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Rankin
Social climber
Greensboro, North Carolina
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Topic Author's Original Post - Jun 30, 2012 - 04:22pm PT
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http://articles.latimes.com/1989-05-11/news/we-3605_1_chouinard-equipment-lost-arrow-climbing
I just ran across this old article. What a sad moment in climbing history, and legal history for that matter. Of course Black Diamond makes great gear, but a link in the chain has been broken without Chouinard's name on the carabiners and gear anymore.
Does anyone know the specifics of the lawsuits that were filed against Chouinard Equipment?
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Toker Villain
Big Wall climber
Toquerville, Utah
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Jun 30, 2012 - 04:27pm PT
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It wasn't so bad after Yvon was gone but Maria was at the helm, but then she was replaced with somebody who's moral compass always points to the green,..
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zBrown
Ice climber
chingadero de chula vista
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Jun 30, 2012 - 05:44pm PT
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^The literal sheeits.
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donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
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Jun 30, 2012 - 08:31pm PT
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The accident was a convenient excuse for YC to divest himslf of Chouinard Eq. He wasn't climbing actively anymore and wasn't thrilled with the direction of modern rock climbing. Patagonia was growing by leaps and bounds and CE was considered a poor step child with potential liabilities attached.
CE would have never gotten the focus that Peter Metcalf gave to BD. In the end the separation was best for all involved.
The Teton lawsuit went nowhere.
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ontheedgeandscaredtodeath
Trad climber
San Francisco, Ca
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Jun 30, 2012 - 08:57pm PT
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Donini is correct, the Teton lawsuit went nowhere and the defense was likely paid for by insurance anyway. As far as I know no climbing equipment manufacturer has been tagged with any real judgment/settlement. In fact, I reckon most consumer product manufacturers would love to have the legal protections afforded to purveyors of mountaineering equipment.
For every guy that fuks up a cam placement there are like 10,000,000 that use the top step of the ladder and take a whipper or use a hammer without eye protection....
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livi
climber
ventucky
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Jun 30, 2012 - 11:30pm PT
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I still get to see him pound out a piton from time to time.... and feel honored for the opportunity
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Actually, the REI harness lawsuit had much more effect than Jim's accident.
It is rather hard to imagine now but every climbing store in the US was ready to pull ALL harnesses off of their shelves and stop selling them!
As I understand events, REI being fully mindful of this eventuality chose to turn around and sue their own insurer rather than settle this case and accept liability for user behavior. The injured party wound up with little to nothing but the entire climbing equipment industry dodged the bullet that REI took. Thank you REI for your wisdom in court!
Legal precedent has enormous power in our hellish little system so harness concerns would have rapidly fanned out to all other consequential hardware.
Everybody in the industry took a deep breath and considered their exposure.
Chouinard had to exhale finally and separate the very high liability of Chouinard Equipment from the deep pockets of Patagonia. Tom Frost has told me that Yvon had a very hard time letting go of his namesake despite the obvious need so he wasn't really as disinterested as all that.
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Fletcher
Trad climber
Fumbling towards stone
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Very interesting. I've long known the general story, but really appreciate seeing source newspaper articles and all the backstory from you all. Thanks!
Eric
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yedi
Trad climber
Stanwood,wa
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Always felt safer with a 2" swami and a pair of leg loops anyways.
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Spider Savage
Mountain climber
The shaggy fringe of Los Angeles
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This is an important historical thread now. Please post any other source links. I treasure my few pieces of Chouinard gear and still use many of them.
Around this same time period, late 1987, some attorney for the LA County Parks & Rec decided to issue a ban on climbing at all LA County parks which include Devil's Punchbowl. I was climbing there regularly and had the pleasure of being informed of the order one day.
It was at the dawn of the AAC Access Fund and Randy Vogel was very active as a young attorney. I contacted him and he got the place reopened to climbing with a few letters. As I recall it was something about "you can't sue the government if you hurt yourself on government property."
I have little doubt that that county attorney was motivated to take his action based on all the poop coming down the tube at that time.
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BoulderTraveler
Mountain climber
Boulder
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May 10, 2014 - 05:10pm PT
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My Chouinard Harness ... probably used it for more than 2000 pitches over the years. Replaced my Whillans Sit Harness (1972 catalog - "Chouinard and others are positively opposed to harnesses and such contraptions, but as a concession to Frost...") Thank you Tom!
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healyje
Trad climber
Portland, Oregon
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May 10, 2014 - 05:30pm PT
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God, I thought those Chouinard harnesses entirely sucked for rock climbing - ditched it instantly after just trying it on.
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Jaybro
Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
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May 10, 2014 - 06:24pm PT
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Anyone have a link to that krakauer story that I can read w/o joining something?
I remember maysho recounted the story to Shipley and I in the restaurant above the deli (he had the Mother Earth entre, which we all got a laugh out of...) but i'dlove to re hear the details. I was a sales rep for misty mtn at the time and it a story we were all paying attention to.
Footnote: I was driving back to my then home in Tempe az that day, driving through the meadows. Walt convinced me it would be a good idea to solo the regular route on fairview dome on the way home. So I did, in fire Flyers. Passed two parties. I'd been thinking about doing it anyway, but it was Walt's assurance that it was a good solo that put me over the top, into doing it...
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BoulderTraveler
Mountain climber
Boulder
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May 10, 2014 - 07:06pm PT
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> God, I thought those Chouinard harnesses entirely sucked for rock climbing - ditched it instantly after just trying it on.
Might be the climber; work fine for me. Here I am on Warbonnet with in on:
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BoulderTraveler
Mountain climber
Boulder
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May 10, 2014 - 07:09pm PT
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Chouinard sold this Whillans Sit Harness before the Chouinard Harness:
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AP
Trad climber
Calgary
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May 10, 2014 - 07:13pm PT
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I have a Chouinard gear sling that I still use on occasion. Dave Cheesmond sold it to me from his shop just before he died. It is kind of like the ring Engineers wear on their working hand made from the scrap of a famous bridge failure that happened many decades ago. A reminder not to screw up.
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healyje
Trad climber
Portland, Oregon
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May 10, 2014 - 07:36pm PT
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Yeah, and the Whilliams was worse than the Chouinard. I'm guessing they both had a place in alpine, however.
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