Standing on the belay ledge at the bottom of the second pitch of El Matador (10d). Here, we are 80 feet of the deck, which is the length of the first pitch.
Climbing above my second piece on El Matador. The first half of this pitch is mostly hand jams and finger jams with a little liebacking.
Shaking out the forearms which are starting to feel pumped.
Choosing a piece of pro to plug into the crack.
Unbeknownst to me, a small herd of tourists had gathered to watch me battle with El Matador.
About 2/3 of the way up this 130 foot pitch the crack becomes discontinuous, but the chimney narrows enough that you can start stemming between the sides. This is brutal on the calves and mine were howling.
More stemming...
More stemming...
More stemming...
More stemming
awesome stuff! to truly conquer El Matador, however, you should have been wearing a helmet with horns on your way up. then snort and scrape your hoof in the dirt like you're about charge. lemme know when you complete this task and i'll give you full credit.
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