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climber
1 Corinthians 6:19-20
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Harry Daley Route!
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Mittens
climber
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PS- I'm full of SH*T. That would be my ideal first valley climb though!
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ß Î Ø T Ç H
Boulder climber
bouldering
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Potato Masher, way up the 4 mile trail. It was in Roper's guidebook.
(it's the flat-topped one)
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Clint Cummins
Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
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Bishop's Terrace, September 1977, in a typical heat wave.
One of our brakes had problems, so 2 guys stayed with the car in Modesto,
while Jeremy and I hitched into the Valley. Hopped on the shuttle bus,
out at Church Bowl, and ran up to get a climb in. Then camped at "Upper Bush".
Later in the trip Chris and I did East Buttress of Middle, about half of the Steck-Salathe', then wised up and went to the Meadows and did Fairview Regular Route.
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mooch
Trad climber
Old Climbers' Home (Adopted)
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First free climb: Commitment (5.9), 1993
First aid climb: Old A3 (varation above on 'Guido's Highway), 2000
Staircase Falls area had me on edge the whole time I was up there.....every 15 minutes there would be the sound of small rock fall. =o
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climber bob
Social climber
maine
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1978...leaning tower traverse..my buddy zubie definately had an eye for the lines..
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rincon
Trad climber
SoCal
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1st climb was The Grack with Mark Hubbard.
1st wall was WF Leaning Tower with John Stark in 1994.
Woohoo!
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Grayarea
Trad climber
CA
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It was 1981, I was a sophomore, and my partner was a junior in high school.
Neither of us had led anything before, but had set up top ropes etc, with our combined set of Chounard stoppers,hexes and biners.
We had gotten a ride up to the Valley from a NOLS instructor(My mentor), who had suggested we lead after 6 as our 1st climb. HE took us over to manure pile, and somebody was already struggling on after 6. We roped up at the base of after 7. Since my parnter was a yr older he got the lead, I was the belayer.
Just as he was stepping off the ground, a old friend of our chaperon walks by,I think it was Tony Yanerio.Tony was sporting a large rack of NEW FRIENDS.
He offered my partner several to try out on his lead of after 7.
Blast Off!! he went up and up, doing the Elvis, placing bad pro,more Elvis, more bad pro, till he got to the step over to the right move-THE crux.
He slips while making the move, gets the rope caught behind his leg, flips upside down and is rapidly approaching ground O.
3 pieces pop out- a friend that he had placed for his very first time held and saved his life. He came to rest, with his long hair less than a foot from making impact with the hard ground!!!!
Yes Now for my 1st lead!! after witnesses my buddies life almost end. We had to untie him from his homemade webbing harness, just like mine.
I put on my mentors old EB's( he upgraded to FIRES )gathered the rack, including a few friends from Tony and up I went.
I actually don't remember the climb to well, because of the traumatic experience before hand. I did finish what my buddy had started, and belayed my mentor up! My buddy never tied into a rope rope again. For me, it set the tone for a exciting 30 years of climbing so far for me.
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JerryA
Mountain climber
Sacramento,CA
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1st climb was Higher Spire in 1977 with John Fischer .1st wall was Half Dome in 1995 with John Robinson and 1st El Capitan was Zodiac with John Robinson in 1996 at age 59.
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Ropeboy
Trad climber
Fresno CA
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My first climb in the valley was the right side of La Cosita. The left side was 5.7 and was too scary looking for me so I lead the right side, a nice straight forward 5.8 crack. (I was just breaking into my first 5.8 leads at the time.) It was 1969 and I lead it with pitons in the stiff blue Robbin boots. I reached the top with wide round eyes and arms turning to jello. The joke was on me, today it is rated 5.9.
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donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
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First climb- haven't a clue (don't know, can't remember). Last climb- Steck Salathe. Next climb- haven't a clue.
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james Colborn
Trad climber
Truckee, Ca
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I was sooooo intimidated by the valley, it took me a while to get there.
First climb was WF Leaning Tower.
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Omot
Trad climber
The here and now
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Astroman!!
I was a young Gunks and CT climber and had no idea what I was getting into. It could have been an epic, but we got lucky. Yes, there's a story there. No, we didn't make it.
Thanks for asking, nutjob. It stirred up some great old memories, like from another lifetime.
Tomo
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Brian
climber
California
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South Face of the Column
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426
climber
☬
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After watching my partner take a ground fall on the first bit of Sacherer Cracker, (5.7) and land in a rare flat patch (which should have been a portent) we continued on, and got absolutely destroyed...falls, flails, and about every other f you could think of
I remember thinking "gah, will I ever stop shaking"....
nope.
Did not have good technique...
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Rockin' Gal
Trad climber
Boulder
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The first pitch of Bishop's Balcony, must have been summer of '75, with a couple waiters from the hotel, Randy and Tom. It was my first attempt, as I remember getting up about 5 feet in my hiking boots and then running in place on the rock.
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Bobert
Trad climber
boulder, Colorado
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Lost Arrow Chimney with Kor. Long day, made memorable by having to climb through the remains of some unlucky soul who had fallen into the chimney from the rappel into the notch from above. We topped out with last light and rappeled and prussiked out in pitch blackness. Very thirsty day since we hadn't taken much water to make sure we got up without a bivvy.
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matty
Trad climber
under the sea
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Back in 2000 was on a roadtrip from michigan with a few non climbing friends. Dragged one of them up snakedike. He had only toproped in a gym 2x before! Spent the next day hiking and then we left. Came back the next summer though and soloed leaning tower for my second route in the valley and my first wall ever!
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Mungeclimber
Trad climber
sorry, just posting out loud.
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probably 90 or 91, but can't recall a first. but I do remember driving thru the wawona tunnel and my mind being totally blown away.
I knew it was big. But the scale, the sheer enormity of it all. I was glad to crag and boulder that first trip.
It's quite possible we tried So Face of the Column on that first trip, but got shut down with people in front of us and that's why we cragged. Too much too fast as they say. The next trip was half dome I think. I don't think I was living near the valley at that time. Actually it was probably Royal Arches as a training.
All those were within the first year or so. And by late 92...
Sherries Crack 10c onsight
Knob Job 10b followed with no falls and took my whip on...
Reeds Pinnacle Direct 9+ 1 fall (wet)
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guido
Trad climber
Santa Cruz/New Zealand/South Pacific
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1958- either the Royal Arches or Wash Column to Lunch Ledge? With Jeff Foott, Al MacDonald and Nick Stephens.
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