SummitPost.org

Im looking to do the West face of leaning tower or the Column, I have limited aid experience, ie practicing on my local crag and am really looking to gain more experience. I have all the gear, full rack with doubles of essentials, fifi, aiders,etc...

Give me an email at WaMorris at calpoly.edu if your interested.

Think you might have your dates screwed up there...

I might could learn aid by 2015.

i meant eitther june 11 or 12 arriving and then leaving around the 14th to the 15th. Love how people take things way to far

ahhh, November of 2015. Unfortunately, our world will have come to an end by then. Sorry.

Have you done any other big walls? I was glad to have gotten some experience on Washington Column before the Leaning Tower- the aid on Leaning Tower (presume you're talking about the W face?) is definitely a step up from, say the S face on WC. Even if you don't find someone on the internet, worst case scenario you can find a partner at Camp 4.

Sorry. Couldn't resist. Unfortunately I'll still be in Texas at Boy Scout camp and don't have the requisite big wall / aid experience. Good luck though.

Not bad advice from Diggler. Sure you can probably do WFLT as a first wall. It's pretty straightforward but it's got some issues. One, bailing is kind of a pain. The 4th class approach is pretty exposed and you'd have to downclimb it, and the first pitch is so steep it's tricky (but possible) to bail from. Two, there are also some funky hooks moves to gain Ahwanhee Ledge, which may feel a little beyond your pay grade when you get there. Still, very doable and a great route. You'll appreciate the exposure from the very first pitch.

The S. Face of the Column is really straightforward, though hauling on the upper pitches is a pain. Nice bivy on Dinner Ledge though you have to descend North Dome Gully, which always seems to mess some people up, though I've never had a problem, even as a gumby 16 yr. old finding the right way.

Also, on the S face of Washington Column, if you fix above Kor Roof the first day, you can leave the pig behind, & on day 2 jug the fixed lines & blast to the top, then rap' down to Dinner Ledge, pick up all your stuff, & continue rapp'ing all the way to the bottom (climb is rigged for easy abseiling). Descent from the Leaning Tower is a pain in the ass.

Also, although both Ahwahnee Ledge & Dinner Ledge are phenomenal places to camp out, due to the overhanging nature of the Tower, Ahwahnee Ledge continually smells like piss, & due to the orientation of the climb, the views, while exposed, are mostly of the forest on the other side of the Valley. Dinner Ledge, on the other hand, won't necessarily smell like piss, & you're front-row-center looking directly across at Half Dome- imho, perhaps the best camping location in Yosemite.

Im plannin on doing the south face of the column now..Thanks for the input