I observed your homepage...

...the one on climbing, and found it very interesting; especially the part about your climb across the Nose in Yosemite. While having done multipitch climbs, I have never done a true multiday big-wall climb. I am curious as to the extent of gear which is required for such a venture (e.g. amounts and types of protection used for big wall climbs in general) and whether you attempted to free-climb the Nose when you were up there.

-- Colin Gallagher (gallaghe@c-zone.net), December 14, 1997

Answers

On the Nose, you would take something like two traditional racks. The Nose is a clean route which means that you need only stoppers and friends. Most of the big-wall routes would require more specialized gear. If you want to know precisely what people take up on these routes, just read on the Yosemite page the sections which show a "gear list". On the Nose, you always do free-climbing to some extent, which depends on your abilities. However, attempting to free climb all the pitches is way beyond mere mortals, and has been achieved only by one person, Lynn Hill.

-- Quang-Tuan Luong (luong@ai.sri.com), December 14, 1997.

Burton provided me with some valuable information, a little of which I will share here; hopefully to be used by those with enough knowledge and wherewithal to use it wisely.

(He says:) "So heres whaat I took on the Nose The first time I did it. Rack: 2 sets of wires 2 seta of brass wires 2 sets of TCU's 2 sets of cams -4 (x-tra #2 for the stove legs) Couple of hooks(just incase free climbing is wet) 3 ropes 50+ meter(1 lead 11mm, 1 haul and spare lead 10-11mm, 1 lower out line 8mm- 10mm)"

I would add onto his recommendations a healthy look at the guidebooks, as Quang-Tuong has suggested, attentiveness to weather (of course), and in the way of gear, a PMI personal escape system (PMI/Petzl).

-- Colin Gallagher (gallaghe@c-zone.net), December 16, 1997.

You might also want to practice leading and following pendulums. Some of the biggest pendulums you'll ever do are on the Nose, and learning how to do 'em up thar ain't such a bright idea.

-- David Hull (MTNRock@AOL.com), January 09, 1998.

You can also cut the rack size a little by leap-frogging aid placements and leaving only as much as you would leave if you were free-climbing, instead of leaving every placement you make. This means you run it out on aid placements the same way you run it out on free-climbing. Happy Aiding.

-- Dave Hull (MTNRock@AOL.com), January 09, 1998.

Since I have never left anything behind when free-climbing, the nature of your suggestion seems dubious, but then I have never climbed the Nose. On one climb however, we did replace an old and rusted chain which was used for pro at the top of a route called Six-Toes Wall in the Castle Crags area. I would prefer not to use aid, direct aid, intrusive (permanent) placement, or bolts unless it were an emergency, and as well would prefer not to replace or chop bolts. Since Lynn Hill is the only one who has freed the Nose, it is perhaps unrealistic for "mere mortals" to replicate this feat, but we may nonetheless push the limits of our skill without intrusive and non-removable placements. The summit is not the goal, but rather, the climb.

-- Colin Gallagher (gallagc@efn.org), January 15, 1998.

Get a clue goob!! Colin, I would suggest that you go and read a book on the subject, from the technical aspect to some history.

-- anon. (m@hotmail.com), April 24, 1998.

I concurr with two free racks for the nose. I also won't leave home without a pair of leeper cam hooks, these babies are fast and bomber and will save on small wires. I'd also carry a couple of other kinds of hooks just in case (they're light).

Steve

-- Steve Purcell (steve@mds.com), August 20, 1998.

The guy that Colin called Burton, is infact me Burt. No Anon(?) you need to get a clue. I once too called Colin a goof and bad mouth him for wanting to know. But then I thought, we all had to start somewhere and none of us would have gotten up some walls without some advise. Thats why we are all reading this page, to get some info. I was 13 when I started to climb the walls of the world I found a community that I liked. But now it has grown ito a city. Have we lost all of our feelings towards climbing, are we all worried about the summit and not the feeling? Anon, you need to think before you write and really get a clue! Yes I admit that there are climbers that don't need to be on the Cap, but they have every right to be on the high crag. Colin if you read this drop me a line I would love to here from you.

-- Burt (epiclmber@hotmail.com), November 16, 1998.

I would just solo the darn thing with only one rack of friends, maybe a couple stoppers, two daisys, a sling or two, and a couple of biners like my old boy, Mr. Potter did in Masters of Stone 5. Don't forget the barefoot approach. I also want to give a shout out to Lynn Hill for the knarly free climb. Keep your feet on the ground and reach for the stars....

-- Alex Himelstieb (al_himelstieb@yahoo.com), September 11, 2003.