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McHale's Navy
Trad climber
From Panorama City, CA
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Nov 25, 2014 - 04:42pm PT
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Whenever I see this thread I am immediately THERE hanging on a hook in stirrups. I see it, feel it, and taste it, while sitting at my silly computer.
Edit: This thread has Wings
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eeyonkee
Trad climber
Golden, CO
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Nov 25, 2014 - 05:03pm PT
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If I get a cancer prognosis in the near future, I'm gonna try for the third ascent. I can't think of a quicker way to achieve fame in the climbing community (as a last hurrah, I guess)) based on what I have to work with.
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Delhi Dog
climber
Good Question...
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Nov 25, 2014 - 06:02pm PT
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Klaus that's pretty funny
I was there in the valley at the time living and working.
I remember hearing about this Wings of Steal route (I was working in the climbing shop at the time) and what a hack job it was. A bolt ladder to nowhere. The attacks against these guys was a hot topic for awhile. Too bad only one side was ever heard (at least by me).
Too bad I didn't care enough to at least go look. Butt, I didn't care. I was a nobody, still am.
I'll bet SS sleeps a lot better now. And I'll have to say I admire him for sacking up and apologizing. It seems he felt he needed to. Obviously SG doesn't feel the need.
That's his choice...along with the consequences for that choice.
Mad, I have nothing but respect for you two guys after all I've read and seen (interview +movie).
I'm sorry you guys were treated the way you were and I'm sorry the climbers living in the valley at that time treated you as they did. Pretty much all of them really were nice folks if you got to know them (which wasn't easy granted), they were just caught up in their on egos.
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On a side note, anyone have any contact with Frank/Francis from BITD?
Werner?
Last I saw him we floated down the Grand Canyon together and I lost touch with him.
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WBraun
climber
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Nov 25, 2014 - 06:42pm PT
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Every now and then Francis pops up here in Yosemite.
He's somewhere rural near the Chico area .....?
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Wade Icey
Trad climber
www.alohashirtrescue.com
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Nov 26, 2014 - 09:30am PT
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isn't Corbett Harding's favorite kind of Brandy?
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Delhi Dog
climber
Good Question...
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Nov 26, 2014 - 09:59am PT
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Thanks Werner + Walleye!
I'll try to hunt him down next time I'm back.
If by chance you run into him and think about it maybe you can mention Kemper and my desire to hook up again.
Timid Toperope + Nita in Chico know how to get ahold of me as will the ST linkage.
Writing this from Orissa India right now on a bit of a birding holiday.
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Mark Hudon
Trad climber
Hood River, OR
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Nov 26, 2014 - 10:15am PT
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So much ado about so much of nothing that really matters.
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McHale's Navy
Trad climber
From Panorama City, CA
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Nov 26, 2014 - 01:04pm PT
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Yes, lots of hustle and bustle but this comment seemed to get passed over;
Topic Author's Reply - Nov 22, 2014 - 04:42pm PT
This was posted on Mountain Project yesterday.
By Jim Logan
1 day ago
When I made the first small wide base hooks (Leeper/Logan hooks) I imagined someone doing a climb that is exactly Wings of Steel. I always thought it was terrifying to go out multiple hook moves on those things as they would stay on little edges that were at the breaking strength of the rock and you never knew when the rock was going to explode and send you plummeting. It is very committing climbing. Congratulations to all of you for pushing the limits of slab climbing. I'm sorry the community in the Valley at that time was so insular. Jamie Logan
The invention of new gear has always had a big impact on what we think climbing is.
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pc
climber
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Nov 26, 2014 - 02:14pm PT
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Very cool endorsement of the type of route and use of the hooks.
Thanks for highlighting Jamie's post.
pc
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and partner
Trad climber
Leavenworth, WA
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Nov 26, 2014 - 04:25pm PT
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Steve is an old compadre. do not diss him. He just said what he feels. This makes it human. Likewise you can disagree. Also good. It's all part of life and this was great video. Life is too short to spend it on shi#
andypartner
(climbed w/ Charlie Porter in the later 1960's.)
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Floyd Hayes
Trad climber
Hidden Valley Lake, CA
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Nov 26, 2014 - 05:01pm PT
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The WoS threads are by far my favorites on SuperTopo! I peruse only a tiny fraction of the threads on SuperTopo and very rarely comment, but I've read nearly every comment in every WoS thread. And I enjoyed watching the movie. So it puzzles me why anybody would say WoS is irrelevant (certainly the drama isn't) or why anybody would complain that Jensen and Smith are playing the victim card when Grossman and others still persist in impugning their integrity and competence. It would be interesting to take a poll and see how many of us ordinary climbers who weren't there in 1982 sympathize more with J&S or their critics. By now it seems pretty obvious to me that J&S climbed an exceedingly difficult route in good style and were treated unfairly by their critics.
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bootysatva
Trad climber
Idyllwild / Joshua Tree Ca.
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Nov 26, 2014 - 10:02pm PT
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I was lucky enough to climb with Richard in the 70's, and 80's, he was really humble and never bad mouthed anyone. He told me about Wings of Steele but never said anything about the negativity. The guy could free solo 5.11 slab back then.
If it took Ammon 13 days I think That pretty much answered the question about how hard the route actually is.
Congratulations Richard and Mark.
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Nov 26, 2014 - 11:11pm PT
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At JTree the other day I asked this 8 year old what he thought of the whole Wings of Steel thang.
He gave me the strangest look. Then his mom threatened to call the rangers.
"Look, lady, he's gonna find out sooner or later."
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ElCapPirate
Big Wall climber
Ogden, Utah
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Nov 27, 2014 - 12:04pm PT
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If it took Ammon 13 days I think That pretty much answered the question about how hard the route actually is.
I have heard this a few times and feel compelled to comment. Although I have been known to climb routes fast and efficient, I'm also known to go the other direction and take my own sweet time. Those of you who have hung out in the Valley the last few decades can attest to seeing my Jolly Roger flying from my portaledge well into the afternoon, ha ha!
It's simply two different styles with two completely different strategies.
On WoS we planned to take it slow because we knew this was going to be a very unique experience that we would never have again, we wanted to savor it. The mornings we did try and get an early start the reflection from the sun off the slab was so bad it was very difficult to see anything, much less try and find which dime edge to trust.
So we usually got a 2-3pm start every day, climbed a pitch, which took a few hours and called it a day. Also, one of the days we did absolutely nothing because our little team had to regroup, and get the psyche back.
Now, I'm not saying the route wasn't hard because it obviously has some very technical hooking that has shut down some very experienced climbers who have tried it. I'm just saying the time we spent is an inadequate measuring platform for the route's difficulties.
Although... after just a few hours on the route my nerves were usually done for the day, ha ha, I just wanted to chill and drink some beer after so much focus needed to keep it together. Also, we would have gone into a completely different strategy, all together, if we were swinging leads.
Just some things to chew on for that particular aspect of the story. That's all I have to comment, for now.
Carry on...
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bhilden
Trad climber
Mountain View, CA/Boulder, CO
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Nov 27, 2014 - 03:20pm PT
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Ammon,
please resist from posting actual facts on this thread. If this thing is going to get over 1000 posts we are going to need speculation and rampant speculation at that. Of course, then there is the hand waving and attempts at clarifying one's position. We just don't want to be distracted by what really happened.
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bootysatva
Trad climber
Idyllwild / Joshua Tree Ca.
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Nov 29, 2014 - 08:23am PT
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Thanks Ammon, I appreciate your communication style.
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The Wolf
Trad climber
Martinez, CA
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Topic Author's Reply - Dec 1, 2014 - 12:45pm PT
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Interesting how global this story has become.
The statistics on Vimeo indicate that this week out of 2,100 total downloads Slovenia has downloaded this video 634 times. That is second to the US. The most obscure is one download from Qatar.
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nah000
climber
no/w/here
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^^^^
hahaha.
vvvv
[edit: you deleting chickenshit gdavis... haha]
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