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WBraun
climber
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 21, 2006 - 10:35pm PT
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Hey keep it up bros, so vedy interesting
Some awesome photos there too .......
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bvb
Social climber
flagstaff arizona
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Feb 21, 2006 - 10:36pm PT
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Nice shot of JL on the Ripper
my favorite thing about the pic is that gill took it! he was a natural talent as a photog. and as this pic demonstrates, he still has an eye for a pleasing image.
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bvb
Social climber
flagstaff arizona
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Feb 21, 2006 - 10:38pm PT
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Damm, that has got to be a jewel! Kamps on blanketty blank
off topic, but i'll dig the sucker up and post it.
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bvb
Social climber
flagstaff arizona
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Feb 21, 2006 - 10:59pm PT
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on topic: henny penny wrote earlier about how the stonemasters were the start of an unbroken chain of generations of climbers, and a way of approaching the sport, that was passed on through folklore and example and gestalt, something that continues in many quarters to this day...i know people in their teens and 20's who have never even heard of the stonemasters but emulate them in every way. it does my heart good.
well, if darrel considers himself second generation, i guess i'm third, even if i did do valhalla in '76 and new gen in '77. things were happening so fast back then, a year was a lifetime...
anyway, the first time i climbed with DH was at suicide in the spring of '77. i was up there with acouple of buddies, one of whom was guy andrews -- maybe some of you remember him, he died in '79 along with with chuck bloodworth on the summit of aconcagua after completing the first alpine-style ascent of the south face -- anyway, DH was up at suicide fishing for a belay and we hooked up with him. we sort of knew each other as mike paul had introduced me to KP the year before, and we'd been seeing one another around at the crags for a couple of years at that point.
anyway, i'd forgotten my shoes but luckily was wearing scats. i led pink royd, and hensel remarked that it was a "good lead". my head grew about 10 sizes. we decided since we had a ropegun on our hands we should do some routes that we'd never done, so darrel lead up up obscured by clouds, then seasons end with the direct finish. i only skidded once on season's end, in the scats, and on top DH expressed his amazement that i'd even gotten off first base on the thing.
point is...the baton of mutual encouragement, and just climbing to impress yourself first, and your freinds a close second, was in retrospect so palapable in those days that in retrospect i'm glad we were oblivious to it. it was truly such a wonderful time in our lives. there were so many good years to come, and even today i feel like i enjoy the best times of my life, but if i had to strip away all the veneer i'd have to say that '73 to '79, my core years in idylwild, were the years that defined the prson i would become today. and the stonemaster ethic, if we can call it that, was the template.
this thread brings back so many wonderful memories...
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m.
Trad climber
UT
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Feb 21, 2006 - 11:19pm PT
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Wow. I've entered a timewarp! It is absolutely fabulous to read your posts, gentlemen- I've spent the last hour laughing my head off and enjoying my fond memories of just about every person who's posting on this thread...and, of course, of the terrific routes and magical areas (Valhalla, New Gen, Etude, Flower, the Prow, Mt. Rubidoux, Josh....) that drew us irrevocably into the climbing life. If any of youse guys visit Salt Lake, give me a ring. Largo, I too have some entertaining stories about you, for your collection.
warm regards to all,
mariah.
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Largo
Sport climber
Venice, Ca
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Feb 21, 2006 - 11:21pm PT
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Man, you guys really have some archive shots. I never had a camera during all those routes, and only have a few pics. But that's okay since the memories are strong.
I can't remember how I came across the lowtop EB idea but soon as I did I never went back. They looked sort of cave since I cut the tops off with a steak knife, but I liked the results.
Dynamo Hum--I think--is a super thin crack behind Camp 4 that I did with Tobin. I think it's 11d, which ain't bad for the 70s. The crux is the start which would probably be 5.12 if it was not just off the ground. I remember having to use a face edge on the top, thin bit because I couldn't get my meat hooks in the seam.
The Calf--an ancient bolt ladder on the Apron--was one of my first 1st Free Ascents in the Valley. I first tried it with Henry Barber, who couldn't do any of it because it was so different than Gunks stuff (all dime cranking), plus his shoes were shot (RDs). I think I later did it all with Jim Wilson--but I can't remember. Gotta wonder how hard that thing really is--I have no idea.
I'd really like to see that old shot of Kamps on Blankety Blank. I remember doing that really early on with Richard--when we were just kids. The crux (by a bolt) seemed easy compared to the sketchy 5.10 down low on the first pitch. I rememeber Richard banging in tied-off pegs on that first bit. I think more than a few guys hit the ground working out the opening sequence. I later did a direct finish to that route (with Beverly Johnson, of all people)--no harder than the lower crux but it added a bit more hard climbing to it. Vogle got a good one with Fred, off to the left. Wilma, in the same area, is harder, but not nearly as good as the opening pitch of Fred, which as I recall is classic Tahquitz 11.a. Pisses me off I never saw that line befor RV did. I could bitch slap him for bagging that gem first.
Human Fright is another pretty good one I freed with Mike Lechlinski (SP??), just right of Blankety Blank. I think that one's close to 5.12 with a rusty old LA at the crux. I think Eric Erickson was with us. Back then he was so skinny we didn't drive him to Idylwild--we faxed him there.
Jesus, I haven't thought about any of this shite in ages . . .
Oh, yeah. How about the Hangover. Now that's one exciting off the deck boulder problem. Wonder how often that gets done? Had to make three trips on that one to get it in one go. First with Bear Squared; next with Wangh; finally go it with with Mari belaying. I think I might have even been up there with Rob and Mike L. You can tension over to the arete and crank it at 5.11, but doing that flying sideways mo to the arete, and sticking it, was the shiz-at. And I was really into that kind of climbing at the time ('78). Who knows how hard it is . . .
I think if we'd really fiddled around on that stuff between Chingadara and the X crack we would have been able to cook up some more routes, but back there there was no way to protect them on the lead. I do remember doing the first or second free ascent of The Reach and that one has a cranker 5.12a bit at the bottom. Very sequency and thin. Black Harlot's Layaway is to the left, first freed by Tobin and Gib, and is supposed to be real hard but I never tried it.
Paux de Deux (sp??--my French ain't so good) is also good.
Oh, and how about that huge whistler Tobin took on Unchaste. I followed that route in tennis shoes and screwed one of my fingers up. That was a jack ass thing to do. A lot of what I did back then was ridiculous, but fun.
Oh, Mariah, perhaps you remember the time out at Josh we got a dictionary and tried to find words neither of us had ever heard of before. If you'll remember, the word that totally got us was galamauphrey. I think I spelled it correctly--maybe not. I smoked a lot of rag weed back then but I still have a memory like an elephant--which is a good thing since I have no photos.
JL
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Rick A
climber
Boulder, Colorado
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Feb 21, 2006 - 11:22pm PT
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John Vawter- about Piece of Grass. Tobin, Gramicci and I did it in about ’74 (it’s left of the classic Dike Route on Pywiack). I can picture the unique, circular feature with bright green turf growing out of it that gave the route its name. I seem to remember that the climbing went pretty smoothly- few, if any, falls. I think that someone wanted to name it the “Grass Hole” but Tobin, always the puritan, vetoed that. Everything else is pretty opaque.
Gramicci, you can’t have forgotten that you and I happened to meet in Tuolumne in about ’79 or 80 and thought it might be fun to revisit the route. We ended up being completely baffled and neither of us could lead the first hard section. We retreated in disgrace, mumbling excuses about being out of shape, but having accomplished something rare: we had sandbagged ourselves.
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bvb
Social climber
flagstaff arizona
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Feb 21, 2006 - 11:47pm PT
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ok, can't find the older '63/'64 ish of summit right now, my archives are un uncatalogued disaster -- but check out this scan from the october '60 ish of summit -- the dolt, kamps, rearick, mark powell -- what more could one want???
hey mariah....what's up, girlfreind? still living in that ghetto? flagstaff, babe. it's where particular people congregate.
JL...you won't remember this, but i do. on your first free attempt of the hangover with bear squared, our two parties shared the ledge atop the crux pitch of el camino real for a few minutes. you mentioned that it used to be quite the enduro thing to hang in there and lead it on pins, and i remarked how "yeah, with nuts even us lightwieghts can lead it". which was true, but my partner felt i'd made such an egregious breach of etiquette by talking to you so casually he was mortified.
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Feb 22, 2006 - 12:17am PT
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YYYYYes!
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healyje
Trad climber
Portland, Oregon
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Feb 22, 2006 - 12:35am PT
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Rearick's hardwood nuts...
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Gramicci
Social climber
Ventura
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Feb 22, 2006 - 12:52am PT
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Rick, that day back on pywiack must be why those grey cells are gone. So true the ultimate sandbag. That first summer in Tuolumne with you and Tobin was special.
Bvb, great collection are those hand me downs? The Dolt photo of Rearick in what looks like Gi type pants. Also Higgins was all over the free ascent of those things with Kamps when they did them. I got to say these guys were into freeing their own routes before the French thought about it, like 15 years before. (I hope this doesn’t get me in trouble but its true)
Healyje, unbelievable nut collection!
what does that flapper one do?
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healyje
Trad climber
Portland, Oregon
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Feb 22, 2006 - 01:48am PT
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Wider cracks if you can believe it...
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todd-gordon
climber
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Feb 22, 2006 - 03:42am PT
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Here's a good Flying Circus story. We had heard the story and seen the pictures of The Flying Circus. Rob and Rick were, no doubt, two of the best climbers in the world, and we knew that Rob had taken a long fall or two on the infamous "Muir Trail" second pitch. We had also heard that Yaniro had tried the climb, and failed on the first pitch....something about blown hook placements that were now gone.....(Don't know if there is any truth to THAT , but that is what we had heard). Accamazo and Muir, bad-ass Mofo Stonemaster masters;...Yaniro probably the strongest climber on the planet.....us;....regular average Joes;....plain folk. Anyways, the team was assembled. Dave Evans was to lead the first pitch which had the A4 section, and Hensel was to lead the Muir Trail run-out second section.....then their was " The rest of the team"...along for the support, and, of course, the top rope from Evans and Hensel. We were psyched, surprisingly optimistic, and we were all nervous for Evans and Hensel, but back then, we pushed it quite often and nail biting and potentially dangerous leads at our limit was a fairly regular practice.....(Not to brag;...I didn't say we were SOLID on these climbs, ...but we WERE going for it!)..Anyways.....Evans has a secret weapon to get past the "blown" hook placements....an ingenous invention of his own;....a 20' tent pole with a sky hook duct-taped to the end!...(This "secret weapon" ended up being key to our success, and did create quite a stir as "cheating"....which I never did quite understand...the whole concept was terrifying to me....and took alot of brass, and calling THAT cheating wasn't all too fair, I thought..).. Dave climbed the aid line quickly until he got on some rurps, and then took out the weapon.....the whole rig was wobbley, dicey, and none of us knew if the thing would ever work.....Dave looked like a fisherman with the long pole reeling all over the place.....finally the pole stopped wiggling and Dave weighted it to "sink" the hook placement. Attatched to the pole were 2 aiders linked together...Dave started to climb up the aiders VERY gingerly; none of us knew if the blind hook placement was worth a sh#t. As Dave got near the top of the aiders, we ALL got very quiet, for a fall from where he was, onto the RURPs would probably mess him up fairly good. When he got eye-ball level with the hook, we asked up if the hook placement was good, I believe he said no, and we all got really gripped, but he was able to somehow re-place the hook so it was better, and eventually made it to the belay. Dave DID place a bolt next to a crappy 1/4 in. bolt AND we added another bolt to the double 1/4 inch bolts at the belay. These 2 added bolts created quite a stir, even though they did not change the climbing ONE BIT.......and I totally respect Dave for having the balls to lead this pitch, and I supported his decision to back up the crappy bolt and the really not so bomb-proof belay.....Anyways....the "monekys" jumared up the rope (That was myself, I believe Craig Fry, and Margie Floyd) and we were all ready for Hensel to "Do his thing." Hensel is "The Master" of the dime edges, and can climb anything, but let me tell you, he had his "game face" on for the Muir Trail. I was belaying him, and we got him all jacked up and psyched up like a prize fighter ready to step into the ring. I was ready to catch a 40 or 50 foot fall if need be.... reeling in as much slack as I could if he fell... He launched off the belay, and climbed slowly but at a steady pace. He didn't say anything, and neither did we, as he got farther and farther out from his last bolt. He didn't shake, whine, pray, or cry, which is proud, but he didn't say anything until he finally, at about 20 or 25 feet out, he said, "I got it", and we could feel his confidence soar and his apprehension leave immediately....He had latched a "big" crimper hold, and the Muir Trail was history. We all shouted a cheer and knew the climb was in the bag. As I followed the 2nd pitch free climbing, I was amazed at just how hard the climbing was WAY run out......it wasn't all THAT bad, but on run-out rock, WAY to scary for me to lead.... when I finally got to the "Thank God huge crimper" that Hensel had felt so relieved to get to , I gasped in horror, for I was expecting a huge jug that one would NEVER fall off of....instead in was just a plain ol' small dime edge....tiny and insecure for most, but for Hensel the "master" it was a bivy ledge. Even though I didn't do ANY of the leading , I was proud to be part of the 2nd ascent of the rad Stonemaster's Flying Circus, the baddest climb on Tahquitz, and even more proud of my rad friends Dave and Darryl, for having the sac to lead these pitches which we had so much fear and respect for. I don't know of anyone else who has done the climb, and I believe it has only had these 2 ascents....I would like to know if it's been done again after our ascent. Our hats were off to Rick and Rob, and the climb was a fantastic adventure for us plain folk....walking in the footsteps of The Stonemasters. (sorry this got so long....it was quite a memorable climb for me...)
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rmuir
Social climber
Claremont, CA
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Feb 22, 2006 - 09:04am PT
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Ya know? I had to go back and edit my posts above regarding Flying Circus. It wasn't Gib Lewis but, instead, it was Charles "Chuck" Cole who was along with us on the FA.
I remember hearing that Gibo and Cole, later, went back and did a three-bolt variation to the right--five years later--that eventually met up with the first belay of The Circus. Called "New Wave" (Hmmm. Sounds familiar, Ricky?), I'm sure their route hasn't had more than a few ascents, either.
(And damn. This Old Dad's memory is really fading if I could mix up Gibo and Chuckles!)
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rmuir
Social climber
Claremont, CA
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Feb 22, 2006 - 09:19am PT
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Ben Borsen used to sport a pair of PAs, back in 1972, that he had cut ALL the canvas out of and had folded and sown the back down to the heal counter. Just the red leather around the lace eyelets, up around the ankle and the strip down the heel was folded and sewn for a tug-on loop. The first low-cut boots I had ever seen. He even had a pair of which he sliced-off the toe cap! The first (and only) pair of open-toed Galibier climbing sandals. (More funky than monkey.)
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henny
Social climber
The Past
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Feb 22, 2006 - 09:24am PT
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This is rich indeed!
M: Queenie! The "Divine ms. M" weighs in!
bvb: Alright, sorry, I can't place a name. But now I gotta know. I vaugely remember the day you speak of. I more or less always felt late first / very early second generation because I was about one/two years behind the core group. Robs has mentioned years like '70, I started doing things in '72. Damn! And I never could catch those guys. Not that I wasn't accepted or anything at all negative like that. They certainly served as my mentors. Ricky in particular. John was too burly for me, but Ricky, now there was one to watch and emulate...
Gordo: Dude. I remember the "Circus" clear as can be. I used to have that picture of Ricky winging on the second pitch on my wall for a couple of years. (And I think he must have had three arms, how else can you explain how he stayed on stuff that was so thin?) We used to try and hit those seriously rad routes when we were in the middle of a roll. KP and I had just finished putting up some real run-out stuff in the Whitney Portal the previous weeks. So I felt heady enough to try Muir's statement. Remember? We did exactly the same thing when we did the Edge. How sweet that "Muir Trail" pitch was! I do clearly remember the point where I knew I was going to get away from it without sailing. The moves had thined down and there was a water polished bulge at the end of the run where the holds went sorta slopper. The kind of thing you could easily skate on with no hope of recovery. And the bulge was way out there. Wow. I remember finding an edge just over the bulge and thinking "Now I have it, because I'm back on positive holds". And Dave on the first. Yeah, that was grim alright. What was with that psycho first ascent party, anyway? Thanks for the blast from the past. What a great memory that one is.
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Rick A
climber
Boulder, Colorado
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Feb 22, 2006 - 12:12pm PT
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Rob, I was just about to correct that about Flying Circus. Charles Cole was with us, in fact he led a key section. The aid section at the bottom involved rurps, then hooking an overhanging blank section, until I was able to place a bolt where the angle lessened. That was enough for that day, and we fixed the rope to come back later. Charles took over the lead next time and jumared back up there. He hooked straight right on heinous placements and got another bolt in, 15 feet to the right. Here the holds looked like they could be free climbed, and I jumared back up and gave it a go. In the picture, you can see the aid slings at the end of the aid section, on the bolt that Charles placed. The fall in the picture took place on a tricky mantle, and the move spit me off several times as I tried to fully extend the mantle.If you didn’t balance just right, you tipped backwards off the mantle and that is why I was pitched away from the rock. I eventually got it, and put in two quarter inch bolts for the belay. In retrospect,it may have been better to put the belay at the end of the aid section, but it just seemed too short a pitch at the time.
Rob came up and started up the second pitch off the belay. He got way up there, looked solid, but came off just before reaching what appeared to be a good place to place a bolt. I shiver to think of the stress put on those bolts, since the fall was directly onto the belay. I had time to take in slack as he fell and shortened the fall somewhat. I asked Rob if he wanted to let me try it, since that fall would have blanched anyone, and I knew from close observation from the belay that it would go. But Rob dismissed this idea with scorn and insisted on getting right back on the horse. He cruised it the second time and the second pitch became the “Muir Trail.”
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bachar
Trad climber
Mammoth Lakes, CA
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Feb 22, 2006 - 01:03pm PT
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m. = Mariah! woah...how goes it? heh heh - jb
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Klimmer
Mountain climber
San Diego
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Feb 22, 2006 - 01:18pm PT
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JB
"Name this ancient outdoor gym route..."
From far above in the thread, I will take a stab at it . . .
I think you are climbing on one of the outlying Aztec thrones at Teotihuacan, just outside Mexico City.
If that's not it, then I don't know what the hell I'm talking about.
It's been a while since I've been there. Went down with a friend to climb Popo in about '88 (before it came out of dormancy)and ended up soloing Popo. Would love to go back down there and fly my paraglider off all of them, and then go diving in Cozumel and the Cenotes of the Yucatan. Time to revisit the honeymoon with the wife in Cozumel. That would be the perfect vacation.
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John Vawter
Social climber
San Diego
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Feb 22, 2006 - 01:27pm PT
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bvb-- well said.
Hello Mariah! I have some very fond memories of you. One in particular, a pleasant afternoon up on the Apron, probably that summer when Ambrose broke both legs on the RR on Half Dome. Hey, what ever happened to Michaelson?
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