Rockfall has impacted all Shultz's Ridge climbs in Yosemite

The major rockfalls on El Cap in the fall of 2017 (they are still coming down!), heavily impacted the short climbs at the Endless Summer and Dan and Jerry's Playground sport climbing areas. Probably best to avoid these areas for a while. If you do climb there, and experience changes in routes / anchors, please post to their appropriate pages!

Woot! Erik Sloan

RockClimbYosemite.com

Woot?

do you guys ever just woot to woot?

Max Supertramp wrote:

do you guys ever just woot to woot?

No. Not even once.

Edit

I almost retro-wooted once but my wife caught me in time.

I want to free solo a falling rock

Witnessed some rock fall earlier today. I was at the base of the footstool, heard a sound similar to a train and saw two refrigerator sized blocks hurling off el cap.

The rockfall path is right down the Shultz's Ridge area - much new talus can be seen along the base of the wall. Please help spread the word if you see people getting ready to climb here, as people come from all over to climb in Yosemite and might not have heard about the recent rockfall activity at El Cap......... A couple years ago a two hundred foot slab fell off the Regular Route on Half Dome. When the rangers walked up to the base to assess the scene, a team of foreigners was starting up the first pitch, totally unaware that the talus pile they were sitting in was evidence of a massive recent rockfall. 

Specifically, if you see someone at the Shultz's Ridge pullout with climbing gear, stop and say 'hey, don't know if you've heard, but this area has had massive rockfall recently and is not considered safe for climbing'. (a guy nearly died driving on the road right next to Shultz's Ridge this fall when a rock went through his sunroof!)

Thanks for the heads-up, Erik.

"a guy died driving on the road right next to Shultz's Ridge this summer when a rock went through his sunroof!"

WOOT! FAKE NEWS!

Not a fatality for him.  Not summer. But otherwise it happened. https://www.google.com/amp/www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/ct-yosemite-rock-fall-20170928-story,amp.html

Post signage at the base of the climbs.

Have you looked at the climbs? What's the extent of the damage? 

There has been continuous rockfall in this area, since late summer. A bunch of fresh talus is visible at the base of Endless Summer cliff. I wouldn't even hike up to check these climbs out right now, as you are a ways away from the face of El Cap and might not hear a rockfall headed your way.

A sign at the parking area would be nice, but would have to be approved by the National Park Service.

I wonder if anyone has braved the approach to E-butt yet. Probably safer to go moratorium. 

Max Rausch wrote:

I wonder if anyone has braved the approach to E-butt yet. Probably safer to go moratorium. 

People were posting about wandering over to the rockfall to "check it out" the day after each major rockfall so I'd assume many have braved the E-butt approach by now. 

kevin deweese wrote:

People were posting about wandering over to the rockfall to "check it out" the day after each major rockfall so I'd assume many have braved the E-butt approach by now. 

Probably looking for new boulder FA's.   

Well if you walk up the Zodaic talus, which is the best way to approach the East Butt, and walk along the wall from the Zodiac to the base of the climb, you would only pass through the rockfall zone for about a minute of relatively flat hiking, so I"m sure folks have climbed the East Butt. Horsetail isn't even going this year, so that would be a perfect climb today - high of 59 and sunny.

The Shultz's Ridge climbs are more right below the rockfall, and they are a bit lower so you might not hear as early if there was a rockfall headed your way.