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Watermann2
Mountain climber
Saluzzo Italia
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Jun 12, 2015 - 03:43am PT
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Legendary and incredible climb !!!!!
An unforgettable page of mountaineering !!!!
Mr. Donini. You have been of the greatest!!!!
Chapeau!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Many greetings.
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tripmind
Boulder climber
San Diego
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Jun 12, 2015 - 04:03am PT
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You should be proud, you got to participate in your own epic. You tried the mountain and the mountain tried back. The mountain still stands and so do you, perhaps with some new lessons.
Good thing it wasn't a rappel too far, you guys were up to the task.
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Prod
Trad climber
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Jun 12, 2015 - 05:23am PT
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This is the stuff that keeps me coming back to Supertopo.
Cheers,
Prod.
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MisterE
Gym climber
Being In Sierra Happy Of Place
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Jun 12, 2015 - 06:51am PT
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Great telling of an epic battle between men and mountain.
85 rappels - holy crap.
Thanks for the share and the pictures, Jim.
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johntp
Trad climber
socal
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Jun 12, 2015 - 07:19am PT
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Thousand yard eyes fur sure.
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hobo_dan
Social climber
Minnesota
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Jun 12, 2015 - 07:22am PT
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Boy did that give the feel of adventure--it's going to make me settle into my armchair AND put my feet up
TFPU Jim
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k-man
Gym climber
SCruz
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Jun 12, 2015 - 08:47am PT
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Donini, what a fantastic pictorial.
In comparison, I am a flatlander. I'm not a snow & ice climber and I look at pictures such as these as a working mother in Ohio might look at pictures of folks frolicking in Fiji--curious about how it might feel to be there, but knowing I will never get the chance.
You say that with today's equipment, rappelling can be safe. So I wonder, how did you make your rappels safe on Latok? Did you use auto-blocks, or knot the end of your ropes? What was the practice in the '70s?
And as eKat said, TFPU!
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John Mac
Trad climber
Littleton, CO
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Jun 12, 2015 - 09:16am PT
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Thanks for posting Jim! What an experience and message to everyone.
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bhilden
Trad climber
Mountain View, CA/Boulder, CO
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Jun 12, 2015 - 09:24am PT
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Jim,
you need to be holding a cardboard sign at the that bivy which reads 'Homeless. Will work for food.'
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Andy de klerk
Mountain climber
South Africa
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Jun 12, 2015 - 11:30am PT
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Nice one Jim. We were one of the 25 subsequent attempts and we were WAY below your high point. The previous summer (1993) Jeff Lowe had tried it again alpine style with Catherine Destivelle. They got about half way up, we didn't get much higher. Got to give Jeff credit for dogged persistence and thinking ahead of the times.
The ridge will go soon, I'm sure, to athletes who can go ultra fast and hyper light.
Good on you for getting so high back then and back down again, all self sufficient.
Andy
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JEleazarian
Trad climber
Fresno CA
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Jun 12, 2015 - 12:45pm PT
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The mantra every climber should have is "getting up is optional, getting back down is obligatory."
Wow! I remember hearing about this around the time it happened, but I was still gripped reading your account, Jim. Your group certainly lived your suggested mantra on that expedition.
Thank you for sharing this.
John
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rwedgee
Ice climber
CA
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Jun 12, 2015 - 12:50pm PT
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And I thought I was tried after only climbing 53 hours in the Palisades.
WOW ! Great post and reminder to be careful.
Now how can someone read a great post like this then post an off topic political/sports/etc. thread ??
Actually the board is pretty on topic right now. Sweet
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Marlow
Sport climber
OSLO
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Jun 12, 2015 - 01:00pm PT
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Stared into the abyss... and survived... physically as well as mentally... character-building... thanks for a sharing the experience...
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OlympicMtnBoy
climber
Seattle
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Jun 12, 2015 - 02:14pm PT
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I wasn't really sure what this post was about when I clicked on it. I'm glad I did. Thanks Jim!
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martygarrison
Trad climber
Washington DC
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Jun 12, 2015 - 05:07pm PT
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Supertopo needs more posts like this. A worthy well written read. Thanks you.
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Darwin
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Jun 12, 2015 - 11:06pm PT
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As good as supertopo gets, and in one sense, as good as climbing writing gets. Sometimes, the fewer words the better. I should learn that so well.
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roy
Social climber
NZ -> SB,CA -> Zurich
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Jun 13, 2015 - 12:15am PT
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A great story Jim. Please give us a few more.
Cheers, Roy
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Spider Savage
Mountain climber
The shaggy fringe of Los Angeles
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Jun 13, 2015 - 07:01am PT
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Whenever I feel uncomfortable, I think of this epic and my problems snap into their proper priority.
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Jun 13, 2015 - 09:46am PT
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I wonder what those ropes looked like at the end. A close inspection would probably not
have been in order.
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Fritz
Trad climber
Choss Creek, ID
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Jun 13, 2015 - 12:41pm PT
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Great writting Jim! I'm having a hard time wrapping my old mind around achieving 85 successful rappels in those conditions. Glad you folks had the abilities & toughness to survive.
Donini was our Wilderness Experience gear sales-rep at the time of the Latok climb. After he was back home in Leavenworth WA, he called & invited me to attend a slide show of the climb in Leavenworth. When I saw him at the show I couldn't believe how skinny & worn-out he looked.
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