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guido
Trad climber
Santa Cruz/New Zealand/South Pacific
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Feb 10, 2010 - 11:59pm PT
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Not sure Jan, but I always thought it was "Oh Shi#t Oh God," as he flew past Sacherer?
I guess Roper could set us straight on this right now?
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Mighty Hiker
climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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Feb 11, 2010 - 12:12am PT
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The story is related on pps. 131 & 132 of Camp 4. It's quite colourful, and includes some apparent quotes, but not that mentioned. One is "A rope!" I screamed. "Jesus, on that little slope? You think Buhl would want a rope? No rope! Besides, if you fall off, you'll drag me down with you!" Nothing about a bon mot as he slid.
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mark miller
Social climber
Reno
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Feb 11, 2010 - 12:17am PT
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Heck Tar My Green Guide is older then that...78'..? I loaned my Valley guide to someone, I don't recall and regret it. There are some routes in there that are no longer advertised that I really want to do. Fortunately Shack has a copy of the valley guide and scans me pages....The 50 Classic climbs, Hardcover is more worn out then any porno mag I've ever had...Mr. Ropers 5.4's (as I mentioned many times before on ST) are solid 5.9's or even .10a's ...That crazy Bastard,.I've left more gear trying to save my own Arse on some of his guide book routes then if you stole my entire rack. Steve was the "Shizzle", and we all owe him a bit of gratitude for sharing his knowledge of "the Hills' with us in guide book form...."Move left about 20' around some chossy stuff and continue up a right facing corner to an improbable overhang, passed easily on the right side"........Holy shite...Right there Mr. Roper deserves a Pulitzer Prize....
He also climbed things in about a third of the time us "Armchair Weekend warriors" can manage to drag are own butts up even with modern rubber and gear....Thanks Steve. We are Knott worthy.
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SteveW
Trad climber
The state of confusion
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Feb 11, 2010 - 01:00am PT
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Bump for Mr. Roper!!!!
I have a couple of the green guides--my original from about
'75 or so, and a mint copy I picked up for $1.99 at a thrift shop
a couple of weeks ago. Ordeal by Piton is great, as are the
Ascents he helped edit.
Go Steve!!!!
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Dennis Hennek
climber
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Feb 11, 2010 - 01:02am PT
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Dear Steve,
Guido has told some amazing stories through the years,
I'm not sure, knowing Guido, if they are all true but I would love to
hear about your ascent of the West Buttress of El Cap with Kor again.
Its probably on some thread somewhere but I haven't found it.
Do you remember that climb? and would you share the story with us.
All the best, Dennis
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Reilly
Mountain climber
Monrovia, CA
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Feb 11, 2010 - 01:05am PT
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I was so stoked last summer to see his name in the Four Gables
summit register from about 4 years ago. Then I saw where he noted how
he had reached Four Gables from the west via some route probably known only to him.
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guido
Trad climber
Santa Cruz/New Zealand/South Pacific
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Feb 11, 2010 - 02:46am PT
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In reference to Hennek's recent post about Roper and the first ascent of the West Buttress of El Cap I will enclose a couple of letters that may provide a little insight into this route and some of the characters involved.
The first is from Jeff Foott and relates to Beck and Harper working on the route with Kor and the second is from Roper while working for Uncle Sam. Of all the letters I have from Roper this is probably the most innocent and will readily pass the ST censor team. There is also an interesting side note on Watkins.
"It's the truth Hennek, even if it never happened it's the truth."
If someone has a scanner it would be interesting to enclose what Roper has to say in his book on Camp 4, about the ascent.
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Tom
Big Wall climber
San Luis Obispo CA
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Feb 11, 2010 - 02:58am PT
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Even after topo books are available, the green Roper's Valley book is still quite valuable. It explains approaches and descents, and can lure you off to some forgotten gem, to get paid off very well for the effort. Absolutely Free comes to mind, as something not topoized, but very nice.
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survival
Big Wall climber
A Token of My Extreme
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Feb 12, 2010 - 02:00am PT
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Those letters are priceless!
It looks like there was a lot more going on surrounding that route than I ever knew.
Beck having "enough" of Kor, Kor's "sh*tty" bolts, whippers, Pratt and Robbins attempt, the army.... wheeee!
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survival
Big Wall climber
A Token of My Extreme
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Feb 12, 2010 - 11:19am PT
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"It's the truth Hennek, even if it never happened it's the truth."
That's a good one. I had a friend in the military who would tell these outrageous tales, and then when someone would say, "Wow, did that really happen?" He would say "No,....but it COULD have!"
I'm serious Guido, I've brought this up before, about the letters. Are you just a mail hoarder, or did you know that these letters would be important someday or what?
I love that Roper letter from the Army. Man, I've been there!
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Eric Beck
Sport climber
Bishop, California
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Feb 12, 2010 - 12:02pm PT
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I had the good fortune of climbing with Steve regularly my first season in the valley. This was mostly research for the first Yosemite guide.
Regarding the quote "I'm having it", I can't say whether Steve did actually say this on his ice fall with Frank, however, Steve had previously related that someone whose name I forget used this expression while taking a 20 footer on the south face of Rixon's.
In the spring of 63, I think, Chouinard appeared and Steve suggested that they do Half Dome, to which Yvon replied "Half Dome is a sh!t climb", let's do the Salathe Wall. This failed due to their haul bag being shredded on the slabs. They had even anticipated this and wrapped it in a burlap sack, but to no avail. They fortunately had bolts, not knowing the quality of the first ascent bolts, which they needed for the rappels from the Heart.
Robbins, upon hearing of this attempt, said they would fail on the 5th pitch, an A4 seam followed by 5.9 face climbing. He said "Yvon is too short and Roper too chickensh!t". Steve led this pitch easily.
We got a limerick out of this:
Chouinard was a man very small
On Sundays he won't climb at all //a reference to Yvon's catholicism
He'd rather stay home than do sh!t climbs like Half Dome
and got turned off the Salathe Wall
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Jan
Mountain climber
Okinawa, Japan
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Feb 13, 2010 - 10:53am PT
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Here's what Steve has to say about the 600 foot Dome slide now.
Hi, Jan. I simply can't remember what I screamed. Certainly I swore--and I had quite a bit of time at the start of the fall since I was manfully trying a self-arrest. So I might well have done the "having it" scream a few hundred feet down. Makes for a great story, and let's go with it! SR
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Roger Breedlove
climber
Cleveland Heights, Ohio
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Feb 13, 2010 - 11:23am PT
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Morning Jan, (I guess it is evening for you)
Please tell Steve that it is against all decency to have you shill for him. He should man-up and post his own, carefully wrought lies--the rest of us do (excluding you, of course).
I would post my own lies about Steve, but everything I know about him is true.
This gets confusing.
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survival
Big Wall climber
A Token of My Extreme
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Feb 13, 2010 - 11:33am PT
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HA HA HA HA HA HA HHHAAAAAA!!!
Good one Roger.
MAN UP STEVE!
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Jan
Mountain climber
Okinawa, Japan
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Feb 13, 2010 - 01:10pm PT
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Roger-
Steve is a great story teller, but decency and decorum? I think not.
Especially the decorum part.
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Mighty Hiker
climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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Feb 13, 2010 - 01:13pm PT
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If this was FaceBook, it would now report that Steve has been "poked".
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Roger Breedlove
climber
Cleveland Heights, Ohio
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Feb 13, 2010 - 01:57pm PT
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Hi Jan,
Steve is an excellent story teller, and he has an encyclopedic knowledge of all things climbing. Most impressively he still has a razored wit, and I can attest to his ability to keep that fine hone well past sobriety, not that anyone drinks anymore.
If Steve ever decides to join in directly, he'll have everyone hooked. Although he has published the most of his generation, I think he could fill several more volumes in the ST format with his stories plus the countless stories he has been told first hand.
But, I don’t hold out too much hope. When I asked Steck why Steve hadn’t come to the Nose50 reunion, Allen rolled his eyes and told me that “I’ve given up on Roper.”
Apparently, after all these years, Yvon was right.
Heehe.
With friends like these, who needs...
...thousands more.
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Jan
Mountain climber
Okinawa, Japan
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Feb 13, 2010 - 02:11pm PT
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Let's hope Steve's using his hermitage to get more writing done!
Meanwhile one of the people who had the best stock of Roper stories was Layton,
and I'm going to visit him in early April this year so Steve better be prepared!
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BBA
Social climber
West Linn OR
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Feb 13, 2010 - 05:03pm PT
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Steve keeps a journal. Has for many years as writers are prone to do. I have a page or two he sent to me about Starr King a few years back. Now if he were to publish his journal plus additional remembrances...
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guido
Trad climber
Santa Cruz/New Zealand/South Pacific
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Feb 13, 2010 - 05:19pm PT
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This is from the Porcelain Wall Thread I posted a while back.
These shots of our beloved SR are from a trip in the "Year of the Flood", sometimes in the late 90s(?) to duplicate the famous Adams shot of the NW Face. Roper, myself and Jeff Foott. It was an excellent trip,not without its own excitement, but more about that later.
"Beneath the Diving Board lies a formidable wall-The Porcelain Wall"- Roper
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