Last November, 15-year-old Connor Herson was on his historic free ascent of The Nose of El Capitan, supported by his father, Jim. On the second day, about 2,400 feet up, Connor had five pitches to go (of roughly 30), with the crux Changing Corners (5.14a) just above. If he could free this pitch, the father-son team would be celebrating on top in a matter of hours.

The Nose had been freed by only five people, and never by a teenager. Moreover, Connor had eschewed the now-common practice of anchoring hundreds — sometimes thousands — of feet of rope on top, rappelling down to rehearse the moves and ascending the “fixed ropes” back up.

Fixed ropes are a major tactical advantage for free climbers, as I discussed in my last column on TR soloing. But on an immensely popular route like The Nose during prime season, those ropes are in the way of everyone else.

With November’s limited daylight, Connor, who had not fallen up to this point, would have only two attempts before dark to free the Changing Corners. But looking up, the Hersons saw a thick, white, static rope hanging right over the crux section. Not only was it in the way of the holds, it posed a safety hazard to Connor if he were to fall and get tangled up.

Connor waited while his dad aided up to move the heavy rope out of the way. “By the time I was done, he only had time for one burn, and he slipped off the crux exit move,” reported Jim on rockandice.com. “It was heartbreaking.”

The Hersons spent a second night on El Capitan — a night they probably would have spent on the ground were it not for somebody’s fixed rope. Undeterred, Connor freed the Changing Corners in the cold shade of morning, then completed his extraordinary ascent to the top.

In my last article, I explained the popularity of TR soloing and its benefits, such as the ease of rehearsing climbs without a partner. It’s only fair to now point out a potential downside of this technique: fixed ropes (or “lines”) left unattended on popular routes.

“The impact to other climbers is central to the issue of fixed lines,” responded Jim Herson to my last article. “The change of style and the advancements they may bring is interesting. But their impact should be front and center.”

The latest Rock and Ice magazine (July 2019) features a two-page article titled “El Cap’s New Trash.” In it, El Cap veteran Roger Putnam writes, “A fixed line on a trade route is an inherently selfish act. The rope fixers are choosing to impact other people’s experiences to save themselves a bit of effort.”

To be clear, there is nothing inherently wrong with fixing ropes or TR soloing. Fixed ropes on new routes and obscure climbs are rarely a problem. On popular routes, courteous TR soloists often climb very early or in subpar conditions to avoid impacting others.

In 2005, Tommy Caldwell and Beth Rodden, the second and third climbers to free The Nose (after Lynn Hill’s first free ascent in 1993), employed fixed ropes to work the route but pulled them back up off the route every day.

Even better, Connor chose not to fix ropes on The Nose at all.

Not long ago, fixed lines on El Cap free routes were the way of the future — an efficient if not niche strategy taken from the crags and applied to some of the world’s greatest free climbs.

But now, with exponentially more free climbers on El Cap, the “way of the future” is tainting the experience for the majority of climbers who start at the bottom and climb to the top.

Today’s best free climbers are doing as Caldwell, Rodden and Connor Herson did, and not leaving fixed ropes or even using them at all. And some are returning to the ideals free climbing has always championed: ground-up adventure, the unknown, respecting nature and, most importantly, respecting others.

Contact Chris Weidner at cweidner8@gmail.com. Follow him on Instagram: @christopherweidner and Twitter: @cweidner8