Some of the original Aid Climbs on these cliffs have been climbed ‘free’ by very talented and dedicated climbers. As climbing standards improve, some routes that may take the average climber several days to climb, such as The Nose on El Capitan, have been climbed in less than three hours.

Against this backdrop, The Joint Services recently mounted an expedition to Yosemite Valley in order to increase the Big Walling experience in service personnel. I was fortunate to be selected as the only Territorial Army representative to take part. Thanks to the Ulysses Trust support I was able to take up the challenge.

Aid climbing can be a very lonely activity – especially when you are out on the sharp end of the rope about to weight your third or fourth body-weight-only placement behind creaky granite flakes which are none too stable – and facing the possibility of a 30 to 40 ft fall. Yet you are also completely dependent on the other members of your team. Reliant on them to do the right thing at the right time and above all to keep their heads in some very intimidating circumstances. All members of the expedition, both novice wall-rat and experienced, rose to the challenge in good spirits. We faced those internal fears, some well founded and some psychological, and in our own ways dealt with them and kept climbing. I know of few other activities that lay you so open to yourself and yet inspire you to rise beyond your limits.

Over the course of the three weeks, all members of the expedition completed at least one multi-day Big Wall route including a night slept on a portaledge! Together with Lt Col Scott Malina-Derbin, I climbed the Prow on Washington Column and, with Captain Mark Stevenson, Lost Arrow Direct. Both were Clean Aid routes with some free climbing and considerable challenging Aid. More importantly, I look forward to the opportunity to climb again with these brave and immensely likeable fellow adventurers.