Tribal Rite and Grape Race

Got down from a slow and casual ten-day ascent of the 27 pitch link-up of Tribal Rite and Grape Race on El Cap, a great modern A3 up some seriously steep rock (and slabby rock). Switched leads with Vanessa all the way (it was a step up from Mescalito), and didn’t have too many epics and only two falls (Vanessa), but it was cold up there in November and seemed to get dark not long after you got up, and the topo’s 4 beaks of each size proved woefully inadequate (for me), and had me back cleaning like crazy (I placed one Lost Arrow and no angles or blades, so maybe I was being lazy?). Would nice to have the time to replace the crappy lead bolts, but the link-up deserves to be a classic.