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marty(r)
climber
beneath the valley of ultravegans
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Topic Author's Reply - Oct 19, 2005 - 10:34pm PT
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ClimbAZ has a looong tribute to the 72 Chouinard catalog at :
http://climbaz.com/chouinard72/ch_cover.html
If you happen to be around Boulder, Neptune has a copy on a lanyard for folks to check out.
Sometimes East Side Books in Bishop gets in old copies of Ascent and Mountain. I've picked up several great editions there. Beats the hell out of eBay.
Um, Mountain 106 with the shots of Mike Geller OWing in San Diego, and Charles Cole's piece on Queen of Spades will make you shake for hours.
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the Fet
Trad climber
Loomis, CA
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Oct 28, 2005 - 02:38pm PT
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Five Days and Nights on the Lost Arrow. Anton Nelson. 1948
Not only did this climb shift climbing from a summit mentality to a 'it's how you do it that counts' mentality and usher in rock climbing as opposed to mountaineering in America; the article addressed many of the ethics/style issues we still argue about incessantly.
Some excerpts:
Justification for the use of expansion bolts is not required on a climb as the Arrow. They are a waste of time, however, as a ladder up just any sheer cliff. They are never a substitute for pitons. Their use is fair, it seems, when one is bridging a holdless, flawless, high-angle rock face on sound rock to a place where pitons or holds can again be used.
Bombproof belays were in order and unprotected leads of more than 10 or 15 feet were out of order...the leader would take a controlled fall and go right back to work.
Danger must be met - indeed, it must be used - to an extent beyond that incurred in normal life. That is one reason men climb; for only in response to a challenge does a man become his best. Yet any do-or-die endeavors are to be condemned. Life is more precious than victory.
One thing that in not an adequate motive for climbing; this is egotism or pride. Yes, most of us who climb usually play to the crowd, as such an article as this may demonstrate. However, mere self-assertion alone has a low breaking point. The keep going day after day under heart-sickening strenuousness requires a bigger, more powerful faith than in oneself or in any concept of superiority.
Human limitations are indeed more serious than the natural ones to be faced.
End excerpts.
Also the circumstances of the first ascent party are inspiring. Two former competitors joining together to make an ascent of the Arrow, in good style, starting at the base of the wall. That to me is the Spirit of Yosemite. Competition driving standards and accomplishments ever higher with animosity taking a back seat. It's kind of like speed records today. When someone beats someone elses speed record, the first party now has an even loftier goal to aspire to. Bitchin' if you ask me.
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Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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Nov 24, 2007 - 07:49pm PT
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In this thread I learned of the existence of the Dick Dorworth essay "Night Driving; Invention of the Wheel & Other Blues" and tried to find a copy. Even emailed the current editor of Mountain Gazette all to no avail...
....thanks to [url="http://www.supertopo.com/climbing/thread.html?topic_id=483648&msg=483689#msg483689"]TKingsbury[/url] in the "How Long Does it Take to Drive to South America" thread I learned of the new anthology of stories from Dick Dorworth. It came soon after I ordered it (like 2 days!) and so far it has been a wonderful read.
The essay itself "Night Driving; Invention of the Wheel & Other Blues" is evocative of every long night drive I have ever taken... a sort of moving meditation technique, as the world slowly closes in around you, light failing, and your partners dozing off into sleep, the lights of the dashboard, the reflectors on the road beating their optical rhythms, the music playing, and time unfolding as you guide the projectile on its path...
...anyway, you should get the book and read it, cover to cover...
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marky
climber
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Nov 24, 2007 - 08:26pm PT
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can't recall exactly, but mayb someone remembers the article in which L-T Flores or maybe YC wrote about the "super-alpinist" who would develop his skills in Yosemite and then export them to the greater ranges
also, an article on Mendel-north face published in some defunct publication
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slobmonster
Trad climber
berkeley, ca
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Nov 24, 2007 - 11:39pm PT
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Jeff Long's "Running Stairs" still haunts me.
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healyje
Trad climber
Portland, Oregon
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Nov 24, 2007 - 11:49pm PT
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What was that trilogy of articles in Climbing back in the seventies called something like "Climbing Reconsidered" and had Taylor's Kilimonjaro epic, Scott and Bonnington's stroll down the Ogre, and a third happy story I can't remember right off the top of my head. I believe it was in the same issue that had some extreme skiing obits. That trilogy is way up there for me...
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mojede
Trad climber
Butte, America
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Nov 25, 2007 - 12:09am PT
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I'm influenced by anything that gets me motivated to go into the unexplored regions of my area and find/climb new stone.
So far it's netted me over 15,000 vertical feet of FA in the A-B wilderness. Always looking for the next inspirational read.
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Jim Wilcox
Boulder climber
Santa Barbara
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Nov 25, 2007 - 12:19am PT
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Yosemite Climber
I'll admit that I like to look at the pictures ;)
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Doug Robinson
Trad climber
Santa Cruz
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Nov 25, 2007 - 12:43am PT
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[copied out of Ascent 1973. I'll post more soon]
THE INNOCENT
THE IGNORANT
AND THE INSECURE
The Rise or Fall
Of the
Yosemite Decimal System
By Jim Bridwell
Downtrating the difficulty of climbs is an insidious and debilitating practice, but it is not a new game in the climbing world. Its history is long, but it has recently gained new popularity in Yosemite Valley. The reasoning behind downrating varies, but the results are the same, a breakdown of reliability in the basic climbing language.
Practitioners of downrating fall into three main types: the innocent, the ignorant, and the insecure. We are not too concerned with the first because of its rarity. The second can be cured through education. The third is extremely difficult to remedy, as it is based in a fundamental emotional immaturity; its roots are in the instincts of all individuals.
The Yosemite Decimal System (YDS) is founded upon the accepted ratings of individual climbs by the founding fathers of the system. In order to have a system, it is necessary to respect the ratings that form its foundation. Units of time are not changed because some people run the mile faster than others. Chaos would result if everyone’s watch had different length minutes. It is not possible to rely on a rating system unless order is maintained within it.
Granted, rating a climb is relatively abstract. Fair rating of a climb implies a moral obligation, on the part of the climber, to consciously be as accurate as possible. A climber who downrates is stating that he is better than another climber. It is a practice as old as the first war. If a climber says a climb is 5.9 that another climber says is 5.10, then the first climber must be better. This is an example of individual competitive climbing.
Group pride, or the pack instinct, exhibits itself when an entire area is downrated. The climbers here are better than the climbers there, because the climbs here are rated harder. Some climbs in certain areas are rated 5.10 or 5.10+ though they have been climbed only once or twice, after innumerable attempts by one of the area’s foremost climbers. This could be a gross mistake, or it could be a gross ego-trip.
The most common motivation behind downrating is protection of the downrater’s self-image. Avoid the ridicule of having one’s climbs downrated. Downrate first and be safe. This type of game causes its most dedicated players to fool even themselves. Move rating is an outgrowth of this syndrome. Breaking a pitch into individual moves and rating the pitch by the hardest move is nonsense. A hundred foot lieback with no move over 5.9, but none under 5.8, and with no place to rest is not a 5.9 pitch!
At present 5.10 and 5.11 are the most abused ratings. This is because these are the most prestigious free-climbing categories, and also, because they are the most vulnerable to anatomical idiosyncracies.
[……..to be continued…..]
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Doug Robinson
Trad climber
Santa Cruz
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Nov 25, 2007 - 10:00pm PT
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Thanks, Ed
You've got 'em all there. Nice!
My copying's not wated, though. I'd been rereading Jim's piece a month ago, appreciating it as bold and clean; typing it out was a good meditation.
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Jello
Social climber
No Ut
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Nov 25, 2007 - 10:05pm PT
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"Climber As Visionary", Doug...when you gonna finish the book?
-JelloWantsToReadIt
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Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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Nov 26, 2007 - 02:03am PT
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it was meditative for me too.... and a different way to learn the pieces...
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Tomcat
Trad climber
Chatham N.H.
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Nov 26, 2007 - 07:30am PT
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'72 Chouinard...yes! Still fun to tell Tradchick about those wooden shafted Zeros,the pine tar and klister and wool mittens.Quite a departure.I recall reading about chalk,but not knowing the purpose at the time.
Not an essay,per se,but CLIMB Colorado affected me deeply.I spent perhaps a hundred hours studying every aspect,every climb,every climber,every rack.
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Watusi
Social climber
Newport, OR
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Nov 26, 2007 - 07:39am PT
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I saw at the beginning of this thread that Juan de Fuca mentioned "Valley Boys" from Rolling Stone...It was kind of funny...
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ontheedgeandscaredtodeath
Trad climber
San Francisco, Ca
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Nov 26, 2007 - 12:40pm PT
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An article about climbing in N. Az. published in R&I circa 1987. It included topos of sandstone spire climbs in Sedona, which I, a newbie college boy climber hacking it out on 5.8s at the overlook, did not know existed. These mysterious climbs, put up by low key and hard climbing locals, captured my imagination and changed the direction of my climbing.
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Doug Robinson
Trad climber
Santa Cruz
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Nov 26, 2007 - 01:38pm PT
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Hi Jeff,
The Alchemy of Action is stalled but not forgotten. I've been making films, which you know is a black hole for time and attention, though fun and seductive -- such a powerful medium.
Filmed last summer on a brilliant new route on the South Face of Half Dome pushed by Sean Jones and Sarah Watson. Article with good photos in the next Rock & Ice, due out next week or two. I'm excited about the piece, since it sweeps up 40 years of history of the whole backside of the Dome -- everything but the NW Face.
So I've been writing a lot this year, like working the script for Half Dome. That film includes a lot more than the South Face FA. I have good interview with Royal about the 1957 FA of the NW Face, footage of both his partners and their homemade pins, and Bridwell yarning the FA of the Snake Dike. Both of those climbs are in it. So is a chunk of the material from the Alchemy book, about why climbing gets us high.
Every week or so I add a little writing to the Alchemy book. It gets closer, but honestly isn't a priority right now. Making a living, you know...
But...I want to read it too! Back to work...
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TGT
Social climber
So Cal
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Nov 26, 2007 - 11:31pm PT
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The 72 opus.
The hammer became an unused and soon to be discarded appendage after that.
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Jello
Social climber
No Ut
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Nov 26, 2007 - 11:38pm PT
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Well, Doug, I do understand. My own project: THE ART OF RISK, has been simmering and boiling over in fits and starts for years, now, too. Still, you've always inspired me in word and deed and thought. When the ALCHEMY OF ACTION finally sees print, i know the wait will be worth it.
'Til then, toil on, lad, toil on. Just like we all must do.
-PatientJello
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Doug Robinson
Trad climber
Santa Cruz
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Nov 27, 2007 - 12:02am PT
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Thanks, Jeff
Can you tell us a bit about The Art of Risk?
Sounds a bit similar. Guess you could call mine "The Reward of Risk." The literal, perceptual, juicing-up-brain-hormones, gettin' all excited and paradoxically serene at the same time.
Which aspect(s) of risk are you working?
 Just An Excitable DR
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