First El Cap climb. The little details.

A buddy and I are planning to climb El Cap for the first time this fall. We're well aware of the seriousness of the undertaking, and are doing everything in our power to have our systems dialed so we aren't clusterf*cking the whole way up. We've got the Supertopo guides and all that good stuff. So I'm not looking for you guys to tell us how to aid, or how to pack or how to haul.

What I'm simply curious about, is what little things did you folks regret not preparing for when you first went up the Captain? And what rookie mistakes did you realize were completely avoidable in hindsight?

If you have to ask you shouldn't be up there. Welcome to bigwall climbing, son!

Get your changeovers dialed, that's where most time is lost that can be avoided. and don't forget your haul line at the belay or headlamp in the pig if its getting close to sunset. I was an idiot and ended up leading the last 50 feet of the Black Tower on Zodiac using my phone's camera flash as a light, not fun.

MC Poopypants wrote:If you have to ask you shouldn't be up there. Welcome to bigwall climbing, son!

Lame response. The guy is just looking for personal insight, not a how to lecture.

I think the quality of the advice you get may depend in large part on what route you're looking at. Regardless, the advice about getting your system down--changeovers, hauling, etc.--is key. Efficiency will preserve your physical and mental energy. The best way to work on that is either by practicing them on some out of the way crag or doing a smaller, overnight wall. They're fun in and of themselves, and they're a good way to test yourself, your partner (not everyone has a good head for exposure), your system and without a lugging around a fully bloated pig of bone crushing weight. Good objectives are things like the Prow or Leaning Tower.

Other things I would have done for my first wall had I known better:
1. Do lots of ab and lower back work. You will use those muscles ALOT more than normal cragging.
2. Keep some water and snacks within easy reach at the top of the haul bag.
3. Make sure to use lip balm and sunscreen, especially on the back of your neck. If you get fried the first day, the gear sling is going to chafe against that burned flesh for the rest of your climb.
4. Don't get discouraged the first day. Walls are about working through problems. It's like eating an elephant--one bite at a time.
5. Enjoy being up there. It's an experience unlike any other. Once I'm five or six pitches up and you the wall starts falling away beneath you. You see the cliff swallows, the peregrines perhaps, the little red mites that crawl over the rock; it's remarkable. Savor it.

-Good Menu
-Easily accessible dromedary at the top of the bag.
-Having some sort of grub on you at all times. (i.e. beef jerky, bars, etc.)

Don't haul with a GriGri! That inch of lost efficiency adds up over 2500+ feet. Whatever hauling system you choose practice it a lot. I think efficient hauling is a huge step in swinging the suffering to fun ratio in your favor.

P.S. what the hell are those little red things? They were out in full force when we were up there. Almost turned our rope red!

The comments above touch on some key points.

1. Food. Keep good snacks on you at all times to keep the energy levels up. Gatorade mix is nice for some salt replacement. Nutella is a killer, high-calorie treat.

2. Anchor organization/belay changeovers. You'll probably be on two-bolt anchors - so you know what to expect when you get to the top of a pitch. Establish a quick system to get setup when you get there. Having a practiced plan and routine makes it all go faster.

I think mental space is one of the biggest parts of going up there for the first time. You always hear about folks bailing on their first try. Go up there with a 'we're going to the top' attitude. Things can get hard and messy, but take it pitch at a time and make it happen.

Make sure your partner is mentally prepared for the event…OR you lose...

I went out in '99 for a month. Sole purpose of climbing the Nose.
With perfect weather, hardly any other parties on the route, it all
seemed perfect! Until we got to Sickle Ledge, and he insisted on bailing.
It truly sucked. Next I was told let's do something similar, but just a wee bit shorter.
Ok, I am fine with that. We then head up to Half Dome for the Regular Route.
Up the death slabs, bivy over night… I lead one pitch the next day, and he can't even
go up it. Trip ruined… (Not totally, we did do some cool climbs) but it was such a
big bummer, I could hardly stand to climb with him the remainder of the trip.

All the little fumbling, and nOObing, etc. are nothing compared to a mentally shot partner!

As noted, you need a 'we're topping this .fucker out' mentality. Every little cluster, and they will arise, cannot be a referendum on whether to bail.

Don't skimp on gloves. HW store calfskin will do, but get some.

Eat.

Stay tied in.

MC Poopypants wrote:If you have to ask you shouldn't be up there. Welcome to bigwall climbing, son!

Yeah, that's great advice! I just got my lead certification at the Boulder Rock Club, isn't that enough experience to climb El Cap?

A good pair of fingerless gloves is really important. Hands take a thrashing on big walls.

Wet wipes.

Using a munter+mule to dock the pig makes undocking and lowering out a breeze.

Have your jumaring dialed. Know which daisy loop or lengths to use everytime. Jumaring becomes more strenuous as things get steeper.

Block climbing + short fixing is maybe a bit more advanced, but is way faster and makes the belay stations a *lot* less cluttered. I'd argue that maintaining clean hanging belay stations when swapping is actually more advanced than short fixing.

A good belay seat is so important on hanging belays. I use a homemade one made out of thin plywood, foam padding and webbing. Butt bags aren't much better than sitting in your harness.

Protect the knot on your haul line with tape or a plastic bottle. Otherwise, it will get a core shot. Don't put hard pokie things against the inside of your pig.

Never lay anything down. If it's not clipped in, it will likely drop or blow away, and you'll have to do without. Put loops and accesory cord on everything.

Stay positive, confident and relaxed. The sustained exposure can really mess with your head if you start to stress out. Keep it fun!

IMHO, I prefer to always pee in a bottle and either haul it or at least dump it off route. I once peed off a ledge with a very calm updraft, as the urine spread out into a mist it started to swirl and drift upwards....

Along the lines of #2 from Fat Dad: A bullet pack or similiar with the essentials, leashed to the inside of the pig. Get the pig to the belay, open it up, flop the bag out, eat/drink/whatever, flop it back in and close up the pig.

N regards to keeping things organized, BD sells a "Wall Organizer". I can get it for $25, have any of ya'll used it? Is it worth the money? Or is it more of a novelty.

Wall organizer

Go to the thrift store and buy some stuff sacks. Dollar for dollar, you should be able to get 10-20x the useful storage compared to that thing. If you plan to beat 'em up real hard, paint 'em with Seam Grip.

The Blueprint Part Dank wrote:N regards to keeping things organized, BD sells a "Wall Organizer". I can get it for $25, have any of ya'll used it? Is it worth the money? Or is it more of a novelty.

I think that "wall organizer" is meant to go with a portaledge, not woven into the belay cluster.

EDIT: +1 on the wetwipes

Although a nice macrame project does help while away the hours on the dull end!

Shelton Hatfield wrote: I think that "wall organizer" is meant to go with a portaledge, not woven into the belay cluster.

I know this. I can read the description on the BD website. We have a BD Cabana ledge already.

What route are you planning on?

The Blueprint Part Dank wrote: I know this. I can read the description on the BD website. We have a BD Cabana ledge already.

My bad. I guess I may have assumed you didn't have one yet. I've been on a few walls and I've still never touched a portaledge. And I guess you didn't even say it'd be your first wall. I guess I'm making all kinds of assumptions.

Don't wear your expensive approach shoes or any other clothing you paid top dollar for. You will trash them.

If you have any fear of exposure, El Cap is your worst nightmare. This is the reason some people can handle it mentally while others freak out. The best way to overcome this is to work up to El Cap by climbing smaller walls, which is difficult unless you can go to Yosemite every weekend ...

Or do Leaning Tower before hand.

Doesn't get much more exposed than that.