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crotch
climber
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Feb 28, 2007 - 05:53pm PT
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mooser - That's the angle you get when you're rapping off the bolt anchor atop Robbins.
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bvb
Social climber
flagstaff arizona
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Feb 28, 2007 - 08:18pm PT
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at last. dude, i've waited 34 years to hear the story firsthand from someone who was actually there.....
at last, i can die a happy man.
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Rick A
climber
Boulder, Colorado
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Feb 28, 2007 - 11:40pm PT
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Bruce,
Wonderful story and worth waiting for. Robbins is inspiring for the way he pushed the standards wherever he climbed: whether it was Yosemite, Alaska, Chamonix, or...Poway.
Rick
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Klimmer
Mountain climber
San Diego
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Feb 28, 2007 - 11:47pm PT
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Brunosafari,
Wow. I'm stunned. That is some incredible story telling. You have an incredible knack for it Bruce. Like bvb, I've been waiting a long time to know the real and the whole story. I think my eyes are getting misty . . . that was just beautiful.
I would love to climb "Tooth Rock" with you. Just email me and let me know when you come down and we'll do it. It would be great to climb it with one of the original Poway Mtn. Boys, and one who helped put it up.
Funny you bring up Meadowbrook Middle School. That is where I took the summer school class "The Geography of California" with my 5th grade teacher Mr. Dennis Bucker and Mr. Eddy Lindros in '73, just prior to 6th grade with the culminating grand event --- backpacking up the tourist trail to the summit of Mt. Whitney. Great memories. For me it was Kim Swecker at Twin Peaks Middle school. I was in 6th grade and she was in 8th. I can't say anymore about that, except our hormones were out of control.
I can understand the reverance you have for Royal Robbins.
Have any of you ever said something really stupid to a hero of your's, and the moment the words left your lips you were immediately, desperately, and unsuccessfully trying to stuff them back into your mouth and erase the moment forever? Well, I had that experience with Royal Robbins once. Not unlike Bruce et al., except it all worked out for you guys :-))
In the late '80s, I worked at A16 while attending SDSU, and Royal came down to give a talk and slide presentation. It was a wonderful show and afterwards climbers were huddling around him listening with respect and admiration to what he had to say. A friend of mine was one of the disciples huddled there and I saw my opportunity to join in. I came over and patted my friend on the back and said, "Kevin, what are doing asking Royal if he rap-bolts?" Oh-sh#t. What did I just say? Absolute dead silence and all eyes were starring at me. What an uncomfortable and very ackward moment. The attempt at humor sank faster than a seafloor bottom trawler. The cold stares toward me said, "How could you say something like that in the prescence of God?" I blew it bad. Note-to-self, never attempt bad humor in Royal's prescence.
I'm probably really brave or really stupid, but I tried to redeem myself and eventually I was able to ask him about Mt. Woodson, and the famous local tale of "Robbin's Crack" and if he could elaborate a little about it. He said something to the effect, "I do remember something happening on Mt. Woodson, I keep hearing about it, but I really don't recall the details of the story."
Well, now we know. Thanks Bruce.
Royal, if you ever read these threads on ST, my attempt at bad humor was just that. It was a moment of insanity on my part. I'm better now. I hope you can forgive me. I was nervous and just trying to break the ice. Apparently, I plunged through it.
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ground_up
Trad climber
mt. hood /baja
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Bruno....to me , this is the single best post on ST in a long time...thank you for that!
Like others , my climbing started at Woodson in the 70's and I have always wondered about how the crack that tought me how to jamb, got it's name.
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Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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wonderful story indeed!
bravo!
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Raydog
Trad climber
Boulder
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Hats off to Greg Cameron! He and Rick Piggot were my main mentors in San Diego - still, Gregs Crack and Crucible ropeless is - well - Greg Cameron style!
Greg, I'm glad to see you're staying in shape; I recall doing Gregs Crack with Epperson and the Almodovar brothers - I tied in w/ a one wrap swami so I wouldn't get stuck. Always liked Mother Superior the best of the wide ones - Adrian Almodovar 3rd classed it.
Anyone heard from Rick Piggot? Is he in Tahoe?
What's my finest day at Woodson? Tough to say but the day the Watusi and I 3rd classed Drivin' South in front of some "locals" who were "working on it" with a TR is up there.
Great shots Greg - thanks a lot.
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Watusi
Social climber
Joshua Tree, CA
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Ray! long time no see!! Hope you are well. e-mail me sometime!MP
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eeyonkee
Trad climber
Golden, CO
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 3, 2007 - 01:53pm PT
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Yeah, Ray. Good to hear from you! Seems like our paths cross every few years. I know that last time we talked you had given up climbing. I hope you're over that phase.
Edit - I undestand that Rick (my mentor, too) is in the Tahoe area. Haven't heard from him in, oh, a coupla' decades.
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Jaybro
Social climber
The West
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Still tall and lean (RP) last time I saw him-maybe five years ago.
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Raydog
Trad climber
Boulder
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I think I'm heading back into a climbing type thing - I had to concentrate on skills and finances for a while.
I want to find an interesting means of athletic expression suitable to my years like ski touring...
Hey, Greg, is it true you soloed the Lost Arrow Chimney?
That was the legend, the story about you and, I was always afraid to ask.
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bvb
Social climber
flagstaff arizona
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yeah ray, cameron did solo the LAC, in '77 or '78 i think. but he's too damn humble to spray about it here.
me, i have no such inhibitions, so if ya ever wanna here me spray about myself just give the word and i'll slather you with blather about my many trend-setting and historic exploits.
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eeyonkee
Trad climber
Golden, CO
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 7, 2007 - 09:54am PT
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Aw shucks bvb, thanks for saying so, but people who know me, know I'm not humble. You just need to give me a chance. In the end, the Lost Arrow Chimney is only 5.10. I was never all that great a climber, but I was pretty sure i would never fall on 5.10 wide back then. Jeez, Bachar would have to wear skates and a clown suit or something to even make it interesting.
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Raydog
Trad climber
Boulder
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It was the stuff of legend back then and did indeed elevate you to the status of "Local Icon" a highly influential figure.
Tell the story Greg!
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eeyonkee
Trad climber
Golden, CO
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 7, 2007 - 10:30pm PT
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Ray - For you, I copied this from a post I made a year ago or so. I changed some of the dates because I got them wrong the first time.
Sitting here recovering from shoulder surgery and going through this site is bringing back a flood of memories. Only a few friends know this hopefully interesting free-solo story - so here it is.
The inspiration, really, was Henry Barber's free solo of the Steck Salathe - in 1975 I think. I was intrigued by this, and in 1977 I too, free-soloed the Steck-Salathe. I did it the same way Henry had done, I brought a long sling and a carabiner with me to protect the one scary piece of face climbing. The whole climb took about an hour and a half to complete.
The Steck-Salathe was a climb I had done several times before, and, frankly, free-soloing it did not seem to be such a big deal, in retrospect. It occurred to me that an on-site free-solo of a Yosemite classic would raise the stakes. I don't remember what made me think of the Lost Arrow Chimney - it wasn't a climb that was really on my radar or anything, but I was very confident in the wide crack arena and figured there was no way that I couldn't free-solo 5.10a.
So, sometime in the late Spring of 1978, I let some of my friends in on it and told my buddy Alan Chase that if I didn't show up for dinner the next night, to walk up the Falls trail the following morning and throw a rope down to the notch so I could prussik out.
I left in the morning, excited, of course. I brought a paperback book, "The Myth of Sysiphus", that I stuffed in my cotten warmup pants, just above the ankle. The climb went quickly and rather uneventfully. Because I figured that I might have to hang out at the notch all day anyhow, I took my time - hanging out at certain ledges - but still the whole climb took only about 3 hours. Like on the Steck-Salathe, I took a long runner and a carabiner. I used the runner on a fixed pin at the scary, flakey section discussed in this post, and then abandoned it.
When I topped out on the notch, there was a party setting up to do the tyrolean traverse of the spire. Two clearly inexperienced guys were at the notch, and one guy in particular, was really spooked and could not believe that I had soloed up to that point. I asked if I could use their ropes to get out. Both guys ended up jumaring up to the top of the wall. I was expecting that maybe they would send jumars down for me, but after the second guy went up, nothing happened for like 15 minutes, in spite of my yelling. So I got out two small cords and prussiked their rope to the top of the wall.
I hiked back to Camp 4 with little fanfare. I do remember John Long congratulating me the next morning.
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bvb
Social climber
flagstaff arizona
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like i said, too humble.
has anyone soloed it since? greg, you are a true master of the most difficult size there is -- off width. that solo blew us away -- i was in the valley with watusi and off white that whole summer. a congrats from long in '78 would have seemed like a holy benediction to me.
i can't beleive how low-key you are about this sh#t. from what i gather, you soloed the crucible just recently. you gotta be at least 50, right? know how many peeps soloed the crucible, in their prime?? four that i know of, that's it. and here you are, doing it when most duffers our age are tr'ing 5.8's and talking sh#t about how things were back in the day.
you continue to inspire me, motherf*#ker.
i'm gonna go burn some pull-ups in my garage. right now.
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Raydog
Trad climber
Boulder
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Thanks a lot for the story Greg.
You're still the man.
What I'm wondering is, where the hell is Piggot and some
sick El Cap photos.
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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That was a rather perfunctory report of quite a milestone there Greg.
You are way too humble, but I'll take it.
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Raydog
Trad climber
Boulder
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Cameron gave San Diego climbers and San Diego climbing status it never would have had otherwise
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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I was around the Valley when you did the deed maestro Cameron and I too was blown way back. No surprise that the all time classic routes would become the all time classic free solos. The DNB, Steck-Salathe and Arrow Chimney were the icebreakers followed by Astroman and the Rostrum not long after. A very short and distinguished list to say the least! You really are too understated about your level of achievement on that day and in general but I am cut of similar cloth and can respect the humility in your presentation. San Diego's finest fa shure!
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