The Creation of The El Cap Free Poster

The process took three months…

As the process which had been defined on the right side was duplicated on El Cap's left or West Face.  Obstacles included splicing the two images together, in such a way that the face still looked like El Cap, despite the flattening of the formation.

Utilizing work I had done for Alpinist's issue featuring El Cap, where I had superimposed all 105 routes over a high resolution photograph, I was able to complete the project which was featured as National Geographic's "Center Fold", in the May 2011 Issue.  Over 9 Million copies were printed in over 30 languages world wide.

The next step was to expand this work into poster form.  In the decade since the publication of the Southeast Select poster, climbers like Leo Holding, Alex and Thomas Huber and Tommy Caldwell had systematically started free climbing the primary great aid lines.  Already the Nose, Salathe', West Buttress, Muir Wall, North American Wall, Dihedral Wall , Heart, New Dawn, Magic Mushroom, Lurking Fear and Zodiac had all gone free.  The Wall of Early Morning Light was now well underway by Tommy and Kevin Jorgenson.  In tracing these lines, along with Leo's route The Prophet, I found inspiration for my biggest endeavour yet.

The first step was to increase the poster size, and find a press large enough to print, as Conrad Anker calls it a truly "Gigantor" poster.  Next was to get authenticated info from the first ascentionists.  All were psyched.  Lynn Hill volunteered up front to look at each of her free variations to the Nose and Tommy Caldwell went out of his way to come meet me in Colorado and look over all 10 routes he had climbed.  Leo as usual was amazing in his psyche and beta.

While the poster was to focus on free routes, step two was to add the super obscure test pieces such as Martyrs' Brigade and Reach for The Sky (Jim Beyer solo).  The far left side (West Face) had to be detailed such that the classic West Face and all of Lurking Fear could be documented.  Again Tom Frost donated large format black and white prints.

Lastly, of course, was funding.  A poster of this size had to be underwritten and I had reservations on whether climbing art of this type could garnish the support of the industry.  To my great relief, industry leaders from across the board have said "yes" to my climbing art, and to the comprehensive recording of the fantastic feats of the world's greatest free climbers.