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The East Ledges Descent - A0 popular

Average Rating = 2.00/5 Average Rating : 2.00 out of 5
Route sequence (left to right): 14140
Route Summary | Ascent Notes (9)
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2 x 60m ropes, helmet, harness, rap device, gloves, load release knot cord, lockers, slings, daisy
Consensus Ratings
  Difficulty (Not Rated)
  Safety Rating PG13
  Exposure (Not Rated)
  Rock Quality (Not Rated)
  Scenery (Not Rated)
  Fun Factor (Not Rated)

Description:

There are three ways to get down from the top of El Cap. The East Ledges is by far the most popular, but those with a masochistic bent can hike the punishingly steep Falls Trail. There's also the option of walking out out to Tamarack Flat, a long but mostly level journey. If you think after summiting The Big Stone that your big wall troubles are over - think again! The East Ledges is a grueling three-thousand-foot descent that can leave you limping for days afterward. Wrestling an enormously heavy and [usually] poorly balanced pig is bad enough, but when you throw in exhaustion, darkness and "no fall zones" where death is a certainty should you blow it, the makings of an epic are always close at hand. Even experienced climbers avoid descending the East Ledges after dark. It just ain't worth it! Better to enjoy a superb summit bivi and [legal] campfire, kick back, finish up your last beer(s), gaze at the stars, and basically revel at how bitchin' you are to have just climbed El Cap! For the most comprehensive and detailed East Ledges beta, directions and "tricks" ever published in the history of El Capitan literature, including how to properly and safely rappel with a huge load, please click on "Climbed by: |passthepitonspete|" below. UPDATED JUNE, 2003 WITH HANDLINE AND FIXED ROPE BETA!

Submitted by: passthepitonspete on 2006-03-26
Views: 5127
Route ID: 5961

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9 Ascents Recorded

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Ratings
  Difficulty
  Safety Rating PG13
Hang Dog Hang Dog ascent by: yetanotherdave on 2007-06-29 (View Climbing Log)

2 out of 5 stars stay right...

as of last month there were fixed lines down option 'B' - in pretty good shape.

Added: 2007-06-29

Ratings
  Difficulty
Red Point Red Point ascent by: b_fost on 2004-08-29 (View Climbing Log)

0 out of 5 stars Ascent Note

No comment

Added: 2004-08-29

Ratings
  Difficulty
Red Point Red Point ascent by: ncclimber on 2004-06-09 (View Climbing Log)

0 out of 5 stars Ascent Note

I thought I couldn't walk another step when I got to Manure Pile P-lot

Added: 2004-06-09

Ratings
  Difficulty
Flash Flash ascent by: coylec on 2004-05-29 (View Climbing Log)

0 out of 5 stars Ascent Note

I have a map if you need more information.

Added: 2004-05-29

Ratings
  Difficulty
Red Point Red Point ascent by: smellyhippie on 2003-09-15 (View Climbing Log)

0 out of 5 stars Ascent Note

No comment

Added: 2003-09-15

... Read all 9 ascent notes