 60m x 8mm or 9mm static haul line Petzl Micro Traxion or Pro Traxion Ascenders Light aiders 1 Daisy chain Fifi hook 10 light quickdraws 50 light carabiners 10 light Dyneema slings Harness Gri Gri Approach shoes Climbing shoes Helmet | ALL CLEAN ROUTE RACK PLUS: 1 Cliffhanger 1 Talon 1 Grappling hook 2 ea of mid-sized cam hooks 4 keyhole hangers 4 wire rivet hangers Hammer 5 copperheads (#2-3) 1 ea Moses Tomahawk 1-2 ea Black Diamond Pecker (med, lrg) 1 Knifeblade 3 Lost Arrow pitons (#1-3) 2 baby Angles (1/2”, 5/8”) 2 sawed angles (3/4”, 1”) 2 Metolius daisy chains 2 ea Yates Big Wall Ladder Yates Big Wall Rack tie-off loops Comfy wall harness | Light Portaledge Metolius Dome Haul Bag Metolius Quarter Dome Haul Bag 3/4 lengthfoam sleeping pad Synthetic sleeping bag Bivy sac (if expecting bad weather) Metolius Big Wall Stuff Sacks Metolius Waste Case or homemade poop tube Wag Bags Wet One's wipes Headlamp Mtn biking gloves or Metolius belay gloves Rain jacket Warmer belay jacket knife wide-brimmed cloth sun hat duct tape portable solar panel cell phone Stove |
Free Climb El Capitan
Anchor Conditions
Since 1997 the American Safe Climbing Association has replaced more than 800 bolts in Yosemite. Some anchor information is available for certain climbs on the route beta pages. For the most up-to-date information on each route’s anchors conditions, visit the ASCA web site.
Since 1997 the American Safe Climbing Association has replaced more than 800 bolts in Yosemite. Some anchor information is available for certain climbs on the route beta pages. For the most up-to-date information on each route’s anchors conditions, visit the ASCA web site.