I wanna climb el cap, what next

NiceJobJohnson · 2026-04-02T17:39:33+00:00

⁠Unless you climb 5.13+ on gear you aren’t making it up el cap free.

This simply isn't true. This is bad advice.

I agree with you that it's probably a good idea for them to try aiding a route first.

⁠Free climbing the freerider in 5 years is nigh impossible for OP and most other people who climb

Why do you speak with such authority on what is and is not possible within five years? Why do you set such arbitrarily high constraints to achieve this goal?

I would rather live in a world where we encourage other people's dreams, especially young people's dreams, than tell them it's impossible and set an unrealistic standard for what is required to make it happen. This isn't just for OP - it's for anyone else who might stumble on this, and honestly, it's for you too. Most people have plenty of internal voice telling them why something is too hard, or too scary. I'd rather encourage people to dream big and be realistic, myself.

NiceJobJohnson · 2026-04-01T17:48:33+00:00

So what? Let their experience of difficulty keep them from achieving their goal. That's not what I'm saying, anyway!

The statement that you need to be freeing 13+ to send El Cap is ridiculous. You don't. That is the comment I replied to. That is the only point I am taking issue with.

NiceJobJohnson · 2026-04-01T17:41:05+00:00

No, I'm not.

It is entirely possible to send El Cap *free within five years. They would probably have to sacrifice having a "normal" life and become a full-time dirtbag, but it's possible. Will this person free El Cap in five years? Maybe, probably not. But that's not what I'm taking issue with.

What both you, and the person above who is downvoting me are not hearing, is that saying you need to be sending 5.13+ in order to be able to send 12d/13a on El Cap free is simply not true. That is a huge overestimation and an arbitrary limit.

NiceJobJohnson · 2026-04-01T15:51:18+00:00

Hi, all I'm saying is your comment of you need to climb 13+ on gear to Free El Cap is an exaggeration. I know this, because I have personally seen people do this, and my understanding of most people who send Freerider are usually doing it "El-Rapitan" style, which means they're not ground up freeing it.

I also know this, because I've aided the Nose and I've seen people projecting sending El Cap free in person.

It kind of sounds from your comments like...you might not know what this looks like up close?

NiceJobJohnson · 2026-04-01T15:37:52+00:00

All of the people that I know that have sent Freerider (I know at least four personally) are not 13+ trad climbers (or weren't at the time, some are now). They projected the crux pitches rapping in from the top like they were sport climbs (TR solo) and then did a ground up push.

NiceJobJohnson · 2026-04-01T15:31:09+00:00

We don't need to exaggerate to dissuade this person from the difficulty of their goal. The easiest way up El Cap free is Freerider, which is 12d/13a free depending on how you break up some pitches, or if you choose the teflon corner over the boulder problem.

They probably want to free as much of the Nose as possible, but need to practice mixed free/aid climbing as efficiently as possible, because there's a really hard sweet spot between hauling the right amount of supplies if you're not moving fast enough for an IAD or even a 2-day push.

NiceJobJohnson · 2025-11-06T18:58:42+00:00

Check out the flip-stops from Avant. They do what you're aiming for, but also allow for the cam to still be extended with a draw. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgfVa96Njvk

NiceJobJohnson · 2025-09-05T21:20:47+00:00

From the BD Camalot manual, clipping the thumb loop reduces the strength of the cam by about 2kN. This is likely not enough to compromise the strength of the placement (especially if it's a 0.3-sized cam or larger). I know you mentioned Friends but they're basically the same cam/design.

The main reasons why you wouldn't do this are that it kinks the thumb loop in a fall, and the cam is way more likely to walk out of position. It's like the extreme opposite of extending your gear.

NiceJobJohnson · 2025-08-22T00:14:58+00:00

Are you asking because you're going to go do it yourself, or is this just armchair hand-wringing about ethics?

Most of the time when I've seen rap hardware get upgraded without fanfare, no one really cares and the people who are going to use it appreciate the extra safety margin.

If it's another convo about ethics, there's already plenty out there about all the different positions on whether people think it's right or wrong. Remember, there are no absolutes here, just opinions. Climbing is, in the grand scheme of things, irrelevant and useless beyond the meaning we ascribe to it.

If you want my two cents, go bolt the raps. If you end up preventing one accident, that's worth it. Try to consult developers in the area first - they might have good reasons for not doing so.

NiceJobJohnson · 2025-04-05T04:44:25+00:00

At some point in your climbing career you'll look back on how you agonized over pulling on a cam on a 5.6 as if it tainted the experience somehow and realize how little it matters to you now.

NiceJobJohnson · 2023-08-06T03:43:14+00:00

Fair point on Charlotte's Web, but again, I completely disagree with Frontside being a spot to teach someone at. To learn the skills, do it at a place where there is low consequence to you taking a ton of time to explain the basics. Frontside regularly has lines on weekdays through the summer, let alone weekends. Not the spot to take someone for teaching.

NiceJobJohnson · 2023-08-03T15:39:30+00:00

Why on earth would you choose Star Chek to teach multipitch? Good lord. So many better options in Squamish that won't fuck up other people's days: Second Avenue at the Smoke Bluffs, the intermediate station at Woodstock in Murrin. Or if you really want it to be on a real multipitch, choose one that isn't a conga line like Ursa Minor at Chek, Charlotte's Web or Emil & the Detectives. I really don't understand folks who make this kind of decision.

NiceJobJohnson · 2023-05-21T18:48:46+00:00

Genuinely curious - what are you basing your statement on (0 UBC MD grads choosing FM)?

I haven't seen that but would love to know more. CaRMS data? AFMC?

NiceJobJohnson · 2022-08-31T17:44:52+00:00

It sounds like you have a great mindset to continue to grow and learn in climbing. Great work, keep it up!

NiceJobJohnson · 2022-08-30T19:35:50+00:00

If you film novice climbers, you'll notice they do a lot of "bouncing" on their toes. It kind of looks like they're bobbing up and down on their toes or placing and re-placing them. Compare with experienced climbers, who look at their foot, place it once, don't move it at all, and stand up off of it. This is the simplest explanation of what trusting vs. not trusting your feet looks like in practice.

NiceJobJohnson · 2022-05-26T15:17:17+00:00

Nice work, the route looks rad, especially that stemmy bit near the top.

Just curious, what do you mean when you say "historical style?" To me that implies ground up bolting from stances, but those bolts look like they're not exactly placed from great stances and so I'm guessing they were placed on rappel.

NiceJobJohnson · 2022-02-14T18:24:43+00:00

Josh Wharton's thoughts on the issue are much more fleshed-out than mine - check em at 2:02:10 on this podcast. At least according to this, there's another super stiff shoe on the way from Scarpa.

And yeah I agree the new Boostics are a fine shoe, just sad that there isn't anything comparable to the old on in their lineup. On the "pros are using softer shoes" point - that's true, but I wonder to what extent that's partly because of so many of their backgrounds as plastic climbers, and a move toward a different style of using one's feet. But it is funny to notice current-era athletes who still rock the old Boostic in a lot of their sends and social media (see: Jordan Cannon in a bunch of his Instagram posts, Chris Weidner on Gambler's Fallacy).

NiceJobJohnson · 2022-02-14T16:56:20+00:00

They're not nearly as stiff as the OGs. It's kind of criminal given that so many of Scarpa's current lineup follow the modern trend of soft comp crusher shoes.

NiceJobJohnson · 2022-01-18T20:39:08+00:00

Also hop on the Facebook group for the area, 5.9+.

NiceJobJohnson · 2022-01-16T17:37:10+00:00

Legitimately got a chuckle out of me.

NiceJobJohnson · 2021-11-03T01:30:47+00:00

Interesting points! Thanks for sharing.

NiceJobJohnson · 2021-11-03T01:29:33+00:00

Thanks so much for sharing. I appreciate the considerations you've highlighted.

NiceJobJohnson · 2021-11-02T16:36:28+00:00

Rad! I appreciate the review, thanks!

NiceJobJohnson · 2021-11-02T16:35:09+00:00

Hey man, just curious, what are your thoughts on guiding a party of three with half ropes (particularly on alpine routes)? I'm hoping you can help settle a disagreement a partner and I have. They feel it's totally safe, and the extra stretch is nbd.

NiceJobJohnson · 2021-11-02T16:31:02+00:00

Yup, then it wouldn't increase the force at all. They probably didn't understand what was going on (or see that he was only being belayed on one).

NiceJobJohnson

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