El Capitan
Encyclopedia
El Capitan is a vertical rock formation
in Yosemite National Park
, located on the north side of Yosemite Valley
, near its western end. The granite
monolith
extends about 3000 feet (914.4 m) from base to summit along its tallest face, and is one of the world's favorite challenges for rock climbers.
The formation was named "El Capitan" by the Mariposa Battalion when it explored the valley in 1851. El Capitán ("the captain", "the chief") was taken to be a loose Spanish translation of the local Native American
name for the cliff, variously transcribed as "To-to-kon oo-lah" or "To-tock-ah-noo-lah". It is unclear if the Native American name referred to a specific Tribal chief
, or simply meant "the chief" or "rock chief". In modern times, the formation's name is often contracted to "El Cap", especially among rock climbers.
The top of El Capitan can be reached by hiking out of Yosemite Valley
on the trail next to Yosemite Falls
, then proceeding west. For climbers, the challenge is to climb up the sheer granite face; there are many named climbing routes
, all of them arduous.
emplaced approximately 100 mya (million years ago). In addition to El Capitan, this granite forms most of the rock features of the western portions of Yosemite Valley. A separate intrusion
of igneous rock
, the Taft Granite, forms the uppermost portions of the cliff face.
A third igneous rock, diorite
, is present as dark-veined intrusions through both kinds of granite, especially prominent in the area known as the North America Wall.
Along with most of the other rock formations of Yosemite Valley, El Capitan was carved by glacial action. Several periods of glaciation have occurred in the Sierra Nevada, but the Sherwin Glaciation, which lasted from approximately 1.3 mya to 1 mya, is considered to be responsible for the majority of the sculpting. The El Capitan Granite is relatively free of joints, and as a result the glacial ice did not erode the rock face as much as other, more jointed, rocks nearby. Nonetheless, as with most of the rock forming Yosemite's features, El Capitan's granite is under enormous internal tension brought on by the compression experienced prior to the erosion which brought it to the surface. These forces contribute to the creation of features such as the massive Texas Flake, a large block of granite slowly detaching from the main rock face about half way up the side of the cliff.
, using rope, piton
s and expansion bolts to make it to the summit. The second ascent of the Nose was in 1960 by Royal Robbins
, Joe Fitschen, Chuck Pratt
and Tom Frost
, who took seven days in the first continuous climb of the route without siege tactics. The first solo climb of "The Nose" was done by Tom Bauman in 1969. The first ascent of the Nose in one day was accomplished in 1975 by John Long
, Jim Bridwell
and Billy Westbay. Today, the Nose attracts climbers of various experience and ability levels, and with a success rate of around 60%, typically takes fit climbers 4–5 days of full climbing.
(1961, Royal Robbins
, Chuck Pratt
and Tom Frost
) on the southwest face, and the North America Wall (1964, Royal Robbins, Yvon Chouinard
, Chuck Pratt and Tom Frost) on the southeast face. Also climbed in the 1960s are routes such as: Dihedral Wall (1962, Ed Cooper, Jim Baldwin and Glen Denny); West Buttress (1963, Layton Kor
and Steve Roper
); and Muir Wall (1965, Chouinard and TM Herbert). Later ascents include: Wall of the Early Morning Light (1970, Warren Harding and Dean Caldwell); Zodiac (1972, Charlie Porter (solo)); The Shield (1972, Porter and Gary Bocarde); Mescalito (1973, Porter, Steve Sutton, Hugh Burton and C. Nelson); Pacific Ocean Wall (1975, Jim Bridwell
, Billy Westbay, Jay Fiske and Fred East); Sea of Dreams (1978, Bridwell, Dale Bard and Dave Diegelman); and Jolly Roger (1979, Charles Cole and Steve Grossman). Today there are over 70 routes on "El Cap" of various difficulties and danger levels. Indeed new routes continue to go up, usually consisting of additions to, or links between, pre-existing routes.
in 1972; Tangerine Trip by David Mittel in 1985; and The Pacific Ocean Wall by Robert Slater in 1982. These ascents were long 7-14 day ordeals that required the solo climber lead each pitch, and then rappel, clean the climbing gear, reascend the lead rope, and haul equipment, food, and water using a second haul rope.
As it became clear that any face could be conquered with sufficient perseverance and bolt-hole drilling, some climbers began searching for El Cap routes that could be climbed either free
or with minimal aid. The "West Face" route was free climbed
in 1979 by Ray Jardine
and Bill Price; but despite numerous efforts by Jardine and others, the Nose resisted free attempts for another fourteen years.
The first free ascent of a main El Cap route, though, was not The Nose, but Salathé Wall
. Todd Skinner
and Paul Piana made the first free ascent over 9 days in 1988, after 30 days of working the route (grade
d 5.13b by the Yosemite Decimal System
).
The Nose was the second major route to be freeclimbed. Two pitches on The Nose blocked efforts to free the route: the "Great Roof" graded 5.13c and "Changing Corners" graded 5.14a/b. In 1993, Lynn Hill
came close to freeing The Nose, making it past the Great Roof and up to Camp VI without falling, stopped only on Changing Corners by a piton jammed in a critical finger hold. After removing the piton she re-climbed the route from the ground. After 4 days of climbing, Hill reached the summit, making her the first person to free climb the Nose. A year later, Hill returned to free climb The Nose in a day, this time reaching the summit in just 23 hours and setting a new standard for free climbing on "El Cap."
The Nose saw a second free ascent in 1998, when Scott Burke summitted after 261 days of effort. On October 14, 2005, Tommy Caldwell
and Beth Rodden
became the 3rd and 4th people (and the 1st couple) to free climb the Nose. The husband-wife team took 4 days on the ascent, swapping leads with each climber free climbing each pitch, either leading or following. Two days later, Caldwell returned to free climb the Nose in less than 12 hours. Caldwell returned two weeks later to free climb El Cap twice in a day, completing The Nose with Rodden, then descending and leading Freerider in a combined time of 23 hours 23 minutes.
A fictional ascent of El Capitan was portrayed in the film Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
, in which Captain James T. Kirk
free solos the rock face for what he called the most important reason for climbing a mountain: because it is there.
and Sean Leary established the current record at 2:36.45, breaking the old record held by Hans Florine
and Yuji Hirayama
by a mere 20 seconds.
Prior to that, the Huber brothers (Alexander
and Thomas
) held the record with a time of 2:45.45 (2007)
There are more than 100 different routes on El Capitan and most of them have some kind of speed record attached to them. Ammon McNeely
owns the most records on El Cap, 23 records in total, 13 of them being First One Day Ascents.
On June 22, 2010, Alex Honnold
set a rope solo record on the Nose, posting a time of 5:49 (not to mention that he rope soloed the Regular Route on Half Dome earlier that morning, in about 2:09).
, and the National Park Service
has effectively banned the practice. Michael Pelkey
and Brian Schubert made the first BASE jump from El Capitan on July 24, 1966. Both men sustained broken bones from the jump. During the 1970s and with better equipment and training, many BASE jumpers made successful and safe jumps from El Capitan. In 1980 the National Park Service experimented with issuing BASE-jumping permits. These legal jumps resulted in no major injuries or fatalities. However, some jumpers exhibited significant disregard for the park's rules and the environment. After a trial lasting only a few months, the National Park Service ceased issuing permits and effectively shut down all BASE jumping on El Capitan. On October 23, 1999, BASE jumper and stuntwoman Jan Davis died while making an illegal protest jump in support of lifting the park's ban. BASE jumpers continue to fight the National Park Service in court for access to El Capitan.
Rock formations in the United States
The following is a partial list of rock formations in the United States, by state:-Arizona:*Canyon de Chelly National Monument**Spider Rock*Chiricahua National Monument**Duck on a Rock**Organ Pipe**Mushroom Rock**Sea Captain*Monument Valley...
in Yosemite National Park
Yosemite National Park
Yosemite National Park is a United States National Park spanning eastern portions of Tuolumne, Mariposa and Madera counties in east central California, United States. The park covers an area of and reaches across the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountain chain...
, located on the north side of Yosemite Valley
Yosemite Valley
Yosemite Valley is a glacial valley in Yosemite National Park in the western Sierra Nevada mountains of California, carved out by the Merced River. The valley is about long and up to a mile deep, surrounded by high granite summits such as Half Dome and El Capitan, and densely forested with pines...
, near its western end. The granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
monolith
Monolith
A monolith is a geological feature such as a mountain, consisting of a single massive stone or rock, or a single piece of rock placed as, or within, a monument...
extends about 3000 feet (914.4 m) from base to summit along its tallest face, and is one of the world's favorite challenges for rock climbers.
The formation was named "El Capitan" by the Mariposa Battalion when it explored the valley in 1851. El Capitán ("the captain", "the chief") was taken to be a loose Spanish translation of the local Native American
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
name for the cliff, variously transcribed as "To-to-kon oo-lah" or "To-tock-ah-noo-lah". It is unclear if the Native American name referred to a specific Tribal chief
Tribal chief
A tribal chief is the leader of a tribal society or chiefdom. Tribal societies with social stratification under a single leader emerged in the Neolithic period out of earlier tribal structures with little stratification, and they remained prevalent throughout the Iron Age.In the case of ...
, or simply meant "the chief" or "rock chief". In modern times, the formation's name is often contracted to "El Cap", especially among rock climbers.
The top of El Capitan can be reached by hiking out of Yosemite Valley
Yosemite Valley
Yosemite Valley is a glacial valley in Yosemite National Park in the western Sierra Nevada mountains of California, carved out by the Merced River. The valley is about long and up to a mile deep, surrounded by high granite summits such as Half Dome and El Capitan, and densely forested with pines...
on the trail next to Yosemite Falls
Yosemite Falls
Yosemite Falls is the highest measured waterfall in North America. Located in Yosemite National Park in the Sierra Nevada of California, it is a major attraction in the park, especially in late spring when the water flow is at its peak....
, then proceeding west. For climbers, the challenge is to climb up the sheer granite face; there are many named climbing routes
Climbing route
A climbing route is a path by which a climber reaches the top of a mountain, rock, or ice wall. Routes can vary dramatically in difficulty and, once committed to that ascent, can be difficult to stop or return. Choice of route can be critically important...
, all of them arduous.
Geology
El Capitan is composed almost entirely of El Capitan Granite, a pale, coarse-grained graniteGranite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
emplaced approximately 100 mya (million years ago). In addition to El Capitan, this granite forms most of the rock features of the western portions of Yosemite Valley. A separate intrusion
Intrusion
An intrusion is liquid rock that forms under Earth's surface. Magma from under the surface is slowly pushed up from deep within the earth into any cracks or spaces it can find, sometimes pushing existing country rock out of the way, a process that can take millions of years. As the rock slowly...
of igneous rock
Igneous rock
Igneous rock is one of the three main rock types, the others being sedimentary and metamorphic rock. Igneous rock is formed through the cooling and solidification of magma or lava...
, the Taft Granite, forms the uppermost portions of the cliff face.
A third igneous rock, diorite
Diorite
Diorite is a grey to dark grey intermediate intrusive igneous rock composed principally of plagioclase feldspar , biotite, hornblende, and/or pyroxene. It may contain small amounts of quartz, microcline and olivine. Zircon, apatite, sphene, magnetite, ilmenite and sulfides occur as accessory...
, is present as dark-veined intrusions through both kinds of granite, especially prominent in the area known as the North America Wall.
Along with most of the other rock formations of Yosemite Valley, El Capitan was carved by glacial action. Several periods of glaciation have occurred in the Sierra Nevada, but the Sherwin Glaciation, which lasted from approximately 1.3 mya to 1 mya, is considered to be responsible for the majority of the sculpting. The El Capitan Granite is relatively free of joints, and as a result the glacial ice did not erode the rock face as much as other, more jointed, rocks nearby. Nonetheless, as with most of the rock forming Yosemite's features, El Capitan's granite is under enormous internal tension brought on by the compression experienced prior to the erosion which brought it to the surface. These forces contribute to the creation of features such as the massive Texas Flake, a large block of granite slowly detaching from the main rock face about half way up the side of the cliff.
Climbing history
Once considered impossible to climb, El Capitan is now the standard for big-wall climbing. "El Cap" has two main faces, the Southwest (on the left when looking directly at the wall) and the Southeast. Between the two faces juts a massive prow. While today there are numerous established routes on both faces, the most popular and historically famous route is The Nose, which follows the massive prow.Pioneering "The Nose"
The Nose was first climbed in 1958 by Warren Harding, Wayne Merry and George Whitmore in 47 days using "siege" tactics: climbing in an expedition style using fixed ropes along the length of the route, linking established camps along the way. The fixed manila ropes allowed the climbers to ascend and descend from the ground up throughout the 18 month project, although they presented unique levels of danger as well, sometimes breaking due to the long exposure to cold temperatures. The climbing team relied heavily on aid climbingAid climbing
Aid climbing is a style of climbing in which standing on or pulling oneself up via devices attached to fixed or placed protection is used to make upward progress....
, using rope, piton
Piton
In climbing, a piton is a metal spike that is driven into a crack or seam in the rock with a hammer, and which acts as an anchor to protect the climber against the consequences of a fall, or to assist progress in aid climbing...
s and expansion bolts to make it to the summit. The second ascent of the Nose was in 1960 by Royal Robbins
Royal Robbins
Royal Robbins is one of the pioneers of American rock climbing. After learning to climb at Tahquitz he went on to make first ascents of many big wall routes in Yosemite...
, Joe Fitschen, Chuck Pratt
Chuck Pratt
Charles Marshall Pratt was an American rock climber from California, best known for big wall climbing first ascents in Yosemite Valley...
and Tom Frost
Tom Frost
Tom Frost is a rock climber from California, best known for big wall climbing first ascents in Yosemite Valley. He is also a photographer and climbing equipment manufacturer.-Rock climbing and mountaineering:...
, who took seven days in the first continuous climb of the route without siege tactics. The first solo climb of "The Nose" was done by Tom Bauman in 1969. The first ascent of the Nose in one day was accomplished in 1975 by John Long
John Long (climber)
John Long is an acclaimed American rock climber and author whose stories, ranging from adventure yarns to literary fiction, have been translated into many languages. He has more than forty titles and two million books in print...
, Jim Bridwell
Jim Bridwell
Jim Bridwell is a noted American rock climber and mountaineer, active since 1965 especially in Yosemite Valley, but also in Patagonia and Alaska. He is noted for pushing the standards of both free-climbing and big-wall climbing, and later alpine climbing...
and Billy Westbay. Today, the Nose attracts climbers of various experience and ability levels, and with a success rate of around 60%, typically takes fit climbers 4–5 days of full climbing.
Expansion of routes
Efforts during the 1960s and 1970s explored the other faces of El Capitan, and many of the early routes are still popular today. Among the early classics are Salathé WallSalathé Wall (El Capitan)
The Salathé Wall is one of the original technical climbing routes up El Capitan, a high granite monolith in Yosemite National Park. The Salathé Wall was named by Yvon Chouinard in honor of John Salathé, a pioneer of rock climbing in Yosemite...
(1961, Royal Robbins
Royal Robbins
Royal Robbins is one of the pioneers of American rock climbing. After learning to climb at Tahquitz he went on to make first ascents of many big wall routes in Yosemite...
, Chuck Pratt
Chuck Pratt
Charles Marshall Pratt was an American rock climber from California, best known for big wall climbing first ascents in Yosemite Valley...
and Tom Frost
Tom Frost
Tom Frost is a rock climber from California, best known for big wall climbing first ascents in Yosemite Valley. He is also a photographer and climbing equipment manufacturer.-Rock climbing and mountaineering:...
) on the southwest face, and the North America Wall (1964, Royal Robbins, Yvon Chouinard
Yvon Chouinard
Yvon Chouinard is a rock climber, environmentalist and outdoor industry businessman, noted for his contributions to climbing, climbing equipment and the outdoor gear business. His second company, Patagonia is known for its environmental focus...
, Chuck Pratt and Tom Frost) on the southeast face. Also climbed in the 1960s are routes such as: Dihedral Wall (1962, Ed Cooper, Jim Baldwin and Glen Denny); West Buttress (1963, Layton Kor
Layton Kor
Layton Kor is an American rock climber active in the 1960s, whose first ascents and drive for climbing are well known in the climbing world. His routes include many climbs in Eldorado Canyon, near Boulder, Colorado, The Diamond on Longs Peak, towers in the desert southwest, and Yosemite National...
and Steve Roper
Steve Roper
Steve Roper is a noted climber and historian of the Sierra Nevada in the United States. He along with Allen Steck are the founding editors of the Sierra Club journal Ascent.Roper is the winner of the Sierra Club's Francis P...
); and Muir Wall (1965, Chouinard and TM Herbert). Later ascents include: Wall of the Early Morning Light (1970, Warren Harding and Dean Caldwell); Zodiac (1972, Charlie Porter (solo)); The Shield (1972, Porter and Gary Bocarde); Mescalito (1973, Porter, Steve Sutton, Hugh Burton and C. Nelson); Pacific Ocean Wall (1975, Jim Bridwell
Jim Bridwell
Jim Bridwell is a noted American rock climber and mountaineer, active since 1965 especially in Yosemite Valley, but also in Patagonia and Alaska. He is noted for pushing the standards of both free-climbing and big-wall climbing, and later alpine climbing...
, Billy Westbay, Jay Fiske and Fred East); Sea of Dreams (1978, Bridwell, Dale Bard and Dave Diegelman); and Jolly Roger (1979, Charles Cole and Steve Grossman). Today there are over 70 routes on "El Cap" of various difficulties and danger levels. Indeed new routes continue to go up, usually consisting of additions to, or links between, pre-existing routes.
Solo climbing
After his successful solo ascent of the Leaning Tower, Royal Robbins turned his attention to the Chouinard-Herbert Muir Wall route, completing the first solo ascent of El Capitan during a 10 day push in 1968. The first solo ascents of El Capitans first four classic "siege" routes were accomplished by Thomas Bauman on The Nose in 1969; Peter Hann on the Salathe Wall in 1972; Robert Kayen on the Kor-Roper West Buttress route in 1982; and Beverly Johnson (first female solo ascent) on the Cooper-Baldwin-Denny Dihedral Wall route in 1978. Other noteworthy early solo ascents were the solo first ascent of Cosmos by Jim Dunn in 1972, Zodiac by Charlie PorterCharlie Porter
Charlie Porter is an American rock climber, mountaineer and adventurer. He is best known for his bold first ascents in Yosemite , Canada and Alaska; and his significant influence on other notable climbers and the climbing community, in part due to his creation and development of innovative...
in 1972; Tangerine Trip by David Mittel in 1985; and The Pacific Ocean Wall by Robert Slater in 1982. These ascents were long 7-14 day ordeals that required the solo climber lead each pitch, and then rappel, clean the climbing gear, reascend the lead rope, and haul equipment, food, and water using a second haul rope.
Free climbing
Free climbing
Free climbing is a type of rock climbing in which the climber uses only hands, feet and other parts of the body to ascend, employing ropes and forms of climbing protection to prevent falls only....
or with minimal aid. The "West Face" route was free climbed
Free climbing
Free climbing is a type of rock climbing in which the climber uses only hands, feet and other parts of the body to ascend, employing ropes and forms of climbing protection to prevent falls only....
in 1979 by Ray Jardine
Ray Jardine
Ray Jardine is an American rock climber who, with Bill Price, in May 1979, was the first to free climb the West Face of El Capitan in Yosemite Valley...
and Bill Price; but despite numerous efforts by Jardine and others, the Nose resisted free attempts for another fourteen years.
The first free ascent of a main El Cap route, though, was not The Nose, but Salathé Wall
Salathé Wall (El Capitan)
The Salathé Wall is one of the original technical climbing routes up El Capitan, a high granite monolith in Yosemite National Park. The Salathé Wall was named by Yvon Chouinard in honor of John Salathé, a pioneer of rock climbing in Yosemite...
. Todd Skinner
Todd Skinner
Todd Richard Skinner was an American free climber. His climbing achievements included the first free ascents of many routes around the world and the world's first free ascent of a grade 7 climb....
and Paul Piana made the first free ascent over 9 days in 1988, after 30 days of working the route (grade
Grade (climbing)
In rock climbing, mountaineering and other climbing disciplines, climbers give a climbing grade to a route that concisely describes the difficulty and danger of climbing the route...
d 5.13b by the Yosemite Decimal System
Yosemite Decimal System
The Yosemite Decimal System is a three-part system used for rating the difficulty of walks, hikes, and climbs. It is primarily used by mountaineers in the United States and Canada. The Class 5 portion of the Class scale is primarily a rock climbing classification system. Originally the system was...
).
The Nose was the second major route to be freeclimbed. Two pitches on The Nose blocked efforts to free the route: the "Great Roof" graded 5.13c and "Changing Corners" graded 5.14a/b. In 1993, Lynn Hill
Lynn Hill
Lynn Hill is a United States rock climber, known as a top sport climber of the 1980s and famous for making the first free ascent of the Nose Route on El Capitan in Yosemite Valley....
came close to freeing The Nose, making it past the Great Roof and up to Camp VI without falling, stopped only on Changing Corners by a piton jammed in a critical finger hold. After removing the piton she re-climbed the route from the ground. After 4 days of climbing, Hill reached the summit, making her the first person to free climb the Nose. A year later, Hill returned to free climb The Nose in a day, this time reaching the summit in just 23 hours and setting a new standard for free climbing on "El Cap."
The Nose saw a second free ascent in 1998, when Scott Burke summitted after 261 days of effort. On October 14, 2005, Tommy Caldwell
Tommy Caldwell
Tommy Caldwell is an American rock climber. He was previously married to prominent American rock climber Beth Rodden....
and Beth Rodden
Beth Rodden
Beth Rodden is an American rock climber. She was the youngest woman to climb 5.14a, and is one of the only women in the world to have redpointed a 5.14c/8c traditional climb. She lives near Yosemite, California....
became the 3rd and 4th people (and the 1st couple) to free climb the Nose. The husband-wife team took 4 days on the ascent, swapping leads with each climber free climbing each pitch, either leading or following. Two days later, Caldwell returned to free climb the Nose in less than 12 hours. Caldwell returned two weeks later to free climb El Cap twice in a day, completing The Nose with Rodden, then descending and leading Freerider in a combined time of 23 hours 23 minutes.
A fictional ascent of El Capitan was portrayed in the film Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier is a 1989 American science fiction film released by Paramount Pictures. It is the fifth feature in the franchise and the penultimate to star the cast of the original Star Trek science fiction television series...
, in which Captain James T. Kirk
James T. Kirk
James Tiberius "Jim" Kirk is a character in the Star Trek media franchise. Kirk was first played by William Shatner as the principal lead character in the original Star Trek series. Shatner voiced Kirk in the animated Star Trek series and appeared in the first seven Star Trek movies...
free solos the rock face for what he called the most important reason for climbing a mountain: because it is there.
Speed climbing
Speed climbing "El Cap" is also popular. The record for the Nose has changed hands several times in the past few years. On November 6, 2010, Dean PotterDean Potter
Dean Potter is an American free climber, alpinist, BASE jumper, BASEliner, and highliner. He is noted for hard first ascents, free solo ascents, speed ascents, and enchainments in Yosemite and Patagonia....
and Sean Leary established the current record at 2:36.45, breaking the old record held by Hans Florine
Hans Florine
Hans Florine is an American rock climber, who together with Yuji Hirayama previously held the Speed Climb World Record for climbing The Nose of Yosemite’s El Capitan in 2:37:05; 2 hours, 37 minutes and 5 seconds set on October 12, 2008...
and Yuji Hirayama
Yuji Hirayama
Yuji Hirayama is a Japanese rock climber, born on February 23, 1969.Yuji is the first Asian climber to win the climbing world cup in 1998, and in 2000 for a second time....
by a mere 20 seconds.
Prior to that, the Huber brothers (Alexander
Alexander Huber
Alexander Huber , is a German physicist, climber and mountaineer. He lives in Traunstein.When they were still young Alexander Huber and his brother Thomas Huber were taken into the mountains by their father, Thomas Huber, himself a noted climber known for early fast ascents of now classic climbs...
and Thomas
Thomas Huber
Thomas Huber , is a German climber and mountaineer. He lives in Berchtesgaden with his family. His brother and climbing partner is the German climber Alexander Huber....
) held the record with a time of 2:45.45 (2007)
There are more than 100 different routes on El Capitan and most of them have some kind of speed record attached to them. Ammon McNeely
Ammon McNeely
Ammon McNeely is an American rock climber, who holds the most Speed Climbing World Records and First One Day Ascents on El Capitan in Yosemite...
owns the most records on El Cap, 23 records in total, 13 of them being First One Day Ascents.
On June 22, 2010, Alex Honnold
Alex Honnold
Alex Honnold is an American big wall free solo climber. He has broken a number of speed records, including a free climb of Salathé Wall, and a 5h49m aid solo ascent of the Nose of El Capitan, a route normally demanding two to four days. Honnold was born in Sacramento, California, graduating from...
set a rope solo record on the Nose, posting a time of 5:49 (not to mention that he rope soloed the Regular Route on Half Dome earlier that morning, in about 2:09).
BASE jumping
El Capitan has a controversial history regarding BASE jumpingBASE jumping
BASE jumping, also sometimes written as B.A.S.E jumping, is an activity that employs an initially packed parachute to jump from fixed objects...
, and the National Park Service
National Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
has effectively banned the practice. Michael Pelkey
Michael Pelkey
Michael Pelkey and Brian Schubert are considered the founders of BASE jumping.-El Capitan jump:On 24 July 1966 Pelkey and Brian Schubert, two 26-year-old skydivers from Barstow, California, made the first parachute jumps from the top of the El Capitan mountain in Yosemite National Park...
and Brian Schubert made the first BASE jump from El Capitan on July 24, 1966. Both men sustained broken bones from the jump. During the 1970s and with better equipment and training, many BASE jumpers made successful and safe jumps from El Capitan. In 1980 the National Park Service experimented with issuing BASE-jumping permits. These legal jumps resulted in no major injuries or fatalities. However, some jumpers exhibited significant disregard for the park's rules and the environment. After a trial lasting only a few months, the National Park Service ceased issuing permits and effectively shut down all BASE jumping on El Capitan. On October 23, 1999, BASE jumper and stuntwoman Jan Davis died while making an illegal protest jump in support of lifting the park's ban. BASE jumpers continue to fight the National Park Service in court for access to El Capitan.
In popular culture
- El Capitan features on a United States quarter dollar coin minted in 2010 as part of the America the Beautiful Quarters series.
- Scottish rock band IdlewildIdlewild (band)Idlewild are a Scottish rock band, formed in Edinburgh, in 1995, comprising Roddy Woomble , Rod Jones , Colin Newton , Allan Stewart and Gareth Russell...
recorded a song on their 2005 album Warnings/PromisesWarnings/PromisesWarnings/Promises is the fourth full-length studio album by Scottish rock band Idlewild, released on 7 March 2005, on Parlophone. The album marks the only appearance of bassist Gavin Fox, following the departure of Bob Fairfoull in 2002, and is the first album to feature touring guitarist Allan...
called "El CapitanEl Capitan (song)"El Capitan" is a song by Scottish rock band Idlewild, from their 2005 album Warnings/Promises. It was released as the third single from the album on 11 July 2005 and charted at #39 in the UK Singles Chart....
", about climbing the mountain. - In episode 21 of season 4Chuck (season 4)The fourth season of Chuck was announced on May 13, 2010. Having initially ordered 13 episodes, NBC ordered an additional 11 on October 19, 2010 for a total of 24 episodes....
of the TV series ChuckChuck (TV series)Chuck is an action-comedy/spy-drama television program from the United States created by Josh Schwartz and Chris Fedak. The series is about an "average computer-whiz-next-door" named Chuck, played by Zachary Levi, who receives an encoded e-mail from an old college friend now working for the Central...
, Sarah Walker's father makes (deceitful) reference to having climbed El Capitan.
See also
- Half DomeHalf DomeHalf Dome is a granite dome in Yosemite National Park, located in northeastern Mariposa County, California, at the eastern end of Yosemite Valley — possibly Yosemite's most familiar rock formation. The granite crest rises more than above the valley floor....
- Sentinel DomeSentinel DomeSentinel Dome is a granite dome in Yosemite National Park, United States. It lies on the south wall of Yosemite Valley, southwest of Glacier Point and northeast of Profile Cliff....
- Leaning Tower, YosemiteLeaning Tower, YosemiteThe Leaning Tower in Yosemite National Park is a popular destination for rock climbers. It is located west of, and adjacent to Bridalveil Fall, on the south side of the Merced River in Yosemite Valley. The rock is considered to be a strenuous climb, requiring approximately three days to climb to...
- Horsetail Fall (Yosemite)Horsetail Fall (Yosemite)Horsetail Fall, located in Yosemite National Park in California, is a seasonal waterfall that flows in the winter and early spring. The fall occurs on the east side of El Capitan...
- El Capitan (film)El Capitan (film)El Capitan is a film by filmmaker Fred Padula that captures one of the earliest ascents of The Nose on El Capitan in Yosemite Valley, California, USA...