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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 15, 2008 - 11:49am PT
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Who hasn't done the Regular Route on Fairview? Following in Wally's footsteps again. Roper had this to say about Tuolumne Meadows history.
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Oct 26, 2008 - 06:14pm PT
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Bump for a Nose pioneer.
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 5, 2008 - 11:21am PT
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One good bump deserves another!
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FinnMaCoul
Trad climber
Green Mountains, Vermont
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It was gems like this thread that brought me to ST in the first place and the relative lack thereof that causes me to wander away. Always a pleasure to wander back and stumble upon this kind of quality "oral" history. Thanks, Steve.
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Trad
Trad climber
northern CA
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Aug 14, 2010 - 01:43am PT
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Biking home yesterday I passed a retired professor walking the other way; he'd been on my thesis committee (years before I started climbing) so I waved hello and pulled over to talk. He asked what I've been up to lately, and it being summer I mentioned rock climbing.
"That's interesting," he says, "one of my doctoral students in the 1960's was a climber, and he even got his name into some Yosemite guidebook."
This piqued my interest, of course. "No kidding!? What's his name?" (I was already anticipating the answer but in disbelief at the same time. I remembered that one of the FAs on Selaginella - one of my favorite routes - was a botanist.)
"Wally Reed."
So we had a nice conversation about Wally Reed and his doctoral research. How cool! You know, degrees of separation and all that...
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Peter Haan
Trad climber
San Francisco, CA
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Aug 14, 2010 - 07:46am PT
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Wally is in the finest tradition of those who climb on their feet by the way, Pilgrims. Like Preuss, Dulfer and Al Steck. One of the early pioneers of "Climb Like a Girl", a bumpersticker sometimes still seen on climber cars.
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guido
Trad climber
Santa Cruz/New Zealand/South Pacific
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Aug 14, 2010 - 12:22pm PT
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I think Wally was a doctoral student for about 50 years!
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 15, 2010 - 01:00pm PT
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An understated hero in my book...
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DrDeeg
Mountain climber
Mammoth Lakes, CA
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Aug 15, 2010 - 03:37pm PT
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Around 1963, we were still in the pre-Kronhofer era. At that time we didn't have "climbing shoes," we had shoes, which we used for the approach, the climb, the descent, and, in the spring or fall when it was cold, the walk to Yosemite Lodge in the evening to hang out around the fire. The choice then was mainly between Zillertals and Spyders. In the conversation one evening about their merits, Wally opined that Spyders were more comfortable in the Lodge. His view settled the choice for most of us, as we respected him greatly.
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John Morton
climber
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Aug 15, 2010 - 04:06pm PT
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re: repeats of the Powell-Reed before the FFA in 1964 ... I did this climb with John Hammond in 1964. I seem to remember that several friends had done it, and we confirmed its reputation as a moderate one day IV with less than a dozen pins of aid. The most memorable event that day was that in the lower section we were bombarded by Robbins and Frost, who were tossing loose stuff off the DNB. We decided it would be an honor to be killed by the best climbers in the country.
Strange, the above comments about the good quality of the route (with which I agree). It disappeared from guidebooks in the 70's, along with some other climbs which had been popular a few years earlier.
John
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Wade Icey
Trad climber
www.alohashirtrescue.com
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Aug 15, 2010 - 04:37pm PT
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okay!
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 15, 2010 - 05:28pm PT
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Thanks for the early accounts!
When I interviewed Mark Powell about the FA of the Powell-Reed he gave me the impression that several dozen points of aid were required which is likely more due to his high standards than the actual count. I didn't ask him directly about the count even though that was the ongoing point of reference in the free climbing game.
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John Morton
climber
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Aug 15, 2010 - 07:46pm PT
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The Powell-Reed followed the pattern of several mixed climbs that were later freed. P and R took 2 days and rated it IV 5.7 A3. By 1964 it was probably IV 5.9 A1 or 2, and the remaining aid didn't have the bottoming zipper cracks reported by Powell. As we all know, aid slows you way down, which means likely bivvy, which neans more gear, which slows you even more. And that move where you step out of slings to free climb can be hard - you might be inclined to continue nailing rather than step out onto 5.9 balance moves.
John
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 27, 2010 - 11:31am PT
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Middle Rock Bump!
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guido
Trad climber
Santa Cruz/New Zealand/South Pacific
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Nov 29, 2014 - 07:16pm PT
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Time for a BUMP!
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Gnome Ofthe Diabase
climber
Out Of Bed
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Nov 29, 2014 - 07:42pm PT
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grand
the climbs and the man
bump
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Topic Author's Reply - May 25, 2015 - 09:01am PT
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May we please have another...
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Jul 31, 2016 - 12:04pm PT
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You Betcha Bump...
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Clint Cummins
Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
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Jul 31, 2016 - 02:41pm PT
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Thanks for the bump - somehow I had missed the earlier discussion of the 2 variations on the Powell-Reed.
Will try to fill in that big gap in the current topo!
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 18, 2018 - 01:29pm PT
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Wally Bump...
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