Discussion Topic |
|
This thread has been locked |
OnsightOrGoHome
Trad climber
Fair Oaks
|
|
|
Jan 28, 2018 - 10:56pm PT
|
In 1978, the face problems on the far right side of Joe Brown Boulder on Mt Rubidoux.
|
|
Jay Hack
Trad climber
Detroit, Michigan
|
|
|
Jan 29, 2018 - 09:33am PT
|
First top rope was Rattlesnake Point Ontario in the early '90s.
First Ice climb was '95 at Cathedral Ledge in NH
First Alpine Climb where I was leading was 1998 on the Tooth in Washington State.
|
|
Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
|
|
|
Jan 29, 2018 - 10:09am PT
|
The family was ensconced chez Desert Hot Springs, so Mum and Granny could soak. This was a regular occurrence so I had planned accordingly by bringing Granny’s clothes line. I kid you knott. I’d just seen “Third Man On The Mountain” so I figured I had it sussed. I told the authorities that I was taking the Twin Monsters ‘hiking’, which was true, to a point. They were 9 and quite possibly unlikely to see 10. Did I mention that I was 13? We went up one of the canyons above town until we got to the ‘climb’. I tied Monster 1 in with a bowline ( I was a sailor) and showed him how to belay like James MacArthur. Then I headed up into the unknown, even though it was plainly in sight. I ran it out to the bitter end of the rope’s 50 feet and reached a nice ledge, on of many available for a pittance. Then I brought up the first Monster. I untied him and tossed the end down to Monster 2. A plaintive “How do I tie the rope?” wafted upwards. “You should have paid attention!” He managed something resembling his shoe laces (shoes still had laces then) and bravely ascended. We did another ‘pitch’ or so before walking off into the adjoining gully. I was God thenceforth.
|
|
Spider Savage
Mountain climber
The shaggy fringe of Los Angeles
|
|
|
Jan 31, 2018 - 01:42pm PT
|
Moscow Mountain, somewhere on the ridge east of Section 9 pond.
|
|
NutAgain!
Trad climber
South Pasadena, CA
|
|
|
Jan 31, 2018 - 01:53pm PT
|
I don't remember my first climb, but I remember my first lead. Gallwas Crack at Mission Gorge, with a set of hexes I bought from REI. Felt steep and scary, but I don't remember feeling like I was gonna die. Maybe I just blacked out that part. Would have been 1993-1994.
Snagged this pic (not of me) from MP:
edit: My first 5.something climbs most definitely were solos, probably scaling high-rise buildings in college (and a certain Russia incident), or scrambling at J-Tree. Did sporadic top-roping outside and in a gym for a year before trying to lead.
|
|
Munke
Social climber
Boulder, CO
|
|
|
Jan 31, 2018 - 01:55pm PT
|
1989, Coopers Rocks West Virginia. It rained almost every weekend that summer and we spent lots of time waiting for the rocks to dry off. My father had taken a top rope class and found it so fun that he thought the whole family should take up climbing. We had yards and yards of striped pink webbing to make anchors from the trees at the top of the cliffs and little pieces of carpet to wipe the mud off of our climbing shoes. I'm the only one who caught the full on climbing bug.
|
|
Old5Ten
Trad climber
Berkeley and Sunny Slopes, CA
|
|
|
Jan 31, 2018 - 03:12pm PT
|
when i was a young lad, must have been late 60's, my grandmother would take me to burg liechtenstein outside of vienna. i was a chunky and absolutely uncoordinated kid, but had this innate desire to climb the southern flank/buttress up to the tower (0:09 and 1:50s). many, many tries finally landed me solo at the base of the wall, scared shitless and wondering how i was going to get back. didn't 'really' start climbing until '88 ;-)
[Click to View YouTube Video]
|
|
Cheldric
Sport climber
Colorado Springs
|
|
Rooster Rock - Columbia Gorge. Summer 1981.
|
|
EdwardT
Trad climber
Retired
|
|
Beech, NC
1969
|
|
aaron4peace
Trad climber
Santa Fe
|
|
In the late 80's, I had just gotten a job down the street at A-16 cleaning used condoms and pocket knives out of rental backpacking gear (I still have a nice collection of them, knives that is). I signed up the first weekend to be an assistant to Peter Hayes (RIP) teaching a beginning climbing class at Stoney Point. Therefore, my first climb was Beehive Crack and then Beethoven's Wall.
The next week, back at work, John Long stopped by on his normal day to use the shop facilities/tools available to him at probably any backcountry shop in town. He was into kayaking at thte time and was rigging up some new system or repairs, I dont quite remember cause I wasnt paying much attention. Of course I had no idea who he was at the time, and he would just talk my head off while I wondered who this nutty old hack was, keeping me from listening to my Iron Maiden tapes while trying to get through washing a lot of tents. He was psyched for me, learning to climb, and made me promise to get out to Joshua Tree the next weekend and wrote me a tick list of must-do's. They included Right Ski Track and the Bong, and other classics under 5.6.
So I talked my parents out of some extra cash, bought a nice 11mm rope, fist full of nuts and hexes, some cord to string them all up, and then convinced my hapless best friend that we were going to J-Tree to do some rock climbing. I even tied him up a nice swiss-seat harness out of 2" seatbelt webbing. We were gonna have us some fun.
We started on the ski track, and I had never really feared for my life until that first day. And I never looked back at a life without climbing.
Returning to work the next week, I saw Largo again and was sure to let him know that his list was "no problem" and I also made a point to inform him how to properly execute the moves and place gear on these lines, now that I was an expert. To his credit, I don't remember him rolling his eyes.
|
|
martygarrison
Trad climber
Washington DC
|
|
First climb very early 70's. Lost Arrow Tip with the Tyrolean. We were so slow we had to sleep on the top of the spire.
|
|
Steven Amter
climber
Washington, DC
|
|
My first climb was Easy Keyhole in the Gunks, then rated 5.2. It was the summer of 1974, I was climbing with my best friend; we were both 17.
The entire day was memorable in several ways. We hitchhiked from NYC. We did 30 minutes of really nasty bushwacking up from the hairpin turn in an effort to evade paying the $1.50 daily use fee - and upon reaching the base of the cliff instantly encountered a ranger who of course charged us. Walking along the carriage road I gawked upward in fear at the clmbs, then passed a topless women belaying Maury Jaffee on Low Exposure (then rated 5.10-). After Easy Keyhole, we did two other climbs, Horseman and Betty, I think. By the end of the day, my forearms were so tight I could barely hold a fork. Needless to say, I was instantly hooked on climbing, apparently for life.
|
|
paul roehl
Boulder climber
california
|
|
In 1969 with Bruce Price, Monday Morning slab and then over to Sunnyside Bench. There was still a Sierra Club register at the top of Sunnyside. Price was older and seemed like superman at the time. We were both working at the Ahwahnee. When I went home at the end of the summer I went to Kelty in Glendale and bought a S##t load of gear. I was hooked. Climbing really saved me; for the first time in my life I had a passion for something, and I was able to discover that passion in so many more things as a result.
|
|
burp
Trad climber
Salt Lake City
|
|
August 12, 1986: Lisa Falls, Little Cottonwood Canyon in an old pair of Royal Robbins resoled at home using a 5.10 rubber kit that was available back then. Followed my older brother up it. Finished up on the friction variation (~5.9) to the top which made me excited for much more!
From that day forward, Climbing has always been there as other things have come and gone.
|
|
Reeotch
climber
4 Corners Area
|
|
Something at Mt. Diablo, fall 1980.
Did the Amazing Face in Puma running shoes.
|
|
hossjulia
Trad climber
Carson City, NV
|
|
Whales Tale, Eldorado Canyon, 1983, 2 routes, I led the second one. 5.1? & 5.4? That would've first roped climbs.
I grew up on the last street ( Rumson) before the Santee boulders. Scrambled around there as a pre-teen. Went back to boulder in the late 80's and was surprised at how hard some f those scrambles were. Up to 5.10.
|
|
mouse from merced
Trad climber
The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.
|
|
Tiny thread drift...
Paul Roehl, you are the first person I know on ST that knew or climbed with Bruce Price. He sure had some good stories to tell.
We two attempted the Gold Wall once in '71, the only time I got to climb with him.
He was living in El Portal, driving the school bus to Mariposa then. and he drove his '57 Chevy on the Merced Canyon like Parnelli Jones.
|
|
WyoRockMan
climber
Grizzlyville, WY
|
|
I was 6 the first time I roped up. A little crag on the Gallatin, just outside of Bozeman. It's now closed to climbing by the landowner. 1978.
Some little 40' route, but enough to hook me.
Some OW action later that summer at Practice Rock.
I climbed this one a couple years ago, seemed hard for a 5.8, but I wasn't feeling well.
My Mom was (and is) pretty awesome. Raised us right.
|
|
NutAgain!
Trad climber
South Pasadena, CA
|
|
WyoRockMan, looks like you got the jackpot growing up!
|
|
MH2
Boulder climber
Andy Cairns
|
|
Love the WyoRockMan Origins.
Also nice to see a reference to Maury Jaffee(sp?) who I think I helped break psychological barriers for me at the Gunks, grade-wise, by leading climbs up to the crux, lowering, and letting me take the lead with gear in place. Low-budget tattered gear, if we are talking about the same person. This would have been between '71 and '73.
|
|
|
SuperTopo on the Web
|
Let us know!