Pitch-a-Day or NIAD?

A friend and I were recently hanging out in the meadows, and after a couple beers, we came to the conclusion that doing the nose in a month successfully without resupply would actually be far more impressive than NIAD. Are we on to something? 

Do you literally have to do a pitch each day, or can you do a bunch and then hang out for a few days to make it an average of 1 per day?

Please do this. Mountain Project hasn’t had a good trip report in forever. This could really turn this whole thing around.

csproulwrote:

Do you literally have to do a pitch each day, or can you do a bunch and then hang out for a few days to make it an average of 1 per day?

I would say literally going 1 pitch per day would be more rad. The sloth ascent. If you were doing that you could even rap back to the ground every time you need to poop and then jug back up, like a sloth. 

My big goal is to do the NIAW

Lol I would totally do this actually. This sounds like a great fucking time. Insist on giving every passing party margaritas and try and see how many parties you can get hung over and have spend an extra day hanging out =p 

30 days of water: 30 gallons x 2 ppl x 8 lbs / gallon.  480 lbs. go for it!

I fully support this idea. Go for it. 

Tony Lobaywrote:

30 days of water: 30 gallons x 2 ppl x 8 lbs / gallon.  480 lbs. go for it!

You don’t need a gallon a day to climb 150ft

Those first 4 or 5 pitches would be epic and hilarious.   Setting up a mega camp at the top of pine line would be a sight to see.  And imagine how big that poop bag is gonna be by the top.  What would be the ideal team size?

Pleeeeeaaase do this and document it thoroughly.  Publish the trip report in hardcover.

This is one the best things I’ve heard in a while

Well now I'm sold. Not sure I will be able to take the time off anytime soon, but Pitch-A-Day on the Nose is my new climbing goal. To clarify, I think the most pure style would be to start with all gear and consumables, no resupplies, and setting the bivy at the end of each pitch. This may not be possible or practical, but I think it should be strived for. Doing two or more pitches in a day would be fine, but you'd have to at least average a pitch a day. 

Water:

1x Gal/person/day= ~8lbs x2= 16lbs x30day= 480

I think you could probably make do with less due to the lack of climbing strain and bring up some sort of rainwater capture device.

Food:

~.5lbs per dehydrated meal x 30 x3 x 2= 90lbs

I think you could also save some hauling weight and go on a 2 meal/day diet. 

So, with ~600lbs of consumables and maybe 200lbs of gear (I have no clue on this, please correct me if that number seems high or low) I'd be taking close to 1,000 lbs of weight up... and that's without any time-passing devices like alcohol, music, or batteries and solar panels... Sounds like quite an adventure.

You could bring a small library to keep you occupied. Forty or 50 lbs of books is a drop in the bucket compared to the rest of your gear, would probably not even notice.

Up the stakes, take zero gear. Only hitchhike on other parties’ stuff.

Like the Brotherhood of the Travelling Stopper but human sized;
Botherhood of the Ascending Moocher.

I would only be OK with this if the team were to rappel the route when they finish. That would maximize the possibility of a fist fight with anyone who hoped to climb the route during the 30 day window.

Tony Lobaywrote:

I would only be OK with this if the team were to rappel the route when they finish. That would maximize the possibility of a fist fight with anyone who hoped to climb the route during the 30 day window.

Nah, it would be all good. Didn't you read that they'd be giving margaritas to every passing party?

Alex Cwrote:

Well now I'm sold. Not sure I will be able to take the time off anytime soon, but Pitch-A-Day on the Nose is my new climbing goal. To clarify, I think the most pure style would be to start with all gear and consumables, no resupplies, and setting the bivy at the end of each pitch. This may not be possible or practical, but I think it should be strived for. Doing two or more pitches in a day would be fine, but you'd have to at least average a pitch a day. 

Water:

1x Gal/person/day= ~8lbs x2= 16lbs x30day= 480

I think you could probably make do with less due to the lack of climbing strain and bring up some sort of rainwater capture device.

Food:

~.5lbs per dehydrated meal x 30 x3 x 2= 90lbs

I think you could also save some hauling weight and go on a 2 meal/day diet. 

So, with ~600lbs of consumables and maybe 200lbs of gear (I have no clue on this, please correct me if that number seems high or low) I'd be taking close to 1,000 lbs of weight up... and that's without any time-passing devices like alcohol, music, or batteries and solar panels... Sounds like quite an adventure.

"Pitch a day Pete" suggests taking wall margaritas or other desirables and exchanging with water and food with passing parties. Considering his experience think he might be a person to listen to in this regard. =P 

Definitely think he might be on to something. Hard to know how much El Cap trading would actually happen, but half of all parties bail, right? That could potentially be a lot of food and water you don't have to haul up! 

Didn’t think about the margarita angle. That’s good.  

They should still rap. 

Rapping down might be the deal breaker for me.  I hate riding the pig, let alone an entire pig herd.

Bad weather could prevent progress for a few days....might take 2 months

Love this idea. All these (x)IAD climbers give us old slow climbers a bad name. I’m looking at Gold Wall in Ribbon Falls and thinking maybe 3 days? I mean, there’s no way I could do it in a day, regardless of how fast “everyone” else does it. Same for DNB, Half Dome, West Face of Leaning Tower, or any number of interesting climbs out there.