Climbing Yosemite's El Capitan on your PC

El Capitan in Yosemite Valley

Climbing the face of Yosemite Valley's famous monolith is the dream of many climbers. Only a relatively small number actually do it. This has changed.

Now it’s possible to experience what it’s like to climb the famous and historic Nose route of El Capitan, a 3,000-foot tall monolith in Yosemite Valley, without even knowing how to tie into a rope. Google, working with a team of photographers and professional climbers last January, has digitally mapped the entire rock climb using the same spherical 360-degree panoramic photography found in the Street View of its maps. (Source: National Geographic)

Well known climbers helped with this project: Alex Honnold, Lynn Hill who was the first woman (and person) to free-climb the "Nose" route, and Tommy Caldwell.

A Brief History of the NoseEl Capitan has two prominent aspects, a southeastern and southwestern face, that adjoin together and form a central proboscis-shaped prow in the steepest, tallest and most central part of the monolith. (Source: National Geographic)

To start the virtual climb of El Capitan click here: http://www.google.com/maps/about/behind-the-scenes/streetview/treks/yosemite/ and let me know if you liked it.