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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Jul 20, 2008 - 01:09pm PT
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This thread is a profile in the making so pitch on in if you like.
I am glad to see that somebody has done the route. I assume that you did the Kamps Higgins free variant not the original right hand finish to the PR ledges.
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Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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Jul 20, 2008 - 01:39pm PT
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well, who's going to sit down with Wally Reed and do an interview? This is something that should be done as Wally is too modest to write up his accounting of those times.
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Jul 20, 2008 - 01:48pm PT
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That would be me and Ken.
Wally was involved in the FA of the Nose and will be a participant in the YCA's 50th Anniversary celebration upcoming on November 8. We will be doing full bios on the six folks in on the Nose that are still around as well as gathering the specifics on their Nose experience. This thread and the Museum show really helps set the stage with any luck at all.
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Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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Jul 20, 2008 - 03:18pm PT
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From Climbing in North America by Chris Jones
pages 204-205, "The Southern Californians" chapter
After this climb the companions went their separate ways. Wilson dropped out of climbing and disappeared to the East Coast. After one more major climb Gallwas also went on to to other things. Powell alone remained dedicated to the sport. His contemporaries, although keen weekend climbers, never lost sight of the importance of completing college and getting a good job. Powell was different. He threw himself into climbing completely and abandoned college. He spent the entire summers of 1956 and 1957 climbing and supporting himself between times by laboring and meter reading. This was a major break with the past. It marked the change from the career man, who climbed on the weekends to the climber who supported his habit as best he could. Several of Powell's contemporaries resented his wholesale dedication to climbing. They considered it a waste of his college potential and characterized him as a "climbing bum."
During the mid-1950s the general level of Yosemite climbing was inexpert. In 1956 two unsuccessful attempts were made to repeat the south-west face of Half Dome, while such hoary favorites as the Higher and Lower Cathedral Spires counted some four ascents each. In contrast to this mediocre performance Robbins and the Southern Californian Mike Sherrick made the third ascent of Sentinel's north face, and Powell established a stunning free climb, Arrowhead Arete (5.8). Powell's pace was quickening. The next summer he and Wally Reed put up several good climbs, most notably the Powell-Reed Route, the first breach in that somber wall. With these ascents Powell effectively brought Tahquitz standards to Yosemite. He free-climbed to the limit, and where he had to use aid, he forced himself to move up on marginal A4 pitons. He made his climbs in a bold, forthright manner, leading them straight off without repeated reconnaissance.
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Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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Jul 20, 2008 - 03:23pm PT
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so one question I always had... about The Rorp, which seems to me an atypical Sacherer FA. I'm wondering if Sacherer was eyeing the Flatus chimney, a more logical Sacherer objective...
...and if he was, why didn't he do it? certainly within his ability at the time (1963).
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JEleazarian
Trad climber
Fresno CA
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Jul 20, 2008 - 04:45pm PT
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You're right, Steve. We went right at about 600-700 feet, rather than nailing up to and aroung the ceiling. There was a flake system (well, more like a narrow ledge in places) leading across to another dihedral. As I remember it, the hard part was getting to that traversing point -- but my memory has doubtless been dulled by the 35 years since we did it.
John
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Jul 20, 2008 - 05:38pm PT
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So, based on the Roper guide photo, did you end up climbing the righthand original "aid variation" or did you follow the Higgins-Kamps left hand free variation?
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JEleazarian
Trad climber
Fresno CA
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Jul 20, 2008 - 07:01pm PT
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Oops! I meant the other right. We took the Kamps-Higgins line to the left (which according to the 1963[red] Roper guide, was already the standard route before Kamps and Higgins freed the route).
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Jul 20, 2008 - 07:35pm PT
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Might have to call Roper on this one! Matter of route gospel and all.
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Anastasia
climber
Not there
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Jul 20, 2008 - 07:38pm PT
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Bump...
Thank You!!!
This is the stuff that keeps me coming back to Super Topo! (Besides L's stories and Lynne's great conversations.)
AF
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LongAgo
Trad climber
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Jul 21, 2008 - 02:34pm PT
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When Kamps and I freed the Powell Reed Route on Middle Cathedral, Bob freed the lower flaky face aid section, and I got to lead the layback crack/cracks. I believe we followed the original aid route ("aid variation") and did not do any free variation pictured trending left in the topo/picture. The reasons I believe this are:
 Kamps was very strict about doing original lines when doing a FFA, not variations, and as the youth under his wing, I went along with his preference. So, when leading, I'd just ask, where next, he'd point, and I'd go.
The picture shows some layback cracks in shadow which I distinctly remember being very hard and hard to stop on and protect. I recall Bob fell twice following one of them, and I let him slide further than I should sitting on a slim ledge and getting yanked partially off, tight to my anchor. We had a nervous laugh there.
Shortly thereafter, Frank Sacherer told me he did the route free but found a way to the left around the nasty layback cracks of the old aid route since he didn’t like the protection difficulty. Maybe, then, the line in the topo to the left was his variation.
This is all from memory. Old diary just says, "FFA with Kamps. 1964."
Tom Higgins
LongAgo
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scuffy b
climber
Sartre's No Exit 1/32 mile
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Jul 21, 2008 - 04:32pm PT
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What a surprise, Tom.
It makes good sense, but...
who expects something like this,
an apparent beta correction 45 years after the fact?
Who suspected two different "variations?"
Thanks
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Jul 21, 2008 - 09:09pm PT
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Thanks for responding to my request for history on the Powell- Reed FFA. Your posts are hearty and extraordinary fare for climbophiles like myself.
Had Bob ever fallen following you before that route? Do you remember enjoying the climbing or was it too improbable to relax much? Any recollection on number of prior ascents before your FFA?
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SteveW
Trad climber
The state of confusion
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Jul 21, 2008 - 11:55pm PT
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Steve, you just keep getting the great stuff out here
for us.
Thanks, BIG TIME!
EDIT
Are you a historian by trade, or only dabbling in it?
Just curious--but keep doing it, either way!
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Jul 22, 2008 - 11:28am PT
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I work with Ken at the YCA and climbing history has long been a passion for me. I haven't quite quit my day job yet though.
Voices of the past, present and future meet at the ST Cafe for a little excitement. Glad you enjoy it!
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SteveW
Trad climber
The state of confusion
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Jul 22, 2008 - 11:34am PT
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Steve
Well, you're doing a pretty spiffy job of it.
I'm actually a history major, haven't really decided
the string, but probably American political history. . .
But really working on the degree in elementary education.
My college doesn't have a major in education, so I had to
choose history as the major and elementary ed as the minor.
Thanks again for all of the great posts.
Perhaps we'll meet at Facelift!
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LongAgo
Trad climber
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Jul 24, 2008 - 06:44pm PT
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Steve,
Sorry to be late tracking this thread. You asked:
Had Bob ever fallen following you before that route?
Do you remember enjoying the climbing or was it too improbable to relax much?
Any recollection on number of prior ascents before your FFA?
Bob and I had our share of falls over the years while climbing together. I don't know, probably some roughly equal share, but I never kept track. We also, for a time, had a "running competition" with one another for broken heels. First me (into North Sea in Scotland), then him (Tuolumne), then me (Indian Rock), then him (Stony Point). We tried to laugh, but it felt like some kind of hex.
To your question, the only other fall around that time I recall was Bob coming off Blanketty Blank at Tahquitz, but he was leading, not following. He took one fall, started over and got it. I had the benefit of watching the funny mantle and so got it without a fall. I remember him razing me about my spending too much time at Stony. Of course, as a young upstart, I was proud and happy to get it and be with Bob, my mentor and guiding light, and wanted with every fiber to keep up with him. But the biggest fall I recall goes to me with Bob belaying on El Camino Real at Tahquitz. I went 50' with pins popping (pins sang going in, but were held only at the neck in inward curving layback crack, it turned out). Finally, one held and I stopped horizontally facing Bob, a mere foot or so above the belay ledge/bush. Being young and driven at the time, I hardly realized how close to disaster I came, and just went up again and led it without another fall. Bob followed no falls. Later, I learned Bob was rattled not just by my fall but at least two other big ones he held while climbing with others around that time. He got over it, but I think we both gradually learned seeing and holding a big fall can be worse than falling itself.
As for FFA of PR on Middle, we were nervous at the beginning with such a big wall in front of us and a fair amount of reported aid we hoped to free, but got more into it and excited as all started to go nicely over rock so colorful and inviting. I didn't much like the layback section getting a good away from the pro and all, but saw a ledge I was heading for, felt pretty strong and just went for it. A few times that strategy got me into trouble, but not this time. Overall, our spirits kept rising the higher we got and the climb was within reason given our skills of the day.
I don't know how many times the route had been done when we did the FFA, but I suspect we did either the second ascent or one of the few early repeats. I say that because Mark Powell told us he wasn't aware of any repeats at the time we headed off, but maybe he wasn’t up to date.
Tom Higgins
LongAgo
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Jul 24, 2008 - 09:27pm PT
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Thanks for the background Tom. I was curious about just how hard the climbing was if it gave Bob real trouble. Hats off to your prowess on that day!
The gimpy ankle competition is too funny. Bob must have had some doubts about the whole show seeing as he quit for a spell after holding a Sacherer fifty footer and thought himself a cursed belayer as the story goes! Hard to imagine these days but one had to wonder where the real limits of the hip belay were every time you held a real sizzler back then.
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Jul 27, 2008 - 01:33pm PT
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Since the Nose is on the table, Roper had this to say by way of comparison and contrast with Harding.
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Strider
Trad climber
one of god's mountain temples....
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Jul 27, 2008 - 03:16pm PT
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What an amazing day! I just got back from my first trip to Tahquitz 9 hours ago and I read this...
Tom said: "But the biggest fall I recall goes to me with Bob belaying on El Camino Real at Tahquitz. I went 50' with pins popping (pins sang going in, but were held only at the neck in inward curving layback crack, it turned out). Finally, one held and I stopped horizontally facing Bob, a mere foot or so above the belay ledge/bush. Being young and driven at the time, I hardly realized how close to disaster I came, and just went up again and led it without another fall. Bob followed no falls. "
While we were there we did El Camino (actually did it yesterday) and I remember thinking, as I was lie-backing the flake, about how hard it would be to hold on with one hand, place a pin, hammer it home and then continue climbing. Now I get home and read this story! Thanks for sharing it Tom.
the view looking down El Camino Real as of yesterday:
-n
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