Yosemite Secret Passage repeated by Pete Whittaker and Dan McManus

Over a nine day period at the end of October and start of November, Britain’s Pete Whittaker and Dan McManus managed to pull off the first repeat of The Secret Passage, the 15-pitch 5.13c (8a+) on the right-hand side of El Capitan, Yosemite. Established in 2008 by the Belgian rock climbers Nicolas Favresse and Sean Villanueva, this climb was ground-breaking as it was forged ground-up over a series of attempts, without any previous knowledge of the climbing that lay ahead.

At the time of the first ascent, speaking to planetmountain.com Favresse summed up the experience as "for sure one of my best climbing accomplishments and strongest climbing experience. All my years of climbing seem to have blended together to brew this new major piece of climbing. The route tested my physical and mental abilities to their limit with the challenge of many hard pitches to send each day on the wall, plus the fatigue of hauling."

Favresse and Villanueva had largely followed two previously established aid lines, Eagles way and Bad to the bones, and in doing so had not modified any of the original protection, apart from adding two bolts. One backed up a belay, the other was placed on an unprotectable face climb variation and the result was some very bold climbing indeed. It it easy to understand why this route remained unrepeated for seven years.

In October Whittaker and McManus initially attempted The Secret Passage ground-up but soon realised exactly how difficult and committing the climbing is. After having tackled the committing lower pitches in the scorching heat, they then decided to work the final 3 crux pitches by abseiling in from the top.

With provisions for 7 days Whittaker and McManus then set off on their free attempt, knowing full-well that unsettled weather was due to arrive three days later. They climbed the lower pitches, then bivied as the storm hit below some small roofs between Horsetail Falls and Devils Brow Runoff, the two biggest waterfalls on El Capitan. The storm relented after two days but conditions remained wet as water from the gushing waterfalls sprayed onto the face in the mornings and evenings before freezing at night, leaving only the midday hours to battle their way upwards. Despite these prohibitive conditions both successfully freed every single pitch, even climbing past a wet hold on the crux pitch, and topped out after having endured 9 days on the wall. With his typical British understatement Whittaker has describes the experience as "quite an adventure."

For the full report check out: petewhittaker.co.uk and danmcmanus.blogspot.co.uk

20/10/2008 - Favresse and Villanueva discover The Secret Passage, new route in Yosemite
18/09/2006 - Favresse and Ninov Lost in translation on El Capitan