Yosemite: Phantom Pinnacle, West Face El Cap (first 8) 5/25-27/91 Joel and I originally planned to visit Smith Rock or Red Rocks for the long weekend, but rain and heat prompted a last minute switch to Yosemite (not a bad place to settle for, although by now Joel and I have done many of the standard routes so we have trouble deciding what to do). Saturday: we tried the Outside Face of Phantom Pinnacle to check our speed. After a 2 hour approach, I slowly rambled up the first pitch and we froze in our shorts and t-shirts. The sequence on the inital 5.10d move is tricky (not a lunge for me at least); one hold is sloping and the other is very thin. After some wide, the upper 5.10a thin crack was interesting though awkward. Joel aided the move; it might be harder than 5.10d. Joel got the death pitch, with a runout 5.8 mantle and improbable traverse that neither of us wanted to risk, so we rapped. 2 other guys were trying the regular (5.9) route but bailed after 2 pitches and large block trundling. It looked somewhat broken; I don't know why some people had recommended it to me! Sunday: we decided to just go for 8 pitches on the West Face of El Cap and then rap, since we didn't seem fast enough to make it in a day. This also gave us more time to try to free climb the pitches. The 2 hour approach gave us a good view of the gridlock developing on the Valley floor below. 1. 5.11d? (C): got it all but the face move past the new bolt (could not see how to do it, so I stood in a sling -- rated 5.11a, and I'm no expert on thin face, foot-intensive moves). J also had to aid some of the upper 5.10 moves, feeling out of shape I guess. 2. 5.11b (C): came close to freeing it (grabbed a TCU in the first arch briefly to get clipped in, as I was starting to shake). My feet blew shortly afterwards, but the near fall was arrested by desperately grabbing questionable holds. J aided several moves, presumably not being inspired by their slabby nature. A new bolt off the belay and another at the end of the pitch were nice to have. 3. 5.10a (J), 4. 4th class (C). Straightforward. 5. 5.10d (J). Supposedly the arete move getting past the roof is 5.9, but J couldn't get it, and I just barely did while following. 6. 5.10d A0 (C). Rated 5.10c, it's a sustained corner up high after a great start up a knobby face and easy roof. This pitch really needs a belay just after the roof (at the start of the hand crack) for several reasons: - it's nearly 160' to the current sling belay, and the resulting rope drag makes it hard to make the last clips (I had to grab on the last one, then aid on it to reach the belay slings). The rope drag also makes it artificially easier at times (easier to rest by sagging down slightly on the rope). - the sling belay is uncomfortable and can be avoided with a lower belay by combining the next short pitch. - the sling belay obscures a 5.11d(?) crux (or A0) of tips liebacking. 7. 5.11a (J). J aided, I followed free (but couldn't do the 5.11d just below/at the sling belay). 8. 5.11c (C). Wild left-slanting crack through a 30' overhanging headwall. Rated 5.11b, the crack has well-spaced shallow hand jams, one good horn, and several fixed pins. I grabbed to clip the pin below the horn, then grabbed a Friend above and much resting on gear commenced. After this, even the 5.9 above was near my limit, and we rapped as the shadow caught us. The route was well over our heads to free; I found it a wild challenge; Joel was feeling slightly out of shape and a little more discouraged. Dinner proved no consolation, as we were nearly out of food and water (I went into a taco chips only diet and lost 5 pounds!). You see, we were only prepared for Golden Corral and 24-hour Safeway action at Smith Rock. On Monday we attempted to massage our bruised egos by doing the Central Pillar of Frenzy (first 5) and the East Buttress of Middle (first 3 plus the 5.10a Fifty Crowded var.). Joel found this last lead somewhat shaky with its detached flake, tips crack, lichen, etc. -- felt like the second ascent (Nancy and I did the FA of this in 10/87).