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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Topic Author's Original Post - Apr 5, 2010 - 12:03am PT
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I recently picked up a copy of this classic early guide. It provides an interesting glimpse back into early Cascade climbing and includes some obscurities.
If folks find this interesting, I will post it in sections starting with Castle Rock.
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Fritz
Trad climber
Hagerman, ID
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WOOHOO STEVE!!
By all means, post up.
Glad to have you back!
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Wayno
Big Wall climber
Seattle, WA
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Nice post Steve. Did you catch my thread about meeting Don Gordon recently? He lives here in town over on Capitol Hill. He loves to talk about climbing and his memories of it. Do you want to meet him?
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Apr 5, 2010 - 12:27am PT
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How did Don get the name Claunch, I wonder? Love to meet him. John Rupley is a good friend of mine and has lots of funny stories about those days.
Tami-I have heard Fred called a lot of things but sandbagger isn't among them. LOL
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Studly
Trad climber
WA
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This looks like the paperback guide with the orange cover?
The earlier one was the small 4" x 6" brown hardback Beckey guide to the Cascades I think?
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Apr 5, 2010 - 12:33am PT
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Orange cover version.
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sac
Trad climber
spuzzum
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Thanks for this!!
there ain't nothin' like the real thing...
...
Baby
A.
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Wayno
Big Wall climber
Seattle, WA
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Don told me that Claunch was a middle name thing. I couldn't help but ask. I suspect there is more to the story. I'll give him a call and see what's up.
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Ghost
climber
A long way from where I started
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Let's see the cover!
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Reilly
Mountain climber
Monrovia, CA
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I went to grab mine but it was my orange cover Teton guide.
Where the hell is my orange cover Leavenworth? Hmmmm.
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Apr 5, 2010 - 01:05am PT
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The rest of Tumwater canyon starting with Midnight Rock.
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mazamarick
Trad climber
WA
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Just got back from Escalante prompting a read of the desert guide by Eric Bjornstad, completely forgot about him co-authoring the Little Orange Book. It's still one of the classic guidebooks of the day.
Wayno, if you can get Don "Claunch" Gordon to post some WA rock history that would be some very worthwhile reading!
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Wayno
Big Wall climber
Seattle, WA
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It was totally out of the blue getting to meet Don and both encounters I had were one on one at his home. That's another story. But I sense he would love to share his vision of what it was all about to any one that wanted to listen, especially climbers. I didn't meet him as a climber, but once he found out that I was, and I knew his name and achievements, it was all we could talk about. When I told him I had done the Captain he just put out his hand. Don is way cool. I already told him about Supertopo and asked him to check it out. I suspect if I asked him again and pushed him a little he might post something. It's worth a shot.
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PhilG
Trad climber
The Circuit, Tonasket WA
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Thanks for the interesting post, Steve.
Was that the first guide solely for a Washington State rock climbing area?
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Apr 5, 2010 - 10:43am PT
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Vintage 1965, it would have to be the first formal dedicated guidebook for a rock climbing area in the state.
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Reilly
Mountain climber
Monrovia, CA
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Just reading some of it for fun. I liked the description to the start of Angel:
"Route begins from the grassy platform just left of the base of Jello Tower..." HaHaHa-grassy platform!
What is scary is that there might still have been grass there in 1969
but who could remember that far back?
I also found it interesting that in '65 they admonish one not to aid the Angel Crack because of degradation.
Never knew T.M. Herbert was first to free Damnation!
And where on Rainshadow was there A4?
The same for Easter and Black Widow; I guess wood blocks were considered A4?
Gotta go find my copy; it has to be down there somewhere.
I'm willing to bet I bought it from 'Big Jim' at the old old REI; the one in the basement downtown!
That might have been the visit I bought the best pair of mountain boots they had, a goldline, some biners, some pins, and walked out with change for my C-note! HaHaHa!
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Studly
Trad climber
WA
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In 1975 when I was 15 my neighbor, Dean Scovell loaned me his copy of this guidebook, along with the pocketsize early Beckey hardbound guide. We lived in Issaquah and Dean had been injured in a serious climbing accident, and hobbled around, his leg never the same. But he got me into the Seattle Mountaineers, loaned us kids his rope and guidebooks, and got us started in the world of climbing. For that I am eternally grateful, as are my friends who learned to climb from me, and so on and so forth. What a legacy Dean started. Just recently I looked Dean up and returned his guidebooks to him. He is a minister now and still a very good guy.
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Mighty Hiker
climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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For some reason, I always found the starts of routes at Leavenworth to be a challenge. They often seem to involve awkward mantles. Things like Cat Burglar, Piltdown and Vertigo.
The Carlstad & Brooks book in 1976 was an improvement.
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Tricouni
Mountain climber
Vancouver
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There seem to be two different covers for this guide. One is bright orange, as pictured above. The other is a paler orange, slightly thinner paper, and reproduces the Snow Creek Wall illustration on the front cover. Interior of the book is the same in both variants.
This is really obscure, but does anybody know which was the first printing? Fred doesn't remember.
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Apr 5, 2010 - 08:15pm PT
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My guess would be that the simpler cover as shown would have been the first printing. "Copyright, 1965" is all that is listed by way of release information. It doesn't get more brief than that! LOL
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Tricouni
Mountain climber
Vancouver
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Thanks... Both have a 1965 copyright. My guess would be that the more elaborate cover is the first printing.
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Apr 6, 2010 - 11:20am PT
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Time for a reading of Fred's bunyans! LOL
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Mighty Hiker
climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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Was this the first guidebook that Fred wrote?
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Tricouni
Mountain climber
Vancouver
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Fred's first guide was "Climber's Guide to the Cascade and Olympic Mountains." Published 1949 by the American Alpine Club. This was reissued in 1953, with a supplement bound in (like Culbert's two Coast guides). He wasn't directly involved in the 1961 edition, "edited by George R. Sainsbury, based on a previous edition by Fred." This was also published by the AAC.
That was it for comprehensive guides to the Cascades, until Fred's "Alpine Guide" series started appearing in the 1970s; these were published by the Seattle Mountaineers. The Olympics weren't part of this series.
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Darryl Cramer
Social climber
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My guess would be the simpler cover came later. The simpler cover version was available in new condition at some sporting shops into the 80s. I am pretty sure I bought my first copy from an Eddie Bauer shop at the strip mall version of Bel Square on my first trip up from Ca (1978).
For those interested there is a list of WA guidebooks w/ sample pages here:http://www.rcnw.net/forums/index.php?autocom=ibwiki&cmd=article&id=2
It's six pages of guidebooks and needs to be updated.
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oldfrog
Social climber
Bordeaux France
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Apr 28, 2010 - 12:29pm PT
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I bought a copy of the Beckey/Bjornstad "Guide to Leavenworth rock-climbing areas" in 1968 or early 69 in Seattle. It has the Snow Creek Wall picture on the cover page.
Used it a lot, still have it with me, but (unfortunately) only now for remembering old days and friends (see picture of Niels Andersen who later died with Warren Blesser while climbing the North Face of the Matterhorn).
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Apr 28, 2010 - 12:34pm PT
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Oldfrog,
I totally forgot about Niels and Warren.
Liked 'em both but I thought that was an odd pairing, not that there is anything wrong with odd pairings.
a bittersweet thanks,
Reilly
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Topic Author's Reply - May 30, 2010 - 02:55pm PT
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Time for the second installment covering the Snow Creek Wall.
By the ice in my toilet, the SCW may still be a bit wet for the upcoming event! Anyone been up there lately?
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Wayno
Big Wall climber
Seattle, WA
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May 30, 2010 - 02:59pm PT
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Steve, are you and Mimi going to the "upcoming event"? It would be nice to see you two again.
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Topic Author's Reply - May 30, 2010 - 03:04pm PT
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We are planning on it! Can't let Perry go thirsty!!!
What have the voices been saying about a Foil Hat Party, lately?!? LOL
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Wayno
Big Wall climber
Seattle, WA
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May 30, 2010 - 03:06pm PT
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Yeah, since he has to cross the border, he might need something to smoke also.
Edit--The voices started speaking a foreign language. I'm trying to learn Farsi.
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donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
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May 30, 2010 - 07:11pm PT
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Unfortunately, I have always found Becky's guides confusing to the point of being almost useless. Some descriptions are great but others have led me astray.
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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May 30, 2010 - 08:15pm PT
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Jim,
It is called 'creative license'. Others might call it a 'license to kill'.
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semievolved
Trad climber
pojoaque, nm
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Jul 11, 2012 - 10:28am PT
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hi, just stumbled into this site. i have one of these guidebooks that i have no use for any more but hate to throw away. if anybody would like it, i can mail it to them, please contact me: dharry@q.com
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donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
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Jul 11, 2012 - 10:30am PT
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Interesting to see all of those classics on Castle Rock that were originally aid.
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Jul 11, 2012 - 10:36am PT
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Yeah, like there are about three hard moves on Rainshadow and they are all
next to an A1 crack so where was the A4? And I don't remember a bolt on it.
But that doesn't mean anything. Don't think I'm dissing Bjornstad's judgement
of hard aid, mind you.
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donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
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Jul 11, 2012 - 10:39am PT
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Reilly, an interesting thing about the rating system- aid grades were softer than they are today while free grades were definetly stiffer.
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semievolved
Trad climber
pojoaque, nm
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Jul 11, 2012 - 11:59am PT
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hi, i just wanted to update this and tell you all that i got a lot of replies for the guidebook and am planning on sending it to the first responder. take care, dave
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Dec 17, 2014 - 06:08pm PT
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Bump in memory of Eric Bjornstad and all of his fabulous guidebook work.
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John_Ricco
climber
Oakland, CA
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Does anyone have any information on this edition of the book verses the edition below that you see most often?
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Dave Davis
Social climber
Seattle, WA
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Jan 11, 2016 - 07:27pm PT
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The edition with the Snow Creek Wall topo on the cover was definitely the first edition. I had a copy back in high school when I first started climbing. Read it like a novel wondering if I'd ever be good enough to do Outer Space. I have a certain amount of nostalgic love for that book, but I'll be damned if I can find my copy.
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John_Ricco
climber
Oakland, CA
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Hey Dave. I really appreciate that info. I just met Fred Beckey at a wedding BEFORE I found this book, so it made me even more interested in it. Thank you for the response. I hope your copy turns up. :)
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 4, 2017 - 06:48pm PT
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Bump for Fred and Eric now racking up in heaven...
Eric told me a story about the two of them standing on a narrow ledge on Midnight Rock anchored to a single wooden block. Eric drove it in but didn't notice that it had split with the last blow and when it popped they were both left there flapping their angel wings to avoid the big plunge!
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 10, 2019 - 11:42am PT
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Indelible characters Bump...
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