Yosemite Guided Climbing recommendation

Can anyone recommend a guide service for big wall routes in Yosemite?
I am a moderate trad leader and the big dream is to eventually lead El Capitan like everyone else. And yeah the idea of being guided up first makes me feel like a total gumby, but I don't have a group of big wall mentors that would be ideal to learn from. So if I need to pay for the needed experience I'm willing to do that.  

Thanks in advance. 

I believe there is only one authorized guide service in Yosemite - Yosemite Mountaineering School. Closed for the year.

https://g.co/kgs/Rc4JyR

Since YMS is closed for the year, spend the time until it reopens setting up haul systems, jumaring, and clean aiding steep cracks on a crag closer to home. Try some longer and longer free routes (Steck-Salathe, NE Buttress of Higher Cathedral, Chouinard-Herbert, etc.) to get more efficient at changing over belays, keeping your gear organized, etc. Then try a relatively short wall like S Face of Washington Column or NW Face of Half Dome. Watching a guide do things or being coached by a guide can be great, but there's a certain problem solving mindset in long climbs that I really think only comes from getting out there and solving your own problems. 

I didn't have any trad or bigwall mentors and I climbed The Nose two years after my first lead. You can learn from books and videos and practice techniques at local crags. Aiding, hauling, and jumaring/cleaning are all pretty simple. You might have to bail on your first attempt, but you'll learn from it and eventually succeed.

Cool that confirms my search about the only guide service. Thanks fellas

My wallet is shriveling at the thought of how much this would cost through YMS. Does anyone know?

(No judgement for OP or anyone who goes the guide route, just curious on how much YMS charges for your standard 2 or 3-night go on the Nose)

Siriuswrote: My wallet is shriveling at the thought of how much this would cost through YMS. Does anyone know?

(No judgement for OP or anyone who goes the guide route, just curious on how much YMS charges for your standard 2 or 3-night go on the Nose)

I vaguely sorta kinda think I recall it being in the $2-3K range. There's a 10 yr old thread on Supertopo that says $3500.

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Move your sights away from el cap until you have enough experience to climb it and it will be fulfilling. Also, pick routes that aren’t frequented and you will have a better time and also you won’t be holding other people up.  It’s very frustrating to be stuck behind someone learning on the nose, or other trade routes. You should have the systems dialed and practiced many times before getting on the wall... practice lower outs multiple times from a tree if there aren’t any cliffs nearby. Don’t just spend one day doing it, you need to do it on different days to really get it down. I’ve taken friends up a wall, spent Only one day teaching them and having them repeat it 10 times only to have them forget and get confused when it’s the real deal (because you are tired, scared etc). Also, you need to practice setting up jugging, and lastly practice standing in the top sling and going from aid to free climbing, because the mind gets stuck in aid mode and you will find yourself spending 45 minutes trying to aid a 5.7 pitch rather than 15 minutes to free it.

I believe YMS won't led you lead. It's pretty lame they have a monopoly on guiding in the valley. $6k for El Cap, ouch.

I would work your way up to being a competent wall climber. Practicing aid leading, traverses, hauling, jugging, etc. Either on your own, or with a guide. One good thing about aid climbing is you can self belay and practice most of this without a partner. After you get down all the basics go to Yosemite and do something like El Cap tree or Lost Arrow Spire rim to tip (if you don't mind a lot of hiking). A few pitches to put everything together. It shouldn't be hard to find a partner about your same level (either here or on the Camp 4 message board). Then try a Grade V like Washington Column or Leaning Tower. To summarize 1. Learn the basics 2. Put the basics in actions on a short climb 3. Refine, practice, and get efficient on a Grade V. 4. Do El Cap.

Too many people jump on the Nose as their first wall. And a huge amount of people bail. You want to be efficient before you consider a 3,000 foot wall.

Another alternative is there are some folks who don't "guide" in Yosemite, but if you pay them to guide/teach you elsewhere and maybe stay at their house, they'll climb with you in Yosemite.

Concur with dial it up through Grade V. The planning/logistics required to execute a 5-day climb is a big step up from an over-nighter.
For example, we were down to 4L of water at the roof under the Shield headwall. Only took 6 hours to get down.

M Appelquist wrote: $6000 @$400/extreme day: 15 days.

What are the best 15 “extreme single day” routes in Yosemite?

The Grack.

Nothing more needs to be said. : - ) 

M Appelquist wrote: $6000 @$400/extreme day: 15 days.

What are the best 15 “extreme single day” routes in Yosemite?

Nose

M Appelquist wrote: $6000 @$400/extreme day: 15 days.

What are the best 15 “extreme single day” routes in Yosemite?

Astroman would be near the top.

M Appelquist wrote: $6000 @$400/extreme day: 15 days.

What are the best 15 “extreme single day” routes in Yosemite?

Assuming single day as in daylight which will rule out many of the free versions of El Cap bigwalls and Half Dome Face, and not really in any order

1. Astroman

2. Rostrum

3. Freeblast

4. Voyager

5. Eye of Sauron

6. Wayward Son

7. Jericho Free

8. Crucifix

9. Hall of Mirrors

10. Silent Line

11. Gates of Delirium

12. Matah

13. Galactic Hitchhiker

14. Direct North Face of Sentinel. (or Steck-Salathe) 

15. West Face of El Cap

YMS defines an “extreme day” as 10 hrs. Nothing to do with difficulty. 

Marc801 Cwrote: YMS defines an “extreme day” as 10 hrs. Nothing to do with difficulty. 

lol, then that's the grack for most parties considering the conga line. 

Agree with all that was said. Definitely planning on working my way thru the grades, but also just don't want to make this a someday goal that never happens. I had gotten my start in trad by taking an anchoring course from Bob Gaines' company and it was money well spent. Just looking to shorten the learning curve wherever possible.

I worked for YMS for 6 years and guided el cap numerous times, as well as many of the other classic big walls in the valley 

Generally speaking a guide would want to do a smaller wall with you before El Cap.  This wasn’t  always the case but was generally true.  I often did the south face of the column as a warm up and teaching route.  Made el cap more fun for the client and myself.  

Another option would be to just do the Column and learn a lot of the skills you will need to climb El cap and then find a partner and work towards that goal together.  A dialed guide should have no problem spending a day on ground school teaching you everything you need to know.

And as far as the extreme route list goes, the 10 hour thing isnt the only factor.  I had clients I probably could of guided up the nose in 10 hours but they would of been charged a big wall rate.  I believe Astroman was a grade V rate when I did it.  Difficulty and seriousness would play into the equation. Well at least it use to.  I haven’t been there since 2008.

Solid list! My changes - either because I've done 'em, or there are others I'd want to do more, and assuming infinite patience from guide as I flailed and eventually jugged up the hard pitches - would be:

Assuming single day as in daylight which will rule out many of the free versions of El Cap bigwalls and Half Dome Face, and not really in any order

1. Astroman - Replacement: Freestone.
2. Rostrum - Replacement: Powerpoint.
3. Freeblast - Replacement: Beggar's Buttress.
4. Voyager - Replacement: Hotline.
5. Eye of Sauron - Replacement: Gravity Ceiling.
6. Wayward Son - Replacement: Pegasus.
7. Jericho Free - Replacement: Scarface. 
8. Crucifix
9. Hall of Mirrors - Replacement: Misty Wall w escape.
10. Silent Line - Replacement: Basketcase.
11. Gates of Delirium
12. Matah - Replacement: Growing Up.
13. Galactic Hitchhiker: Replacement: Wayward Son.
14. Direct North Face of Sentinel. (or Steck-Salathe): Replacement: Riding on the Wind.
15. West Face of El Cap - Replacement: Milestone, or Father Time, or Mama (Free voices of the drown) - can't decide.

Siriuswrote: 
Solid list! My changes - either because I've done 'em, or there are others I'd want to do more, and assuming infinite patience from guide as I flailed and eventually jugged up the hard pitches - would be:
....
6. Wayward Son - Replacement: Pegasus.
....
13. Galactic Hitchhiker: Replacement: Wayward Son.

Did you replace wayward son with another climb only to replace another climb with wayward son? lol I love it