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Jan
Mountain climber
Colorado & Nepal
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Topic Author's Original Post - Apr 22, 2018 - 10:58am PT
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I'm proof reading a book that mentions Fifi Hooks at an earlier date than I was aware of them (probably because I never climbed much aid and certainly not at that level). Does anyone here know when they came into usage and who first made them ?
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Apr 22, 2018 - 11:25am PT
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Fifi hooks are a European invention designed to allow climbers to retrieve etriers once they step away from them and to allow a pack to be hauled from above without being unclipped from the anchor. Keeper cords attached to the top hole would lift the usually metal-runged aid slings off of the last piece while the climber was free to move upwards and collect the etriers when it was convenient. Artificial routes that were often lines of fixed pieces could be climbed quickly using Fifis eliminating the need to clip and unclip from each point. Griff fifis incorporated a full size handle to speed this process up even more.
I would guess that they date back to the 1930s when artificial climbing got going in earnest. Fifi haken should get you where you want to go on a search. Salewa made to first ones that I was able to buy but that was in the early 1970s after they had been around for a long time. Not sure who sold them commercially ahead of them.
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Happy Cowboy
Social climber
Boz MT
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Apr 22, 2018 - 12:36pm PT
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Jan, hope this helps.
The oldest I recall were the Salewa in the 70's though I knew they went way back. I will add, beyond what Steve mentioned, is that the Fifi was key to what I'd call "European aid" or at least what I was exposed to.
In 78' I climbed the Salathe w'a Scotsman, Graham Mercer. He was pretty practiced, done a lot in the Alps, and this would be his 3rd on El Cap. Right away when I was leading he expected me to use it. First time while aiding I'd ask for slack, he yelled "use your f*!kin fifi". By the Spire I'd learned his system. See, I'd done some aid, not a lot. What I knew was the Rockcraft Book and "American" technique where there was more slack, clip, then take up involved as you ascended your etriers/aiders. Gram had me Fifi in (attached w' small sling to harness) to my high point, then hang from it as you'd work your next piece, then clip in rope once the first aider went up. It made sense, you'd have less rope out if that point pulled and was less work for the belayer. Even when freeing, up to a fixed piece, and I'd pause to look for a sling (there was climbing before Quickdraws),"use your f*!kin Fifi" would waft up.
Thanks for helping to remember a fun climb.
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Jan
Mountain climber
Colorado & Nepal
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Topic Author's Reply - Apr 22, 2018 - 02:33pm PT
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Thanks guys. The book I'm reading mentions using them in 1963 so I'm guessing they came from Europe at that early date. Royal Robbins was using them so he must have been in Europe before then? He was in Europe for a couple of years when I arrived in the Valley in 1965.
So now another question. What were the tiny hooks called (much smaller than Fifis) that Bridwell kind of pioneered ?
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WBraun
climber
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Apr 22, 2018 - 05:59pm PT
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What were the tiny hooks called (much smaller than Fifis) that Bridwell kind of pioneered?
Are you thinking of the Bird beaks?
Jim didn't pioneer them.
He got the idea from Gene Foley the original inventor ......
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Clint Cummins
Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
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Apr 22, 2018 - 11:49pm PT
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No, Fifi hooks are just used as a gateless carabiner.
As Steve described, for the leader to get his weight onto the top piece,
and then off very quickly, since you don't have to open a gate.
Also for retrieving aiders after climbing above them,
or for retrieving stuff from above like a pack.
Bird beak - for aiding a very thin or shallow crack.
Bat hook - for aiding in a shallow drilled hole.
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Jan
Mountain climber
Colorado & Nepal
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Topic Author's Reply - Apr 22, 2018 - 11:56pm PT
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Thanks Clint!
I got it finally.
"Gateless carabiner" combined with Steve's comments makes sense now.
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BruceHildenbrand
Social climber
Mountain View/Boulder
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Apr 23, 2018 - 12:11am PT
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Yeah, Clint nails it. Another benefit of a Fifi Hook is that it allows you to get leverage against your feet in aiders so you can reach higher than if you were just holding onto the top of your aiders. That allows you to reach much higher when placing aid protection or drilling bolts.
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Jan
Mountain climber
Colorado & Nepal
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Topic Author's Reply - Apr 23, 2018 - 12:48am PT
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Bruce, that is exactly the context of the manuscript I'm proofreading. Royal Robbins is standing in the top rung of his etriers and reaching high above his head to place very poor protection ( a line of six rurps in one case) on a virtually blank wall. That's why I mistakenly thought fifis were like bird hooks. Amazingly, he did not place any bolts.
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Gnome Ofthe Diabase
climber
Out Of Bed
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Apr 23, 2018 - 04:13am PT
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Tarbuster, recommended that I 1st dictate into word doc, then go back & edit.
that takes to much. . .
Ok Silver-Backs, you can ignore this post if you find my verbiage distressing.
My bonafides are in question with Jan at least . I assure you my start in climbing? Was 1968. By ;72 I was climbing behind Fritz W & Hans K with the Raubenhiemers.
I was originally from the Boston area where my Austrian parents found the boulders behind the Temple, a perfect place to try to wear out the little scamp, so he/I would sleep through & not disrupt the services.
The game I & my dad liked best was climbing up and jumping off into his sometimes un-reliable, waiting arms. As witnessed by others in attendance.
(they also threw me in the deep end of the pool , 'skulling' backwards ,away from me, to teach me, "you can drown", very 'Nietzsche' )
The European mentors assured me that great feats of climbing date back . way back, into the 1700s, at least.(Check out JGills History of climbing, (I will try to find the link)
and yes used from a point at the waist to pull you in close allowing for a higher reach, was a key aid technique.
In the 60s &'70s there was a monster of a climber from NJ, Jim Kalocotronis (sp?)
He hated the moniker, "FiFi The Greek" , and did not in fact use the technique to aid in upward progression, but was well known to free climb to a high point, get gear then deploy a fifi hook. Hanging to rest, take stock, arrange, pre-set the needed gear to continue.
thus while I concur with Bruce, Steve & Clint, I think the simple hook is one of the oldest rudimentary climbing tools that dates back as far as metallurgy.
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Jan
Mountain climber
Colorado & Nepal
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Topic Author's Reply - Apr 23, 2018 - 08:02am PT
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Climbers are individualistic and innovative so why not multiple uses for fifi hooks, not to mention as instruments of war?
When I lived in Geneva, Switzerland, there was a special celebration commemorating a battle where some French tried to climb the walls of the city with hooks and ladders and the Genevois managed to fend them off. In one famous case, several French soldiers were killed when a Genevois woman poured hot vegetable soup over the wall on them. They even sold little chocolate replicas of a wall. The festival was called L'Escalade.
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Happy Cowboy
Social climber
Boz MT
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Apr 23, 2018 - 09:17am PT
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Gnome^^^^! Jim Kolocotronis, wow first I’ve seen him mentioned on the taco.
Summer of 71’ I met him at the Climbers ranch in the Tetons. We climbed on Moran together trying to Free the S. Buttress Right. I was 17 and he twice that and much as you described, very eccentric. He grilled incredible fish fillets using a coffee can and wadded up newspaper.
I don’t remember Jim using a Fifi, but do him hanging on the crux pitch. We bailed!
Haw! very spot next season
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JimT
climber
Munich
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Apr 23, 2018 - 11:05am PT
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The entry on Fifi hooks in Vertical Archeology is innacurate.
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