Trip Report
Yosemite Scenery and Widows Tears 3/1/2018
Friday March 9, 2018 10:42am
First, there was rock. Monkeys were warm and happy - sending the gnar, pulling down on sweet crimps, birdwatching, adding bolts to popular routes for convenience, jamming steep cracks and falling off from slippery boulders in Camp 4, wondering "how the f*#k is this a v1, where is the chisel?? A hold must have fallen off, this setter blows!"

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Crimson cringe
Crimson cringe
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Red, purple and red velvet shoez
Red, purple and red velvet shoez
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Self explanatory
Self explanatory
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And God said, “Let there be snow,” and there was snow and ice. God saw that the ice was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. But for some reason when Brian and I went to climb the alright ice (as far as ice in Yosemite can be) we did not see the day or night, all we saw all day was something in between. Thick clouds and little visibility. We had to bust trail to get up to the base and the fresh dusting was covering some of the ice, but it was good fun.

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When monkeys got done climbering, they decided to walk around and look at the place called Yosemite Valley looking all purdy and sh#t. And took photos of their friend monkeys climbering the Widows Tears a few days later.

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Richard Shore and Joel Kaufman on WT
Richard Shore and Joel Kaufman on WT
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WHY DO THEY CALL IT MIRROR LAKE??? I DONT SEE A REFLECTION! 2/10
WHY DO THEY CALL IT MIRROR LAKE??? I DONT SEE A REFLECTION! 2/10
Credit: Vitaliy M.
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  Trip Report Views: 4,836
Vitaliy M.
About the Author
Vitaliy M. is an annoying gym climber from Visalia, CA.

Comments
tradmanclimbs

Ice climber
Pomfert VT
  Mar 9, 2018 - 10:59am PT
Nice!
Largo

Sport climber
The Big Wide Open Face
  Mar 9, 2018 - 11:22am PT
Great stuff. And wonderful pics of the Cringe. Classics all around. thanks!
telemon01

Trad climber
Montana
  Mar 9, 2018 - 12:03pm PT

Great shots and great climbs!
kunlun_shan

Mountain climber
SF, CA
  Mar 9, 2018 - 12:10pm PT
Wow! Great photos V!

And you even used ropes this time. :-)
limpingcrab

Gym climber
Minkler, CA
  Mar 9, 2018 - 12:18pm PT
Mariah pics on supertopo, that makes it official!

Has she seen this? :)
http://www.supertopo.com/climbers-forum/1991692/Seasonal-Girlfriend

Also, great stuff and glad you're back in the TR game. Although you forgot the in between days of cragging.

Two thumbs up
Vitaliy M.

Mountain climber
San Francisco
Author's Reply  Mar 9, 2018 - 12:28pm PT
Its totally winter bruh isnt it L O L. Joking, that thread was a big joke back in the day. Seasonal gf is same concept of a hook up and as long as both parties are on the same page there are no harmed feelings.
NutAgain!

Trad climber
https://nutagain.org
  Mar 9, 2018 - 01:49pm PT
Servin' up the clamberin' photos in style. Great stuff!
mouse from merced

Trad climber
The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.
  Mar 9, 2018 - 01:49pm PT
It's good to see you've not burnt out on YV, V.

Grand views of its winter personality. Thanks.
WyoRockMan

climber
Grizzlyville, WY
  Mar 9, 2018 - 01:57pm PT
Nice!
shylock

Social climber
mb
  Mar 9, 2018 - 04:42pm PT



mike m

Trad climber
black hills
  Mar 9, 2018 - 03:18pm PT
Man would I love to do that route. Nice job.

Where is the crux? How long is that thing?
briham89

Big Wall climber
santa cruz, ca
  Mar 9, 2018 - 04:09pm PT
Rad!
Levy

Big Wall climber
Calabasas
  Mar 9, 2018 - 04:14pm PT
Great stuff as usual! Not many folks make it up W.T. twice, nice job on that!

The photo of the Cringe is terrific.
SC seagoat

Trad climber
Santa Cruz, Moab, Bozeman, the ocean, or ?
  Mar 9, 2018 - 05:40pm PT
Beautiful!
I never tire of your climbing adventures or photography!

Susan
Vitaliy M.

Mountain climber
San Francisco
Author's Reply  Mar 9, 2018 - 06:15pm PT
Wow, great pics Brian!

Where is the crux? How long is that thing?

Route as I remember it:

Pitch 0. starts from about 500 feet steppy/easy WI2-ish soloing. Need crampons and ice tools for it. Some may use a rope too, but if you want to climb this route, you better be competent enough to solo it.

Walk/break trail across a bowl to the base of the main route.

1st pitch. 200ft of wi3 climbing which is usually thin and one can't protect it well. This time it seemed fine.

2-3nd pitch. Fragile ice column wi5 just left of the cave. This columb seem to have fragile, shitty ice, but difficulties drop down soon and you can climb to the base of a big flow in the middle of the route. Brian and I simul climbed here and it became like a 270ft pitch. Normal way to climb it is to do about 160ft. Belay and climb easy ice/walk to the base of the next curtain.

4-5rd Pitch. Climb easier ice on the left side of a flow that gets you to the steeper and harder ice. 100ft. After that about 200ft of wi4+ climbing. We did this with simul climbing in one pitch.

6-7. Mix of wi3-4 for 160ft and another 120ft of 4+. We did this with simul climbing in a pitch.

8-9. 200 feet of wi3 to 4. And another 110 feet or so to the top, with difficulties in 3-4 range, depending on how you want to climb it. One could climb something wi5+ here by exiting straight left.

So about 500ft of easy ice to approach and about 1300ft of climbing on main flow?

johntp

Trad climber
Punter, Little Rock
  Mar 9, 2018 - 07:57pm PT
Fer Shizzle! Muy Bueno
Ezra Ellis

Trad climber
North wet, and Da souf
  Mar 10, 2018 - 03:07am PT
You look happy V, congrats!
hossjulia

Trad climber
Carson City, NV
  Mar 17, 2018 - 07:23am PT
Nice tr! Thanks.
neebee

Social climber
calif/texas
  Mar 17, 2018 - 07:33am PT
hey there say, vitaliy !!! wow... very nice trip report...

very nice photos... yep-- very nice job!!!

thanks for sharing...


again--great shots!!! crisp and clear!
i-b-goB

Big Wall climber
Nutty
  Mar 17, 2018 - 07:46am PT
Pictacular!
limpingcrab

Gym climber
Minkler, CA
  Mar 19, 2018 - 05:35pm PT
ka-bump
c2

Trad climber
Santa Cruz
  Mar 20, 2018 - 08:19am PT
Wow!
Nick Danger

Ice climber
Arvada, CO
  Mar 20, 2018 - 08:44am PT
V, Thanks for another inspiring TR. Climbering monkeys indeed! Widows Tears looks spectacular.
martygarrison

Trad climber
Washington DC
  Mar 20, 2018 - 01:26pm PT
V, girlfriend? Beginning of the end of those bro weekends lost in the Southern Sierra.
Vitaliy M.

Mountain climber
San Francisco
Author's Reply  Mar 20, 2018 - 02:48pm PT
*blushes* and she does not climb at all. Nurse from the hospital where I work (different department). Very cool person but I will keep climbing and hope she will be ok with it long term. Obviously it is an important part of my life..
7SacredPools

Trad climber
Ontario, Canada
  Mar 20, 2018 - 05:24pm PT
Geez...that's really something...
I love the ethereal quality of that pic of you at the crux. TFPU
AP

Trad climber
Calgary
  Mar 20, 2018 - 05:20pm PT
Looks like a fun romp.
Thanks for the report
Bad Climber

Trad climber
The Lawless Border Regions
  Mar 21, 2018 - 07:33am PT
Shredtastic, V. You so bad.

BAd
BooDawg

Social climber
Butterfly Town
  Mar 21, 2018 - 08:05am PT
Inspiring TR and pix! Keep climbing and continue sharing your adventures with us!
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