Hugh Burton's Classic El Capitan Up-date Mountain 44 1975

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Steve Grossman

Trad climber
Seattle, WA
Topic Author's Original Post - Mar 14, 2009 - 06:13pm PT
This superb follow-up To Royal's El Cap Commentary made me want to go and do these routes. These guys were the nazz from where I was peeking over the fence. Porter, Burton, Sutton and Jimmy Dunn were and still are my Silver Age Heroes. Here is their scene. From Mountain #44 July/August 1975.








I love that last paragraph and have used it in some of my writing, 1975 no less!!!

Studly

Trad climber
WA
Mar 14, 2009 - 06:28pm PT
The Shield. Its a longtime dream of mine. To be on that thin crack in that immense sweep of golden perfect granite, suspended between heaven and earth. Is it as breath taking as it looks?
'Pass the Pitons' Pete

Big Wall climber
like Ontario, Canada, eh?
Mar 14, 2009 - 06:51pm PT
Great stuff, thanks Steve! I had never read that before. It was a bit painful to read - if you can make the photos 700 or even 800 pixels wide, they will be a lot easier to read on McTopo. Kinda hard with the small print, eh?

And they misspelled "supersede"...

Mighty Hiker

Social climber
Vancouver, B.C.
Mar 19, 2009 - 11:44pm PT
I always liked those two photos of Pratt on the Shield, taken by Steve. Did any of the other "golden agers" do an early ascent of any of the "new wave" routes on El Capitan in the 1970s?

Bump. Plus it has not one but two photos of Charlie Porter, although neither seems likely to be what's needed.
Lynne Leichtfuss

Social climber
valley center, ca
Mar 19, 2009 - 11:50pm PT
Steve, met you and Mimi at the Nose Reunion. Some of the controversy recently about not enough appreciation of the true climbing threads leads me to this comment. I am remiss at telling you how much I enjoy all the great climbing threads you post here on the Taco.

I am new here and have much to learn and most of the time feel inadequate and/or embarassed to comment on your posts as most that do are real climbers. Mi be jess learning.

But I read just about all you post and love the history, pictures et al. I love Mimi's comments whenever she posts....super great person....please tell me I haven't muffed her name.....tired. Peace and Joy, Lynne
Lynne Leichtfuss

Social climber
valley center, ca
Mar 20, 2009 - 12:55am PT
This great thread does need a bonafide bump. Let's have an inspiring comment...or two. Took some work to post it .... now we appreciate it. Peace, lynne
Steve Grossman

Trad climber
Seattle, WA
Topic Author's Reply - Mar 20, 2009 - 10:48am PT
I can't believe it's a bump.....Thanks Lynne!
east side underground

Trad climber
Hilton crk,ca
Mar 20, 2009 - 11:07am PT
Thanks steve, never met burton during his climbing days, but see him here, when he has building projects going in town, a very mellow guy.
Wonder

climber
WA
Mar 21, 2009 - 11:21pm PT
Drunk & trollin'.
Great post Steve. Hey, you got any pics of the ol' Lincoln with the suicide doors they use to drive around in. A family of 12 in India could live in that mother.
Steve Grossman

Trad climber
Seattle, WA
Topic Author's Reply - Mar 21, 2009 - 11:44pm PT
My best friend back in grade school had one and I have been very close myself. Had I ever moved Magnus Construction down to Olympia, an electric blue one with lumber racks and some longhorns on the front seemed inevitable! LOL Company car with wet bar, of course!

No problem hiding a posse in that rig. I dearly hope some pictures are still around.
Wayno

Big Wall climber
Seattle, WA
Mar 22, 2009 - 04:52am PT
Come to think of it, as I try to read that print, this article was "beta" for when I climbed the Trip. I remember the part where Robbins actually got down off right.
Steve Grossman

Trad climber
Seattle, WA
Topic Author's Reply - Mar 22, 2009 - 11:49am PT
For the love of air and that headwall shot, the Trip was my first outing back in 77 or so. It was not der Golden Stone and I developed an immediate distaste for the diorite. Plenty to do away from that shizzle!!
Steve Grossman

Trad climber
Seattle, WA
Topic Author's Reply - Mar 28, 2009 - 08:32pm PT
Air bump!
SteveW

Trad climber
The state of confusion
Mar 29, 2009 - 07:27pm PT
Bump for climbing!
Steve Grossman

Trad climber
Seattle, WA
Topic Author's Reply - May 6, 2009 - 11:02am PT
And another.......bump!
Double D

climber
May 6, 2009 - 11:10am PT
Thanks for posting this Steve. That article induced more damage to my Robbins wall boots than any other BITD! While some thought the "Golden Age" of big wall climbing was a by-gone era, others experienced a renaissance of new possibilities. That article hung at the balance of these two eras for sure.

Steve Grossman

Trad climber
Seattle, WA
Topic Author's Reply - May 7, 2009 - 01:31pm PT
I really like the flavor of the last paragraph. Trying like hell to soften the oncoming blow!
Climbing dropout

Trad climber
Vancouver, BC
May 7, 2009 - 01:42pm PT
The only time I met Burton, he was with Hatten and Sutton. 1978, they had just got off a freight train in Squamish and picked up their truck. I was asleep on Pysche ledge under the Chief.

Hatten pulled a chainsaw out of the back of their truck, fired it up and chased me around my car with it, laughing maniacally, in the way only he can. Then he carved gouges in the pavement with it, throwing off a tremendous spark show. Hugh calmed him down and sent me into Squamish with his money, to buy 2 cases of beer.

We had a fire under the power lines, started with kindling Hugh chopped in 2 mighty blows off of a telephone pole. His arm caught fire while pouring gasoline on the flames. It didn't really faze him much.

Hugh was very laid back. I found out later who they were, and much later on became friends with Daryl.
SteveW

Trad climber
The state of confusion
May 7, 2009 - 03:57pm PT
Bump it again for our historian extraordiare!!!!!





Yay Steve Grossman!!!!!
Fat Dad

Trad climber
Los Angeles, CA
May 7, 2009 - 04:42pm PT
I remember that article only because the libary at UC Irvine had some bound copies of Mountainin their stacks. I was still in high school and would sometimes stop by there after bouldering at the Beach and dream about doing the Captain.

I still feel really privileged to have done a couple of routes mentioned in that article--Zodiac (in '83) and the Shield ('91). I always liked that quote about how Charlie Porter had gotten inside the rurp and was looking out.
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