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nick d
Trad climber
nm
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May 19, 2007 - 09:21pm PT
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Hey Steve Grossman! I know you will not remember me but I vaguely know you from the Syndicata Granitica days. I started climbing with Tim Coates, Larry's younger brother. I got dragged up some great climbs by Tim, when you're lame its pretty great to have a buddy thats a big stud! And for anyone who would question the ethics, well...I remember no toproping or chalk allowed at Paradise Forks and the Cwm. So I dont think there was too much hammering allowed. You needed a damn good reason back then! Micheal Smith
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E.L. "One"
Big Wall climber
Lancaster, California
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May 19, 2007 - 09:22pm PT
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This is what I love about this sport, and this site!! I can pop off about my own experience concerning this thread, with far less credibility than most posters, return months later after reading recent posts and feeling my head swell in reaction to all this technical talk, pop off again, and then look forward to my next adventure in the vertical world knowing the only thing that really matters is answering to myself. Damit!!! It's All Good!! I Love you guys !!!!
Cracko
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bachar
Trad climber
Mammoth Lakes, CA
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May 19, 2007 - 09:35pm PT
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It takes balls to use nuts...
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Toker Villain
Big Wall climber
Toquerville, Utah
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May 19, 2007 - 11:20pm PT
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Make that "John's house of balls".
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BASE104
climber
An Oil Field
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May 20, 2007 - 02:12am PT
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I saw a way to hammer gear and make it easy on the rock once. Use wood.
Anyone ever do the Fissure Brown on the Blatiere?
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Jello
Social climber
No Ut
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Topic Author's Reply - May 20, 2007 - 03:03am PT
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Base 104, you're right, the old wooden wedges were non-harmfull to the rock. I used them on a route in City of Rocks in the 1960's, and they worked perfectly well. In this case I'd say if your balls are itching, it's better to scratch them with wood than steel. Less likely to cause permanent damage. Maybe this is the origin of the term "woody"?
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mack
Trad climber
vermont
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May 20, 2007 - 11:01am PT
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How about including the women here? Sometimes it takes some mighty big ovaries to use nuts.
Mack
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Mimi
climber
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May 20, 2007 - 01:27pm PT
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Hey Hern, we saw a lot of wood on mainly the guided routes in the Alps. Didn't do anything on the Blat. What did you see?
WoodyJello, you might get a little woodsy over those old Euroblocks. But there's no question which came first...LOL!
Mack, we all know that women can be bold too, and they don't need no gymbag to play hard.
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rgold
Trad climber
Poughkeepsie, NY
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May 20, 2007 - 05:29pm PT
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Wow Steve, that picture brings back memories...
Before Chouinard stocked 'em, right after Robbins' Summit article appeared, you sent $15 off to Joe Brown in Snowdonia, and back came a little box with approximately the collection pictured (nothing on wire though) with various bits of precut webbing for threading.
Soon after getting my supply, I think in the Spring of '68, I headed up, heart all a-twitter, with my little Joe Brown nut collection but without pitons or hammer, to do battle with the mighty Double Crack in the Gunks. (In 1968, it was quite a bit mightier than it is now.) I guess I was supposed to be feeling all those good vibes that come from clean climbing and natural protection, even though the terms had yet to be coined. But mostly, I was quaking to to find myself high on the cliff without any of the tools I knew and trusted to protect me from the consequences of a fall, fiddling with little wedgie thingies threaded with what looked more and more like gift-wrap ribbon as I got higher and higher.
I didn't fall, so none of those ribbons had a chance to snap. But the idea that you could do American climbs with just nuts became plausible, an idea that grew and prospered for a while, until cams changed the game yet again.
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Raydog
Trad climber
Boulder Colorado
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May 20, 2007 - 05:54pm PT
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Dolt stuff in the Neptune museum
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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May 20, 2007 - 07:35pm PT
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Thanks Rgold- the mystery of the Joe Brown selection is solved. No tiny brass hex, bummer. It really took balls to use those nuts!
Ray- nice post from Neptune's wall. Pay particular notice to the two examples of Grooveynuts (Gruvynuts?) just right of the pair of hooks. An integral axle design, the Grooveynut stopped just short of three-way brilliance by leaving one pair of planes untapered. Beautiful bit of design and milling work early on. The right hand one is the most refined, the left a prototype I think.
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Raydog
Trad climber
Boulder Colorado
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May 20, 2007 - 08:54pm PT
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Steve I'll shoot some more of Gary's hardware selection - it's great and kinda amazing to read your analysis - there was a number of items on this wall.
Later this week for sure.
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healyje
Trad climber
Portland, Oregon
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May 20, 2007 - 09:59pm PT
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Larry DeAngelo is still climbing on that threaded Dolt stuff on the bottom of the board. He had about three/four pieces threaded on each of several 1" shoulder slings when I was out with him a just before the Sushifest...
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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May 20, 2007 - 10:16pm PT
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Dolt Colornuts. Kids these days just don't value a runner. LOL
I just noticed the micropiton displayed on the blue tag. Never seen one of those before!
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Raydog
Trad climber
Boulder Colorado
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May 20, 2007 - 10:24pm PT
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I'll see if I can get some close ups of it later this week.
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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May 20, 2007 - 11:02pm PT
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While we are talking Dolt gear, this piton has been my trusty nut tool and crack scratcher as long as I can remember. Note the distinctive elongated eye shape. The blade tip is worn from excavating hundreds of tiny nut placements as small as they come!
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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May 27, 2007 - 01:27pm PT
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After 1972, the well hung clean climber looked like this. Slung hexes, open wire stoppers and sit harness.
1975 was a banner year for clean climbing. Chouinard introduced the wired hex #1-#3 that greatly expanded their use. Previously, one had to sling the tiny nuggets with the daintiest of perlon inevitably battling the eraserhead at the bend. Once slung, the smallest hex could only be placed sideways effectively. The tiny shoe lace perlon was also less than inspiring. The cable and shrink tubing changed everything.
For those of you who are still cursing your wired hexes as useless, a few tricks to change your mind. Wired hexes have to be slightly modified before use.
The hex on the right is a #1 off the shelf. The hex on the left is a properly modified #2. The cable must be bent to allow the wide attitude (largest exposed faces) to dominate. The modified wired hex can then be slotted easily. The shrink tubing also allows the hex to be placed and removed in line with the rail.
While this cable slipping trick also works for stoppers, it turns a wired hex into a keyhole placement wonder. The compact size allows easier rotation once the hex has been maneuvered into the wider interior of the keyhole slot. Keyhole placements are perfect directionals and I always look to turn any wires when possible to enhance security.
The modern wired hexes (far right) have a more supple wire cable and unnecessary taper in the sideways orientation that makes the older ones more useful IMO. Try them, you will like them!
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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1975 also ushered in the Arsenal, the finest and most comprehensive selection of Stoppers ever made available #1 - #81/2, sixteen in all.
The half sizes were coveted items especially once they went out of production. I even remember JB going table to table in C4 trying to scrape up a 5 1/2 at one point, usually not his style even in need. The Arsenal greatly expanded the availability of reliable clean protection by allowing precision crack fitting.
From the great ebay vault, an intact and spotless Arsenal three decades later!
I can't wait to place these puppies! My ragged old set has been out of use since I switched to Frostworks Sentinel nuts for cable peace of mind!
A few other items showed up or saw further refinement in 75.
The clean climbing revolution was now in full gear!
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Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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maybe we should have a "National Nut and Hex Day" where you go out with only nuts and hexes and climb your favorite lines...
...of course, we'd probably be sued for endangering the public.
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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I read an account of a Wind Rivers trip involving YC not long ago. As the author was preparing the backcountry rack, YC kept nixing the cams and other modernities ("we don't need those heavy things") until he distilled it down to the classic old school rack. The old gear adage that "some climbers need a little to do a lot while others need a lot to do little" rung true again with the old schoolmaster himself. Keep it simple!
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