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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Sep 30, 2007 - 01:46pm PT
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This would be you on the sharp end then, Rich?
How about the personnel in this shot?
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bob d'antonio
Trad climber
Taos, NM
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Sep 30, 2007 - 02:16pm PT
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Steve Jones, Kevin Bein, John Bragg, Dave Rosenfeld with Bob Murray climbing out of picture.
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Sep 30, 2007 - 02:25pm PT
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I have seen pictures of Bob Murray leading at the Gunks before he became a dedicated boulderer. How much roped climbing did you guys do with Bob?
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rgold
Trad climber
Poughkeepsie, NY
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Sep 30, 2007 - 04:51pm PT
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"This would be you on the sharp end then, Rich?
Yup. The piton hammer, knickers, and swami place it pre-seventies, probably late sixties. Looks like I'm wearing Robbins shoes, which weren't that different from the mountaineering boots I just claimed to be avoiding.
Climbed a summer or two in the Bugaboos in Robbins Shoes. Smeared 'em in SnoSeal each the morning for the glacier.
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Tan Slacks
Social climber
Joshua Tree
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Sep 30, 2007 - 08:34pm PT
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Hey, I remember that place...
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TwistedCrank
climber
Caution: Filling may be hot.
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Who here has done Directidelic Times?
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Peter Haan
Trad climber
San Francisco, CA
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What a wonderful lthread!!!
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bob d'antonio
Trad climber
Taos, NM
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Hardie was one of first climbing partners in the Gunks...he also caught one of the longest falls I ever took in the Gunks...close to 50-60 feet off Birdie Party.
How and why I took the fall is another story.
He is a wonderful person and a great artist.
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jstan
climber
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Somewhere I have a print of a photo Fritz took of Horseman
around the time of the Second War. I really do have to find it.
It is in one of my "nostalgia drawers".
I understand we all are primarily interested in climbing, but
there is much interesting stuff going on.. Had he been less
focused on making sure the "Shongums" were protected
and yet remain available to benefit people, I suspect Dan
Smiley would have had the time, himself, to become an
excellent climber. I believe it was no accident he was so
interested inhaving Hans and Fritz climb in the area. Most of
us are mere shooting stars lasting but a moment compared
to Dan.
Early on in the period when I had begun to make a nuisance
of myself I got an invitation to visit LaVerne Thompson down
in NYC. She was most gracious but I thought it probable the
Smiley's had tasked her to find out if there was anything
there. There was not of course. But they chanced it anyway.
Just this evening I am back from Facelift 4 at which the
spokesperson for the National Park Service stated that the
Superintendent views Ken Yager as a "resource" critical to
the success of the Park and to the success of all the Park's
users. (Don't miss the fact Yosemite is arguably the lead
National Park in the US.) An opportunity for very big
advances for all the parks and for all users may now be
forming.
Think about it.
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Oct 2, 2007 - 11:25am PT
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Welcome back from Ken's wonderful service gathering, Jstan. I hope that finding this thread was a pleasant surprise. Any tales from battling with this one?
Out of curiousity, what were some other contenders for the 5.11 title at the time or was Persistent a clear cut above the existing standards?
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jstan
climber
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Bob:
I am sorry if I implied other organizations have not been active. For that matter the Appies were an important organization in the Gunks beginning, I believe in the 50’s but had seriously weakened by the sixties. About 1970 or so when the effort in the Gunks was beginning to gain momentum I was invited down to the mountains north of Atlanta to talk to the group forming what is called the Southeastern Climbers Coalition.
Organizations wax and wane but the modern ideas appear to involve inclusion independent of diversity of thought, creativity in regards to developing projects that immediately help the land and the land management, and getting people of all kinds working side by side in the field. I used trash collection back then and it works as well or better still today. It is so immediate.
Steve:
Oh, yes there were many facets to that one. It was my first attempt at a half-way decent first ascent. On my honeymoon in 1969 I had my new wife getting flipped around catching me on it. This may even have contributed to later unfortunate developments. I already knew pitons had to go but the peck crackers I put in the overhung rock kept sliding to the front and out. Feeling as I did, I was wrong to use pitons and leaving fixed pins in place did not right the wrong. What can I say? Once I knew pitons had to go, the fact others were using pins actively in no way excused me.
When a person has just started climbing they go at it in a particular frame of mind. Later, for one reason or another, that mindset changes. Having never really learned how to do cracks( the Gunks don’t have very many) this climb took too long to figure out. I did not learn fast enough to suit me. I wanted to do roped climbing not roped bouldering. On the successful try when I got to the wide knee jam I stopped, knowing I had arrived at an end. I knew I was through and wanted to enjoy the moment of completion. It had been a fun four years. Let’s face it. At 30 I was already no spring chicken.
When I got down I wondered, “What now?” I thought, “Maybe I can do something helpful?” I did climb afterward. But everything was done for a reason. Without doubt I had less talent for being helpful than I had for climbing. But I thought I might be able to make up for it by being persistent.
You will have to ask others about ratings. As long as a climb is fun and if to do it I have to be better this weekend than I was last weekend, I know everything I need to know.
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bob d'antonio
Trad climber
Taos, NM
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John wrote: Organizations wax and wane but the modern ideas appear to involve inclusion independent of diversity of thought, creativity in regards to developing projects that immediately help the land and the land management, and getting people of all kinds working side by side in the field. I used trash collection back then and it works as well or better still today. It is so immediate.
John...the problem with climbers is their lack of vision to keep area opens and access for all users. They are so splintered...they worry more about where a bolt is place while areas are getting shut down or have limited access.
All the work I done on trails and such at certain climbing areas...you rarely see an "elite climber" lending a hand. It's the middle range climbers who have no problem giving time and sweat.
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happiegrrrl
Trad climber
New York, NY
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Dick Williams heads the trail crew at the Gunks and is there every Sunday; if there's volunteers, he's there.
He told me that back in the day, one day someone who was quite a known name - was it you, JStan? - started the trail work ethic at the Gunks by moving a big boulder to ease a trail, and then someone stopped to lend a hand,and then another did, and so on...
When we had a recent bouldering cleanup day, Joe Iurto(spelled wrong, I'm sure), the editor for Urban climber magazine was there.
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bob d'antonio
Trad climber
Taos, NM
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happie...thanks for making my point.
I said rarely...
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BadInfluence
Mountain climber
Dak side
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I was told JStan had Saturday morning clean up crew.
Happie too bad the next day the trapps boulders were all chalked up
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ghand
Sport climber
Golden,Colorado
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Go get em jstan!
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'Pass the Pitons' Pete
Big Wall climber
like Oakville, Ontario, Canada, eh?
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I remember that caption regarding the chalk bag on the front cover of Mountain - I think klk has it more or less correct.
Is that variation to Three Pines Modern Times? I remember doing that one, pretty rad indeed!
And there is only one "n" in the first part of "Bonington"! Sheesh.
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