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Mighty Hiker
climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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Jul 18, 2011 - 01:49am PT
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There was also a sasquatch sighting, or maybe it was a troll. Squamish can be a misty, mysterious place, with many secrets.
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Mighty Hiker
climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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Jul 18, 2011 - 01:44pm PT
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The Mountain Rescue Group did some work on trails at the Chief in the later 1960s - I hope to ferret out the exact date. Possibly working with the Mountain Access Committee, they improved and signed the trail to the bottom of the Grand Wall, the backside trail, and perhaps others. About the same time as the MRG at least started to think about how to do a technical rescue, if needed. I'm fairly sure that the engraved metal signs were made by Paul Binkert, who was quite into trail work, and also very good at working with metal, both in his profession and later as an artist. I know he had the engraving equipment. There are half a dozen such signs around Squamish, and in most cases the tree to which a sign is attached has grown out and to some extent around them. By the 1960s, they'd learnt to not hammer the nails for signs and markers all the way into the tree, to allow some room for growth, and they probably started with a cm or so of 'slack'.
I believe that the original Grand Wall "boat rope" lives in a bucket in the Garibaldi Highlands, together with the plaque for the Errol Pardoe memorial hut. The Squamish museum was given most of the original Grand Wall bongs, made by the town blacksmith at Pat Brennan's request (command), but may have subsequently misplaced them.
Let's not also forget that the weekend's festival, as much as anything, derives from the famous John Howe slide shows. Starting with an annual group slide show in the basement of John's parents' house in North Vancouver, then expanding to rented rooms at UBC, then to the very first climbers' festival in Squamish in 1986 (25th anniversary), and the big 40th anniversary event in 2001. A lot of work for John and friends, especially the big one in 2001. John has also been big figure in Squamish Search & Rescue, and was Squamish's citizen of the year a few years ago for all his efforts. The earlier slide shows were immortalized by a cartoon by Tami.
(The 1986 festival included two parties climbing the Grand Wall, one with equipment and technique similar to that used in 1961, the other by 'modern' means. Comparison. John Wittmayer was a member of the 'trad' team - maybe he can tell us about it.)
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Mighty Hiker
climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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Jul 18, 2011 - 06:34pm PT
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So here is Ed Cooper, speaking on Saturday night at the Eagle Eye theatre in Squamish. An entertaining and well-received presentation - he's been doing a lot of work to scan and restore old slides and photos. About half was on climbing (and photography) in B.C. generally, about half about the first ascent of the Grand Wall, and bits on other things like Dihedral Wall. He was introduced by Corinne Lonsdale, who saw the ascent in 1961 as a teenager (she's only 28 now), is a former mayor of Squamish, and now a councillor.
Ed says they intended a diretissima, in the spirit of Comici. Unlike El Cap, the Grand Wall of the Chief doesn't have any significant weaknesses between University Wall on the far left (done in 1966), and Crap Crags on the far right (1962, a moderate tree wrangle). They ended up using about 135 bolts, although 80% must have been for the bolt ladders connecting the Flake to the base of the Split Pillar, and the top of the Sword to the Flats. In the context of the equipment and techniques that were available then, they did it in fine style, albeit siege techniques were needed. Assuming that you wanted to do a route on the main face, it took the obvious line. Mercy Me wasn't discovered until years later, although it now provides a common indirect approach to the Split Pillar.
Looking at it another way, all the routes later done on the Grand Wall had the use of much better knowledge, equipment and techniques, often started higher up (top of the Flake, top of Peasants' Route) and finished at Dance Platform/Bellygood, and still typically used 40 to 50 drilled holes. Uncle Ben's, Humpty Dumpty, Ten Years After, Up From the Skies, Zorro's, Black Dyke, Negro Lesbian. Part of the history project will be working out how many each had.
The exception, of course, is University Wall, in the big corner on the left edge of the wall. A completely independent line to Dance Platform, and over half independent through the Roman Chimneys. They used something like seven or nine bolts on the FA. Somewhat parallel to the first climbs on El Capitan, where the second route (Salathe) followed a line of weakness, and so used far less bolts than were used on the Nose - although I guess a lot have been added to both routes, especially at belays and the various 'free' ascents.
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Mighty Hiker
climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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Jul 18, 2011 - 10:54pm PT
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Well, one of the threads leading eventually to climbers' festivals in Squamish was John and his events. Agreed that there's still a need for something like those crazy evenings with the gang, swapping lies and stories, mercilessly heckling each other.
Rogues' gallery, from Saturday night. L-R, Richard Strachan (Clean Corner, 1962), Ed Cooper, Dick Culbert (a long list, but his first FA at Squamish was in 1958), and Tricouni (again, a very long list, including University Wall in 1966, and the first real guide to Squamish in 1967).
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Mighty Hiker
climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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Jul 20, 2011 - 01:39am PT
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Another photo or two, to spin things out.
Access Society table. No committees were hurt in the taking of this photo.
About the best weather of the whole weekend.
Glenn and Ed. Ed with his books - Spirit of the Heights, Spirit of the Rockies, Spirit of Yosemite. All well worth getting - see http://www.edcooper.com
FatTrad to now scramble for post #666, his first to the thread.
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Big Mike
Trad climber
BC
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Sep 12, 2011 - 10:41pm PT
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Bump!
Anders, this thread is amazing!
More if you please?
Mike
Edit
Tami tell us a tale about the kangaroo!
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Relic
Social climber
Vancouver, BC
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I haven't found any story about the Left Side of the Split Pillar. It's first free ascent was in 1975 by Nick Taylor and Peter Peart. Any stories about those guys? Were they visitors?
RP's and cams were not available back then so it must have been quite the hard climb to protect. How did they do it? Were they aliens from the future?
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Relic
Social climber
Vancouver, BC
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Bumping for a Left Side Storey!
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Mighty Hiker
climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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Sorry - missed this one during the FaceLift. Peter Peart immigrated to Canada from Australia in about 1970, with his wife. He was quite active in the mountaineering community during the 1970s, and I knew him fairly well. (I believe he now lives on Bowen Island, and is an engineer. Don't know about his background.) He was sort of a local beachhead for visiting Australians, especially those on their way to or from the Valley. In 1972 Chris Baxter spent some time here, and then in late summer 1975 rising star Nic Taylor showed up. I gather that Peter was his belay slave for a few days, during which they bagged the left side of the Pillar - Eric and Daryl had done the right side earlier that summer.
Nic went on to other climbing feats, and despite some skepticism at the time, it was clear he was quite able to do a climb as hard as the left side. (That was the summer that Mountain breathlessly reported that Hotline had been freed in the Valley, allegedly the first 5.12.) I did A Question of Balance with Peter in 1977, or rather he belayed and I scared myself, and drilled.
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Todd Eastman
climber
Bellingham, WA
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The Aussies might read that as 999#...
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Relic
Social climber
Vancouver, BC
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I remember reading a log book in the Pardoe Hut ( when it was there ) that noted the FIRST AUSTRALIAN ASCENT of Grand Wall. Someone had written beneath it "Australians f U c k koala bears and eat kangaroos".
I thought that was funny. But I have an unhealthy sense of humour.
BaHAHAHAhaha :)
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Relic
Social climber
Vancouver, BC
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chortle :)
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Big Mike
Trad climber
BC
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Hahahahaha... Thanks for the laughs guys :) Good info MH. Got any old photos left to show us?
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Chief
climber
The NW edge of The Hudson Bay
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Re the Left Side.
There was some healthy skepticism about Nic Taylor's alleged free ascent because of the vegetated nature of the lower part of the crack.
Ditto for the Putnam/Loeks credit for reaching the Left Side free via Merci Me as it would have been very poorly protected at that time. (Even now there's still some thin moves getting into the base protected by thin wires in an expanding crack. Pull those and it's a zoomer onto the bolt placed by yours truly some distance below.)
What isn't disputed is either Nic's or Bill's ability to climb at that standard in the early to mid seventies. Nic was setting standards in Australia with the offwidth classic Country Road and repeating hard crack routes in Yosemite. Bill was also setting standards leading the unprotected start to Eldorado's Jule's Verne as an example.
We do seem short on substantive confirmation of either claim and rely on rumors and the printed opinions of guidebook editors and as we all know, that pretty much makes it so.
Maybe Bill and Nic lurk here and can offer some insight.
What is known is that in 77ish? Bill Price and friends along with Daryl Hatten climbed the Left Side free from a hanging belay under the roof. A considerable amount of mud and grass had to be cleaned out of the first twenty feet of the crack prior to Bill's first try lead on wires and hexes.
I think Bill suggested 11d as a rating. 12a is now the consensus.
Subsequent to this, in 80ish and at the prompting of Tom Gibson and George Manson, I led from Merci Me to the base of the Left Side free placing a protection bolt off of the second pitch of Merci Me and placing pins free on lead to protect the final traverse. (These were later pulled or busted off and replaced with a bogus and unsanctioned bolt job). I'd already placed the bolt belay at the ledge below the Left Side in previous Grand Wall shenanigans and after placing a higher bolt on lead, was able to free to the base of the Left Side proper from there.
I then enlisted Greg Cameron to try and link all of this free to the top of the Sword and attempt the offwidth into the flats. Neither Greg or I could free the Left Side and so we swung over to the Right Side and carried on. Greg threw, I mean dropped the wide gear off the top of the Pillar and that killed any meaningful attempt on the offwidth. We climbed the Flats free including an early if not first free ascent of the Sail Flake undercling. We essentially whittled the aid on the Grand down to a point at the base of the Pillar and the hundred feet from the top of the Sword to the Flats.
Peter Croft along with Forager and Haggis later free climbed the obvious continuation of the Left Side free and nailed up into Ten Years After to produce The Grinning Weasel.
The rest as they say, is history.
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Chief
climber
The NW edge of The Hudson Bay
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Tami,
"ish" was the qualifier and your probably right about it being closer to 78/79.
It was Bill's only trip to Squamish, same trip as the unmentionable UB hauling incident.
The main point is Bill's doing the first verified free ascent of the Left Side.
Peter probably did the first lead from the no hands belay lower down that linked my efforts to the base of the Pillar.
Of course that eventually led to Peter's "discovery" of a key foot hold with a "mere tap with a carabiner " that allowed a short lived step across to the Right Side.
I recall the Grinning Weasel continuation happening later in the early eighties.
More colorful history.
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Ghost
climber
A long way from where I started
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same trip as the unmentionable UB hauling incident.
Ah, it's totally mentionable. Kinda funny in retrospect.
And if you want another haul bag story from Squamish in the 70s, or possibly early 80s, try this (I think I posted it on some hauling thread a few years ago, but it's a good Squamish story)
I was walking along the base of the Grand Wall one day and came upon a guy from Colorado sitting near the base of Exasperator and checking his watch every few seconds. He said he and his two partners had just climbed the Grand to Bellygood ledge, in full big-wall style, but were afraid to try getting the bag across Bellygood and onto the trail at the far end. So they synchronized their watches and he headed across and then ran down the trail.
The idea was that this would have one of them at the bottom when the bag came down to make sure it wasn't stolen.
Yeah, right.
Zero hour was right then, and there was no way to change the plan, so we took cover. The bag came flying out, and after about 500 feet of airtime it hit the wall. And completely exploded. Their entire wall rack shrapneled into the forest.
He couldn't believe what had just happened. We couldn't believe anyone wouldn't have seen this coming.
Fortunately no one was killed or injured.
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bmacd
Mountain climber
100% Canadian
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That linkage into the base of the pillar from merci me is some of the best climbing anywhere ...
Chief;
I also remember him (Croft) sack-hauling me into the crack c'os I couldn't touch those moves. He went all the way to the top of the corner ( Grinning Weasle ). I think he turned the corner ( to the Sword )somehow.
sick ...
meanwhile I was sketching on Ander's .10a at the base ...
My question is what the heck is up with Drifters Escape ? I don't know anyone who has done it, though maybe it's a trade route by now ???
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Mighty Hiker
climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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I plan to talk with Peter Peart about the left side of the Pillar, and of course Dave Nicol and Bill Thompson about Drifter's Escape, as part of the history project. I haven't heard of a second ascent of DE. Maybe Peter will have some photos of the climbs he did with Nic. IIRC, Tim et al nailed the thing in 1970 or so, and that may have cleaned out the crack at the bottom a bit, at least for a while.
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Relic
Social climber
Vancouver, BC
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Thanks Perry, Tami, and Anders for all those stories about the Left Side. I'm sitting at Psyche Ledge looking up, picturing all these crazy ascents from back then. Hope that history is going well for you Anders. We all appreciate it.
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Mighty Hiker
climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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What, they have wireless at Psyche Ledge now? What's the world coming to?
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