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Jaybro
Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
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A classic route done in the year of my birth, guess I'll have to do it.
Who's in? Beth?
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guyman
Trad climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Memory serves me that it was THE horror climb then, and that Powell did little else after.
Peter, MP taught me how to climb, in 1973. So he did some good things after.
Shattering his ankle, changed his life.
He tells the tale to all freshmen in his Geography 101 class.
It's a very cool tale about motivation and desire.
He did put up maybe the first 5.11 on the planet, "Chingadera" in febuary 67.with Kamps.
I wish he would join the TACO....the stories he could tell.
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mooch
Trad climber
Old Climbers' Home (Adopted)
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Although classic and remote (for the area), its hardly obscure. Vampire Spires, perhaps.
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John Morton
climber
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I spent the night by a bonfire in the W Arrowhead Chimney with 3 others after doing the arete. I think I wanted to rappel in the looming darkness but was outvoted. Those house-sized chockstones are truly awesome, whether or not you can see them! I always thought anyone who hiked to the rim was just chickenshit about those rappels.
For the historians, regarding a comment earlier in this thread: I remember hearing that Powell shattered his ankle in a fall on the Apron, not on Arrowhead Spire. He fell on lead and pendulumed into Beverly, his belayer. Or was that a different injury?
John
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deuce4
climber
Hobart, Australia
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Can't recall all the details, but I climbed that with my old climbing partner John Ely sometime in the late 80's, and we ended up doing an unplanned bivy somewhere (after the actual route, I believe) on our way to the rim, then we got to the rim and hiked down the falls trails the next morning.
Not sure why it took us so long. I recall we had been thinking we would find a way to rappel off, but did not see any possibility of where a rappel route could possibly be, so we made the decision to continue to the rim, which took a long time to get there.
Also, I recall thinking there were lots of variations of the route along the way. One or two pitches matched the green guide description, at least!
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guyman
Trad climber
Moorpark, CA.
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John Morton......
Mark tells this tale about his fall......
He was taking a "young lady" climbing up the Arrow Head Arete.
It was lower down and because "she" didn't know how to take out pro, he wasn't using any. He slipped and decked on the ledge where she was sitting.
His ankle was shattered.......
But the reason he told this story was to point out a geographical phenomenon associated with Mountain Valleys.
The direction of the wind, in the mornings, it blows up-valley, in the afternoon down valley.
So while he is hurt on the ledge, he tries to "score" with her!
She starts yelling for help.....
He tells her "It will not help, nobody can hear us, it's am.
So she starts yelling even louder....
When the winds changed, about 3 pm or so, folks in the Valley can hear the cries for help and some sort of rescue is organized, but they had to spend the night out alone and cold.
Marks says "she was so happy to be rescued from that bivy"......
I'm sorry for butchering Mark's story, but this is the gist of it.
He is the best story teller I have ever listened to and climbed with.(largo is second)
Guy Keesee
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HighTraverse
Trad climber
Bay Area
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I did it in April. BITD. Started to snow while we were on the white face (pitch 4?).
Contemplated retreat but carried on. Snow stopped before the rock got wet! YEAH
Awesome exposure.
A most excellent adventure. It's on my tick list to do again. One of the finest long days in the valley. Be careful rapping the west Arrowhead chimney.
I thought it was 5.8, not 5.9
Fred
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old toad
Trad climber
yosemite, Ca.
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Bump the climbing threads, deep 6 the rest!!
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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You are pretty close, Guyman. Mark had done the AA several times and had even down climbed the route. On the day in question, for no good reason, he chose to traverse left too early. Rather than backtrack to the approach gully, he chose to rope up and start climbing on easy ground. As he describes it, he paused on a big foothold which broke off unexpectedly. He rattled down for about forty feet and struck a horn with his left foot. A long protracted rescue took place, complicated as you mentioned by the air moving toward the rim.
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guyman
Trad climber
Moorpark, CA.
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That sound about right.... most of the 70's are pretty hazey in the memory banks.
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Fletcher
Trad climber
somewhere approaching Ajna
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This is one of my all time favorite threads... each time it gets bumped it's still as good as ever. One of these days...
Eric
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guido
Trad climber
Santa Cruz/New Zealand/South Pacific
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Apr 17, 2010 - 04:37am PT
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Bump for Powell and the infamous howl.
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Largo
Sport climber
The Big Wide Open Face
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Apr 17, 2010 - 12:31pm PT
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What's interesting about the AA is that it shows how certain climbs cycle through the climbing community and are sort of rediscovered by later generations who were never privy to the original hype. Like, when I started going to Yoz as a senior in High School circa 1971, the really hot, leading edge stuff were long things like DNB, Stovelegs, LA Chimney, and so forth, whic had been done very few times. And of course the new hard free climbs like New Dimensions, Nabisco Wall and so forth.
For the previous generation, who basically left the Valley around 1970, the Arrowhead Arete had been a big deal, probably up to the early to mid-60s. I first climbed the route with an "old timer" (Phil Gleason) who knew the old history, because none of my generation did. Without threads like this one, few present day climbers would know anything about the AA.
To get full value, you'd need o go up there with half a dozen pegs, a goldline, and climb it in hiking shoes sans chalk.
JL
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Ihateplastic
Trad climber
It ain't El Cap, Oregon
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Apr 17, 2010 - 12:54pm PT
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Everything about Arrowhead Arete is 100% classic. If there is anyone out there on ST who has not done this route... DO IT! Sure, it may not be 5.14 and all that, but put your ego in your back pocket and go have one of the best days on rock you will ever have!
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TripL7
Trad climber
san diego
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Apr 17, 2010 - 04:35pm PT
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JL nailed it(the sentiments/requirements at the time, not the route...duh)when he mentions DNB, the Stovelegs, and LAC.
John and Will Tyre shaved significant accent time off the DNB @'71! And the LAC was tagged as "the hardest day of your life"...just a pleasant note for anyone having second thoughts. And i remember looking up at the Stovelegs and thinking it was a long way to go and then have to rap back down, as was then the rage.
And the Nabisco Wall with stories of 70 ft. whippers off Wheat Thin, and Butterballs had yet to be plucked...great time for a noob who was all ears.
But by '74 i recall the AA as being a must do classic once again...JL must have spread the word.
EDIT: Make that "longest day of your life"(in my case...it was both)!
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Risk
Mountain climber
Olympia, WA
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Apr 18, 2010 - 03:05am PT
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Arrowhead Aręte ranks at the top of my favorite valley climbs. Both for the climb itself, and for my good fortune to climb it with Walt Shipley. In traditional Walt style, I was somehow conjugaled by Walt’s middle-of-the-day idea to climb it, as it loomed in full view above us from the Deli. As I recall, with minimal gear, we scrambled up there, scurried up the route, and made it back to the deli before the daily gathering had dispersed back to camp for the day. For me, it was a really big deal. For Walt, all he did was drag a rope up to belay me from. What a great guy.
That decent: http://www.supertopo.com/climbing/thread.php?topic_id=434664&msg=435834#msg435834
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Watusi
Social climber
Newport, OR
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Apr 18, 2010 - 04:07am PT
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Classic! Nice post!:)
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wildone
climber
GHOST TOWN
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Apr 18, 2010 - 07:22pm PT
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Arrowhead arete from top of spire
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Jul 11, 2010 - 12:59pm PT
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Nice shots!
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