A great route on the Shield headwall following features between the routes Magic Mushroom and The Shield. Named Flight of the Albatross to commemorate Will Oxx’s base jump off the summit after the FA.

FOTA is a bit off the beaten path despite being just to the left of the ultra-classic Shield route making it a perfect route for a team that has done a decent number of El Cap routes and is looking for a little bit more adventure and a few hard pitches but still within the relative comfort of the trade route nearby. The route has two “hard pitches” the Whipper Will A3+ pitch and the Walk the Plank A4 pitch. Whipper Will is going test all the aid tricks up your sleeve while the Walk the Plank pitch will test your skills with small beaks as you imagine yourself ripping all those beak tips and riding the canoe to the ground.

Flight of the Albatross

I had the pleasure of climbing this with Troy Johnson and Tracy Dorton in of all times, August 1984

This was as I was told an early ascent. We spent 4 nights on the wall. This route is longer and more sustained than the Shield. The route is in some deep flaring awkward corners with lots of left handed nailing as I recall. The Mushroom is a classic, fun climbing, deluxe bivey ledges and the most direct route through the Shield headwall, with no crowds.

First Ascent: Hugh Burton & Steve Sutton 05/72

VI, 5.10;A4 31 pitches

First free ascent, Tommy Caldwell & Justen Sjong

5:14 28 pitches

Magic Mushroom

Freerider is the Astroman of the new millennium. This route is climbing at its finest. The route follows complex crack systems up the southwest face of El Capitan. Essentially it is the Salathe wall with a few variations used (pioneered by Alex Huber) to avoid the numerous 5.13 crux pitches first freed by Paul Piana and Todd Skinner in the mid 80's.

Freerider

Sunkist is a moderate aid line on the Southwest Face of El Capitan that does not see much traffic. The belay bolts are bomber and the line is relatively pin scar free giving it more of a fresh feel. The route starts on the Freeblast, climbs the next 4 pitches of Magic Mushroom to just above and left of Grey Ledges, then moves to independent terrain left of the Shield Headwall. It eventually passes a couple belays shared with Jolly Roger (be sure to give that thing a peek) before veering up a blank golden headwall split by a seam that is reminiscent of the Shield. Quest up the steep splitter headwall on cams, beaks, some hook moves and fixed heads till the route merges back to Son of Heart for the last 5 pitches.

Sunkist

1.)From near the bottom of the sandy slopes of EL Cap Gully, Make three Pendulums right, to the base of a left facing corner and a bolt belay.

2.)Climb the corner to bolts and dowels to a two bolt belay.

3.)Nail an A3 arch to two bolts then tension right to an A2 crack. Belay at a small ledge. This section is expanding.

4.)A 5.8 A3 pitch leads through corners and bolts to a hanging belay.

Tension right to an A3 pitch to a ledge with a bolt.

5.)Follow a corner, bolts and A1 to a sling belay.

6.)An A4 pitch leads past a small bivi ledge and up to a bolt belay.

7.)An A1 pitch leads to a ledge.

8.)Another pitch of 5.8 A1 leads up and left under a roof, then move up then right to a corner system. pendulum left at the top to a sling belay.

9.)A 5.9 pitch leads to a ledge.

10.)Another 5.9 pitch leads to a belay by a bush.

11.)A 5.8 A1 pitch leads to the top of an arching corner.

12.)Follow a gully for a pitch.

13.)An A2 pitch leads to Thanksgiving Ledge.

Four more pitches lead to the top, or finish on the "West Face Route". Four pitches, all free.

It's been over 20 years since I've done this route. I strongly suggest referring to "Yosemite Climbs, Big Walls" by Don Reid, if you can find a copy.

Mirage

A fun route that has a little bit of everything as an easier way up El Cap.

Pitches 1-10: Take the Freeblast to Mammoth Terrrace

Pitches 11-14: Climb these Muir pitches to Grey Ledges

Pitches 15-16: Two more Muir pitches right up before the Shield Roof

Pitches 17-19: Traversing pitches to end up at Camp IV on The Nose

Pitches 20+: Take The Nose up to the top!

Triple Direct

This route is a cool way to get to Tribal Rite. It's also a way to avoid some of the crowds on the first half of the Nose for savvier aid climbers, though you'd also be skipping some of its classic pitches.

Start with the first 3.5 pitches of the Nose.

Where the Nose moves right on its fourth pitch, free climb left on good edges past a bolt. From here a mix of free and aid lead to the belay. There is some loose rock on this long pitch.

Moderate clean aid linking rivet ladders characterize the next 3 pitches. Leave a lot of the rack in the bag and move with more ease. On pitch 8 the Teetotaler Variation is more direct than stopping by the Stellar Cellar, you might use a few beaks on this lead. Put them back in the bag for 9 and 10.

Get that stuff (and the hooks and cam hooks) back out for pitch 11. You might need to do some gardening to find the best placements. At the start of 12 you can see a lot of bolts and rivets, you're headed up and right toward a small ledge with a tombstone flake on it. This thing is loose, avoid touching it. Follow rivets to the first pendulum, then hooks and a spot of free climbing to the second (shorter) swing. Stop here, just above the end of the Jardine traverse. The follower should prepare the bags for a big lower-out. Welcome back to the Nose.

If you're headed to Tribal Rite climb a 100 foot plus pitch of easy aid and free to Eagle Ledge, then another short easy pitch to a sloping ledge on the left. These two could be linked. Now a 60m pitch takes you past the start of the Lynn Hill traverse and through some darker rock to the spot where the Nose penji's left. Make an athletic pendulum to the right aiming for a small slab on top of the El Cap snake. This is the top of pitch 1 of Tribal.

A few quotes about the route from Bev Johnson's biography, The View From The Edge:

Johnson - “I was still fairly strung out from the Triple Direct which I had finished five days before. My mind was still boggled and my wounds still open - an incredible set of blisters from my boots, chunk of meat still missing from my hands, my back raw from my waist loop. I couldn't believe I was going back up. Extended climbs are at least as punishing mentally. Can't relax. Seven days of trusting my life to flimsy gadgets and fragile ropes. Got to stay alert. No mistakes - Ran out of food and water and had to spring to the summit, climbing most of the final night by headlamp and moonlight."

Porter - “That summer Walter Rosenthal and I got interested in doing an alternative route to the Nose. Maybe Bev and I were having trouble then, I don't remember. But we were looking at a long angled climb on El Cap, that I was going to call El Cappidosia. Bev was sitting in her hammock belaying and reading a book about a perverted football player and his perverted fraternity initiation involving a backwards race and the loser eating grapes. The route was so contrived we decided to use the scene from that awful book to name the climb Grape Race."

Grape Race

Despite beat out placements & seeing 100s of ascents the Shield is about as quintessential of a big wall as you could imagine.  Gone are the rurp seams that Porter encountered on the FA but the overhanging headwall and spectacular position remain and make this a memorable ascent.

The route breaks away from the ledges of freeblast with a few lack-luster pitches up through the grey ledges section.  A protected bivy lies below the steep roof above.  The climbing really begins with the Shield roof pitch. It looms ominous & steep however concedes with a series of bolts with the rest fixed.

The route seems to go from mellow to extreme and in an instant when you turn the lip onto the windy, overhanging headwall.  A single crack splitting the amazing granite face above is why you're doing this route.  One C1 pitch and then you're ready for the business.  The Groove and Triple Cracks pitches go up this amazing section of rock.  Insecure and steep, they are considered the cruxes of the route.  While they have gone clean most still feel the need to hammer at least a few pins.  Being creative here will save using the hammer too much.  Beaks, hand-placed sawed-offs, and offset cams & nuts can make the offensive holes climbable.  The headwall finally eases with several sections of bolts and a fat ledge.  Above the headwall there is still some ground to cover but the climbing eases as you merge onto the final pitches of Magic Mushroom.

Clean ascents, while coveted, are rare but minimizing nailing will protect this route from further damage.

The Shield

Mr. Midwest Free roughly follows the original aid line with 5 variation pitches. The hardest climbing is in the first 6 pitches, and it is relatively straightforward to rappel from the top of the crux 5th pitch to the ground on a suss mission.

Pitch 1

- Easy runout slab to a hard sequence before moving left to the corner. Thin liebacking to the anchor. 1 bolt belay

Pitch 2

- Incredible lieback and stem corner. 1 bolt belay

Pitch 3

- Steep juggy start to golden face climbing. Wide gear for belay at corner.

Pitch 4

- Wide corner to low easy traverse to West Face belay.

Pitch 5

- Backclean or runner 5.9 to a wide section of corner. #4 at the base of a mega lieback flake. Corner gets thinner and thinner to a punchy section before a bolt from the aid line for an old belay. Rest at the pod, then carry on out the undercling to clip the bolt above the first overlap and pull into the roof. Traverse left back to the belay. Mega pitch!

Pitch 6

- Tricky, balancy, body-position climbing on bullet gold rock. 5.11 slab to exit the seam and easier runout to the anchor.

Pitch 7

- Wander with minimal gear to the corner of El Cap Arms. Awesome ledge!

Pitch 8

- Up the groove, clip the pin and traverse hard right. Join West Face to that belay.

Pitch 9

- Neat steep 5.10 to El Cap’s most incredible crystal.

Pitch 10

- Recharge at the “Crystal of the Eternal Nows” before the scruffy Black Corner. A little wide groveling gets steep and thin with face holds and sporty climbing before the crack gets wide again. Slab up to a piton and gear belay.

Pitch 11

- 5.8 dirty roof

Pitch 12

- Physical 5.10 undercling (hope it’s clean) and face traverse up to the wildly overhanging crack. Dangle, thrutch, or style your way over the lip El Cap’s western face and work left to belay.

Pitch 13

- little 5.9 corner and scramble to Thanksgiving Ledge.

Mr. Midwest

Starts after the 20 first pitches of Salathé.

Crux is definitely the "Down Climb" (12c)

"The Move" pitch is really easier than 5.13a if you're tall

"Chickenwing" the start is R just above the belay

"Golden desert" is about 5.12

"The A5 traverse" is about 5.12c/d

"Razorblades" pitches are scary but amazing!

Golden Gate

Totally CLASSIC route in its own right! Will get you ready for typical El Cap weirdness. All the hardest pitches rely on good bolts and some questionable fixed gear.

P1. Start from the pedestal and aim for the double cracks. Cool opposing crack moves and lots of good pro tapers to a hand size crack with some loose flakes and then a 2-bolt anchor on the right. (5.10)

P2. Jam or lieback (better) the unassumingly awkward flake/crack to a hanging 3-bolt belay under the roof. (5.8)

Belay low, away from anchor. Right bolt will be 1st piece for next lead.

P3. Demanding and committing free-climbing with small underclings, shitty feet and hidden pin-scar moves around the roof...Very exciting...Head up to the cool flare and stem up to a ledge through a fun blocky section. (5.11)

Gear at roof is one bolt, a sketchy upward driven pin and two fixed wired at the end of the roof (both have very frayed cables and one is about to snap as of mid June 2007).

P4. A face move connects to the continuous arching crack out left (can protect up high in right crack). Follow the awesome tips crack with good pro and lieback/stem your way up and over the bulge and onto a good ledge and bolted anchor. (5.10)

P5. Run it out up the precipitous groove. The groove thins to a heavily pin-scarred seam. Have all your offset nuts and Aliens ready to unload where you can but don't block your fingers! Do a trick move right over the bulge and link a couple more finger pods until you can clip the first of several good bolts. (10)

...Tiptoe out left to clip bolts and a pin using long runners (ignore the pins/bolts that go up and left. Start a rising friction traverse out right past a couple bolts. Stay to the right of the bolt line for a hard stand-up crux move and clip a bolt which probably has a poot-sling on it. From the last bolt, balance through a thought provoking section with a drilled hook hole and blunt knob. Its run out to the anchor over easing terrain and mantles. (5.11)

P6. Friction climbing with some small edges follows a closely spaced bolt ladder (new bolts). At the end of the ladder make a tough move left to an overlap with a good pin to clip. Continue to make exciting crux moves until you can stand in the polished, crystalline dike and clip a bolt. A slippery traverse left finally puts you on a ledge...A very cool face pitch, my favorite.

(5.11)

P7. Jam and stem up a right facing corner and up and over a steep section with some interesting flakes. Set up a belay off gear and pins below the Half Dollar flake. (5.9)

P8. The Half Dollar (the easiest of the wide features on the Salathe and quite fun if you do it right)...Undercling and jam to a stance at the sweeping corner. After a frustrating gear placement, stand-up and twist it up! There is good gear in the corner.

KEY BETA: Get your right side toward the corner and stem up and hopefully you can reach jugs on the left wall which can be liebacked as you stem until you can finally jam the crack. Once you are in the middle of the corner/chimney there are different ways to do it. Climb over a big block on the ledge and belay. Make it fun!! (5.10)

P9-10. Can be linked with a 70M or 60M and 20' of simul-climbing...Broken corners to a blocky, rampy

crack system. Bolted anchor at the right edge of the big ledge.

Traverse left to another anchor and either start downclimbing or single rope rap to another anchor...Keep downclimbing the inside sometimes wide corner/crack (5.10) or do a double rope rap over to Heart Ledge and the beginning of the double rope rappels to the base...Look around for  anchor options on the way down and slightly right.

Freeblast

My Memory is a bit sketchy on some of the pitches....feel free to offer corrections....

P1 11b  slabby, bolt protected face crux starting off of a platform.

P2 11b Thin, left arching crack undercling/layback. Lots of fixed gear

P3 10a  Slightly flaring thin corner,

P4 Big Traverse.

P5 10a  Cool 10a arete/bulge move following by incredible 5.8 climbing, on atypically Yosemite sculpted jugs which turn out to be the trademark of the climb. Pay attention here, easy to get on the wrong crack.

Link Pitches 6&7 with a 70m rope(68m)....but save some gear for the anchor!

P6+P7 11c Long thin stemming corner  with a oddly placed anchor at the crux. This will be the route crux for most. This anchor is not the end, keep going past the crux to the belay ledge above. With a 70m, you will have little rope to spare.

P8 11c  A fantastic short but strenous 30' (?) overhanging hand and finger crack;

P9 7  Traverse to move belay.

P10 10b  Delicate 10 face moves to a nice 5.8 crack.

P11 10b  Incredibly beautiful pitch -- a lot of it steep. uncharacteristic well placed gigantic jugs and gorgeous rock..

P12 5.8 Easy climbing on face and cracks

P13 9 Another fun jug-ridden pitch.

-Link pitches 14 & 15 w 70m rope-

P14 10d  Great  steep thin crack then delicate face.

P15 7  classic long 5.7 corner pitch

P16 2nd class move to the other end of the Thanksgiving ledge.

P17 - 20 forgettable and rambling mid 5th....pick your poison The "route" effectively is over after Thanksgiving Ledge....we soloed out.

West Face

Never Never Land may be the best moderate route on El Cap's West Buttress. Positioned on the on the impressive nose of rock between Lurking Fear and Dihedral Wall, the route has a great view of the huge concave Southwest wall of the Capitan. The climbing is harder than Lurking Fear, better than Lost World, and about the same difficulty as the current state of Zodiac, New Dawn, Shield, etc.

The route starts on Aquarian Wall, a line originally unlocked by Kim Schmitz and Jim Bridwell in 1971. Both had teamed up to complete the Triple Direct together in '69. Aquarian was Bridwell's first independent route on El Cap. They had attempted the line before but bad weather forced a desperate bivy and dangerous retreat. The team linked thin piton cracks with a few bolt ladders up to the right side of Timbuktu Tower. This is the start to Never Never Land.

Timbuktu Tower is where the Never Never Land variant deviates from Aquarian Wall. This huge flat ledge is the only obvious ledge on the West Buttress. Crack a soda, watch the sunset, and bivy on this really nice patio. The next 3 pitches off of this ledge are tricky, expect them to take a little longer. Chapman and Hawkins did some creative hooking and pendulums to access a shallow vertical corner. This corner crack system climbs really fun A2 and lots of A1/C1 placements - usually some big beaks and offset cams get you through anything tricky. Link the 2 pitches up to Long Ledge and the 2 after to the Pinnacle of Hammerdom.

The Pinnacle of Hammerdom has a great anchor for a hanging bivy. From here, a pretty continuous ramp and crack takes climbers to Thanksgiving Ledge. Enjoy your time here, the exposure is great the aspect, perfect. While climbing these cracks you won't believe that you have the whole route and the whole section of wall to yourself.

Hawkins would later collaborate with Kauk, Bard, and Burton on New Jersey Turnpike. Chapman would go on to complete Eagle's Way on El Cap's Southeast Face with Graham and Orey.

First One Day Ascent: McNeely, MacNamara 16:00 (rocknclimb.com)

Never Never Land

The Muir Wall is an outstanding route that follows a beautiful natural line of crack and corner systems just left of The Nose.  Although moderate in grade this route sees relatively little traffic due to it's very sustained and demanding nature, which requires lots of technical aid climbing.  This route has been climbed at 5.9 C4 but most parties will probably want to bring some pins and a hammer to keep the grade at A2.  For more detailed info and topos look at the "Yosemite Big Wall Supertopo" guide book.

Muir Wall

El Capitan is home to numerous classic routes but "The Nose" is the mega classic of them all.  Towering nearly 3000' this route offers 31 pitches of superb climbing right up the middle of the wall.  Often referred to as the "best rock climb in the world" it is obvious why this route is one of the most sought after big walls in the valley and the world.  Most of the pitches on this route are outstanding but with classics such as the "Stovelegs", "King Swing" and "Great Roof" you'll wish it would never end.  Although this is a great climb the route is still very demanding, sustained and exposed and not to be taken lightly.

Here are a few tips that might improve a parties chances of success and enjoyment on the route.  First if you and or your partner(s) can lead 5.10 solidly this will greatly speed up the amount of time it takes to climb this route as a large percentage of the climb is 5.10 or easier.  Second study the topo carefully because there are numerous opportunities to either link or use alternate belays in order to skip pitches (a team of three can also skip hauling certain pitches with some good planning).  Unavoidable factors are the number of parties on the route and the weather, both of which can make the route not so classic.  For pitch by pitch info and topo's the "Yosemite Big Walls Supertopo" guide book is highly recommended.

The Nose

First climbed in 1970 by Scott Davis and Chuck Kroger, the Heart Route follows an obvious line through the middle of El Cap's SW face. The free climbing follows most of the original route, with a few variations. The climbing is varied, with tedious slabs down low, and steep enduro pitches above the heart. The "V10" rating is for a dyno on the sixth pitch.

Heart Route (Free)

The West Buttress is a burly classic featuring many excellent pitches like the gold ribbon 5.8 layback, the Jungle Chimney, the steep headwall crack reminiscent of the Salathe headwall and finally the Grand Traverse to the comfort of the well-travelled Lurking Fear. May it not be forgotten the West Buttress was established in 1963 by Layton Kor and Steve Roper with pitons and mountain boots.

Pitch 3 is excellent featuring two proper pendulums and the only pitch that required hammering. We brought 3 small beaks and used all of them. This is a good intro to A3. Tagging the hammer down to the follower to clean worked fine.

The Jungle Chimney is the adventure crux of the route, let the monkey out for this one!!!

The Grand Traverse is epic and might be as hard to clean as to lead. The first two pitches of the traverse are rated A3 but we climbed them without a hammer and they did not feel too desperate. The 2nd pitch of the traverse will eat every tiny cam you have, there are only 2 lower out points on the 100’ pitch so you’ll be leaving all your gear behind, bring at least doubles in 000 to blue totem, including offsets.  Consider tricams for these pitches.

Motel Zed is easily accessible from the 12th belay and usually open for reservations.

Finally Lurking Fear joins the West Buttress.

All belays are two bomber bolts, thank you to the efforts of those replacing these bolts!

West Buttress

The Salathe Wall is an incredible route with lots of infamous wide cracks. The climb might be the longest route on El Cap at 35 pitches. There are many great ledges on this route, so consider leaving the portaledge at home.

A common strategy is to either pre-haul to Heart Ledges, or rap once you get there and haul the next day. Four fixed lines bring you back to the ground. I wouldn't recommend hauling the free blast because it traverses a lot, is low angle, and will have the biggest crowds of the route.

This climb breaks up nicely into several days worth of climbing. The first logical block is the Free Blast, which consists of the first 10 pitches of the route. Most of this can be free climbed for a 5.10 trad leader, and can be done fairly quickly. The climbing is low angle in comparison with the rest of the route, with a thrutch up the half dollar chimney on pitch 8. The free blast will leave you on top of Mammoth Terraces (where the Shield and Muir Wall diverge). From here, rap off the left side about 200 feet to Heart Ledges.

From Heart, some non-obvious climbing leads up to Lung Ledge. Scramble up this ledge system until near its left end and set a belay. The next pitch is the hollow flake, with a pretty big pendulum required to gain the start of the flake. The lower part of this pitch can take a #6 camalot, but it can't be left because it gets too wide before you are above your pendulum point. The upper part of the hollow flake is extremely run out. This pitch ends up on the spacious hollow flake ledge (not a bad place for 2 people to sleep).

From here, the route becomes a lot more plum, with a ton of traversing up to this point. A difficult chimney pitch right off of hollow flake ledge leads to two straight forward pitches. Above that is the other well known pitch of the route, the Ear. This pitch climbs into an overhanging bombay chimney. As you climb higher, it keeps getting narrower, until you have to chimney outwards and possibly remove your helmet. This pitch has good gear.

Another pitch leads up to the Alcove, a great bivy ledge. From the back of the Alcove, a chimney leads to the coolest bivy spot ever, El Cap Spire. This spire is flat and airy, is big enough for a tent, and is detached on all sides. It is a big step across to gain the next crack system. Sleep here and enjoy it because the ledges are quite a bit worse above.

A few more pitches of aid continue up, with a squeeze through a 5.9 chimney. This brings you to the base of the Sewer. This pitch almost always seeps water, and requires placing aliens in goo covered cracks. The end of this pitch is a hanging belay, so link it another short pitch length to the sloping but roomy "Block". This is an ok bivy, but you have to be creative.

The climb tends diagonally up and left from here to a small ledge. the Sous Le Toit. A nice place to belay, but not a place to sleep. One long linked pitch gains the base of the roof below the headwall, where the climb gets exciting. Tackle the roof on mostly fixed gear, and continue up to a hanging belay. This jug is as airy as it gets. The headwall is split by a beautiful finger crack, which ends at Long Ledge.

Long Ledge is the home stretch, and it is a very narrow ledge in a cool position. From the right side of the ledge, climb up for a few more pitches to the top.

Free grade: 5.13b

Salathe Wall

I  prepare to this climb 5 years, since climbed Sunkist in 1997. Did few surrounding routes, also few harder one (Jolly Roger, solo: ZM, Reticent Wall). More then 70% of the terrain was virgin, counting even 5 or 10' when crossing another route. I spent 30 days on the wall, 26 climbing, 4 hauling etc. 23 nights. First time start on Oct 8-th, fixing 4 pitches in 5-6 days. First continuous push 19th-26th to reach Turning Point and fixed to Mammoth Terraces. Next was final push Nov 1-st stopped by big 4-days storm on Nov 6-th (still able to fixed to MT). Real final push from Nov 12, topped during the night of November 2021. Descent by rappel down the ascent route and Muir Wall to MT on Nov 21-22nd.

For me difficulty of cruxes on QV, JR and RW are similar. An Reticent the most technical and strenuous, on Jolly Roger the most dangerous, on Quo Vadis the most mental seeing last pro far away.

Quo Vadis

Lurking Fear is the easiest aid climb on El Capitan. The aid is straight forward and the free climbing is excellent. The entire free climb checks in at 5.13c (FFA: Tommy Caldwell and Beth Rodden). Despite the moderate grade of this route, it doesn't see nearly as much traffic as The Nose or The Salathe. There is a fair amount of terrain that can be free climbed at a moderate grade and the aid on terrain harder than that tends to be mostly C1. The vast majority of the route seemed to haul easily. The SuperTopo warns about bad hauling on the upper pitches but we didn't find anything overly difficult or frustrating. There are few, good natural ledges on this route for bivying, besides Thanksgiving Ledge. The top of the route features seemingly endless slabs hence it is also popular to rap the route. This route is a good candidate for wall climbers looking for their first El Cap route. It would be difficult to give pitch-by-pitch beta so consult a topo such as the Yosemite Super Topo book.

Lurking Fear

Situated on El Cap's West Buttress, this seldom traveled route is a fun, shorter alternative to busy trade routes. Moderate and easy climbing, good rock, replaced bolts (thank you!) and some good ledges up higher make it a good route for those who want to go faster or take their time.

Squeeze Play starts on Lost World, a climb established by Anderson, Folsom, and Warburton in 1975. Lurking Fear, the more popular, crowded, and easier climb is located immediately to the left of Squeeze Play. It was established the year after Lost World, 1976.

The climb starts on lower angle high quality rock. Nice free and aid crack systems take you to a broad slab and rivets left towards a point at the base of two huge dihedral/crack systems. The crack straight up from this belay is Lost World, the rivet ladder leading to the left dihedral is Squeeze Play. Once in the dihedral, the climbing is really fun and nicely shaded in the afternoon. At about 700 feet above the deck the climbing gets progressively harder and cruxes out at pitch 8, beaks and some heads. Climbing pitches 9-11 is surprisingly straightforward and takes you to a sweet ledge right underneath the West Buttress route traverse. The West Buttress Route is one of El Capitan's oldest routes - put up by Kor and Roper in '63.  This traverse goes quickly and safely. Enjoy the location. The rest gets traveled often by Lurking Fear climbers.

This a good route to climb in a push because if too wiped it is possible to sleep on p11, or the nice ledge three pitches higher, or even Thanksgiving Ledge. Non-speed ascents should plan 2-3 nights on the wall plus approach/descent. This route's crux is about as hard as the crux on Never Never Land but has much easier climbing overall.

First One Day Ascent: Snyder, Rodatz 23:44 (rocknclimb.com)

Squeeze Play

"Most Controversial Route on El Cap". This route has a wealth of history surrounding it, conspiracies over whether the first ascent team drilled holes for hooking, whether or not they had any big wall experience, death threats towards them, etc. The first ascent took 39 days and went unrepeated for nearly 30 years. Not only was it seen as a botch job of a climb, it was too difficult for most of those who attempted the route. Most routes on El Cap have no more than 15 hook moves, this route has over 100. This makes it incredibly difficult and dangerous, and something that only Ammon McNeely and his team (as well as the FA team), could complete, which he did in 2011. If you decide to do this, be prepared for regular 30-50 foot whippers on the 1,000 foot king slab, and hooking on edges that seem physically impossible.

Wings of Steel

This climbs up the SW face above Little John and tackles beautiful golden stone all the way to an independent topout. This route is definitely for advanced aid climbers because the climbing is often difficult and scary. Multiple parties have bailed after 100' plus falls on the lower parts ( pitches 4 &6) and there is the so called "body-cleaving pinnacle" below the11th pitch, the one up to the Golden Doubloon pitch, don't fall here. The Doubloon pitch 12 is unrelentingly steep and challenging and long. The haul bags hang in space at the top of this pitch. The pitches above are highly technical and exciting with some of the best views to be had from any El Cap route. There are some loose features that need to be negotiated higher and a fully independent topout makes this a must do for those who quest for the gnar. Expect lots of sun on this route.

Jolly Rodger

This incredibly natural route follows obvious corner systems, most of which are left-facing, up the Southwest face of El Capitan. The first 16 pitches are fun, moderate aid climbing on great rock. The route gets a bit grassy and dirty the last few pitches up to Thanksgiving Ledge. The original 4 pitch finish features some gaping chimneys with a fair amount of loose rock and hollow features. Alternatively, shuttle your bags further west along Thanksgiving ledge and finish on the last two pitches of Lurking Fear. The route has one good ledge between the ground and Thanksgiving ledge at the top of pitch 9. This ledge could fit maybe one person, so bring a portaledge.

Dihedral Wall

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Description

Location

Protection

Routes in 2. Southwest Face