The Route
Sonnie Trotter’s New Free Route on El Capitan
On Nov. 19, Sonnie Trotter made the first free ascent of Pineapple Express, a threepitch variation to El Nino, a variation to the North America Wall. Trotter became the first climber to ever free the section of El Cap between Dawn Wall VI 5.14d and Zodiac IV 5.12d, which is historically significant. Pineapple Express now gives climbers three new free pitches up to 5.13b.
With Tommy Caldwell, Trotter climbed the 26-pitch Pineapple Express in a 13-hour
push with Caldwell jumaring ropes and belaying. The three new pitches are variations to pitches 12, 13 and 14. Trotter discovered the variation in 2017 when inspecting the wall with Alex Honnold.
North America Wall is one of the most historic routes on El Cap, first climbed in 1964, it was the first climb up the southeast face and only the third route on El Cap after The Nose and the Salathè. It was first climbed by four of the most inf luential climbers of the Valley’s golden age, Yvon Chouinard, Tom Frost, Chuck Pratt and Royal Robbins. It represented an important step forward in ethics and style. It was hailed as one of the hardest climbs in the world and Robbins later described it as “the climb of our lives. More difficult and more serious than anything we knew. It all came together for us here.”
North America Wall was also the third route to be freed on El Cap. Germany’s Alex and Thomas Huber spent three weeks in the fall of 1998 climbing the free variation they called El Niño. With its 800 metres of steep granite, the brothers described it as one of the best climbs they’d done with cruxes up to 5.13c. There was one short rappel down an eight-metre section which gives the route a VI 5.13c A0 grade.
Trotter and Honnold’s goal was to free North America Wall from top to bottom and opened a new 5.14 pitch, but couldn’t piece together one of the bolt ladders. With bad weather closing in on Trotter in the fall, he opted for the variation to El Niño. The new free route has three 5.13b pitches, three 5.13a pitches and seven 5.12
pitches.—gripped
SONNIE TROTTER ON THE PINEAPPLE EXPRESS
I first met Alex Honnold in the fall of 2007 around a crackling fire in Camp 4. Under his trademark hoodie, I could still make out the intensity behind his eyes and wide grin, he was perhaps just 21 and recently made headlines for soloing Astroman and the Rostrum in a single day – something I knew I would never even attempt. Honnold humbly insisted that anybody who climbs 5.13 could probably do it. But not anybody can solo. It takes something more. A certain state of mind. Regardless of age, Alex is a hero. We have fun, and I learn something when I climb with him. I’m always grateful to be pushed a little out of my comfort zone. In the spring of 2017 we found the connecting link that would allow the North American Wall to finally be free climbed in its entirety via a three-pitch variation to El Niño 5.13c. We joked that our recon mission was 5.11dr rappelling. Scary, but only “moderately” dangerous. When Alex is on rock, he becomes superhuman and can do (almost) anything he wants uninterrupted by fear or exposure. I on the other hand move a little slower, more carefully and feel somewhat cautious next to his long strides on the mountain.
Sadly, this year Alex couldn’t make it back to Yosemite like we had planned, and encouraged me to go for the climb with another partner. Naturally, I was bummed, then gripped, thinking about some of the crux pitches, the fragile rock up higher or the long runouts over questionable gear. With two young kids in the back of my mind, I certainly wasn’t capable by myself. Or so I thought. Having superhero partners is great, but shouldn’t keep us from chasing our dreams. Graciously, another El Cap legend Tommy Caldwell offered to support me on his final day of climbing in the valley this year. It was the last good day before the first storm of the season. We met at 4:30 a.m. in the meadow and began our day. I tried to harness a bit of the Honnold state of mind. Pitch by pitch, we moved up the wall. Tommy and I laughed a lot up there and everything seemed to click. We topped out just before 7 p.m. I’m so thankful for good times with great friends. The hours spent “toiling” on El Cap are some of my most treasured.