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.