Storms

Hi everyone,

First off, sorry for the big gap in updates.

I’ve been in the US for a month and a half, most of it far from the internet. I got down yesterday from an eleven-day ascent of El Cap via New Dawn and The Nose (we “failed up” the Nose after realising we’d run out of food on Tribal Rite).

The climb was a test of heavy and slow: a big team of four, capsule style, fixing off ledges, and using a range of hauling techniques including 3:1, space hauling, and 4:1. The hauling was especially interesting. We started with 120 litres of water—about fifty man-days—plus a ton of other gear. Our four haulbags probably weighed well over 200kg, yet with a 4:1 system a 65kg climber could leg-haul.

One of the biggest learning moments came right at the top, when we were hit by a major rain, snow, and wind storm. One second it was calm, the bags stuck ten metres below, and then—bam—the weather arrived out of nowhere.

We knew a shower was due, so we already had waterproofs on—thank God—but the severity of the rain and the waterfalls it created soon overwhelmed us. Freezing rain hit us at our lowest point, which was also our highest. Hands stopped working. Ropes became bloated and stiff and wouldn’t run through the 3:1. The Micro Traxions wouldn’t keep their cams engaged. The rock turned into a skating rink.

Getting the bags up to the tree became a battle. We abandoned trying to haul them properly and I ended up jugging them one by one on my harness, Russian-style. The rest of the night was spent wet and cold in a snowstorm, dressed in everything we had, huddled under the fly. We were miserable—but alive—thanks to having gone heavy: -15°C synthetic bags, fleece, and belay jackets kept us going until the sun finally hit.

When the storm cleared and we staggered the endless miles down the Falls Trail (the East Ledges looked too dangerous under snow), I had plenty of time to think about what I’d written—and what still needed to be written.

The intention with the book was always to write most of the text first—which I’ve done—then climb a series of routes in September to add freshness: ideas, thoughts, and wall-earned wisdom. A book built not just on decades of experience, but on applying that experience right up to the finish.

Originally, the plan was to finish by the end of September. I’m heading to Las Vegas tomorrow to work on the final draft. But I want to climb a few more walls first, then go back through everything and fold in the lessons learned. That’s going to push the book back by another month.

I hope people understand. I think the extra depth will be worth the wait. But I also understand if some can’t wait any longer.

I’ll try to post more updates as we get closer to sending the book to the printers.

Upwards!
Andy