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Chicken Skinner
Trad climber
Yosemite
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Topic Author's Original Post - Jul 26, 2008 - 02:25pm PT
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I am putting together a 50 year Nose reunion/celebration for November 8th of this year. It appears that 6 of the 9 people involved in the ascent will be able to show up. The only ones that won't be there are Warren Harding and Bill "Dolt" Feurer. I will give more details later. It will be a unique show and one you may want to put on your calendar.
Ken
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Double D
climber
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Jul 26, 2008 - 02:32pm PT
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Ken...you da man!
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Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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Jul 26, 2008 - 02:39pm PT
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on my calendar! I'll be there
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Crimpergirl
Social climber
Boulder, Colorado!
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Jul 26, 2008 - 02:42pm PT
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This sounds so awesome. It'd be nice to go, but we won't be able to. I look forward to a HUGE number of photos of the event on ST.
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john hansen
climber
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Jul 26, 2008 - 02:53pm PT
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So who are the six of eight that will be there ?? Looking in "The vertical world of yosemite" I only find reference to six climbers..
Warren Harding
Bill "Dolt Feuerer
George Whitmore,(ask him if he still has that stoveleg piton)
Rick Calderwood
Mark Powell
Wayne Merry
Who are the final two,,, Robbins and Frost for the second acsent?
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Chicken Skinner
Trad climber
Yosemite
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Topic Author's Reply - Jul 26, 2008 - 03:05pm PT
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Wally Reed and Al Steck are the other two. Frost, Robbins, Pratt and Joe Fitschen did the second ascent in 1960.
Ken
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Norton
Social climber
the Wastelands
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Jul 26, 2008 - 03:07pm PT
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I believe Harding talked Alan Steck into joining his team, but
Steck bailed after after going up once, saying Harding had promised it "would be fun", but "it wasn't".
I also recall reading Steck saying the exposure was appalling.
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Chicken Skinner
Trad climber
Yosemite
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Topic Author's Reply - Jul 26, 2008 - 03:31pm PT
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Some teasers: Warren and Mark Powell at the base next to their hemp fixed rope in 1957.
Bill "Dolt" Feuerer prusiking the hemp fixed line. 1957. Scary!
Warren during the climb in 1958. Photo by Wayne Merry.
Warren prusiking during an early attempt in 1957. Photo by Al Steck.
I suspect that prusiking hemp ropes with that kind of exposed climbing would have frightened most climbers. Wally Reed tugged on the rope after Harding had gone up it and it broke. I asked Wally if it didn't scare him when it happened. He said "No, I was standing on a ledge". Talk about nerves of steel.
Ken
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Jul 26, 2008 - 03:36pm PT
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I am personally looking forward to the dedication of Camp Six as Whitmore Tower after fifty years. George spent a lot of time studying the route from across the valley and spotted the sloping ledge well ahead of time. As the sun was going down high in the upper dihedral Warren was preparing to set up yet another belay stance after a short lead when George yelled up to him that there was a good ledge just out of sight a little higher. Warren complied and was delighted to find yet another chink in the Captain's armor. "We'll have to call it Whitmore Tower!" he yelled down to his equally pleased partner.
That moment slipped by but it is time to reclaim it.
Sickle Ledge, Dolt Tower, El Cap Towers and now Whitmore Tower to round out the history. I personally was never fond of the "Camp" names and Batso's expeditionary humor.
What do people think? I found George's story compelling enough to want to enshrine it. So much effort went into the Nose by people other than Warren that I think the gesture is appropriate and certainly timely.
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Chicken Skinner
Trad climber
Yosemite
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Topic Author's Reply - Jul 26, 2008 - 04:37pm PT
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Some more photos. Here is a Dolt photo taken by Al Steck.
Harding and Powell rapping off after the first attempt when Powell got them through the Stovelegs. Photo by Dolt?
Harding portrait.
Harding on the summit during the cleanup two weeks after the climb. This was when they found the summit register tree had fallen over. Calderwood joked that Warren's, George's and Wayne's signatures were to heavy for that poor tree.
Want to see some equipment?
Ken
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Norton
Social climber
the Wastelands
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Jul 26, 2008 - 05:01pm PT
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Yes Ken, more pictures! thanks
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10b4me
climber
the gray bands
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Jul 26, 2008 - 05:26pm PT
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I hope to make this.
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Ouch!
climber
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Jul 26, 2008 - 07:52pm PT
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I was in the park when they began the climb in '57. I was kinda busy watching some Outlaw Bikers eating pickled pig's feet.
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Jul 27, 2008 - 01:36pm PT
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But seriously folks.....
We're talking about The Line here!
From Roper's Camp 4, 1994.
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Chicken Skinner
Trad climber
Yosemite
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Topic Author's Reply - Jul 30, 2008 - 06:12pm PT
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Here is a letter written by the NPS after the climb.
Here is the response.
Ken
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Captain...or Skully
Big Wall climber
Yonder (out in the sagebrush)
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Jul 30, 2008 - 06:19pm PT
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Gotta try me some of that "trick climbing" sometime.....hmmmmm.
That's some COOL sh#t there Ken....
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GhoulweJ
Trad climber
Sacramento, CA
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Jul 30, 2008 - 06:25pm PT
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Ken, I hopr you will have display photos gear etc. at the "Reunion"
I'll be there!
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scuffy b
climber
Zeno's Paradise
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Jul 30, 2008 - 06:25pm PT
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That's great.
I have a question about the spike method of climbing.
What proportion of pitons used to climb the Nose were
Chrome-Moly or Chrome-Vanadium, opposed to soft iron,
and where did they get them?
Salathe had left the scene by then, right?
Chouinard hadn't really geared up his production, had he?
Had Dolt made many by then?
Chuck Wilts?
EDIT: on second read, I see that they also drove spokes into the rock.
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Captain...or Skully
Big Wall climber
Yonder (out in the sagebrush)
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Jul 30, 2008 - 06:30pm PT
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It's hard to drive spokes, man....they're skinny & will snap. Then ya gotta steal another rental bike for more spokes.....
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