Pietro Vidi Free Climbs 16-Pitch 5.13d on El Capitan

Italian big wall climber Pietro Vidi has repeated Free Zodiac on Yosemite’s El Capitan in a ground-up four-day push with support by Alessandro Larcher. Vidi is no stranger to the Valley big walls, as last year he sent the Pre-Muir Wall and made the long-awaited second free ascent of Lurking Fear.

Zodiac was first climbed solo by legendary big waller Charlie Porter as the 16th new route on El Capitan, see a list of the first 40 climbs on El Cap below. Zodiac was first freed in 2003 by Thomas and Alexander Huber at 5.13d. Tommy Caldwell repeated it later that year, and Jacopo Larcher and Babsi Zangerl sent it in 2016.

In a story about his send on Planet Mountain, Vidi said: “On the morning of the third day, I tried the Nipple Pitch, the 8b crux. It’s a slightly traversing pitch, on a super thin crack with a few poor pins in the little roof. Very physical, very bicep‑intensive, with nonexistent footholds — pretty much like the rest of the route really. On my first attempt, I worked my way up because placing the pro is quite complicated. On the second attempt, a foot slipped at the start. Then on the third attempt, unexpectedly, I sent it after a great fight. Like all the other pitches, really: I did every pitch on my second go without having studied the beta properly. They were all good battles!”

About his second free ascent of Zodiac, Caldwell wrote in the 2004 American Alpine Journal: “I had aid climbed Zodiac with my dad in early October. We passed the Huber brothers, who were working on the first free ascent. The free climbing in the middle of the route looked like some of the wildest climbing I had ever seen. I made plans to return over Thanksgiving with my friend Topher Donahue. With good weather I was able to free-climb the route over six days. Topher free-climbed all but three pitches. On both of my 2003 El Cap free-climbs, I climbed with partners who hoped to free-climb the routes. In both cases they abandoned their free-climbing goals to ensure that I was successful. I can’t believe how lucky I am to have such great friends.”

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First 40 El Cap Routes

The Nose (5.9 C2 VI) — FA: 1958, Warren Harding, Wayne Merry, George Whitmore • FFA: Lynn Hill, 1993 (5.14)
Salathé Wall (5.9 C2 VI) — FA: 1961, Royal Robbins, Chuck Pratt, Tom Frost • FFA: Todd Skinner & Paul Piana, 1988 (5.13b)
Dihedral Wall (5.9 A3+ VI) — FA: 1962, Ed Cooper, Jim Baldwin, Glen Denny
El Capitan West Buttress (5.10 A3+ VI) — FA: 1963, Layton Kor, Steve Roper
North America Wall (5.8 A2 VI) — FA: 1964, Tom Frost, Yvon Chouinard, Chuck Pratt, Royal Robbins
Muir Wall (5.9 A2 VI) — FA: 1965, Yvon Chouinard, TM Herbert
El Capitan West Face (5.9 A4 VI) — FA: 1967, TM Herbert, Royal Robbins • FFA: Ray Jardine & Bill Price, 1979 (5.11c)
Triple Direct (5.8 C2 VI) — FA: 1969, Jim Bridwell, Kim Schmitz
The Heart Route (5.9 A4 VI) — FA: 1970, Chuck Kroger, Scott Davis
Aquarian Wall (5.9 A4 VI) — FA: 1971, Jim Bridwell, Kim Schmitz
Heart Route (Son of Heart) (5.10 A3+ VI) — FA: 1971, Rick Sylvester, Claude Wreford-Brown
Wall of Early Morning Light (5.7 A3 VI) — FA: 1971, Warren Harding, Dean Caldwell
Cosmos (5.8 A4 VI) — FA: 1972, Jim Dunn
Magic Mushroom (5.10 A4 VI) — FA: 1972, Hugh Burton, Steve Sutton
The Shield (Salathé Start) (5.7 C4F VI) — FA: 1972, Charlie Porter, Gary Bocarde
Zodiac (5.7 A2 VI) — FA: 1972, Charlie Porter • FFA: Alex Huber & Thomas Huber, 2003 (5.13d)
Mescalito (5.8 A3 VI) — FA: 1973, Charlie Porter, Hugh Burton, Steve Sutton, Chris Nelson
Tangerine Trip (5.8 A2 VI) — FA: 1973, Charlie Porter, John-Paul de St. Croix
Grape Race (5.9 A5 VI) — FA: 1974, Charlie Porter, Bev Johnson
Horse Chute (5.9 A3 VI) — FA: 1974, Charlie Porter, Hugh Burton
New Dawn (5.8 A3 VI) — FA: 1974, Charlie Porter, Yvon Chouinard, Chuck Pratt, Dennis Hennick, Chris Jones
Excalibur (5.9 A3 VI) — FA: 1975, Charlie Porter, Hugh Burton
Lost World (5.10 A3+ VI) — FA: 1975, C. Folsom, Dave Anderson, Mike Warburton
Pacific Ocean Wall (5.9 A3 VI) — FA: 1975, Jim Bridwell, Billy Westbay, Jay Fiske, Fred East
Waterfall Route (5.10b A4 VI) — FA: 1975, Daryle Teske, T. Polk
Eagle’s Way (5.8 A3 VI) — FA: 1976, Mark Chapman, Mike Graham, Jim Orey
Lurking Fear (5.7 C2F VI) — FA: 1976, Dave Bircheff, Jim Pettigrew
Mirage (5.9 A4 VI) — FA: 1976, Jim Bridwell, Kim Schmitz, Jim Pettigrew
Dorn Direct (to Shield) (5.9 A4 VI) — FA: 1977, Tony Yaniro, Ron Olevsky
New Jersey Turnpike (5.10 A4+ VI) — FA: 1977, Bruce Hawkins, Ron Kauk, Dale Bard, Hugh Burton
Iron Hawk (5.9 A4 VI) — FA: 1978, Dale Bard, Ron Kauk
Never Never Land (5.9 A4 VI) — FA: 1978, Bruce Hawkins, Mark Chapman
Sea of Dreams (5.9 A4 VI) — FA: 1978, Jim Bridwell, Dale Bard, Dave Diegelman
Sunkist (5.9 A5 VI) — FA: 1978, Bill Price, Dale Bard
Tribal Rite (A4 VI) — FA: 1978, Walter Rosenthal, Tom Carter, Dale Bard
Born Under a Bad Sign (5.10 A5 VI) — FA: 1979, Bill Price, Tim Washick
Jolly Roger (5.10 A5 VI) — FA: 1979, Charles Cole, Steve Grossman
South Seas (5.8 A4 VI) — FA: 1979, Bill Price, Charlie Row, Guy Thompson
Hockey Night in Canada (5.10 A3 VI) — FA: 1980, Perry Beckham, Scott Flavelle, Dave Lane
Aurora (5.8 A4 VI) — FA: 1981, Peter Mayfield, Greg Child

Zangerl and Larcher on Free Zodiac

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