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Roger Breedlove
climber
Cleveland Heights, Ohio
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Apr 18, 2009 - 05:23pm PT
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Hi John,
For totally unrelated reasons I have a copy of the original Meyers loose leaf green guide on my desk.
Hotline is rated, 5.11. (What happened John? Did you forget to tell George?)
The Rostum, 5.11 A1.
The Owl, 5.9. (No going over the roof yet.)
The Fish Crack, 5.11
The Crimson Cringe, 5.11
Overhang Overpass, 5.11
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katiebird
climber
yosemite
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Apr 18, 2009 - 06:00pm PT
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In the Spring 2009 Patagonia catalog is a photo of RK on the route with a great little write-up on the route, too. Great shot, really gives perspective of the scale.
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Roger Breedlove
climber
Cleveland Heights, Ohio
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Apr 19, 2009 - 09:33am PT
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Hi Katiebird,
Do you have a web link for the photo? I searched but couldn't find one. (In Ohio, we only get Patagonia catalogues in Goodwill stores about three years after the fact.)
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chappy
Social climber
ventura
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Apr 20, 2009 - 09:55pm PT
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Hey Roger, Kev and everyone:
Jim and I did Hotline in the spring of 73. I think it was only the second time I had ever climbed with Jim (the first was on Straight Error also on Elephant Rock)though I had known him for a couple of years. I really blossomed as a climber that spring and Jim hooked up with me for a number of classic FAs. It was early in the season and Jim wasn't fit. When we hiked down there I had never even seen the route before. I had absolutely no idea what we were doing. Jim led the first pitch and did use quite a bit of aid. I couldn't see him from where I was belaying but I remember him laboring away up there. I followed the first pitch and quite frankly can't remember how much aid I used but it was probably similar to what Jim used.I lucked into leading the stellar hand crack. The flare was supposed to be my lead as well but I backed off it. Jim led it drawing on all his years of experience in Valley flares. We were in for a shock when it came to the last pitch..we forgot the bolt kit!! We traversed off and rapped Pink Dreams. I remember (shockingly to my tender sensibilities)Jim pulling slings out of the rappel anchor. He told me there were a few more good ones in there worth taking if I wanted any. I declined prefering to have a bomber anchor. A couple of days later we returned and climbed the left side of the Worst Error and rapped into our high point. I led the last pitch and that was that. It always bothered me that we din't reclimb the route from the base--which is what I naturally would have done. But Jim was JIM BRIDWELL and I was just me. Who was I to second guess a legend? I could hardly fathom the fact that I was climbing with him. It was one of those odd Bridwellian tactics that (depending on ones ethical views) somewhat taint all his amazing climbing achievements. If I had to describe Jim as a climber I would call him pragmatic as opposed to strictly ethical. He was always looking for an edge. During our ascent I remember looking across the Valley and watching Jim Donini and Dale Bard attempting the FA of the Nabisco Wall. I was a bit troubled as I really wanted to do the FA of that route which was a bit of a prize at the time. As it turned out they didn't make it and Bridwell and I got the FA later that spring.
Chappy
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Clint Cummins
Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
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Apr 20, 2009 - 10:29pm PT
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I remember a report in Mountain (1975 or early 1976) titled something like "5.12 Grade Established in Yosemite" with the story of the FFA of Hotline. Perhaps Steve Grossman has it in his collection and could scan it, if he hasn't already?
Since the green looseleaf Meyers guide was published in 1976 or 1977, perhaps he wasn't ready to accept a new grade yet. Heck, even 5.11 was controversial in 1973, according to Bridwell's Brave New World article.
http://www.stanford.edu/~clint/yos/brave.htm
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Roger Breedlove
climber
Cleveland Heights, Ohio
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Apr 20, 2009 - 10:38pm PT
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Cool route Mark. Thanks for the recollections of climbing with Jim. 1973 was a great year.
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Jaybro
Social climber
wuz real!
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Apr 21, 2009 - 08:51am PT
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What he said, you don't get a gem like that very often!
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Apr 21, 2009 - 10:10am PT
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What about all those days in the dirt cleaning the lines, Kevin?!?
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Double D
climber
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Apr 21, 2009 - 11:11am PT
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One of my all time favorite routes for sure!
Several have commented on the traverse, crimping vs "walking". Both times I've done it I "walked" it. The crimp seemed like it would be 5.12...the walk...it's definitely not a walk in the park and requires some very delicate balance moves but is surely not nearly as hard as the crimp-pump fest.
Kevin...the bombay chimney...as you corrected me on another thread, we always though that was rated 5.10b in the books so I was blown away at how hard it was for a b! It's fairly well protected but strenuous and awkward!
Classic line and kudos to Eric, Jim, Chappy, Ron and John who all had the vision for this route.
PS… did the crappy rap anchors ever get replaced?
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Apr 21, 2009 - 12:13pm PT
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Ditto on the traverse.
The 11 plus crack leading up to it is pretty burly.
Definitely not 5.12 as a walk across on the dyke, but very delicate and I remember reaching low for a rurp scar to help myself complete a final step through.
I did this in 1980 swinging leads with Kim Carrigan; this was before he got all Valley Syndrome on us...
(or did we do it to him) !!!
He got a little greedy and having led the crux also climbed the first few body lengths of the long hand crack after completing the traverse. That hand crack pitch is glorious if easy; when you see people doing it from afar they really cruise.
The 10D flair has really no resemblance to typical wide: it's basically very delicate bombay chimney climbing with as I remember a long thin edge on one side for the feet.
At the final pitch, I remember bragging to Kim about how I grew up doing thin slab climbing and as I started off on the lead, promptly fell off on the 10A move right by the bolt!
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Maysho
climber
Truckee, CA
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Apr 21, 2009 - 12:46pm PT
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Great Story Mark (chappy) and missed you at Easter!
This one is at the top of my "gotta go back there again list". In 1979 or maybe 80, I hiked down there with Max Jones. We seemed to be having a "high gravity day". I cruised the crack, only to get shut down on the walk the plank traverse. I was surprised as I was usually quite good at tricky balance types of things. I finally lowered off, pulled the rope and Max gave it a go, only to fail as well. We were so bummed that we bailed from there rather than just tension it and enjoy the rest of the stellar climbing. Rather than hike back out we went over to Hairline, and climbed that out, another fine climb. Next day we repeated Peter Crofts' Pigs in Space, and cruised it as a way to redeem ourselves as being able to do 12a.
Maybe this is the year!
Peter
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Roger Breedlove
climber
Cleveland Heights, Ohio
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Apr 21, 2009 - 12:57pm PT
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Peter, I suspect that the force of gravity probably did not incerase. We could check with Ed. But even if it had, your ability to stick to rock would have increased; you would have just been more tired.
However, I think it is much more likely that gravity was dancing around and as it moved you were not able to keep your body balanced above the plank traveres holds. Sounds like the same thing happend to Tar on the last pitch.
Just a thought. What else could explain it?
At least you when I to try it. Somehow I missed even walking over there.
So, today if you were shut down would you tension across? I fully understand why you would not have done so then.
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chappy
Social climber
ventura
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Apr 21, 2009 - 01:09pm PT
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Cheers all:
I can't believe I never went back and did the route a second time in one continous push. I was such a green rookie at the time Jim and I first did it. It would have been great to go back and revisit the thing as a more seasoned climber if for no other reason than to have a greater sense of appreciation for what I was so lucky to experience the first time. Peter sorry to have missed everyone at Easter and Kev I have been meaning to call you for a while. Those sugar pine logs are just itchin to be milled into some sweet slabs of lumber. Tar--Don't know if I can make it to Josh for the Stonemaster party and auction but all the best to you!
Chappy
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Clint Cummins
Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
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Apr 22, 2009 - 04:40am PT
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Thanks, Stephen!
The links work, and here are your scans directly:
To show the scans directly, I used your links and clicked on the largest size of the scans, then right-clicked on the image to get the full URL, like
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3529/3465187232_47cf34f344_o.jpg
Then I put the [img ] and [/img ] tags around it (without the space before the ] ).
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Clint Cummins
Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
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Apr 22, 2009 - 04:49am PT
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Great article - thanks for scanning it. Besides Hot Line, it also includes The Free Blast, Astralman, Nose-in-a-day and several other classics! I remember reading it in the fall of 1975 and wondering if I had made the right choice about going to college instead of following my friends to Yosemite! (Seeing the 5.12 grade already, and barely being able to do 5.10, I felt OK with my choice :-) ).
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Roger Breedlove
climber
Cleveland Heights, Ohio
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Apr 22, 2009 - 10:36am PT
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Funny Clint. I started back to college the next year. Nothing like: "There is no success like failure..."
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Double D
climber
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Apr 22, 2009 - 11:16am PT
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What an era of free-climbing activity. Those are all amazing routes. Thanks for the scan Clint.
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