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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 1, 2009 - 01:30pm PT
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The wonders of accidental fashion!
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More Air
Big Wall climber
S.L.C.
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Here's some fashion...
Jim on the first ascent of Frozen Assets, early 80's.
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 1, 2009 - 04:25pm PT
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Nice fatness!
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 4, 2009 - 06:26pm PT
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Icy Bump...Any more More Air?
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Oct 29, 2009 - 10:14pm PT
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Tis' the season to be frosty...
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Oct 29, 2009 - 10:40pm PT
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Screamin' Barfys!!!
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 21, 2009 - 08:15pm PT
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There should be some ice formed up by now...
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More Air
Trad climber
S.L.C.
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Nov 22, 2009 - 04:11pm PT
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Santiquin Canyon...From left to right, Angel of Fear, Automatic Control Theory and the Candlestick in 1985
210' pillar...Angel of Fear in Santiquin canyon
Jim Dockery leading on the last (5th) pitch of Stairway to Heaven, 1978
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 22, 2009 - 05:21pm PT
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Nice shots!
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 1, 2010 - 02:23pm PT
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Ice Bump!
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tenesmus
Trad climber
slc
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Keep it up Brian! Those shots are cool!
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fosburg
climber
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5 pitches on the Stairway today. Lots of snow down there but the ice is fat.
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More Air
Trad climber
S.L.C.
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Jim on the Enclosure Couloir, Tetons 1980's
Rick Wyatt was the first to free solo Stairway to Heaven
Rick again, on Soft & Juicy, Provo Canyon
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golsen
Social climber
kennewick, wa
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great pics MOREAIR. Who are you? I am Gary Olsen. Used to climb in those parts in that time....
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More Air
Trad climber
S.L.C.
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Hey Gary it's Brian Smoot, How you been? Wish you were still hanging with us old schoolers in the Wasatch.
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Brian in SLC
Social climber
Salt Lake City, UT
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Couple shots from 19 Dec 09. We managed to catch White Nightmare in fairly easy WI 4 conditions (only way I can lead it!):
Stairway to Heaven. Counted 20 people on the bottom. Not many have the horsepower or saavy for that 5th pitch. Seein' folks swing good ol' classic pick tools on that thing is pretty neat!
Cheers,
-Brian in SLC
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Really nice archival stuff there Brian!
... Not germane to the Provo scene seen but,
Maybe we covered this in one of the other ice threads: anybody remember an article about a guy, an ice soloist from the East Coast, named TREMBLAY?
'Had some really classy black-and-white shots.
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fosburg
climber
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Hey Moreair, what year did Rick Wyatt do the first free solo of the Stairway?
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More Air
Trad climber
S.L.C.
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Fosburg:
He soloed it around 1979. The photo of him climbing between the 2 pillars hit the cover of Summit Magazine (Dec-Jan, 1980) He has a short write up about his ascent in there.
Here it is...
The “Stairway to Heaven” in Provo Canyon is probably the best and longest winter ice climb in Utah. Pyramid shaped and nearly 850 feet high, the climbing is usually 70 degrees or better with vertical ice on each pitch, but is broken by several ledge systems which create the stairway effect.
Though the climb was in very good shape, the day tat I chose to make a solo ascent, could not have been much worse. It was snowing heavily with high winds, and avalanche conditions were extreme.
I tied on my 7mm rope which I would drag behind me as a precaution if I should wish to retreat. Quickly I climbed the first pitch to a large ledge and began ascending the second pitch. I was wearing a pair of plumber’s gloves for improved grip, although this was hardly necessary as I also had the shafts of my tools taped, but my hands were frozen solid in those thin gloves before I was halfway up the second pitch. Upon reaching the top of that pitch, I put on my mittens and thawed out my hands. The thawing process was painful and revealed that I had severely bruised several knuckles. I had trouble moving some fingers, and the middle finger of my left hand wouldn’t move at all.
By now it was snowing extremely heavy, with avalanches pouring off at frequent intervals. I found myself alternately being nearly blown off by the wind and then nearly knocked off by avalanches, but on these vertical pitches the snow seemed to arch off the ledge systems, with the main blast of the avalanches going behind me. I continued up, but because of all the snow flying about, I weaved quite a circuitous course.
I finally found myself staring up at the long ice pillar, normally considered the last pitch and the crux of the climb. The ice seemed to be in good shape, and there was an ice chimney splitting up the climb to about three-quarters height. With the delightful security of the chimney I made rapid progress up to the point where I had to traverse out and climb the last 15 feet of vertical ice. The most probable and thickest ice looked to be to the left so I started out, but the ice was brittle. I returned to the chimney for a bit of thought. I had not been back in the chimney much more than a minute when I heard a tremendous roar, and the biggest avalanche of the day came crashing down from above. It crashed and splashed at the base of the pitch, tugging gently on the 7mm rope I was dragging behind, but I was in the chimney, secure and unscathed. It was with a shock of realization that if I had not returned to the chimney, I surely would have gone for a grand ride.
After the avalanche subsided, I went out immediately as it would take some time for the snow to build up to send another avalanche down. Traversing out of the chimney to the right this time, the next 12 feet above me looked impossible but I started up with a hand-jam between two inches of slushy ice and the rock, while stemming with my crampons scraping against the bare rock. I was now committed, and with water pouring down in a muddy creek I was getting quite wet – it poured down the sleeves of my anarak, down my legs, and into my boots. I was beginning to freeze, and the climbing had become so hard that it seemed I could go neither up nor down. But the thought of lingering on the very shaky holds on which I was delicately balanced, between all four appendages, was even more frightening.
I spied a piece of mud and moss slightly above me and moved to get a hand-jam between it and the rock. I then tried to move up quickly, but carefully, as the moss was pulling away and this was the only hold for my hands. Stemming with my feet, one in slushy hollow ice and the other scraping against the rock, I moved up. The ledge flattened out in front of my nose, and I had to restrain myself from just trying to throw myself on it. I slowly placed a tool and pulled onto the ledge. It didn’t seem like such a big triumph, but I felt contentment.
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Dec 12, 2010 - 12:35pm PT
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Tis' the season for frozen Bumps!
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