On Nov. 19, Sonnie Trotter made a one-day free ascent of a new variation to the North America Wall and El Nino. Tommy Caldwell joined trotter as support, belaying and jumaring as Trotter sent.
Trotter has called his 5.13b variation Pineapple Express, which is a “persistent flow of atmospheric moisture and associated with heavy precipitation from the waters adjacent to the Hawaiian Islands and extending to any location along the Pacific coast of North America, including western Canada.”
Trotter found the new free variation while exploring the idea of freeing the North America Wall with Alex Honnold in 2017.
The North America Wall was established in 1964 by Yvon Chouinard, Tom Frost, Chuck Pratt and Royal Robbins. It was considered one of the most difficult big wall routes in the world of climbing.
In 1998, Alex and Thomas Huber spent three weeks freeing their variation and called it El Nino 5.13c A0.
Pineapple Express VI 5.13b Photo Austin Siadak
Pineapple Express avoids the A0 section on El Nino to complete a 26-pitch 5.13b with a three-pitch variation. The new pitches are 12, 13 and 14 and Trotter sent every pitch in a blistering 13 hours.
It seems whatever new route or variation Trotter established becomes a sought-after test-piece, from Cobra Crack and The Path to Castles in the Sky and The Shining. We expect Pineapple Express to be no different.
12 Top Trotter Sends
Pineapple Express VI 5.13b
Cobra Crack 5.14a/b
The Prow Wall 5.14a
Family Man 5.14b
The Path 5.14a/bR
Castles in the Sky 5.14a
The Ewbank Route Complete 5.13bR
Direquiem 5.14a/bR
The Battle of Evermore 5.14a/b
Forever Expired 5.14d
East Face of Monkey Face 5.13dR
The Shining 5.13c/d
Sonnie Trottter on Pineapple Express Photo Austian Siadak