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Captain...or Skully

Big Wall climber

leading the away team, but not in a red shirt!

Dec 18, 2010 - 12:36pm PT

History bump, eh?

MH2

climber

Dec 18, 2010 - 01:46pm PT

"have thoroughly enjoyed all of the posts, and the memories that flood back"

Well, you've anted up now.

Great photos!

Very cool to see Knacker Cracker getting climbed. I think its back, now, but strange how a route we all walk under so often lapsed into obscurity for a while.

That boulder problem in the bluffs is 3 bolted routes, now.

Nice capture of expression on Werewolves. A good kind of climbing photograph.

And you don't need people in the picture to make a person laugh, apparently. I won't say which photo did that for me so as not to prejudice others.

Nice to see a new photo of Tami. She looks oddly peaceful. Peacefully odd? Must be plotting her next move.

Also I see railroad property being trespassed on. Anders, what is the statute of limitations?

Andy Cairns

Wayno

Big Wall climber

Seattle, WA

Dec 18, 2010 - 02:15pm PT

Nice pics, Randy. Welcome to the Taco. We met at Daryl's Memorial and talked about mushrooms. Did you ever find any Boletus?

Cheers,

Wayno

Paul_in_Van

Trad climber

Near Squampton

Dec 18, 2010 - 04:54pm PT

Hi all;

This is a great thread, a big thanks to Anders for starting it and posting so much history.

Randy;

Great pics, it took a while to sort out that there was a shot of Brunser Overhang in there, I was staring at the pic trying to figure out where someone would do that move. I use a butt jam chimney move there pretty much all the time (10+, I like this climb for some reason). I knew that you could use a handjam under the overhang, but had always stayed to square to the face to get into it properly and bailed back to the chimney move.

I tell people there is a grumpy dwarf in there somewhere, you climb the route, and a few minutes to hours later you realize that some off muscle you didn't know you had is twinging (not too bad, but just tweaked). That is where the dwarf hit you on the way up the climb. He really sneaks up on you. Sounds like a TK cartoon.

Anyhow, keep up the good posts and memories, this is great.

P

bmacd

Trad climber

100% Canadian

Dec 18, 2010 - 09:34pm PT

Randy, drop again by sometime, anytime in fact !

sac

Trad climber

Sun Coast B.C.

Dec 18, 2010 - 10:17pm PT

AWESOME!!

Studly

Trad climber

Dec 19, 2010 - 12:43am PT

A treasure trove from back in the day.

Mighty Hiker

climber

Vancouver, B.C.

Dec 19, 2010 - 01:28am PT

Tami: "Big Grin & thanks for postin' the pix. I don't have many from those days."

Translation: I wonder who else may have photos of my bum, and what this is all gonna cost?

Ghost

climber

A long way from where I started

Dec 19, 2010 - 02:32am PT

Hi Randy

Great to see one more of the Squamish crew here. And thanks for the reminder of how much fun those annual nights at John's were. I can remember going to see the slide show presented by whatever famous climber was passing through and thinking that what we had ourselves was a hundred times better.

And speaking of John, I remember him getting pissed with me for giving you and Dean a big spread in the CAJ for the things you were doing on the North Walls and ignoring the "much more important" climbing at Pet Wall. Hee hee.

David Harris

bmacd

Trad climber

100% Canadian

Dec 19, 2010 - 03:11am PT

T&P ? that's a mildly amusing acronym gf ...

Randy Atkinson

Trad climber

North Vancouver

Dec 20, 2010 - 12:55am PT

Well I have started, so here is some ranting, and fill in some holes. The guy in the red jacket on Psyche ledge is Allen Tate, some photo you guys were trying to figure out. What a hang that place was, just had to make sure you didn’t get run over by some incompetent driver, heck some of us stayed in the cave after Daryl’s wake. In 76 hitchhiking was my norm of getting around. Finding partners was always an ongoing thing especially when your some skinny kid with a red rope.

The highlight of my first year, was leading the first pitch of Exasperator, 5.9. Belayed by Chris Murrel , whom I just met, and him kindly offering to belay me. Problem for me was the, I am belaying from the top, with body belay, no device yet. Got pretty much cut in half, hanging onto Chris.

Climbed with Jim Sinclair one day on the apron that year. It was great. Jim had his girl friend along and we were going to take her up Banana Peel. I was thrilled, she had the biggest set of tits, tight tee shirt, skimpy torn cutoffs. It was tough to focus, which gave Jim some good entertainment, and me and my horny thoughts would have to be dealt with later. We did get up the route.

Met Peter and Richard in 77, we had tons of fun. Richard had the car with pipes down the side to hold it together. I was always amazed at how seeing the highway below your feet, major rust, hence the pipes, just sort of sent a few shivers, but we new how to fix that. We slab climbed, learned how to climb cracks, and learned how to aid climb, well at least some of us.

Met Bill McNeil that year, one of the original 100 foot clubbers. Saw somewhere you guys were talking about some of the big falls. Bill, a bit older, could have been my dad, took me up White Lightning one day. First pitch, only one ¼ inch bolt for pro, Bill decides to slip while just about to get to the belay stance. I had a device this time. He is sliding, and I am yarding in rope. Well not a 100 feet but a long fall. He went back up and led it. I watched Daryls fall on Zorro’s, that was something else, it looked like he had a smoke before trying to figure out what next. Bill on the other hand seemed to like falling long distances. Black Bugs Blood first pitch, Bill was airborne, crashing into the trees. He walked back around the ledge, we could not see him, were all mortified, and astounded e that he was OK. That one was an honest 100 footer. The other monster fall I watched, sic huh, was Phil Kubik on the Split Pillar. In the early days pro was not as easy as it is now. Watching him slow down, and fiddle, fiddle some more, and this was just below the jug, I knew he was going to blow off. One piece of pro between him and the original 3/16 inch bolt. Finally he was dropping, piece blew, he kept going, Almost landing on his belayer, I believe it was Tim Ryan. The bolt held. And to Phil’s great credit, he dusted himself off, and went and finished it off.

In 77 I believe that is the year Eric and Scott did the second ascent of the Grim Reaper. The preparations aside from the standard gear, bolt kit, etc. involved using markers to draw arrows on Scott’s blown all to hell EB’s. He had arrows pointing to where he still had rubber left on his shoes, couldn’t believe it. And I believe that when Scott fell up high, it was a tied off drill bit that saved the day.

“Randy and I came back late in June 1978, and did Partners in Crime. I led the first half of the hard part, and got it sewn up, then Randy took over. At the time, there was a big flake at its base, sticking straight up, just out from the wall. It was quite helpful, but someone later pushed it over. Once or twice I've thought about putting it back.”

As for Partners in Crime, the wet spot, we all know where that is right. Basically where you manage to get your first piece in. Well as far as my recollection, I believe Anders you thrashed and got that first piece in, a 6 hex or so, and that was it. One piece in my mind just does not add up to getting it sewn up. It is really nice to see some of these routes stand the test of time, thanks for getting it together Anders, amongst many other tings.

Take care all,

Randy

Chief

climber

The NW edge of The Hudson Bay

Dec 20, 2010 - 01:25am PT

Randy,

Holy stabs from the past man! Thanks for the great photos.
Last time I walked past Psyche Ledge it occurred to me that if that place isn't culturally significant, no place on the Chief is. We should do something about that, not sure exactly what, but something Daryl, Eric, John Bryan, John Stoddard and their friends would be proud of.
I think our times at Psyche Ledge did as much to define our characters and culture as our shenanigans on the rock.

Here's one of my favorite stories;
It's May of 76 and Dave Lane and I have been climbing all of about a month and we head up to the base of the Grand. Scott Flavelle is leading the first pitch of The Phew doing 5.9 in EBs, running it out off of tied off 1/4 inch studs. Dave and I are immediately regaled by his partner John Bryan, decked out in plaid shirt, baggy whites and a head band, rope around his waist in a classic hip belay. He asks us if we've been to "The Valley" in a reverent tone I'll never forget. Hell, I had no idea what valley he was talking about. Our attention is drawn back to Scott, a long ways out from that last stud and wondering where the the belay is.
"How much rope John?" Scott asks. John looks up and in the most off hand and casual manner possible replies, "This much" and holds up the bitter end with about three feet of slack remaining before his belay hand. No knot and not tied in. Dave and I were agog and later remarked, "Those guys are hardcore!"
John was killed in a helicopter crash within a year as I remember.
Dave and I and we did get to "The Valley" that fall and Scott mentored both of us and contributed greatly to our survival as neophytes.

Respect

bmacd

Trad climber

100% Canadian

Dec 21, 2010 - 02:43pm PT

I remember being with Captain Granitic walking the Grandwall base and seeing Chief/Perry float Exasperator in about '77 or '78. It looked like he had been climbing for decades, not just a couple of years

Randy - looking forward to more pics. I don't think the general populace on ST realizes when you label a shot "peter" that it is an archival photo of Peter Croft in the early days. The good thing about the ST photo uploader is with the photos you can always go back into edit mode and change the caption, there is no time limit for updates.

Mighty Hiker

climber

Vancouver, B.C.

Dec 21, 2010 - 04:45pm PT

Bruce - that looks like the second pitch of Apron Strings.

Randy - I recall starting Partners in Crime, getting in one or two nuts above the top of the flake, then coming down. In effect, fizzling out at the start of the crux section, maybe 4 - 5 m up, at the last semi-rest. Perhaps the excitement from leading Seaside Rendezvous that morning had tired me out. You led 80% of PiC, maybe more, including the crux. I believe I followed it clean, though there are some interesting bits in the upper 2/3, and some nuts were hard to get out.

bmacd

Trad climber

100% Canadian

Dec 21, 2010 - 06:11pm PT

I wasn't good enough to lead first pitch of apron strings during the days I climbed in a Whillans I guess Captain Granitic got us to this point. First pitch of Apron strings is .12c if you are wearing EB's

Technically it doesn't sound like the FA of Crime of the Century occurred that day … head point ? ;-)

Hmmm …. a shot of me in a Whillans at malemute

Mighty Hiker

climber

Vancouver, B.C.

Feb 1, 2011 - 06:04pm PT

survival (July 30th): Possibly the best "regional" history thread of the whole dang taco.

Some of the regional threads about Yosemite are pretty good, too. And from Joshua Tree. And tarbuster's. And... :-)

Tami, I've never quite been able to do CoC cleanly, even on toprope. Not for lack of trying. When I cleaned it, I placed fixed pins at the bottom and top, where they seemed needed. They disappeared in the early 80s (?), when curved stoppers, RPs, and Friends appeared.

bump, though maybe not entirely necessary...