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Marcsoltan wrote:What's funny about the reports is that these reporters think El Cap has never been climbed before. They don't seem to understand the difference between a "route" and a the whole wall, never mind understanding the difference between free climbing and aid climbing.

I've had to explain to people at work that free climbing is not free soloing; many seem to think the climbers are unroped.

I t appears Caldwell and Jorgeson now have made it....!
Is this the toughest route ever for rock? Regardless, very great accomplishment.
http://article.wn.com/view/2015/01/10/k ... n_8217s_d/

Now will Alex Honnold try this?

http://www.elcapreport.com/content/elcap-report-192015-special-dawn-wall-edition-day-14

Great Stuff

Marmaduke wrote:Now will Alex Honnold try this?

I doubt it! Alex Honnold is a great climber but I doubt anyone can EVER free solo a big wall that involves 5.14 pitches.

Marcsoltan wrote:

Marmaduke wrote:Now will Alex Honnold try this?

I doubt it! Alex Honnold is a great climber but I doubt anyone can EVER free solo a big wall that involves 5.14 pitches.

Yea I really didn't mean Free Solo but the fact that this is such a tremendous climb if we would try to at least match it. Honnold is also into speed as well so trying the same climb but faster.

Updates:
http://www.elcapreport.com/content/elca ... ion-day-15
http://www.ukclimbing.com/news/item.php?id=69426

Success!
http://abc7.com/travel/yosemite-free-climbers-reach-summit-of-el-capitan-in-groundbreaking-feat-/475391/

Max Whittaker for The New York Times, After climb interview:
Minutes after reaching the top of El Capitan, after the hugs and the sprays of sparkling wine, the rock climbers Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson spoke exclusively with John Branch of The New York Times.

Q.Did you have sense of how much of the world was watching? You just heard that President Obama wants to call you.

CALDWELL I had a small sense. Luckily a week ago I dropped my phone. I’ve been sheltered by some of it. But you see all the cars in the meadow, and at 4 a.m. every day, there’s some big light down there. We’ve gotten little tidbits of information about what’s been going down.

Q.What do you hope this does for climbing?

CALDWELL I would love for this to open people’s minds to what an amazing sport this is. I think the larger audience’s conception is that we’re thrill seekers, out there for an adrenaline rush. We really aren’t at all. It’s about spending our lives in these beautiful places and forming these incredible bonds with friends and family. It’s really a lifestyle. It’s superhealthy, and the climbing world is some of the most psyched, great people around. And if that love can spread, that’s really a great thing.

JORGESON I would echo all of those things for sure. I hope it inspires people to find their own Dawn Wall, if you will. We’ve been working on this thing a long time, slowly and surely. I think everyone has their own secret Dawn Wall to complete one day, and maybe they can put this project in their own context.

Q.What does this say about perseverance? A lot of people wouldn’t have thought of doing this, and many would not have kept at it the way you did.

JORGESON I’m pretty stubborn to begin with.

CALDWELL I asked Kevin that question myself, and he said, “I just didn’t want to give up.” And I’m too much of an optimist.

Q.Any times on the wall that you thought it was not going to happen?

CALDWELL For me, it went really, really well, actually. I was flying high from the beginning. It felt like a new climb compared to the last seven years. But it’s so much, and it’s such a daunting thing, so you never know what’s going to happen. I never had a moment like, I’m losing it; it’s slipping away.

JORGESON You try not to linger too long on the doubts, but I definitely had them. But I also operate better as a climber when I frame myself as an underdog and get the pressure off a little bit. It really helps. Even this morning, the fourth-to-last pitch, the method that Tommy used was not going to work for me, and I didn’t know there was another way. I was like, I’m not going to climb the Dawn Wall because of a 51.2 flair. I started to lose it a little bit. But I found my own way and made it work. It wasn’t until the base of the last pitch that I really felt it was in the bag.

Q.What now? What’s the comedown after all this is over the next few days?

CALDWELL We’re going to stay here in Yosemite. My family came out, and we’re going to enjoy this place a little longer. Go hang out with my little boy. I’m pretty excited to see everyone.

Q.When the climber Warren Harding reached the top of the Dawn Wall in 1970 and was asked why he did it, he said, “Because we’re insane!” Why did you do it?

CALDWELL For me, I love to dream big, and I love to find ways to be a bit of an explorer. These days it seems like everything is padded and comes with warning labels. This just lit a fire under me, and that’s a really exciting way to live. And this has driven me for a really long time.

JORGESON I wanted to see what I was capable of, and this was the biggest canvas and the most audacious project I could join and see to the finish. Like Tommy, I don’t know what is next.

Does anyone find it odd this is getting such mainstream press? I've talked to my non-climbing co workers about it and none of them seem to understand the accomplishment. They all seem to think this is the first time anyone has climbed el cap and that free climbing is super rare. The BBC article headline implies as much.

Congrats on a huge achievement. This is another climb all of us climbers will remember for as long as we live. It is THE climb that pushed the possible up a bit. I hope it serves as an inspiration to us all in whatever we do or plan to do outdoors...

Been following this climb on and off over here in the UK.

Absolutely mind blowing! What a tremendous achievement.

daishi wrote:Does anyone find it odd this is getting such mainstream press? I've talked to my non-climbing co workers about it and none of them seem to understand the accomplishment. They all seem to think this is the first time anyone has climbed el cap and that free climbing is super rare. The BBC article headline implies as much.

I must have seen this report on TV over a dozen times and not a single one was completely correct. The latest report claimed that this was the only time that El Cap was climbed using only hands and feet, another words, all free. LOL !!! We all know that there have been several routes on El Cap have been climbed all free. I don't have the list in front of me, but I can think of the NOSE right off hand since I was there myself chatting with the team of Lynn Hill and Steve Sutton.

Causes one to ponder the quality of the mass media and how much else they get wrong on other topics.

daishi wrote:Does anyone find it odd this is getting such mainstream press? I've talked to my non-climbing co workers about it and none of them seem to understand the accomplishment. They all seem to think this is the first time anyone has climbed el cap and that free climbing is super rare. The BBC article headline implies as much.

Yes I thought it was odd - even been a bit of hype in this part of the world.

Pathetic excuses for journalists like this are even getting on board.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-01-15/r ... ne/6019324\

In this article she is just dribbling garbage about her lack of ambition, how fat and lazy she is and that that she does not find the climbers' feat to be amazing. Yay I might not find potpourri makers or dress designers very remarkable but don’t find it necessary to bore the public about my narrow views about particular things that don’t interest me.

In my opinion the quality of journalism seems fairly appalling these days. Before you even think of publishing something, make sure you know what you are talking about and make sure its somewhat interesting.

Its a shame as its probably only a very small portion of these kind of people putting the rest that are legitimately good at what they do to shame.

A really great video of the duo climbing the wall:
http://www.adidasoutdoor.com/dawn-wall.html