Ascents by Anton Korsun

When Henry and I first arrived in Yosemite, my stoke to climb much of anything was pretty low. Our campsite in El Portal was 40 minutes out of the park and offered all the social life that retirees in rental RVs could dream of. Oppressive heat baked every wall, and day by day the Valley seemed more like a concentration camp for hoardes of ill-informed tourists than a climbing destination.

After being cited by park rangers on our third day of climbing I was ready to throw in the towel, and had Henry not been on this trip I probably would have.

Nonetheless, the pile of aid gear we had both amassed beckoned to be used, and with some inspiration from Nick and Dave (and assurance there’s no rangers hiding in the stovelegs) we set off.

I should note that both Henry and I wanted to climb pure alpine style, that is without fixing and hauling to Sickle. In hindsight our early arrival at El Cap Tower meant we could have done this, but on Nick’s advice we compromised by hauling every pitch (including Pine Line and first four) but fixing lines from Sickle and sleeping on the ground. Personally I think this is a big concession in style, but it possibly avoided an epic and got us ahead of the crowds, so I'm happy we did it.

Day 1: Jug to Sickle. Henry led every pitch to arrive on El Cap Tower at 5:20pm.

Day 2: Mini epic on the Texas flake. Originally Henry was to take the first block, but we swapped for me to lead this pitch. Didn’t die. Henry flashed the King Swing and I recovered from a pretty bad bonk to lead from Grey Bands to Camp 5. The Great Roof was seeping with slimy algae, which made backcleaning the entire thing (so that Henry could lower out) a pretty spicy experience.

Day 3: Bit of a slow start while 4 all-star NIAD teams passed us. Triple-crowners Nick and Danford, Connor Herson, Tom Herbert, YOSAR rangers… we felt like the only gumbies on the wall! I led the wild bolt ladder clipping 3 bolts in the top 30 meters and we followed the final NIAD team down to the valley floor.

Overall a pretty cool end to a pretty cool trip, and possibly my last log here. I've started to realise I'm not quite eloquent enough to express how I feel on bigger objectives in writing, and most often I simply don't want to. Back in Sydney in a bit

Second shot. Although I’m a little flat about the style of ascent (not being a true redpoint), I’m pretty content to leave it at that.

Reason being, while the roof is long, you only need to place 2 pieces in it to make it “safe” from a groundfall (ignoring the first one placed from a hands free rest). Given how hard it is to clean, spending a whole day just to place 2 cams seems a bit contrived. But full respect to those who do!

Up was fine. But Sloan-bagged once again, we simulrapped straight down the wrong gully (apparently marked “NO!” on mountainproject).

What was meant to be easy raps with a 60 became absolute ropestretchers with our 70m, mostly off little shrubs and requiring exposed down-aiding, unbelayed because the shrubs would probably rip.

When the trees were bomber we would simulrap again, comically running across the wall in search of further non-existent anchors for the “easy raps with a 60”.

Two laps to dinner ledge - both times slowed by parties on the Kor roof but got to practice shortfixing.

probably the single most splitter crack ive done!

Dolt run. Averaged 50 mins per pitch until stovelegs traffic slowed us. Learned how to aid in a tree the day before.

Goal was to keep up with 3 French wizards who overtook us on the footstool (both their seconds freeing everything to Dolt). Mission was kinda accomplished.

The snow cut the first pitch in half - so good!

Thought both pitches got .10c - it definitely felt that way.

Later we got on a bolted .11 and bailed after one bolt due to scary runout. This place is hard.

Yay a chill route with zero spindrift and lots of awesome views.

After this day, the wind changed to a hit-and-miss easterly flow and further climbs were abandoned in favour of card games and cool ski touring.

Hearing whispers that two other teams were starting early (and being thoroughly displeased with yesterday's iceblock shower), we had the ultimate Think Tank moment and decided to leave at 8pm.

For Adam, who is more used to both alpine climbing and sleep deprivation, this may have worked, but for me it was the start of a night of unravelling.

Despite a strong start in perfect connies, the Donkey Boys were forced into a scary M4 variant due to spindrift on the ice crux. This lost us time, and fighting against the clock of sleep, my pace slowed and my eating stopped. At best I estimate to have consumed 900cals and 700mL of water on the way up.

Having reached the col, this Donkey was beyond buggered and both Boys turned to rap the route in daylight.

2am start under the northern lights illuminating the SE face of Denali and bouncing off the Ruth. Soon, the sunrise and simulblocks brought us to the route's crux, which Adam dispatched with style in desperately dry conditions.

Nick an JT met us there from above, and after hearing their description of deep, faceted wallowing to the col, we all agreed on going down.

After a few "wish our ropes were 10m longer" moments, all 4 boys were swimming down afternoon slush towards lunch and a snooz.

Went up with 6 cams and placed half of that before running it out to the lip.

Then had a funny moment when I forgot how to mantle (now decently runout) and sat sideways, awkwardly toehooking the nose for probably a good 5 mins, too pumped to stand up or clip the anchor, which was now 3 inches from my face. Like riding a horse but sideways. And 40 meters in the air. Fun.

yay

Flashed the 11+ to the first chains, and it looks like the party is just getting started there.

Had a bad time. I don’t know if this counts as an offwidth (was told it’s not), but I do know that I went up with two 5’s and a 6 and basically shat myself from pure terror.

So yea, it’s probably an offwidth.

Cruiser than expected but would be something else on lead! Flashed the first crux transition and finished the bottom section with 2 sits.

Then a loooong sit to work out the roof. Pretty pooped on that one but it went. Double kneebar. Rad.

Repoot. Warmuup.

Didditttt.

Toppie, but I’ve learned so much on this climb that I’m actually pretty ok with that!

Almost did it this time. Slipped moving past the last bad lock.

Note to self: hitting bumholes with alternate hands is way less pumpy than swimming through them… make of that what you will I guess 🤷‍♂️

Was told this was 5.11 and kept awaiting some heinous crux monstrosity. Easier than chokky corna for me.

One hang on the flash. Better rests than Swedin, but also like 3 Swedins stacked on top of each other.

One hang. This is becoming an oddly ringlock focused trip and I only got here lol. Why?!

Hoolyyyy where the feet be at?

Yay rock climbing again!

Had a lot of fun. Deep in the zone, I felt like a painter, meticulously applying stroke after stroke on what must have been well over an hour-long lead.

Never pumped or scared, just playing a beautiful game of problem solving that fresh ice of this grade requires.

Likely the first ascent since the last freeze, I got pillars, mushrooms on mushrooms, huge ‘how’s it going’ onion skins and a maze of icicles. 10/10 day - got the car stuck only 3 times!

Yew! Adequately feeding the projecting worm that's been at me since leaving oz.

Proper sporty but all the hard moves are natural, rather than the drilled out pockets scattered over some other routes here.

Some time past midnight, the glow of a thousand suns heralded the arrival of a very polite Canadian in a very lifted 4Runner. Just out for his nightly stroll, our saviour paused to take in the scene: three hypothermic Australians, two bent shovels, one tent pitched shamelessly across the road and zero hope of ever making it to the highway.

Cracking his window with a very "oh awesome, I get to rescue people again!" smile, Shaun declared us "stuck", which was reassuring, lest I had begun hallucinating by this point and we were actually in a hot tub in Banff.

A bright red kinetic strap swiftly replaced our tent, and with the smell of "give 'er" and gasoline, my Ford Explorer lurched forward, becoming a humble (and rather inefficient) snowplough for the remaining five kilometres to the road.

What usually takes 1.5 hours to drive from Canmore, with a similar walk to the route...

...took us 4 hours driving (digging) from Canmore, another 3 hours postholing in thigh-deep windslab to the route, 3 hours of flailing back to the flailing car and an absolutely marathon 7 hours to drive home.

I think we also climbed some ice.

So close on the onsight - fell clipping the anchor with the rope in my mouth. Had just enough fall time for a moment of clarity: “I should probably open my mouth soon…” Sent next shot, trusting those torques!

Probably the harder of the M6+ routes here.

A few weeks ago.

Super fun torquey trickery. Will try to come back for this one, as I almost got it on top rope after.

Lots of very dry-specific moves that I'm totally unfamiliar with, but enjoyable in a very intense way. Bolt to bolt for the most part but did all the moves overlapping.

Used 3 consecutive figure-4's through the lower crux (off a stein no less, look mom I'm drytooling!) which must've looked ridiculous in G2's but hey my feet were toasty...

Siiik

Cool that I rock-paper-scizzored my way into the first (money) pitch. Would rap after that in the future as the rest gets rambly.

Dry but cold. Can't win them all. Barfies.

A slightly aborted (and scary) first go when I absolutely welded a draw to my right crampon... attatching that foot to the ice by what must surely be multi-kilonewton forces.

After some thankfully unphotographed scenes, I tied in at the base again and had a great time in the sun for a first 5.

Led the first pitch which was techy WI4, then Cam took over for the money. Best quality ice and most striking line of the trip so far. Absolutely perfect.

First mixed lead. Pretty cool and more obvious holds than the left M6.

Lap

Leading first pitch (WI4)