Here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-30793748

At the risk of exposing my stupidity in public… what are they doing free-climbing the wall in mid-winter? Surely it’s well below freezing in Yosemite at this time of year?

I don’t understand.

Mental!

Rock has a more friction in the cold I believe 🙂

No one I work with understands why I go biking up hills in weather like we’ve experienced recently, which is really just the same thing as you not ‘getting’ the above news story.

Not criticising, just saying.

Less moisture so more grip perhaps. In all honesty i’ve no idea.

Better friction when it is cooler. They’re in T shirts a lot of the time and climbing some bits at night just to get the rock cooler.

Just like in the UK lots of the grit climbers go out in grim winter conditions for better friction.

They had Leo Holding on the BBC new this morning talking about it. He said it was still pretty warm and they were climbing at night to make use of lower temps. Apparently the grip is better when it’s cooler. Looks absolutely crazy to me.

Surely it’s well below freezing in Yosemite at this time of year?

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=yosemite+temperature&oq=yosemite+temperature&aqs=chrome..69i57.4772j0j7&sourceid=chrome&es_sm=93&ie=UTF-8

Reckons it’s about 9 degrees at the moment which is pretty much perfect. For various reasons it’s easier to climb at your limit when it’s cool – principally because you get better friction on smaller holds and because your skin is less likely to get sweaty and over soft meaning you’re less likely to get cut fingers.

They’re using safety ropes so not 100% nuts 🙂

The holds are so small that low temperatures are actually an advantage – ie hands don’t get greasy with sweat, so friction is better. It’s why the gritstone bouldering season is during the winter months in the UK.

My experience of winter rock climbing was not being able to feel the holds after half an hour or so, though.

Not sure I’d want to be portaledging it for well over two weeks on El Cap in January.

is it free climbing on a technicality ?

it sounds like what i used to know as “climbing”

free climbing was always something madmen did – ie climbing without a rope…..

Well I suppose they’ll get up it faster as they won’t spend half the time dipping their hands in their chalk bags.

Terminology confusion:

Free climbing in US terms refers to both climbing without a rope (soloing) and climbing with rope and gear, but without pulling on it to make progress. It’s the latter in this case.

They could have gone and soloed a route somewhere really cold.

is it free climbing on a technicality ?

No, it’s free climbing* but the general public think of free climbing as meaning what climbers call soloing.

*Free climbing is simply climbing without resorting to pulling on artificial gear which is known as Aid Climbing

Free climbing is simply climbing without resorting to pulling on artificial gear which is known as Aid Climbing

i have heard of ‘aid’ climbing, but didn’t know the ‘mercans called it ‘free climbing’ – thanks for that.

anyway, awesome.

i have heard of ‘aid’ climbing, but didn’t know the ‘mercans called it ‘free climbing’

It’s not an american thing. brits have used it in the same way for decades. Hence route names like Free and Easy which was previously an Aid route called Superdirectissima.

Biggest problem of big wall climbing in Yosemite in summer is the volume / weight of water you need to haul up. At this time of the year when its a bit colder you can reduce your water significantly. An extra jumper doesn’t weigh that much.

On Sat ,I was chatting to someone (at my local wall) about this .They have climbed at El Capitan and said that Kevin Jorgeson has been planning this for years

Awesome stuff 😯

Interview with Jorgenson up on the wall

Sounds like a massive psychological effort as well.
The 8 1/2ft dyno is nuts as well. Look what he’s jumping from and to…

i have heard of ‘aid’ climbing, but didn’t know the ‘mercans called it ‘free climbing’ – thanks for that.

just in case – they don’t call aid climbing free climbing.

Both use rope to hold a fall. Free climbing uses only hands on rock to move upwards, aid climbing uses using metal gubbinses placed in cracks and on tiny holds to pull on. “Freeing” a route that was previously only climbed by people aiding, is an important step, because it’s ethically purer to climb without using gubbinses to pull on, and marks a moving forward of technical climbing achievement on that route.

Read Andy Kirkpatrick’s Psychovertical if you’re looking for a funny, exciting, emotional book and want to know more about aid climbing.

Is that the dyno?

[video]http://vimeo.com/80908548[/video]

45secs in.

“Freeing” a route that was previously only climbed by people aiding, is an important step, because it’s ethically purer to climb without using gubbinses to pull on,

As in the aid route named ‘Free That You Bastards’ in Chee Dale where the first aid ascentionist pulled his way up on pegs, then abbed the line and smashed off all of what he thought were the useable hand-holds.

It was freed by Ben Moon in the 80s. 😀

I understood that the point of “free climbing” as they’re undertaking it is that the ropes only catch them if they fall – if they do fall, they have to revert back to the start of that pitch rather than carry on from where they are hanging. So ropes are a lifesaver, not any sort of artificial aid (aside from pulling gear up).

Caveat – I know almost nothing about climbing, I just read an article about this yesterday…

Not sure why it makes the BBC News though – it’s only a spot of rock climbing.

Not sure why it makes the BBC News though – it’s only a spot of rock climbing.

Other sports make the news too you realise?

Bit like saying the Tour de France is only some blokes riding around a bit.

It will be a major achievement within the sport if they manage it.

I meant it’s more nuts from the point of view of the physical and mental challenge, the ropes should stop them killing themselves. Doing something that hard for days on end, sleeping right there with no break at all is impressive.

It will be a major achievement within the sport if they manage it.

Plus the quality of the coverage makes for some awe inspiring videos.

that’s a long dyno! respect.

Are they actually hauling their own kit though? Pics I’ve seen show lots of people with cameras and lights – or do the ethics mean that they’re not allowed to make any contact?

the ropes should stop them killing themselves.

should

still plenty of things to go wrong though. It’s hardly safe!

Just found this excerpt from the book I mentioned earlier. Bit of a spoiler for the end, but not really: http://www.alpinist.com/doc/web08f/wfeature-psycho-vertical-kirkpatrick

Aracer – Dunno, not had time to look at in detail but would expect so if they want the kudos of ‘having done it properly’.

Is that the dyno?

There was a kind of multi-year saga while Tommy and Kevin were scoping the route and rehearsing it and the details were leaking out onto youtube or wherever…. will they / won’t they do the dyno 😯

The sort of move that would be set in a bouldering competition as a crowd-pleaser, but to do it in a place like that, outrageous.

Are they actually hauling their own kit though? Pics I’ve seen show lots of people with cameras and lights – or do the ethics mean that they’re not allowed to make any contact?

No, they’ve got people bringing water & supplies up. Its kind of stretching the ethics but it’s not entirely unprecedented, the first (aid) ascent of the original route on El Cap (the Nose) took 47 days of climbing, spread over about a year and half of going up and back down again…

I think they are being resupplied by supporters. If you could imagine the amount of water/food/waste involved in a three week stint on the wall, let alone one which involves such difficult climbing, then it moves away from the kind of set-up involved in your average trip up The Nose.

I guess it’s as pure as is possible. Someone can come along next year, or in ten years time, and try to do it more quickly, without pre-practice, or self-supported. Can’t begin to comprehend what that would take.

To be fair, although its got the presses and general public attention im more impressed with the first winter solo ascent of denali that’s just occured. The headgame of soloing a 20000 ft mountain in -60 is a different kettle of fish. (Not denigrating the efforts of the fair weather friction monkeys though)

Not a bad read

http://adventureblog.nationalgeographic.com/2015/01/03/climbers-tommy-caldwell-kevin-jorgeson-pass-crux-of-the-worlds-hardest-longest-free-climb/

I think the boundaries of free cane be somewhat hazy!!

Incredible climbing here though.

Not sure why it makes the BBC News though – it’s only a spot of rock climbing.

Dear god!! Some people really are idiots.

It will be am amazing achievement. Great footage as well.

My wife wondered exactly what the OP said – we’ve been in Yosemite valley around December and you can hear ‘cracks’ as bits of stuff – not sure if ice or rocks – fell. Not sure if this would be more or less hazardous in winter as opposed to summer.

If there’s more friction when it’s colder, someone should tell the F1 teams – they save a fortune on their leccy bills.

mmm….Be interesting to know how many bolts they’ve drilled to protect the blank sections as well.

To be fair, although its got the presses and general public attention im more impressed with the first winter solo ascent of denali that’s just occured.

Why should it get any coverage. It’s just a bit of winter walking, no? 8)

Seriously, though, bloody impressive as it is, it won’t be the first winter solo of Denali. Just the first winter ascent which happens to be in January.

Hopefully he’s down by now or at least at a lower camp.

Is this a proper, throw the rope at the bottom of the first pitch, tie in and climb on-sight with no practice first? (Not had time to read the press yet). If so well done those men.