History of first ascents in the Wasatch

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John cameron

Trad climber

Denver

Topic Author's Original Post - Sep 20, 2012 - 04:10pm PT

The Ruckman guide has a good overview but as new routes continue to go up I thought the collective could share some stories about first ascents old and new.

John cameron

Trad climber

Denver

Topic Author's Reply - Sep 20, 2012 - 04:13pm PT

Google came up with this piece from a local weekly which seems nothing more than a list of names that basically copies restates everything from Rock Climbing the Wasatch Range.

A BRIEF CLIMBING HISTORY OF THE WASATCH
by PATRICK L. WELSH

The sun's rays emerge from behind a high, alpine ridgeline. They slowly warm the surrounding granite, quartzite and limestone peaks and crags. The mountains are quiet except for the slow awakening of birds, the whispering of the breeze through tall trees, and the trickle of the many creeks and drainages. But there's another sound: the tinkle of metal gear and shouts of exhilaration that ring throughout the Wasatch. There is a close proximity between these famed mountains and people who surround them. There has there has always been an intimate connection between the two.

The first reports of climbing as a recreational pursuit in the Northern Wasatch was reported in the late 30’s. Pete “O’dell Peterson” led many of these early explorations, partnered with members of the Wasatch Mountain Club. Pete’s Rock is named after him. Soon after Pete began his explorations, local legendary skier/climber Harold Goodro made daring, and adventurous first ascents in both Big and Little Cottonwood Canyons. One of the most notable of his climbs is Goodro’s Crack, a hard lightning bolt shaped hand and finger crack first climbed in the late 1940’s with old style gear and hob nail hiking boots.

It is thought to be the first 5.10 in the United States. Consider what he did next time you are scraping up the route in your nice sticky shoes and new fangled gear.

The 50’s ushered in more development and expansion of surrounding areas by adventurous locals. The Lone Peak Cirque was climbed at this time, opening one of the classic high alpine adventure arenas in the Northern Wasatch. In the sixties, when climbing specific gear became more widespread, harder lines started falling in Big Cottonwood (BCC) and Little Cottonwood (LCC) canyons. This push was headed up by a local recreational organization known as the Alpenbock Club. The club included many enthusiastic locals, including Dick Ream, Rick Reese, Court Richards, Ralph Tingey, and the future Salt Lake mayor Ted Wilson.

This group was the first to start exploring the boulders of LCC, including the LCC rite of passage: the Standard Overhang (V3). Classic routes such as The Coffin (5.9,LCC),
Variety Delight (5.7,LCC), and Schoolroom (5.6,LCC) were put up during this period as well. Famous climbing legends Fred Beckey, Royal Robbins, and Layton Kor also helped push grades in the Wasatch as they traveled through the area. Some of these classic routes include the Question Mark Wall (5.12b or 5.7 A1, Lone Peak), and the Robbins Route (5.10b,LCC).

Another prevalent force in the Wasatch was the Lowe contingency. Throughout the 60’s and ‘70’s, cousins Jeff and Greg, and unrelated George Lowe explored the Wasatch with amazing talent and aptitude. Their various routes set the standards of what was thought possible at that point, and proved to be far ahead of their time. Some notable classics were the first free ascent of the Coffin (5.9,LCC), The Dorsal Fin (5.10d,LCC) Bongeater (5.10d,LCC), Mexican Crack (5.10a,LCC), and the Green A (5.9,LCC). The rest of the 70’s into the mid ‘80’s saw more grade climbing as strong, bold locals such as Kim Miller, Stuart Ruckman, Gordon Douglas, Merrill Bitter, Brian and Jonathan Smoot, and Steve Hong sent routes including Intensive Care (5.11a,LCC), the Bell Tower (Bells Canyon), The Coffin Roof (5.12a,LCC), and Fallen Arches (5.13a/b, LCC).

The ‘80’s ushered in a change in local climbing. Prior to this point all climbs had been climbed using crack systems to place passive (i.e. no moving parts) protection. This changed with the introduction of bolted face sport climbing (including bolts placed on rappel) and the introduction of the spring-loaded camming device (or cam). Stickier, high performance rock shoes and strength/technique increases owing to indoor rock gyms and training also helped climbers up the ante.

Areas like Big Cottonwood, City Creek, Ferguson, Parley’s, Ogden, Logan, and American Fork Canyons saw their sport climbing renaissance as Lycra clad locals increasingly performed ever more gymnastic feats on the rock. In the 90's, there was a plethora of higher and harder routes as more and more climbers made the Wasatch their permanent home.

Locals continued to get stronger and braver. Their ranks included Merrill Bitter, Brian and Jonathan Smoot, Brian Meekam, Stuart Ruckman, Gordon Douglas, Doug Heinrich, John Storm, Drew Bedford, Tony Calderone, British ex-pat Johnny Woodard, Jeff Baldwin, Lance Bateman, Darren Kenezek, Kelly Oldroyd, Conrad Anker, Muggs Stump, and Alex Lowe.

During this period, some of the hardest routes in the Wasatch were done, including Lowes amazing onsight (climbing something the first try with no prior knowledge of the routes details) of Buckets to Bangkok (5.12a R/X, R/X meaning widely spaced protection with a possibility of a deadly ground fall). Dog Eat Dog (5.13d, and currently the hardest, unrepeated line in the area). Trench Warfare (5.12d) are both Woodard routes that have set the benchmark for bold and powerful techniques. These routes epitomized the full mind/body challenge that include, not only incredible physical strength, but iron mental fortitude as well.

The ‘90’s also saw the reawakening of the Wasatch bouldering scene. What had once been a pre-climbing warm up for many, evolved into a discipline of its own. Climbers, free of all the extra gear of route climbing, focused on difficult gymnastic routines on smaller boulders in the canyon bottoms.

Pioneers of this era included Boone Speed, Merrill Bitter, Mike Call, Mike Beck, Steve Maisch, Clark Shelk, Jeff Baldwin, Matt Lund, Kelly Oldroyd, Steven Jeffries, and ultra strong UK travelers such as Ben Moon and Jerry Moffatt. Some classic problems from the era are Shingles (V10), All Thumbs (V10), Lances Arête (V7), Shot hole Arête (V5), and Copperhead (V10). These problems are still challenging the best local and traveling climbers around today.

Today, there has been a revival of the traditional climbing scene because of the quality and safety of modern gear. Climbers are now conquering cracks previously thought impossible. Armed with a sense of adventure and exploration, these climbers are opening new areas all over Utah. Sport climbing and bouldering have created a very accessible door into climbing for many people, and continues to expand difficulty. As people get stronger and more creative, the only true limit in these disciplines is how small a hold the human body can hold onto, and the capacity of imagination to keep pushing and believing in the seemingly impossible. There are hundreds more climbers today who are continuing to shape the rich history of Wasatch climbing. There's an increasing number of climbers, who work 9-5 during the week so they can climb on weekends, just for the joy of it. They are the true heart and soul of today's Wasatch climbing tribe.

New crags and areas are discovered every couple of months, climbing gyms are opening up all over Utah, and more people are discovering the love of climbing every day. That said, I cannot wait to see what the future holds.

HighTraverse

Trad climber

Bay Area

Sep 20, 2012 - 04:40pm PT

Ralph Tingey was posting on SuperTopo a year or two ago. Perhaps he'll chime in here.
There was also the Ute Alpine Club at University of Utah. Ralph was president for a time around 1970.
I recall a Deseret News article about 1967 or 68 when George Lowe got married on one of the LCC summits, might have been the Pfeifferhorn. That was likely a first.