Discussion Topic |
|
This thread has been locked |
Raydog
Trad climber
Boulder Colorado
|
|
RE:
"
Class 5's ads were way ahead of the curve. Anybody remember the one of the fellow with the dog climbing on the driveway?
"
thanks for the info on class 5 - the ad I saw (a poster) is at the Hermit's Hut in Redding Ca. It must be really rare because no one I've talked to knows about it or has seen one
just about all of us remember the class 5 poster you mention - a period classic
did you see the Bat tent for sale?
here's one for you - Banana Equipment - Gear With A Peel, first US company to use Gore-Tex, Estes Park Colorado - I'll try to post some label scans when I can
|
|
Fat Ba$tard
Social climber
St. Paul, MN
|
|
This is the Class 5 ad to which I was referring:
It looks as if they may have picked up the idea from the Chouinard ads. This ad was on the back cover of the third issue of Backpacker magazine from 1973.
Someone mentioned a Bat tent for sale. Can you point me to the link?
By the way, the Monty Python videos were great, I had not seen the climbing clips before.
|
|
Chiloe
Trad climber
Lee, NH
|
|
|
Oct 11, 2007 - 06:48pm PT
|
Cool thread for us nostalgic types. I remember Alpine Designs! And those Holubar wedge packs Tar mentioned, copied from Sierra Designs with a goofy metal ring instead of a haul loop. Holubar also copied the Sierra Designs tent, improving it by making it slightly larger.
Especially I recall that first North Face catalog, and still like to tell non-climbers what the logo on their jacket actually means. And I've still got one of their mummy bags, new in 1970 and not quite so fluffy now but quite usable -- far outlasting its synthetic successors.
Gary Neptune opened his first store on 30th street when, 1971?
|
|
Jaybro
Social climber
The West
|
|
|
Oct 11, 2007 - 07:06pm PT
|
Mebbe, Domingo, but I have two snow loin products purchased circa, '76; A killer expedition double jacket, and a limited edition -30 bag that vehemtely don't have sawdust in them. The baffles in the bag are shot but I could lay down on a glacier in the downj acket and get a good night sleep, 30 odd years after original purchase.
|
|
Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
|
|
|
Oct 11, 2007 - 07:14pm PT
|
That first N Face catalog, or one of the very early editions: remember that little bit about "Ice 9" (not sure if we covered that upthread) it was a bizarre enviro-prophetic-what-if about a molecule that, if/when contacting water, would freeze it, then multiply the effect, cascading on a global rampage and in short order lock all our water into ice (or some end all scenario like that)...
|
|
Jaybro
Social climber
The West
|
|
|
Oct 11, 2007 - 07:17pm PT
|
Isn't it a gauge of, something, that North Face went from doling out (admitedly self righteous) 'ice nine awards', to upholstring Fords?
-petro dollar enemas make the world go round?
|
|
Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
|
|
|
Jan 18, 2013 - 09:22pm PT
|
Long overdue Bump!
|
|
zBrown
Ice climber
chingadero de chula vista
|
|
|
Jan 18, 2013 - 09:28pm PT
|
good ne Steve
|
|
Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
|
|
|
Jan 18, 2013 - 09:46pm PT
|
Ice Nine is pure Vonnegut ala Cat's Cradle. I wonder WTFTNF was on about?
|
|
BBA
climber
OF
|
|
|
Jan 20, 2013 - 11:27pm PT
|
OK, here is Berkeley in an early time. Where are all the students? You could ride a bike on campus.
So here is the bike...
And, aside from Indian Rock, here is one of the destinations...
|
|
mouse from merced
Trad climber
The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.
|
|
|
Jan 21, 2013 - 12:19am PT
|
Those fitiy-ish fotos.
Those seventies ads prove
There is no yes in nostalgia.
Class 5 was the child of Justus Bauschinger, designing for Doug Tompkins at The North Face pre-Hap Klopp (1968/9, I think). Justus worked with and 'trained' the next designer for TNF, Mark 'Mars' Ericson. Then he moved on.
Justus' advertising was, as is apparent to the casual observer, more oriented to climbing in those years following that first TNF catalog. The North Face catalogs subsequently simply didn't mention climbing equipment for sale, just their manufactured line of goods, I suspect because they no longer sold it--TNF retail outlets in the Bay Area no longer had Chouinard Equipment to sell. TNF staffs were embarrassed to have to send customers to Ski Hut or Sierra Designs (way before REI floated up in the Bay like a dead-ass whale).
Klopp, having pissed off Doreen Frost, the accounts receivable at GPIW, moved TNF on to cater more to the backpacker. that was another good reason the climbing gear moved out of the catalogs. Later on, emphasis changed back with change of ownership
|
|
Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
|
|
|
Jan 21, 2013 - 01:51pm PT
|
Classic store shot BBA!
Down the road a few years at the Oakdale Festival it would be fun to get the principals from the dozen or so founding companies to come and talk about the first ten years in business. Most of these folks are still around and would be a great resource.
We just touched on the hardware business year one.
|
|
BBA
climber
OF
|
|
|
Jan 21, 2013 - 11:16pm PT
|
Roper was a ski sharpener at the Ski Hut for a while when I was in Berkeley. I don't know what other menial tasks he performed in the back out of sight of the customers and away from the register.
Guido worked there and might have some tales to tell.
One could get steals of deals there.
|
|
martygarrison
Trad climber
Washington DC
|
|
|
Jan 21, 2013 - 11:23pm PT
|
73 I bought my first pair of eb's from the ski hut. what a break through they were! I loved that place.
|
|
Dr.Sprock
Boulder climber
I'm James Brown, Bi-atch!
|
|
|
Jan 21, 2013 - 11:26pm PT
|
i remember a ski hut near los altos somewhere,
or was it sunnyvale? cupertino?
turned into any mountain?
better than helm of sun valley,
where the motto was
'we only sell a few pair a year, but dang, are they expensive!"
|
|
guido
Trad climber
Santa Cruz/New Zealand/South Pacific
|
|
|
Jan 21, 2013 - 11:35pm PT
|
Ah yes BBA I remember that bike, it was green and we had some wild and crazy rides. Remember, we use to haul the bikes up at night in a car and have an insane race down Grizzly Peak. Mix this with one of the old Sierra Club, RCS Sun night spaghetti and wine dinners and it was mad. You were the old guy at 18 or so and we could always blame you if busted. Sh#t we would all be in jail now days with such adventures.
|
|
Fritz
Trad climber
Choss Creek, ID
|
|
|
Jan 21, 2013 - 11:44pm PT
|
MFM! Interesting comment on who we ended up calling "The Klopster."
In the mid 1990's he put together an investment group that bought the great outdoor gear company Moonstone, and the "up and coming" outdoor gear company Quest, and the US rights to the woman's clothing company Wild Roses.
His new empire was bankrupt within a year.
|
|
rottingjohnny
Sport climber
mammoth lakes ca
|
|
|
Jan 22, 2013 - 12:04am PT
|
I heard some stories about royal gourge and ski hut....Something about missing wall photos and kleptomania...?
|
|
|
SuperTopo on the Web
|
Let us know!