LITTLE ROCKS IN THE BIG DITCH
YOSEMITE, CALIFORNIA Words by Dave Wetmore Photos by Rich Crowder
Carved by Ice Age glaciers, Yosemite Valley is about eight miles long and up to a mile deep, guarded by 1,000- to 3,000-foot monoliths that loom ominously overhead. As a consequence of its spectacular environment-thick pine tree forests, sheer granite cliffs that rise into outer space, and pristine boulders large enough to make you pee your technical Prana pants-this section of the Sierra represents one of the most influential and historic rock climbing destinations in the world. Some come here to test the brassiness of their balls high up on El Capitan, while oth ers come to "practice climb" on perfectly clean pebbles the size of your parents· three story colonial. And whether you're climbing V16 or V2, you'll find the numbers here, for the most part, bear little relation to those in other areas, due to the overwhelmingly
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technical style of climbing. Each boulder requires a keen sense of body awareness, a variety of physical skills, and, importantly, exceptional mental control when immersed in the highball zone. So if you only partake in the hauling of gym jugs, campus-bro dude-cave-rave style, this place will most likely hand you your ass in a basket. Almost every boulder represents the quintessence of subtlety.
In the heart of Camp 4, a nucleus of American climbing's evolution, • Ryan Silven demonstrates the subtle dance of layback slab climbing on Cocaine Corner (V4l. The grade suggests a lackadaisi cal warm-up for many, but this deceptively difficult problem, comprised of imag· nary fue! and nonexistent hands, often turns into a ect for the impatient and quic:k-JB�c..
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