Figures on a Landscape

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hashbro

Trad climber

Not in Southern California

Oct 30, 2007 - 01:25pm PT

DE is (and has always been a visionary). In the case of Figures I did want to clarify the record as I recall and set the record straight.

Craig Fry first found the route and dragged myself and later Dave (and Randy) along to implement the arduous and scary process of bolting and climbing the thing. Craig's boldness and imagination were evident in his visualization of this fantastic route whilst looking up at that blank (and bolt-free) wall back in the mid-70's.

Unfortunately for Craig (and myself), we were elsewhere on the weekend that the other bros got to the summit and therefore were not technically on the FA. Craig does deserve credit for having the Cajones to see the finished masterpeice in the blank slab and then
start up the think with EBs, swami belt, hand-drill and 1/4 inch bolds on his side.

To my friends and brothers, thanks for all you have contributed to our "sport" and taught me while on the sharp end!

philo

Trad climber

boulder, co.

Oct 30, 2007 - 01:39pm PT

I remember Spencer Leonard, another visionary climber, being around during the FFA of Monkey/Figures. Maria explained the sturm und drang of Figures/Monkey amd SaS and I was surprised at how mello and even encouraging Spencer was about having this obviously plumb line kind of poached. I also recall one of the lads winging big off the 2nd pitch onto the hanging belay. Scary!

klk

Trad climber

cali

Oct 30, 2007 - 01:45pm PT

cool-- let's hear more descriptions of the fa. i've heard so many different stories about why that hanging belay went in.

honestly, although the hang was really contrived, coming as it did a few moves from an obvious hands-down ledge, it made the second pitch more enjoyable.

Figures is one of the very few multi-pitch routes at josh where each pitch is really quality.

looking sketchy there...

Social climber

Latitute 33

Oct 30, 2007 - 03:12pm PT

Per usual, people get the story right and wrong. Craig is right that he and Spencer spied the line when they were doing the FA of the classic Such A Savage. It is also true that I had seen the line and talked to Dave Evans about it. Probably others had seen it as well.

Spencer, Craig, Dave and I all talk about it and decide to go out together and do this route as a joint effort and then do all head out to the Astro Domes. I talked a load of BS about how we were not going to use aid to place bolts on this route the way Craig and Spencer had done on Such A Savage. I was full of myself and certainly pretty insufferable.

We all get to the face and Craig may have placed the first bolt and maybe DE placed the 2nd/3rd bolt that day. Daylight is fading, we all vow to return.

In the interim, Spencer moves to Santa Cruz (or is otherwise MIA) [edit: Craig was there this second day out, but put duty in as belayer, etc. so I deleted some incorrect references here] DE places another bolt (or two) and it is my turn to take the sharp end (and the dull 1/4" hand drill). I remember clearly to this day climbing up to that small overlap (not sure if DE had already placed the bolt there or if I did).

Above, it was hard to tell where the next stance would be. After some hesitation, I just pulled over the overlap and headed up into the unknown. It seemed a long ways (it really isn’t), but then a thank-god stance and a bolt. From here, the natural line was (yes they exist on face climbs too) to head to the right, aiming for the ledge-like feature far to the right.

Easy traversing lead to a large double sided flake/feature. I placed a questionable stopper on the left side of the flake (I couldn't let go with two hands to drill) and decided to keep going for the obvious ledge.

Dave was (as always) very encouraging as I headed on. Twice I was able to just able to touch the left end of the ledge, but couldn't (wouldn't) commit to the last few moves. Each time I reversed the climbing to the flake and tried to shake out (and inspected the nut for more perhaps confidence – it didn’t inspire).

Eventually, I just caved and wimped out. I couldn't see my way to doing the last moves off the nut. My mind couldn’t shake the vision of a long arcing fall to the last bolt (as the nut pulled). I pulled out a hook, put it on the flake and drilled a bolt. Justifiably, I was mercilessly heckled from below (hubris gone awry). So, I "justified" my hypocrisy by declaring it a belay and putting two bolts in.

Dave followed up to the new belay anchor. [new edit: At this point, we bailed and vowed to come back another day. It was on the subsequent "third day" described as follows that DE and I went out to Figures sans Craig]. With a close belay, two sold anchor bolts (and DE's good vibes despite my "ethical transgression"), I was able to do the moves to the ledge. Mentally, I berated myself for not going for it off the nut (but subsequently “justified” the bolts as keeping the route from being a “death” climb). I placed a bolt off the ledge and one more higher up until reaching the crack and ledge belay.

DE followed the pitch with style and then lead the last 5.9 crack pitch to the summit. We "justifiably" felt we had done something pretty special.

[Personal observations deleted]

scuffy b

climber

The deck above the 5

Oct 30, 2007 - 04:14pm PT

So...is this brouhaha what caused Craig to go out and found the
Sheep Buggerers?

susan peplow

climber

www.joshuatreevacationhomes.com

Oct 30, 2007 - 04:46pm PT

Randy, so to paraphrase, you got Snail-Eye™ and placed two bolts and claimed them as an anchor.

Right On!

~Susan

Trad climber

Calgary

Oct 30, 2007 - 05:31pm PT

Ya those moves to the ledge right of the old belay. I led the route 20 some odd years ago and the 1st pitch seemed pretty straight forward.
2nd pitch I started climbing right of the belay. All of a sudden it seemed pretty dicey with a high potential for f###ups so I backtracked and figured out the inobvious but easier sequence.

looking sketchy there...

Social climber

Latitute 33

Oct 30, 2007 - 06:18pm PT

Randy, so to paraphrase, you got Snail-Eye™ and placed two bolts and claimed them as an anchor.

That about sums it up.

In later years, climbers added bolts (made a new belay anchor) at the ledge -- which really is the logical place to stop; sorta fixing my faux pas™ in the process.

Russ Walling

Social climber

Out on the sand.... man.....

Oct 30, 2007 - 07:11pm PT

Who were the "Sheep Buggerers" and why were they founded by Craig Fry anyway? Did they fill a void?

Tarbuster

climber

right here, right now

Oct 30, 2007 - 09:30pm PT

Yes, yes, a void, but an opporutnity too: for Craig, ever so humble, rarely allows himself the laurels so rightly bestowed upon him for wearing the formidable crown of the Sheepbuggerers!

I never understood why Craig demured as their main man, although, after getting dropped like a bad habit from the much heralded FA on that stellar Figures on a Landscape thing, which indeed had to be tuff crow to chew, he did an admirable job patching up his rep by spearheading those Sheepbuggerer’s adventures. After all, it was that erstwhile lot who started calling him "Guns", because he was their ropegun, times two...

Right on Craig, 'hope I got all that right.

Anyways ...as it happens, I was the person who drilled that second bolt on the stance after the old hanging belay of Figures, to extend the first pitch. On my first time up the route I surely used that hanging belay in the original way and while it is nice to link the moves climbing straight through to the natural stance (as it is apparently done now exclusively?), the old way of breaking the pitch bestowed a certain grandeur.

Naturally I asked one of you FA guys, if it was OK to move that belay over to the right, …right?

Really, I think Figures on a Landscape and The Last Unicorn on the Superdome are two of the absolute finest bolted lines out there in the Monument, um, I mean …Park. On those particular climbs the rock is graced with a superb patina and the steep lines navigate astoundingly beautiful formations, all with thrilling passages.

Great job with those routes boys!

Nice thread Chiloe!

jstan

climber

Oct 30, 2007 - 09:34pm PT

Hold out your hand Mr. Walling. For that last one you deserve a thwacking.

Chiloe

Trad climber

Lee, NH

Topic Author's Reply - Oct 30, 2007 - 10:08pm PT

Susan, Steelmonkey, Crotch, Zander, L, Tar ... glad y'all liked the TR. I just arrived home on the right coast and it's been fun catching up on how the thread unfolded. I figured such a wild route must have history, but had no idea what it was.

After this maybe it draws a crowd at Sushifest.

Brian Bock leading pitch 2.

Zander

Trad climber

Berkeley

Oct 30, 2007 - 10:12pm PT

Scuffy,
Great post. This whole thread is great.
Zander

Tarbuster

climber

right here, right now

Oct 30, 2007 - 10:19pm PT

How did it go? Original word was you better be solid at the grade, "Figures is a 10b for a 10c/d qualified leader".

My first trip up Figures on a Landscape, winter '80/81, pitch one, photos by Sean Curtis, RIP:

ontheedgeandscaredtodeath

Trad climber

San Francisco, Ca

Oct 30, 2007 - 10:22pm PT

I was confused about the traverse being on the first pitch but now realize the hanging belay on top of the first isn't used anymore? We did it with the hanging belay, with the traverse coming right off the bat on the second pitch. Seems like either way, that section is pretty darn exciting.

klk

Trad climber

cali

Oct 30, 2007 - 10:50pm PT

this has been a very informative thread. i obviously don't spend enough time on the internet. for instance, i didn't know that dr.f was craig. (hi, craig!)

and i had forgotten that sl and craig did the fa of sas. another great route. i happily clipped each and every bolt.

now we just need for someone to write a trip report on powerfinger.

Mighty Hiker

Social climber

Vancouver, B.C.

Oct 31, 2007 - 12:45am PT

Well, I just had to look it up. The movie name seems to have been "Figures IN a Landscape". Based on a novel by Barry England, his first, and starring Malcolm McDowell, just before he appeared in the horrific A Clockwork Orange.

An English 1970 movie, sort of an outdoors chase film ending in the mountains. Two convicts on the run, chased by a helicopter.

http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?_r=1&res=940DE1DE1E3FE63ABC4152DFB166838A669EDE&oref=slogin

A thread about routes named after songs or movies or novels, or spins on their names, might be fun.