Rock climber Sasha DiGiulian, known for her record-setting ascents and multiple US National Championship titles, is currently holed up 2,600 feet above the ground on Yosemite's El Capitan, riding out a storm. She'd already been there for four days when Outside called her Monday, asking how it felt to be stuck in a four-by-six-foot hanging tent on one of the most challenging climbing routes in the world. DiGiulian, who is attempting to free-climb El Cap's especially challenging Direct Line route, described a mix of rain, snow, and high winds hammering her lightweight shelter as she and climbing partner Elliot Faber, in his own portaledge, wait for the weather to clear. "Mine's like a magic carpet ride in the wind," she says, adding of her tent poles, "I was like, 'Oh God, please don't snap.'"
The climbers, on the 32nd of 39 pitches, could be stuck for several more days as forecasts show the bad weather remaining until the end of the week. DiGiulian says she's passing the time reading, managing company business via sporadic phone use, and making do with freeze-dried meals. "Things get wet so quickly here, that I'll put things on my belly to try to use my body heat to try to make the water evaporate," she says. Despite the discomfort, she remains focused on her goal, with a personal determination not to bail on a climb she's dreamed about for years. "The number one thing is, are we safe? And we are. We're safer to stay put right now than to go anywhere anyway," she says. "And then number two is, if the weather breaks, can we try and climb?"
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