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Ed Bannister
Mountain climber
Riverside, CA
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Topic Author's Reply - Sep 2, 2009 - 04:25pm PT
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PAs were imported and distributed by Royal Robbins, so he would be the one to fill in the blanks on the PA and the RR for that matter.
Mike Sturm was quite a guy, he had Stanley and later his son Peter Brozek in Pasadena make the Eiger and later the Liberty carabiner, what a piece of junk. When I went to work for Liberty as Technical product manager, I had KC Putnam deal with Brozek, I did not want to be associated in any way with that carabiner, and yes, if you still have any, take them off your rack.
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duncan
Trad climber
London, UK
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Bourdonneau originally made shoes for Pierre Allain, then set up on his own, hence the similarity between the blue/grey EBs and red/black PAs. EBs had a Microsoftesque market domination (in the UK at least) from the 60s to 1980. None of the occasional competitors approached their standard and all were swiftly crushed underfoot.
Around 1980, Bourdonneau switched to a moulded rubber sole to speed-up production. A marketing move even more disastrous than New Coke. The new versions were completely shit! Their bulbous toes had a void which meant they lost their legendary feel and edging power and the rubber was anti-sticky. Desperate climbers drove around the country buying multiples of remaining stock in their size.
Finally, there was an opportunity for competitors and several pretenders were found brief favour before Firés arrived. The market had changed for ever though and no one brand ever ruled in the way EBs did.
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Ray-J
Social climber
east L.A. vato...
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Can understand a prototype not working out,
part of the process.
But, that the "master" bootmakers actually missed
how totally BAD the moulded sole was - even though
it was obvious to many just by looking - destroyed the
brands credibility and short term market monopoly.
Too bad really, not a bad looking product.
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Gobee
Trad climber
Los Angeles
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Hey eKat, where you working there when Mike Pope was there?
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Gobee
Trad climber
Los Angeles
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More like SMEDGEING, your stepping on it!
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TrundleBum
Trad climber
Las Vegas
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ditto what Jaybro said:
1st pair of frictions were PA's then on to EB's.
One season in the Valley I was in need of a 'get to the end of the season' shoe, for cheap.
I got a pair off a Frenchman in camp, for 20 bucks.
They were called 'Paragot'.
Named after yet another famous Frenchman.
Not a bad shoe, a little thick in the toe area but good rubber, a steal of a deal @ $20.00
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Russ S.
climber
Seattle, WA
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The techniques we learned for climbing in EB's could also be lost after a few years of climbing with sticky rubber. In the early 90's 3 of us were at the upper Town Wall at Index and decided to climb "Bravo Jean Marc, 5.11a". One of the guys had just bought an unused pair of EB's (blue/white) to remember/perverse the old days. This was a route he could walk in sticky rubber and evidently well within his ability BITD.
His current technique had learned to rely on the characteristics of modern shoes, so he ended up flailing and I don't think ever made the crux. Naturally after changing shoes, he floated the route.
What was learned, can be forgotten....
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Ed Bannister
Mountain climber
Riverside, CA
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Topic Author's Reply - Sep 2, 2009 - 05:16pm PT
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eKat,
i still own a pair of new looking eb's size 43.
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klk
Trad climber
cali
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They were called 'Paragot'.
Named after yet another famous Frenchman.
That would be Robert Paragot, as in West Pillar of Makalu among others.
20 bux must've been the going rate, 'cuz that's what I paid for a pair in C4. They were wider than the EBs, with a gray leather and vermilion canvas upper. They had a natural-colored sole (like an eraser), that didn't heat up as quickly as that black EB rubber.
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Gobee
Trad climber
Los Angeles
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EB's, one foot on a Banana peal the other on a skateboard!
Crusher styling in EB's,
Stoney
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Michael Lecky
Mountain climber
Harvard, MA
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Aug 30, 2011 - 11:30am PT
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I believe that all those shoes were manufactured by Galibier, but I could be wrong. I climbed in PA's, named after Pierre Allain, which had red uppers, and, as I remember, 90 durometer soles. Then along came the 60-durometer EB's, which blew the PA's out of the water in terms of smearing, although the PA's edged better. There was also the "RR," for Royal Robins, which was designed for aid climbing. A bright blue boot with a stiff shank that would provide comfort while standing in etriers. There was also an RD, and a BB, as I dimly remember, but it's all a bit fuzzy.
All the aforementioned shoes were "high tops," in current sneaker parlance.
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throwpie
Trad climber
Berkeley
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Aug 30, 2011 - 11:48am PT
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If you glued leather onto the canvas uppers, they would last more than a week.
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ambrose
Trad climber
Magalia, CA
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Aug 30, 2011 - 12:27pm PT
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I always thought it was ego booster. I bought a pair in modesto on the way up to the valley and led shakey flakes
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Rick Linkert
Trad climber
El Dorado Hills CA
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Aug 30, 2011 - 01:57pm PT
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I thought it has something to do with "Excruciatingly Buttwrenchinglypainfull." At the time, however, they were magical. One of the most terrifying pre-EB days I can recall was an outing on Patio Pinnacle in a pair of brand new Royal Robbins blue suede shoes. It was like climbing with anesthetized feet and glued on linoleum soles. I also learned that applying a liberal amount of suntan lotion without thoroughly washing one's hands does not mix well with climbing.
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JEleazarian
Trad climber
Fresno CA
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Aug 30, 2011 - 02:21pm PT
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I also learned that applying a liberal amount of suntan lotion without thoroughly washing one's hands does not mix well with climbing.
Too funny, Rick! I, too, first climbed Patio in RR's, so I know the feeling quite well.
I knew about EB's from the late 60's when Dolt was selling them, but I had three pairs of PA's first. The first time I tried EB's on the Apron was in spring of 1973. You and someone else (I don't remember who) were on Pt. Beyond Direct, and Richard Harris and I were trying a FA that was to become Cold Fusion. I thought the EB's were magic, and instantly understood why people were referring to them as E.B. Super Cheaters.
To this day, though, I don't think any shoe edged better than a P.A. The rubber was much harder than that of EB's. In fact, in some ways, climbing in PA's was like climbing in a lighter RR, but with a much snugger fit that gave absolute confidence on tiny edges. Of course, smearing was a different story.
John
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Wade Icey
Trad climber
www.alohashirtrescue.com
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Aug 30, 2011 - 02:39pm PT
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Eric Brand. RIP
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Rick Linkert
Trad climber
El Dorado Hills CA
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Aug 30, 2011 - 02:48pm PT
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John-
I agree about PA's and edging- they were great at Indian Rock. My first pair were purchased at Westridge on the way to JT. I laced them up and took off on some OW. I reached the top with bloody ankles and no canvas. It seems like stoneage now, but I remember being irritated to have to hand-stitch leather on every pair of PA's or EB's before using them for any crack climbing.
My shoe list dates me:
Pivetta hiking boots - the kind Chuck Pratt used on Twilight Zone - yikes!
Kronhoffers
Spiders
PA's
RD's
RR's
Gollies
EB's
And the rest is history begining with spanish rubber Fires.
Rick
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SteveW
Trad climber
The state of confusion
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Aug 30, 2011 - 05:27pm PT
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Ambrose had it! Ego Boosters!!!!
(of course, I climbed many classic routes in Colorado and
the in the east in my red/black PA's)!
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Bobert
Trad climber
boulder, Colorado
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Aug 30, 2011 - 08:50pm PT
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I used to buy boxes of EBs from Bourdonneau. My brit friends persisted in calling them PAs. They were, of course PAs before Pierre Allain jumped ship and went to Galibier to produce a vastly inferior shoe. Eduard, realizing he had the real goods figured what the heck? Call em EBs. By any other name they still killed my feet, but the climbing world loved them. And then came Fires.
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