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RDB
Social climber
way out there
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May 21, 2010 - 04:43pm PT
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I wish more of the guys were still alive to tell their own stories as my perspective is pretty narrow and limited.
But a couple of comments. If you think Snargs were bad try steel conduit!
Not for pro mind you but for rapping.
We climbed all sorts of stuff, Carlsberg, Borgeau and Pilsner with Snargs. They allowed me to make a big jump in my climbing at the time. They were actual pro (not that anyone ever dared fall) and "easy" to place. Real bitch for the 2nd to chop out though.
I never did buy into the conduit. Now we do more with less, using v threads, super fast screws and radical curved tools. No way to really appreciate the ease of and added safety we enjoy now on ice unless you were there in the beginning.
In '73 Cascade was still a difficult climb for us with a alpine hammer, a short piolet and Salewa screws or the odd wart hog if the ice was warm enough to take one.
Things changed very quickly every season after that. The first Terro's I saw were the Burgess Twin's. From Porter, Bugs and the Burgess Twins on Polar Circus. Gotta remember that the 2nd ascent by Laurie Skreslet and his gang that same week iirc was a "free ascent". No aid required and everyone using pretty much the same gear.
No question Bugs was pushing everyone mentally and physically though locally and in his writings.
So the terro aid techniques that Bugs wrote about really were dead by the time the article saw print.
Can you imagine such a small community and just how bad the communication really was back then?
Pays to remember that it could be years and generally no less than a full season (6 months) before any North American climbing news hit a publication. Mountain Magazine was really the only international publication then.
I know I was quite surprised to have found the picture of Jeff and George Lowe aiding the ice cliff on Temple was several years old before it made the cover of Mtn Magazine. State of the art was well ahead of what you see in the climbing magazines back then. That same season (when the pic was published) Temple got two or three new routes all free through the ice cliff.
There were some really good alpine climbers in Canada at the time..late '70s and early '80s. John Lauchlan, Jim Elzinga, Kevin Doyle, Barry Blanchard, James Blench, Albi Sole, Dwayne Congdon come to mind off hand as well as the token American's, Carlos Buhler, Gregg Cronn and Gary Silver a few among many climbing from Spokane or farther south of the border in Colorado, California or Montana and making weekend trips north or just living in Canada at the time.
Some of the names you'll recognize others you won't I suspect. But one of the seasons and teams that still inspires me is Lauchlan's and Congdon's Chamonix season in '79 iirc. Early and very fast ascents of the MacIntyre/Colton, the Ginat and a hand full of others. Same climbs Ueli Steck got so much milage out of by soloing this year (Ginat) and last (M-C). Obviously hard* climbs with heady reputations even today. Handful of American's in Chamonix in those years doing similar stuff but not many and most still around post here at ST today.
They had their own amazing season in '77 iirc? Dru Coulior, le Droites, Pilar de Angle, Eiger Direct among others.
Freeing Nemesis, Weeping Pillar and other plums fell to those same Canadians. It wasn't long before the technical end of simple vertical ice would be met and M-climbing was about to take off in a big way.
Climbs in Chamonix that any of the Canadians listed could have just as easily as John and Duane did, was my take on it having been around many of them. In the climbing magazines at the time any number of outsiders were the first to take credit in the publications for freeing some of the early water fall test pieces. And now the history is so blurred and many of the original players dead so we'll never know what really did happen and when.
But I have no doubt many of the early ice climbs were first freed by the Canadians, no matter who was given the guide book credit.
An after thought, since Brian mentioned it. My first recollections of doing Polar Circus was argueing about how much gear we should take. Some very good and very experienced climbers wanted to take haul bags in '79.
I didn't think so and to get more beta soloed to the upper pillars one after noon in late Nov. and decided a two day trip was in order. When we again hit the bivy cave by mid day in Jan with over night gear I knew then I had blown i that estimation.
I came back again a month or so later and did an early one day ascent. A lot changed in just a couple of seasons '79/'81.
Now most spend a 1/2 day on the climb. I climbed it this winter as a rope team faster than I have soloed it just a few years ago. Things really have changed.
Gear and clothing for a 1.5 day, almost zero beta, ascent 1980
Gear and clothing for a 5.5 hr, 30 years of beta, ascent in 2010
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ydpl8s
Trad climber
Santa Monica, California
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May 21, 2010 - 05:09pm PT
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Fritz, I love that photo! That was the exact setup I had, same boots, same crampons, even the same hammer (that I used to use for extracting nuts), same Dachstein mitts. The only difference was I had the fiberglass axe and an orange Joe Brown helmet.
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skinner_ab
Big Wall climber
Calgary, Alberta
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May 22, 2010 - 04:48am PT
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Wow.. I never imagined I'd see photo's, stories, and names from my era and connected with routes in my own backyard here on ST.
I have lots of comments on the last posts by Fritz and RDB, but they'll have to wait until tomorrow evening as it's 2:30 AM here and I am going climbing in 3 hours. Great stuff guys!
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RDB
Social climber
way out there
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May 27, 2010 - 02:29pm PT
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A picture of Fred at 86 years old (last year) and a piolet in the back round seem appropriate.
And interesting the tool he chooses from the wall for a tight shot.
more here:
http://www.rodmarphoto.com/category/portraits/
Yvon Chouinard 2 years ago at 70.
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marty(r)
climber
beneath the valley of ultravegans
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May 27, 2010 - 03:02pm PT
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Check out Fred´s 2¨ x 4¨ on a sling! You don´t see that on the rack very often!
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Topic Author's Reply - May 28, 2010 - 11:39am PT
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Reached straight for the Mountain Technology axe, if I am not mistaken!?!
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RDB
Social climber
way out there
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May 28, 2010 - 01:15pm PT
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Hey thought this should go here as well. An email answer I got this morning from a querry I sent months ago about new Galiber Super Guides..35 to 50 in half sizes as well :) If I only knew my metric size for sure...next time I am in France!
Contact Chaussure Paraboot [mailto:contact@chaussure-paraboot.com]
Envoyé : vendredi 16 avril 2010 15:57
À : s.noussan@paraboot.com
Objet : TR: Message du site Internet Richard-Pontvert Paraboot
Dear Sir,
It is possible to order directly from us against payment in advance by bank transfer.
The amount is 263.38 € + 37.10 € air parcel post shipping charges = 300.48 €
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Topic Author's Reply - May 28, 2010 - 02:27pm PT
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Thanks for the Galibier update, Dane! Refurbishing my old pair has just never been worth it once the interior leather gave out. Plastic boots are simply not as good on rock despite the weight savings, IMO.
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Jun 27, 2010 - 12:06pm PT
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Ice bump!
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 10, 2010 - 11:36am PT
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Spring gully ice Bump!
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 20, 2010 - 10:28am PT
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Bump for Gordon!
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guido
Trad climber
Santa Cruz/New Zealand/South Pacific
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Aug 20, 2010 - 12:12pm PT
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Looking way back at the beginning of this and the catalog with the Annapurna Glasses I think that is BJ or Bill Johnson wearing them. BJ and Tony Jessen were early surfing buddies of Yvon and worked at the Skunk Works in Ventura for many years.
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Tony Bird
climber
Northridge, CA
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Aug 20, 2010 - 12:27pm PT
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chouinard tried to invent and market his own science of mountaineering. he's a clothes shark at heart and his surf side is much heavier.
piolet gourmet s'il vous plaît? just jab the friggin' ice with the point.
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Dec 3, 2010 - 11:28am PT
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Tis' the season for jolly tinkering!
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Dec 4, 2010 - 12:31pm PT
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And Ice on the Brain!
Man, this is one killer good thread!
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 2, 2011 - 02:34pm PT
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Big frosty bump!
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steve shea
climber
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Feb 21, 2011 - 02:45pm PT
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Hello Gordon, Jack and Rick. I just came across this site and thread and you guys have brought up some great memories. I consider myself a retired alpinist, although my twelve year old twins have dicovered climbing on their own so I may have to get off the couch. I never really got out of climbing until about 1999. We found we were to have twins and my wife wanted me to cool it so I did. My last season in the alps was 79'. After surviving a massive avalanche on the Grand Central Couloir that summer and generally bad conditions in the icefields, I felt compelled to go back to the alps. Went direct to Grindelwald with Larry Bruce to wait for the Nordwand to come in. The highlight of the trip was living in the hayloft of a barn at the alpiglen. In return for harvesting potatos, churning butter and making cheese we were given the hayloft and three squares plus beer. Finally it came in and we had success in somewhat wintery conditions in late october. Made it to Denali for the Cassin and a ski of the Messner via the West Butt. We had some success but it was basically a miserable trip. I had no problem with altitude but felt very uncomfortable and really stretched the whole time. Lots of storms and souls lost. That was 1980. I pretty much dialed back the serious stuff and went cragging and waterfall climbing till 1986 when I got off the couch and started my Himalayan phase. That's it for now. I've got more to add to the Dru Couloir story and also looking for Joel Coquienot. We did a new variant on the Eckpfeiler in 78' and some verdon and calanques time and then lost touch. I did see Stevie Haston on Ama Dablam NF in 91' and have seen Trover at Snowbird.
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steve shea
climber
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Feb 21, 2011 - 05:03pm PT
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On the bivy at the Grand Montets with Jack before the Dru Couloir I met Georges Bettembourg. Turns out his uncle was Charlet or someone in the family. Georges got me a pair of Gabbarou Cascades for a family discount. The tools were beautiful, balanced and very well made. I tried them on a couple of climbs and they were ok but did not live up to their namesake; cascade. So after telling Georges he took me to the foundry. I met the old man and explained the issues. "Pas de problem" he says and reshaped it to my specs then and there. The tool was awesome! You could do pullups in horizontal cracks with hardly any deformation. It was strong and incredible sur les glaces. From then on on I used the Gabbarou and a terror exclusively for ice and mixed. The interesting thing is that the Gab was stiff and almost brittle feeling while the terror felt sort of soft and maleable. Between the two, for me it was the perfect combo. Georges grandfather made tomme de savoie and cured it in a cave near the col de montets. We used to go up there with bread and wine and visit grandad after climbs. Georges was killed hunting crystals under the Droites.
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Rick A
climber
Boulder, Colorado
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Steve,
Welcome and great to have you here! We look forward to a treasure trove of stories from a storied career. Magical how folks are able to reconnect on ST, after decades: 44 years in our case.
This will whet your appetite and encourage you to relate some of your adventures. Here is a link to Gordon's account of his and Tobin's first ascent on the Grand Jorasses in September of 1977-- which is still considered today one of the hardest mixed routes in the range. Hats off to Gordon, it's one of the best climbing tales ever.
http://www.smc.org.uk/Downloads/LitPrize2008.pdf
Rick
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