Skip to content
Home » NewsWire » Update: Snowstorm Thwarts Dawn Wall Completion

Update: Snowstorm Thwarts Dawn Wall Completion

The following is an update on the News Flash from November 15th “It’s On for Caldwell and Jorgeson”.

Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson have been forced to call it quits for the season on

their 33-pitch Dawn Wall project due to dangerous weather conditions.

Following three

years of planning and preparation, on November 13 Caldwell and Jorgeson began their

attempt at climbing their route in one final push. On day one they hoped to tackle the

first eight pitches, but were slowed by wet rock and only reached the sixth pitch

by the end of the night. The next day they completed the seventh and eighth pitches,

the latter being likened to a bouldering problem for its sharp crimps. On the third day, they

waited for shade and then spent the second half of the day on the
ninth pitch. That night, Jorgeson used his iPhone to send an update from the wall that

read, “Pitch 9 is done. Now the real business begins: 5.14b ish, 5.13d ish, 5.14b ish, 5.14cish, 5.14c ish.” They reached the top of the eleventh pitch on Wednesday evening, but
saw that a winter storm carrying up to three feet of snow was headed for

the Yosemite Valley. Faced with the decision of waiting out the storm or calling it for the
season, they decided to keep climbing until the storm hit.

However, by Friday afternoon

Jorgeson reported on Twitter that El Cap was in “full on white out conditions,” and by

that night they had made the decision to rappel down, leaving their route to be finished

next season.

Sources: tommyandbecca.blogspot.com, twitter.com/kjorgeson