El Cap, Tempest repeated

Valerio Folco, Tom McMillan and Bruce Bindner make the third ascent of El Capitan's Tempest (A4 R)

November 2001

> Folco attempts Tempest 04/10/2001

Top: the start!
Above: topping out
below: Valerio on the 17th pitch
(photos Marco Spataro)

Further info
Photos and videos on
valeriofolco.com

The Italian Valerio Folco returned from Yosemite on 28 October after having made the third ascent of El Capitan’s Tempest (A4 R). First climbed in 1995 by a strong American team, this aid route has remained shrouded in mystery even to the most ardent locals. The reason for this, according to Folco, is that “you can’t see anything of Tempest, not even with a good pair of binoculars.”

Folco climbed the 20 pitch route together with two other aid specialists, the Americans Tom McMillan and Bruce Bindner. Folco rates Tempest as one of the most magical lines on El Cap, and one of the hardest on the steep and smooth 95Â° wall.

“From the second belay and with a 75m rope you can reach the ground, but you’re almost 35m out from the base of the route” says Folco and adds “I’ve been eyeing that line, between Pacific Ocean Wall and Mescalito, ever since 1999. It turned out to be a great adventure!”

Tempest according to Valerio Folco
"10 days of continuous climbing, 9 bivies on the wall. We recycled almost all our waste and didn’t throw anything off the wall (which is illegal anyway). The climbing is really airy on a beautiful, slightly overhanging wall.

There are loads of tenuous sections on heads, bird-beaks and hooks, and dangerous moves on expanding flakes. Bad falls are the order of the day as the are many small ledges or corners that you hit should you take a tumble.

The pitch called "Killer Whale" isn’t A1 but A3/4 R, where R stands for extremely dangerous. Hooking the final enormous flake is truly dangerous and terrifying. Should this break off…”