Squeeze Play

Situated on El Cap's West Buttress, this seldom traveled route is a fun, shorter alternative to busy trade routes. Moderate and easy climbing, good rock, replaced bolts (thank you!) and some good ledges up higher make it a good route for those who want to go faster or take their time.

Squeeze Play starts on Lost World, a climb established by Anderson, Folsom, and Warburton in 1975. Lurking Fear, the more popular, crowded, and easier climb is located immediately to the left of Squeeze Play. It was established the year after Lost World, 1976.

The climb starts on lower angle high quality rock. Nice free and aid crack systems take you to a broad slab and rivets left towards a point at the base of two huge dihedral/crack systems. The crack straight up from this belay is Lost World, the rivet ladder leading to the left dihedral is Squeeze Play. Once in the dihedral, the climbing is really fun and nicely shaded in the afternoon. At about 700 feet above the deck the climbing gets progressively harder and cruxes out at pitch 8, beaks and some heads. Climbing pitches 9-11 is surprisingly straightforward and takes you to a sweet ledge right underneath the West Buttress route traverse. The West Buttress Route is one of El Capitan's oldest routes - put up by Kor and Roper in '63. This traverse goes quickly and safely. Enjoy the location. The rest gets traveled often by Lurking Fear climbers.

This a good route to climb in a push because if too wiped it is possible to sleep on p11, or the nice ledge three pitches higher, or even Thanksgiving Ledge. Non-speed ascents should plan 2-3 nights on the wall plus approach/descent. This route's crux is about as hard as the crux on Never Never Land but has much easier climbing overall.

First One Day Ascent: Snyder, Rodatz 23:44 (rocknclimb.com)

Standard bigwall cam rack including 2x #6 Camalot and offsets

Stoppers, microstoppers, and offsets

10 Peckers mostly #2 and #3

Basic pin rack

12 heads, asst.