50th Anniversary of First Ascent of El Capitan

by Jordan Yerman | November 13, 2008 at 09:13 am

3413 views | 41 Recommendations | 55 comments

El Capitan dominates the Yosemite Valley vista, taunting climbers from around the globe. However, for generations the stark, bare face was considered unclimbable... that is, until November 1958.

Harding, Merry and Whitmore stepped into history with the first ascent; since then, climbers have scaled every aspect of the cliff face, and have since linked the discreet routes into several variations.

Fifty years on, the valley's elder statesmen/women and climbing newbies alike are convening to celebrate a milestone in climbing history.

caling the colossal, 3,000-foot-tall granite cliff known as El Capitan was something most people regarded as beyond the capability of humans, but when Warren Harding had a mind to do something, he did it.

It took Harding, Wayne Merry and George Whitmore 47 days of climbing over 16 months to turn what had seemed like a fantasy into a reality.

While El Capitan has witnessed many astonishing climbs over the decades, none are more celebrated than the first ascent, a gargantuan effort finally completed in November 1958 by Warren Harding, Wayne Merry and George Whitmore.

The route that Harding, the party leader and one of Yosemite's legendary figures, had chosen and literally nailed his way up would become known as the Nose.

Fifty years later, the Nose remains the most popular route out of dozens on El Capitan. Each year hundreds of climbers, many of them from far-away countries, travel to Yosemite to tackle iconic features such as Stoveleg Crack, King Swing and the Great Roof.

Faced with a blank, overhanging wall above him, an exhausted Harding worked through the night, pounding 28 bolts into the rock before finally pulling himself onto the summit slabs shortly after dawn on Nov. 12, 1958.

El Cap was considered only in terms of aid climbing until Todd Skinner and Paul Piana conquered the Salathe Wall in a 9-day war of attrition in 1988: 30 years after the first aid ascent. Skinner died in 2006 in a rappelling mishap.

Climbing phenomenon Lynn Hill then completed the first free ascent of The Nose in 1993, and then returned in 1994 to set the new benchmark: in 23 hours she turned El Capitan into a day-climb. Only a handful of people have repeated the feat, including Beth Rodden, and Tommy Caldwell.

Speed demon Hans Florine holds the record time for an aid ascent of El Cap: under three hours.

From Lynn Hill's account of her groundbreaking climb:

The final realization of this ascent was not only the culmination of my eighteen years of climbing, but it was also symbolic of the kind of values that give meaning and richness to my climbing experiences. Throughout my life, one of the underlying qualities that has inspired me to pursue my vision of what is possible has to do with trusting in what I truly love and believe in. Cultivating such feelings of passion and conviction is what has enabled me to tap the source of my being and access the immense power of the human spirit.

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Look at the view

at 10:30 on November 13th, 2008

This is one of the most breathtaking sights I have ever witnessed. Majestic, yet somehow vulnerable. Those shifting mists were almost mystical, wraping the valley in protective cotton wool.

Look at the view has contributed a photo to this story.

merman1970

at 11:24 on November 13th, 2008

Stand there, you will feel how tiny human being is.

merman1970 has contributed a photo to this story.

Jordan Yerman

at 11:34 on November 13th, 2008

These photos are making my fingertips tingle... though I've climbed in the valley, I've never done El Cap.

tattoo71

at 11:35 on November 13th, 2008

It started pouring Golf Ball sized hail moments after this shot

tattoo71 has contributed a photo to this story.

k5blazer

at 11:38 on November 13th, 2008

El Capitan in late September.

k5blazer has contributed a photo to this story.

KatieWeber

at 11:38 on November 13th, 2008

There's nothing quite like seeing El Cap looming over the Yosemite valley!

KatieWeber has contributed a photo to this story.

lynchjames

at 11:38 on November 13th, 2008

Such an unbelievable site. You can just stand and stare at it for hours..

lynchjames has contributed a photo to this story.

mjesfo

at 11:45 on November 13th, 2008

Climbers on El Cap in mid-September 2008.

mjesfo has contributed a photo to this story.

nopun98

at 11:53 on November 13th, 2008

A morning look across Yosemite Valley in late October. A small fire near by added just a little soot into the air. A wonderful view to see in the morning....El Cap in close with Half Dome peaking out in the distance.

nopun98 has contributed a photo to this story.

chris_mcspinmie

at 12:02 on November 13th, 2008

On my family vacation, we went to Yosemite, the place where I grew up. On our way out, we had to make one last stop: El Capitan. Theres a strange feeling standing next to something so huge...

chris_mcspinmie has contributed a photo to this story.

arnoldks@pacbell.net

at 12:03 on November 13th, 2008

El Capitan was gleaming in the late afternoon sunshien of this mid-October day.

arnoldks@pacbell.net has contributed a photo to this story.

lifeisadventure999

at 12:23 on November 13th, 2008

El Capitan from the Valley Floor in Yosemite, September, 2008.

lifeisadventure999 has contributed a photo to this story.

GreggRMorris

at 12:31 on November 13th, 2008

Even from the far side of El Capitan Meadows, the scale of this rock is immense. A wide angle camera lens can capture the whole thing, but to really appreciate the size and vertical lines of the thing... Well, it's hard to do with a photo.

GreggRMorris has contributed a photo to this story.

Marius Popovici

at 12:39 on November 13th, 2008

Both photos taken from El Capitan Meadow, on the bank of the Merced river.

I have recently returned from a tour of Yosemite and the Eastern Sierra Nevada: http://www.popovici.net/gallery/6503815_bu6KX#413197021_PZSV8

Marius Popovici has contributed a photo to this story.

deirwin76

at 12:53 on November 13th, 2008

This was a beautiful day in September in Yosemite. There were several climbers on El Capitan and we stopped to watch them for a while.

deirwin76 has contributed a photo to this story.

cjmiller352001

at 13:02 on November 13th, 2008

After seeing El Capitan in so many photography books, and also being an admirer of Ansel Adams, I was stunned by the beauty it possess. I sat in a grassy field and nearly had tears in my eyes. It just took my breath away!

cjmiller352001 has contributed a photo to this story.

Imstell2006

at 13:07 on November 13th, 2008

I made my first visit to Yosemite only just last month. I was not disappointed. The grandeur of the high granite cliffs of El Cap and Half Dome contrasted so vividly with the deep pine greens and beginning colors of autumn. I was stunned. We had the good fortune to meet some climbers who had just come off El Cap the day before. It took them four days to scale its face. Did they feel like they had conquered the wall? On the contrary. They all sat on a bridge a day later, staring up at the sheer face feeling more awed than they had before their climb.

Imstell2006 has contributed a photo to this story.

janinelbrown

at 13:18 on November 13th, 2008

Yosemite Valley --the most beautiful place I've ever seen!

janinelbrown has contributed a photo to this story.

Tim Archibald

at 13:31 on November 13th, 2008

Tim Archibald has contributed a photo to this story.

YosemiteJunkie

at 13:48 on November 13th, 2008

I've heard it said that El Capitan is the largest single granite rock in the world. Many many times over the years I've sat by the road side with binoculars and camera in hand watching in envy as climbers asscend.

YosemiteJunkie has contributed a photo to this story.

Yosemite Dan Carter

at 13:52 on November 13th, 2008

I've lived in the Yosemite southern gateway town of Oakhurst for over 20 years. I visit Yosemite often and have hiked and packpacked in nearly every quadrant save to very north.

On Saturday November 8th, 2008 I attended the celebration reception for Wayne Merry, George Whitmore and the remaining climbers and support crew from the first assent of the Nose Route of El Cap. I took very few photos but did purchase a Limited Edition Anniversary T-shirt and had all the El Cap Nose Crew members sign it. I also had Royal Robbins, who was there, sign it along with Ken Yager, President of the Yosemite Climbing Association who put the event together.
Ken was also responsible for compiling historic photos, climbing gear, diaries and stories from pioneering climbs and climbers into a collection called "Granite Frontiers: 100 years of Yosemite Climbing." The display broke all attendance records for a single exhibit in the Yosemite Museum this past summer. The Granite Frontiers exhibit has been scheduled to show at the Autry Museum in LA next summer.
Even though I visit Yosemite Valley often the view takes my breath away every time I exit the Wawona Tunnel. I am truly blessed to live near such an incredible example of God's handywork.

Yosemite Dan Carter has contributed a photo to this story.

rbhatta

at 13:13 on November 24th, 2008

bikerted

at 13:57 on November 13th, 2008

Unknowingly at the time, I was there on October 12th, 2008 for the record breaking climb by Hans Florine and Yuji Hirayama, breaking their previous record by: 6 minutes. The new record stands at 2:37:05. I was busy setting my own record to the summit of Half Dome at the time. By the way, I summited Half Dome in 4 hours. Aloha, Ted.

bikerted has contributed a photo to this story.

Mirela (not verified)

at 14:00 on November 13th, 2008

from El Capitan meadow close to Merced river, one needs really good eyes to spot the climbers, when you do spot them that's when you can actually see how huge the climb is...