Corduroy Man Posted February 25, 2010 Posted February 25, 2010 Has any one climbed Mescalito on El Capitan in Yosemite? I'm looking for any information anyone has. My partner and I are training right now to do Mescalito at the end of May. We will be out at Smith Rock State Park this weekend attempting the West Face route on Monkey Face. Last weekend we went to the Rat Cave for some super rad steep aid climbing. Is there any route in Oregon that Mescalito compares to? I'm getting pretty nervous now but I am quite confident we can climb the Mescalito. With 23 years experince between us. Thanks for any help in advance. My partner has done the Pioneer Route up Monkey Face before so I think that should help. Climb hard and Rock on!! Quote
MarkMcJizzy Posted February 25, 2010 Posted February 25, 2010 (edited) Is there any route in Oregon that Mescalito compares to? The closest routes that are comparable to Mescalito are found on El Cap  We will be out at Smith Rock State Park this weekend attempting the West Face route on Monkey Face  If you are ready for Mescalito, the WF will be casual  My partner has done the Pioneer Route up Monkey Face before so I think that should help  Let the flaming begin, Troll? Edited February 25, 2010 by MarkMcJizzy Quote
Corduroy Man Posted February 25, 2010 Author Posted February 25, 2010 We will be out at Smith Rock State Park this weekend attempting the West Face route on Monkey Face  If you are ready for Mescalito, the WF will be casual  Thanks, I have heard both routes rated at about C2+, I know one is a lot longer. But if its all the same it should not be too bad. Rock on!  PS please no flaming or trolling, this is a serious post!! Quote
JosephH Posted February 25, 2010 Posted February 25, 2010 But if its all the same it should not be too bad. This is where you might be getting hung up. A rating is not a very good route equivalency measure... Quote
G-spotter Posted February 25, 2010 Posted February 25, 2010 We will be out at Smith Rock State Park this weekend attempting the West Face route on Monkey Face  If you are ready for Mescalito, the WF will be casual  Thanks, I have heard both routes rated at about C2+, I know one is a lot longer. But if its all the same it should not be too bad. Rock on!  PS please no flaming or trolling, this is a serious post!!  I think I am going to be able to log on to elcapreport.com and watch you bail in realtime come May. Quote
Corduroy Man Posted February 25, 2010 Author Posted February 25, 2010 (edited) We will be out at Smith Rock State Park this weekend attempting the West Face route on Monkey Face  If you are ready for Mescalito, the WF will be casual  Thanks, I have heard both routes rated at about C2+, I know one is a lot longer. But if its all the same it should not be too bad. Rock on!  PS please no flaming or trolling, this is a serious post!!  I think I am going to be able to log on to elcapreport.com and watch you bail in realtime come May.  I just found elcapreport.com. Looks awsome! I can't wait to be on there. I will not bail. But thanks for the support. Have you even climbed Mescalito? Thanks in advance to anyone who's acctually nice, and can provide some decent info. Rock on! Edited February 25, 2010 by Corduroy Man Quote
tomtom Posted February 25, 2010 Posted February 25, 2010 Don't let the hatters get you down. Just make sure to bring plenty of water. Quote
matt_warfield Posted February 25, 2010 Posted February 25, 2010 I have not climbed Mescalito but do know that, as was mentioned above, single or several pitch climbs of any rating are not proper preparation for Grade VI on the Captain. You should go early or extend your trip and train in Yosemite on Grade IV and Grade V to build your skills. Otherwise you WILL be schooled. Â This response is assuming this is a serious post. I mean Pioneer Route is a bolt ladder for Christ's sake. Quote
ivan Posted February 25, 2010 Posted February 25, 2010 cord, you sure you're not just a giant alter-ego? you seem waaaaay too chipper to be an actual human-bean  regardless if you're real or not, enjoy the valley - it's insane cool - the chief secret is not to spray like a madman b4 you go as it results in a near 100% failure rate - the captian in particuliar is mind-boggingly gigantic and you would be well advised to hit some of the smaller walls first  -on though! Quote
JosephH Posted February 25, 2010 Posted February 25, 2010 I'm not hating in any way at all. I'm simply saying you might not be doing yourself a favor to think of two routes as being comparable based on a C2+ rating. Quote
pink Posted February 25, 2010 Posted February 25, 2010 climb one foot at a time and DO NOT waste time at the anchors..... Quote
keenwesh Posted February 25, 2010 Posted February 25, 2010 yeah, try some smaller routes first, el cap is truly massive, photos really don't do it justice. do some shorter aid routes first, like washington column and the NE face o half dome, before you even think about doing mescalito, you might be able to scrape your way up the nose. I really want to get into aid climbing and go to yosemite to climb some big walls, but I wouldn't consider el cap until I have done many other multipitch walls where I could prefect my skills in order to move fast and efficiently. like do the upper town wall routes several times, do WA column, leaning spire, reg route, then zodiac or the salethe. don't rush into stuff, you'll climb longer. Quote
JosephH Posted February 25, 2010 Posted February 25, 2010 pink does know what he's talking about... Quote
Highlander Posted February 26, 2010 Posted February 26, 2010 I have climbed Mescalito, and it's a great route. I won't give you much beta because part of doing a wall route is figuring out, but the route can be done hammerless but does rely on some fixed gear, so bring a good selection of heads in case any are blown, a few lost arrows, and a few sawed angles. Cam hooks and hybrid aliens help the route go clean, 3 sets of hybrids would be nice to have. The Bismark pitch requires some wide lie backing or lasso tricks or big bros at the top. Have fun and if you don't have any big wall experience in Yosemite, you should warm-up on something smaller or chances are you will bail, and try not to nail. Quote
111 Posted February 26, 2010 Posted February 26, 2010 Monkeyface East face is C2+ I think. technical nutting and a steep section will challenge you. Try that for a warm up! Good luck in Yos. Quote
ivan Posted February 26, 2010 Posted February 26, 2010 Monkeyface East face is C2+ I think. technical nutting and a steep section will challenge you. Try that for a warm up! Good luck in Yos. indeed - that's the hardest aid thing i've done on the monkey Quote
stillcrankin Posted February 26, 2010 Posted February 26, 2010 Â Do yourself a favor: don't just roll off your mossy northwest couch on to El Cap. Do something shorter first like something on Washington Column or Leaning Tower. You'll be thankful you did.... Quote
underworld Posted February 26, 2010 Posted February 26, 2010 go practice on sweet renton granite... Â Â (man, trolls use to have at least some creativity) Quote
ivan Posted February 26, 2010 Posted February 26, 2010 go practice on sweet renton granite...  (man, trolls use to have at least some creativity) agreed - so who IS the puppet master then? Quote
Corduroy Man Posted February 26, 2010 Author Posted February 26, 2010 Hi guys, thanks for the support, and the banter. I guess I should make my self a little clearer. I have mostly climbed on the east coast, I just relocated to the west coast three years ago and have slowly been getting into the climbing scene ever since. I have done VMC Direct on aid and some other routes out there as well. Sorry for bothering you. Rock on! Quote
MarkMcJizzy Posted February 26, 2010 Posted February 26, 2010 (edited) ...I guess I should make my self a little clearer. I have mostly climbed on the east coast....I have done VMC Direct on aid and some other routes out there as well...Rock on! Â That makes all the difference in the world, thanks for clearing that up. Regardless, Mescalito is a very big route. If you want to try El Cap, maybe the Triple Direct or Lurking Fear is a better choice. Â The truth is, if you really try to do Mescalito, you'll probably be overwhelmed by the scale and bale after three pitches, or not. Lee Cunningham did the sixth ascent of ZM as his first El Cap route Edited February 26, 2010 by MarkMcJizzy Quote
eldiente Posted February 26, 2010 Posted February 26, 2010 (edited) Is this the guy you are climbing with? At the pace of one pitch per day, it'll take you a full month to send and a lot of water. Â I think it is possible to do a big wall your first try without having ever been on the big stone, however you'll need to practice your systems at the local crag( and no, aiding a bolted sport route doesn't count as practice) If you can't lead and follow a pitch in less than two hours, you'll never make it and we will indeed see a real time bail report on the interwebs. Â Â Â Â Edited February 26, 2010 by eldiente Quote
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