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McHale's Navy
Trad climber
From Panorama City, CA
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Jun 11, 2016 - 12:10pm PT
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I really liked my Lowa Alpspitz BITD.
You and me both. I went through several pairs of those and sold quite a few as a Lowa dealer. The next one up, the Lowa Civettas, where on the beefy side of things! I went through a pair of those just working in the pumice plant and mine in Lee Vining in the late 60s.
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Mark Force
Trad climber
Ashland, Oregon
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Jun 11, 2016 - 02:22pm PT
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johntp
Trad climber
socal
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Jun 11, 2016 - 05:06pm PT
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Had a pair of super guides. Worked well with the SMC rigids.
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ms55401
Trad climber
minneapolis, mn
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Jun 11, 2016 - 08:25pm PT
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Wayne Shorter plays the sax just how he feels...
Nice photo!
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crankster
Trad climber
No. Tahoe
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Jun 11, 2016 - 08:31pm PT
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What a great photo of Joe Brown, Mark.
I'm with Jim. The only thing I remember about those boots is blisters. Had a pair of Lowa's that had an add-on plastic upper cuff for skiing. Not really good for either climbing or skiing.
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Mark Force
Trad climber
Ashland, Oregon
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Jun 11, 2016 - 09:44pm PT
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Used to have a pair of Super Guides. They were cool. I don't think they ever broke in though - I think they just kept breaking me in - at least my feet.
Sportiva Nepal Evos are awesome. What a world of difference.
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Jun 11, 2016 - 10:32pm PT
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You took that pic, Mark? I didn't think you were that old!
Wish I hadn't been too self-conscious to take his pic when I climbed with him at Anglesey.
OK, not exactly on the same rope, but the same wee cliff!
We did hang out afterwards - high point of my climbing career! :-)
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mastadon
Trad climber
crack addict
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Jun 12, 2016 - 07:48am PT
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Ron Burgner at Peshastin Pinnacles, 1973. Superguides, I think.
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Happy Cowboy
Social climber
Boz MT
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Jun 12, 2016 - 09:21am PT
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The Hivernale's I used in AK on Traleika ascent 71', Hunter south 73', and numerous Teton winter ascents. Made the shift to plastic and aveolite~ 81'
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Mark Force
Trad climber
Ashland, Oregon
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Jun 12, 2016 - 11:29am PT
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Reilly, How cool that you met and hung out with Joe Brown! I did meet him at his shop in 74-75. Drank pints and played darts in a pub in Llanberis with Don Whillans sitting nearby. Does any of that count? Yeah, I thought not.
No I'm not that old. That pic is probably late 50s? Amazing what he could do then with runners and pebbles for pro and boots. Damn.
Cool shot of Peshastin. Lots of fun shots here.
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Bruce Morris
Social climber
Belmont, California
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Jun 12, 2016 - 01:07pm PT
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I still have a pair in my closet today. When I pick them up, I just can't imagine how I hiked 750 miles in them one summer in 1978. Maybe that's why people have so many knee surgeries today? They weren't conditioned properly with good old heavy leather boots!
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EdBannister
Mountain climber
13,000 feet
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Jun 12, 2016 - 03:27pm PT
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of course there were two strains of footwear, boots and climbing shoes...
As hiking boots were trending away from heavy, i.e. too much boot, we wrote Lowa and suggested a boot between the Scout and the Bozen. both lighter than the Civetta and Alpspitz. The reply came back to their sole US distributor, (add dictatorial German accent)" We are the boot makers, and you are the boot sellers."
in short, the idiots did not listen and lost a huge portion of the market they once owned.
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donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
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Jun 12, 2016 - 04:10pm PT
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I was an early convert to lightweight footwear. While guiding in the Tetons in the early 70's it struck me that hiking on dry trails with heavy boots made little sense. I started using the funky running shoes of the era and got strange looks from people toiling up to the Lower Saddle with Soperguides and Vercors.
I don't even own any hiking boots...I go directly from approach shoes to technical alpine boots. By the way...today's technical boots way less than some of the so called medium weight hiking boots.
The French boots (Superguides, Vercors) so popular in the 70's didn't fit me at all.....toe boxes were way too small.
Alpine and ice climbers today haven't the slightest notion how good they have it. Half of them would give up climbing if they were told they had to wear the crap boots that were are only option bitd.
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EdBannister
Mountain climber
13,000 feet
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Jun 12, 2016 - 04:15pm PT
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Jim is dead on.
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NutAgain!
Trad climber
South Pasadena, CA
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Jun 12, 2016 - 04:43pm PT
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Ray Jardine's philosophy for the Pacific Crest Trail turned on the light bulb for me... I still have these monsters that I only used on one trip. They basically look new still. I'd be happy to sell them.
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Mark Force
Trad climber
Ashland, Oregon
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Jun 12, 2016 - 04:59pm PT
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I'm into the light shoes mostly. Gave up on hiking boots in the 70s. Hike/backpack mostly in Tevas/Chacos and running shoes. Even backcountry Grand Canyon trips are better in sandals!
Nepals are half the weight of the old Superguides. Nice and the "hike/walk way better. Gotta try some of those newer lighter rigs in the near future.
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Happy Cowboy
Social climber
Boz MT
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Jun 12, 2016 - 08:36pm PT
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I'm into the lightest footwear, particularly with age. I also guided in the Tetons and Winds during the 70's and used Adidas for approaches/sometimes carry for descents. Certain ascents involving an "up and over the summit" did have me use only the Haderers I posted pics of previous. One climb of such I remember well was when an older friend from SLC was passing thru in route to Canadian Rockies. He suggested we do a " training route". As long a technical route the Tetons had, semi-rugged approach, a bivy, requiring gear to be carried over the summit. We choose the Grand's NW ridge. Fine by me as I appreciated any opportunity I got to climb with George. We did this a couple times, and had fun. I recall he climbed in Lowa Civettas, not certain. Those summers I remember as GDL's Alberta 72', Deltaform 73' and N Twin 74' glory.
I fully recognize the benefits of new, always evolving/improving footwear, and when interested I goggle a gear review.
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Fritz
Social climber
Choss Creek, ID
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Jun 12, 2016 - 09:58pm PT
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I bought some 2nd-hand Habeler boots from a close friend in 1974. He said he liked them, but they were a little big on him. They fit me well enough that I took them with a pair of Carmen Supergators off to Alaska's Haye's Range in May 1976. My feet stayed warm, my boots were way lighter than the double-boots my fellow climbers took, & I never got a blister.
Stiff as a board, but warmer than steel-shank boots, due to their wood-shank.
My feet grew out of them, and I gave them away. Sigh.
The Habeler boots were featured in the 1972 & 1973 editions of Chouinard's catalog.
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nutstory
climber
Ajaccio, Corsica, France
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Jun 12, 2016 - 10:52pm PT
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Mark Force: what a magnificent portrait of Joe Brown!
I was most fortunate to meet the legendary climber in November 1998. Because of his very "special" accent (and because of my so poorly spoken English...) I did not understand what he told me. I recorded our “conversation”, and I translated it later once at home in Corsica… Anyway, I was not able to look at him, and to understand him, at the same time… I was so much intimidated…
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Mark Force
Trad climber
Ashland, Oregon
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Jun 13, 2016 - 07:36am PT
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It would have been such a wonderful thing to see him climb. Seemed like a good bloke.
Here is the site where the pic came from
http://www.risk.ru/blog/195579
Fritz, great pic of you.
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