Discussion Topic |
|
This thread has been locked |
SC seagoat
Trad climber
Santa Cruz, or In What Time Zone Am I?
|
|
|
Oct 18, 2014 - 07:44am PT
|
^^^^¥What Ed said. I was edge of my seat for both presentations.
The fashions of the women climbers in the 1800s was nothing short of "how'd they do that" .... very interesting ... up to and including the necessity to 'resummit after one of the earliest women climbers had left her skirt on top and they were entering a village.
Of great interest was the great difficulty the Annapurna women had in obtaining permits. Yet their male counterparts had little difficulty. Much of the difficulty lay in the American Alpine Clubs reluctance to recommend them. Also interesting, but not unexpected was the great criticism they got for Sherpa use yet all the men's teams used Sherpas.
Looking forward to another great day
There was good attendance last night and folk hung out long after the posted closing time.
Susan
|
|
hossjulia
Trad climber
Carson City, NV
|
|
|
Oct 18, 2014 - 09:46am PT
|
Man I'm super bummed to have missed this! I bought a couple of the T shirts and am sorry I ever let the one I kept go. Probably got rid of it in a moment of pique after I realized I'd never be a high altitude mountaineer, which was a childhood dream.
Thanks for the photos Ed!
|
|
Jan
Mountain climber
Colorado, Nepal & Okinawa
|
|
|
Oct 18, 2014 - 10:57am PT
|
Sorry I couldn't be there and please post more photos and reports!
As for the Sherpas themselves, they too were reluctant to work on an all women's expedition in the beginning. A few months later when I returned to Nepal and talked to them they were all enthusiastic about women's expeditions and were hoping for more. "Women are much safer than men" and "Women don't get angry and shout as much as men" were two of the comments I heard.
And of course Annie marrying a Sherpa and taking him to the U.S. marked a turning point in the way the Sherpas saw themselves in the long march from British servants to becoming the international guides they aspire to now days.
|
|
Wayno
Big Wall climber
Seattle, WA
|
|
|
Oct 18, 2014 - 10:18pm PT
|
From past experience I would say that things are just starting to roll back at the Hotel scene. That is, if Mimi stops yacking, and the good people at the restaurant get to close up and go home. It will be an epic night.
|
|
Tim Camuti
Trad climber
CA
|
|
|
Oct 18, 2014 - 10:53pm PT
|
It has been a good conference with fewer people attending than the last two years, I feel, but quality presentations from good presenters. I look forward to a great final day of the conference
|
|
Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
|
|
|
Oct 19, 2014 - 12:50am PT
|
what an incredible collection of climbers and their amazing stories...
Today was packed...
Irene, Arlene and Janie Taylor-Levy talked about their climbing and many ways that their lives were shaped by it. Wonderful to hear Janie's recollections of the "Golden Age" of Yosemite climbing.
Beverly Powell-Woosley also discussed those early days, and the SoCal scene. All these fresh new perspectives.
Elaine Matthews and Cherry Schacher recalled their time with a lot of focus on the 'Gunks
and Rosie Andrews talked about a lot of her climbing in the 'Gunks and many of the other places she was active... great stories involving Werner Braun and an incident in Red Rocks with Annie Whitehouse that I'm not retelling here...
|
|
Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
|
|
|
Oct 19, 2014 - 12:58am PT
|
of course I have this slightly mixed up in order as Maria Cranor
talked, and her focus was on a very interesting direction of her path, including Black Diamond and the way that company invented itself.
Jill Lawrence provided an incredible perspective of her cutting edge climbing and especially the various women climbing events in England sponsored by the Pinnacle club, and meeting other women climbers, as well as her extensive collaborations with many other climbers
|
|
Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
|
|
|
Oct 19, 2014 - 01:00am PT
|
somewhere in there was a lunch break and I tagged along out to Sibylle's car to see her new acquisition, Totem Cams!
gear heads
|
|
Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
|
|
|
Oct 19, 2014 - 01:09am PT
|
Sibylle, Ellie Hawkins and Barb Eastman-Kimbrough described their experiences growing up and climbing, lots of Yosemite-centric stories and remembrances
Barb's story filled in a lot of detail for me beyond her famous ascent.
All these women were definitely kicking ass in their climbing, quite inspirational, really.
The final talk tonight was a quick direct talk by Kitty Calhoun who told some incredible tales of a few of her formative climbs...
her notable quote regarding the arrival at a base camp where they could see the climb for the first time "...my partner and I had agreed that if we couldn't say something positive then we wouldn't say anything at all. We didn't talk to each other for a couple of days..." what a prelude to an epic.
|
|
mouse from merced
Trad climber
The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.
|
|
|
Oct 19, 2014 - 02:51am PT
|
Good job there, Ed! Thanks for taking the time to post and keeping the accounts so succinct. You rock, my man!
Very evocative and flattering shots, BTW.
|
|
Jan
Mountain climber
Colorado, Nepal & Okinawa
|
|
|
Oct 19, 2014 - 07:03am PT
|
I was always curiuous about Janie Taylor since Layton had a story about Royal telling him to come out to Yosemite and if he could climb as well as Janie, then he'd buy him a beer. Layton used to relish telling everyone in Colorado that Royal never bought him that beer so it became a joke for awhile. "You put up a new route? That's nice, but can you climb as well as Janie Taylor?".
Of course I'm sure she never knew, but we knew that she was the first woman in the Valley to climb 5.9. Her feat caused Chuck Pratt and Frank Sacherer to solemnly proclaim that a woman might be able to do 5.9 friction climbing, but no woman would ever be able to climb a 5.9 crack. Bev Johnson was of course the first woman to break that barrier.
|
|
LongAgo
Trad climber
|
|
|
Oct 19, 2014 - 01:32pm PT
|
Wonderful gathering all around. Thanks again to Steve and Mimi for organizing all and making it run right.
I was especially impressed how the presentations weaved in family, work, friendships, causes and the social milieu of the days when, of course, they had to swim up several waterfalls as many male climbers doubted and resisted and diminished them in so many ways. We all know there is much more to climbing than climbing and we begin to get the bigger picture as we stumble through the years trying to mesh the flat and vertical worlds. But how refreshing to hear and see that big picture through the eyes of articulate, forthright women of the walls and mountains.
A complete success. Thanks to each and every presenter. Bravo.
Tom Higgins
LongAgo
|
|
Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
|
|
|
Oct 19, 2014 - 06:15pm PT
|
another great day...
Carla Firey told the amazing story of her family's role in the development of the Northwest mountaineering. Her father and mother Joe and Joan Firey played a large role in that exploration, and Joan was a member of the 1978 American Women's expedition on Annapurna.
This is a story partially told in Alpinist 47 article on the Picket Range... but that is only a part of the story of the Firey's participation. Carla very modestly touched on her own accomplishments in the Wind River Range and Yosemite.
Annie recounted her life in climbing... and got us all thinking about the obvious issues of men and women working together in close quarters for long time periods... with a hilarious telling of an advertising layout that never saw the pages of the climbing rags, lesson? you have to watch out when Mal is ordering drinks!
there are many other important tangents off of that climbing life too.
There was an extended video clip that Steve made of an interview with Lynne Hill, wonderful that her telepresence was at the Festival, her spirit loomed large in the ether.
The three final presentations gave a demonstration of just how bad ass the current generation of climbers are... from Mayan Smith-Gobat's projects on Yosemite big walls, free
which I can only look at admiringly, not ever going to be able to touch it... which was the same thing watching Madeleine Sorkin's equally stunning free pushes up The Captain
and finally the kinetic, enthusiastic story telling of Heidi Wertz's climbing life, so much fun to hear about after years of only catching glimpses of what she's been up to
What a great festival, thanks so much to Steve and Mimi, and to all the people who participated and made it an extraordinary event. Many new friends made, and many acquaintances remade and strengthened.
|
|
klk
Trad climber
cali
|
|
|
Oct 19, 2014 - 07:43pm PT
|
nice pix, ed.
work is rough right now, so i couldn't attend the entire gig. cool to see some folks i hadn't seen since i was a grom. and others i'd never met.
and i'll second tom's comment about the way that the panels i saw stressed social life and community.
|
|
mouse from merced
Trad climber
The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.
|
|
|
Oct 19, 2014 - 09:41pm PT
|
I was not able to make it, either, Tami, and I only live like 45 minutes away.I was bummed, but there's next year, one always expects. I'd love to see you there so I can get your autograph. And listen to your stories, of course.
|
|
Wayno
Big Wall climber
Seattle, WA
|
|
|
Oct 19, 2014 - 10:17pm PT
|
I was bummed, but there's next year, one always expects.
Yeah, what he said. I went to a friend's wedding. I didn't know hardly anybody, but he is a friend and it was a good time, but it looks like we missed a stellar lineup, Mouse. I missed smoking with you.
Thanks Ed for the pics and the commentary. It was well done.
|
|
DM88T
climber
San Juan Bautista, CA
|
|
|
Oct 19, 2014 - 10:42pm PT
|
|
|
Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
|
|
|
Oct 20, 2014 - 09:06am PT
|
the shot that DM88T posted above of Barb Eastman-Kimbrough has her slide of Steve Grossman in it... she clicked to the slide and in a very deadpan voice started "I first met Steve Grossman..."
|
|
Wayno
Big Wall climber
Seattle, WA
|
|
|
Oct 20, 2014 - 11:07pm PT
|
There hasta be more pics.
|
|
SC seagoat
Trad climber
Santa Cruz, or In What Time Zone Am I?
|
|
|
Oct 21, 2014 - 09:26am PT
|
I have some and will post my thoughts but I've been on the road. I'll share in the next day or two. Due to travel I wasn't able to attend Saturday night or Sunday. I will say that I don't believe I've been to a climbing event that has left me more moved or touched. The climbing parts, were, of course quite exciting; but what grabbed me was the tremendous "humanity" that came from these lives and continues to do so.
Susan
|
|
|
SuperTopo on the Web
|
Let us know!