The great roof!

All Locations > California > Yosemite NP > Yosemite Valley > Valley N Side > B. El Capitan > 2. Southwest Face > Nose (5.9 5c 17 VI 17 HVS 5a C2)

The great roof!

ID 110680645 ·

Flag This Photo

· Copyright Violation?

Glory

The Great Roof.

Rate Photo

4.4 from 7 votes

Beau Skalley

Jun 29, 2015

“The great roof!”

0 Comments

Nearby Photos

This is what I'll remember most from the climb. Evening light after leading the Great Roof.

Think this pic speaks for itself!!!

John Bachar photo of Lynn Hill, last pitch of The Nose.

Route Overlay for a 3-Day Ascent of the Nose (times correspond to our progress up the wall...)

Brad sticking the Swing in style, just under halfway on our 6.5 hour run. Note my belay position, perfectly set-up for the "Double-Swing".<br>
<br>
Brad has cleaned all of his gear off the Boot Flake, so once he's established on Eagle Ledge, he puts me on belay and I swing on over to join him. Mega stoke every time you stick the swing and here the Monkeys hooting in the Valley below.<br>
<br>
Tom Evans Photo.

Texas flake anyone!!!

Great Roof. Photo by Stephen Guyette.

Camp 5

El Cap Tower, 1979

Climbers on the nose

About to complete the King Swing. <br>
Photo by Tom Evans

My Tom Evans moment. Everyone should have one or several in his/her lifetime.

The Great Roof!

Evening at edge of the great roof.

Looking down

Below the Boot

Last pitch on the nose. I'm following and bares is jugging up

Letter to Steve Roper after the 3rd ascent

The shadow of the Nose in the early morning

Me leading on the last pitch of the Nose on our 6.5 hour run. Brad is jugging below, he's in the orange helmet all the way on the left.<br>
Huge confusion and cluster here as a Korean team of three finish a multi-day ascent, and an attempted NIAD team finish a 30+ hour run.<br>
<br>
How we weaved our way through this cluster, I can't quite remember. The language barrier did no hamper us, though, as one of the Koreans allowed us to pass, referring to us as "Time Warriors".<br>
<br>
Tom Evans Photo

Hans cruzin' up the stove legs ...

Camp 5

P28+29 super fun free climbing 2500' off the ground. yeah!

FSA 2021

Starting up Pancake Flake

The Huber brothers on their speed record. One on top of the Boot Flake, the other on the way up. Other climbers at the base of Texas Flake and some on top of Dolt Tower.

at the top out tree. it took us two nights on the wall and a day prior to fix to sickle. (not my normal ascent style, but rewarding all the same.)

My partner Richard following the Great Roof.

Relazing on El Cap Tower

Jplotz cleaning the last bit of the Great Roof pitch.

If at first you don't succeed...

Pancake Flake, 1979

Jugging high up on the Nose. Can't remember what pitch this was, maybe the top of Pancake Flake?

Looking down from the belay at after the great roof.

Shadow fun on Changing Corners pitch. Amazing climbing.

El Cap Tower bivy.

My hero Brad Gobright making history. This lap would clock in at 2:30 or so, if memory serves correctly, and it would still be 2 more laps before he and Jim would claim the record. **Pay close attention to the bolt he is (not) clipping**

Me leading the pitch before the Great Roof - in the 70s

The Nose!!!

Glory

The great roof!

The Great Roof.

Nick and Jake tidying up on Dolt Tower

Watching climbers on The Nose from the meadow.

Dustin Moore jugging the impossibly exposed Changing Corners.

Chris Martin invincible on El Cap Tower.

Winnie the Poo, hanging out on El Cap Tower

Nose Topo from The Ultimate Guide, by Yosemitebigwall.com / Erik Sloan

Camp 5 Bivi Options

Two doods who have no business being this high feat beloved spreader bar

At the ending anchor of the great roof at sunset

Jugging up into the Gray Bands at sunset

The belay after the Great Roof pitch

looking up the nose from sickle ledge

Great roof is greater than great!!! :)

Mark Powell on top of South Whizz. (1969). Photo by George Sessions.

Near the top. Photo by Stephen Guyette.

Page 2 of Nose Topo from Yosemite Bigwalls: The Ultimate Guide, by Erik Sloan

DJ jugging The Great Roof.

The San Diego crew (Russel and Sean) making the traverse into Stove Legs at pitch 6. The route follows up the flake in the bottom of the photo.

Welcome

Join the Community! It's FREE

Already have an account? Login to close this notice.

Get Started

onX products are built by adventurers, for adventurers. We believe that every adventurer needs to know where to go, to know where they stand, and to be able to share their experiences.
About onX
Careers

iOS App Store

Android App Store

© 2025 onX Maps, Inc. Terms·Privacy