Discussion Topic |
|
This thread has been locked |
Clint Cummins
Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
|
|
|
May 10, 2007 - 06:25pm PT
|
from "Sea of Domes", by Steve Schneider, Climbing #127, 1991
A Pivotal Climb
Two climbers hung from a belay 150 feet off the ground, shivering in the morning shade cast by Medlicott Dome in Tuolumne Meadows. Seen from the road, they were barely visible specks on a formation 3000 feet long and 600 feet high. One of the two, who wore facial scars of a nasty hit-and-run bicycle accident, said "Man it is cold up here. What they hell are we doing?"
His partner was a lean youth, 22 years old. His long blond hair drifted up and down in the slight breeze. Clad only in shorts and a T-shirt, he replied, "Don't worry, the sun's about to hit us and then we'll warm up. Wait till you see the next pitch, it's totally awesome."
In a few minutes the sun came out of hiding, warming the climbers' bodies, and on the vertical wall above them a magical thing began to happen. One by one, hundreds of little knobs began to light up, standing out against the surrounding dark rock. These feldspar crystals had withstood the erosion of time, immue to the path of water that continually cascaded down during winter months. As the wall lit up like a Christmas tree, the second youth, John, reassured his friend, "See now, that's what we're here for. Isn't it the most beautiful line you've ever seen?"
Dave still had his doubts, for he had never been on such a steep, continuous face climb in his life. On the first pitch John had led a 5.11+ crux followed by a 30-foot runout to the belay, a slab below menacing him should he fall. But Dave's confidence in his partner quelled his fears, and he readied his belay.
John checked his gear one last time. With a hammer on his right side, skyhooks and a bolt kit on a sling, he stepped out into virgin territory. Smoothly and deliberately he ascended into the sea of knobs. He foound the climbing easier than expected and, feeling sure of his ability to downclimb, began to stretch the distance between himself and his belayer. He climbed up 20 feet, then 25, then 30. At almost 40 feet, he yelled down, "Hey, Dave, what do you think about this?"
Down at the belay, Dave was absolutely gripped. He had been begging John to put in a bolt for the last five minutes. While John had felt like responding, "Shut up, you chickensh#t, I'm trying to concentrate up here," he calmly said, "It's OK, Dave, don't worry about me."
But Dave remained anxious. If his friend fell, his flight path would pass directly over the belay. Envisioning another hideous hit-and-run, Dave pleaded, "Hey, John, why don't you come back down a bit?"
Looking down at the unprotected stretch he had climbed, John admitted to himself that maybe he was getting a little carried away. Slowly, surely, he reversed his last few moves. Searching the intricacies of the rock, he found what he was looking for. He took a skyhook off his rack, positioned it on a selected knob, clipped into his harness, and gingerly applied his weight. With his hands now free to grab the hammer and drill, John carefully began to drill a quarter-inch hole in the rock, aware that if his hook placement failed, he would plummet well over 60 feet, smash his belayer en route, and wind up with no one to arrest his fall. Time passed, perhaps 15 minutes, an eternity in limbo. John finished placing the bolt, and clipped in the rope. Secure for a moment, he pondered the route ahead. Then, climbing again into the unknown, he made another 30-foot runout before placing another bolt in the same manner. Dave could only be awed as his friend led the entire 120-foot pitch with only three bolts.
Returning another day to complete the climb, John re-led the first two pitches and established a third, as dangerous as both the others. At the top John Bachar and Dave Yerian joined a crack system, gained lower-angled rock, and soon arrived on top. The two climbers followed an old Yosemite tradition in naming the climb with their surnames, and the Bachar-Yerian was born.
It was 1981. Never in the history of American climbing had such a steep face been done with such long runouts. The route gained an instant reputation as Yerian told fireside accounts of the hugs spaces between bolts. In 1982, Alan Nelson whimpered his way up the first pitch. His partner Rob Oravetz made the first runout on the second pitch, but retreated when he could not see the next bolt anywhere. The Leeper hangers, which were black, blended in with the black water-stained rock.
Germany's Wolfgang Gullich and Thierry Renault of France attempted the route in 1982 as well. Gullich fell on the big runout on pitch one but was saved from decking on the slab by a knob he had tied off [with 5mm cord - he went 30 feet]. Renault's go-for-it attitude on the second pitch resulted in successive falls of 30 [and 60] feet. The two retreated [as Gullich's knuckles and face had been bloodied holding the longer fall]. [corrections from John Bachar's post below]
Seeing such great stars defeated, many climbers thought that the route might be unrepeatable.
Why did Bachar make such big runouts when he could have easily drilled more bolts? The answer is not simple, for it lies in the history of Tuolumne Meadows itself, the ethics of the time, and the forces that had shaped Bachar's climbing. For the first, let's turn to the person who can best be described as the grandfather of Tuolume Meadows climbing - Bob Kamps.
... [article continues with the climbs of Bob Kamps, Tom Higgins, Vern Clevenger, John Bachar, Kurt Smith, and Ron Kauk]
|
|
Brian
climber
Cali
|
|
|
May 10, 2007 - 06:54pm PT
|
God, why can't we have more threads like this? My hands start sweating every time I read through.
I used to dream about getting solid enough for the BY and, though I've moved on to dreaming about (and sometimes even doing) other sorts of routes, this one remains iconic. I've spoken to Dave about the first ascent, walked up to it just to look, etc.
Though I don't really see myself getting on the BY anymore, I am so glad that routes like this exist, and so psyched to hear about climbers who do make this journey.
Let's hear, and see (photos), some more!
Brian
|
|
G_Gnome
Trad climber
Knob Central
|
|
|
May 10, 2007 - 06:58pm PT
|
I just couldn't remember the name Clint. 'Slider Banger' is a very appropriate name. Has it had a second? I climb with some very strong climbers and none of them have ventured onto it. That second pitch looks quite hard. Shipoopi is more my standard with bolts every 10 feet or less and beautiful sustained 11b climbing.
|
|
WBraun
climber
|
|
|
May 10, 2007 - 07:03pm PT
|
Another Bachar fearsome route with a real bad fall potential was Moongerms. I was there with John on the first ascent as the belayer. I tried to follow his lead and ended up going nowhere fast.
I went with Steve Schneider to belay him on his second ascent bid. Steve took a horrendous fall out of the thing at the crux and broke an rp cable in half and a biner on another piece below that.
A number two friend saved him from sure death as Steve stopped 3 feet head first from the deck right next to the belay.
Steve was visibly shaken when finally sitting at the belay. True to Steve's awesome mental recovery he tells me he's going back up to try again. I was blown.
Up he goes and re leads the climb and finishes it in perfect style. I think this climb still only has 2 or 3 ascents. It is on the upper wall on Elephant Rock.
No one ever dares to go there .......
|
|
WBraun
climber
|
|
|
May 10, 2007 - 07:25pm PT
|
I don't know Walter, we will have to wait till Bachar comes back from climbing in the gorge today to tell us? Or maybe Bachar is watching Jerry Springer?
|
|
G_Gnome
Trad climber
Knob Central
|
|
|
May 10, 2007 - 07:33pm PT
|
I heard Lonnie was making John his belay bitch for the day.
|
|
Gene
climber
|
|
|
May 10, 2007 - 08:05pm PT
|
JB,
I’m curious about your motivation for putting up B-Y. If I remember “Defying Gravity” correctly, the author indicates that B-Y was your reaction to that (then) new and confounding thing called Sports Climbing. Is this right, or was B-Y just the next natural step for you. Or both?
The route obviously has a historical context. It’s an icon. What made you want to do it? Cuz you could? Or was it a “statement” route?
Thanks,
Gene
|
|
Clint Cummins
Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
|
|
|
May 10, 2007 - 08:24pm PT
|
Walter,
There is a photo of Wolfgang leading Moongerms "5.12a/b" on p.40 of his book Sportklettern heute.
|
|
tr4
climber
Jah Meadows,ynp,ca
|
|
|
May 10, 2007 - 08:33pm PT
|
Hello, I went up on the B-Y with Drew the ICEMAN. What an awesome thing to be apart of. It was truly incredible to be up there with him and watch him float that thing. It is something that I will always remember. I was in pretty good shape then and fell seconding the second pitch. I was really glad to be on top rope. As James said, Drew trained on knobs all summer before he sent that thing.
Ted
|
|
hobo_dan
Social climber
Minnesota
|
|
|
May 10, 2007 - 09:50pm PT
|
I think it was 1984 or 85 and I had just hitch hiked cross country. I arrived in Tuolumne about a day or two after Christian Griffith and Tim Wagner tried it. I thought that they did the route and I don't recall any hair raising stories around the camp fire about it but it was a pretty long time ago. One thing I remember about that trip was Steve A. giving Tim sh#t and calling him smiley because of his intense personality
Are you guys out there- lets hear the story of how it went.
BTW this is about as good a set of stories as I've read here. tyhe sea of domes story was great.
murf
|
|
Clint Cummins
Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
|
|
|
May 10, 2007 - 10:02pm PT
|
photo of Wolfgang Güllich on Bachar-Yerian p1, by Heinz Zak, from their book High Life
[Edit: this is just before he took the 30 foot fall on the the knob tied off with 5mm cord - see John Bachar's post below]
|
|
nature
climber
Flagstaff, AZ
|
|
|
May 10, 2007 - 11:41pm PT
|
many posts ago someone mentioned this thread was better than porn. So true. My palms are sweating. AWESOME thread!
|
|
MisterE
Social climber
Across town from Easy Street
|
|
|
May 11, 2007 - 12:11am PT
|
Walleye, thank you. This thread just keeps getting better!
If this ain't inspiration for Clayman, I don't know what could be...
|
|
Mimi
climber
|
|
|
May 11, 2007 - 01:01am PT
|
Yeehaw Walter!
Awesome thread! As Frank would say, this is certainly a Token of Their (My) Extreme.
Some people think
That if they go too far
They'll never get back
To where the rest of them are
I might be crazy
But there's one thing I know
You might be surprised
At what you find out when ya go!
|
|
Freddy Jones
climber
holland
|
|
|
May 11, 2007 - 09:30am PT
|
I've always been a proponent of tradition and ethics, especially in the "valley" setting. That being said, a hypothetical question popped into my head and I wondered what everyone thought......especially JB.
Would anyone (namely JB) think/want to add more bolts if someone died trying to do the route?? Ie. climber takes the big fall and slams into the wall, OR, has a gear failure from say the high factor fall, OR, worst case.......bolt failure.
Just wondering
|
|
scooter
climber
B loop site 15
|
|
|
May 11, 2007 - 09:55am PT
|
You guys are funny. I like the post where guys say it isn't hard. Look back to the posting about the "Iceman". Old Drew is one of the strongest climbers around. He whipped. .11a?. Also if you have never climbed a route on Medlicot. I don't think the B.Y. is a good intro to hard Tuolumne knob pullin'. Try to fire shipoopi. Then train harder. Slipstream, then train harder. Every route at East cottage and the peanut gallery, then train harder. Getting your eye for unlocking knob climbing takes some practice. Or just go for it. If you do that though post up day date and time you are gonna 'send' so I can come watch.
P-Dub
|
|
bachar
Trad climber
Mammoth Lakes, CA
|
|
|
May 11, 2007 - 10:21am PT
|
Clint - Just saww that photo of Gullich on the first pitch - that was just before he took a thirty footer on a tied off knob. I remember telling him to bring a loop of 5 mm with him to tie off this tiny knob. I never thought it would hold a fall but it did! I don't think he ever went back to that route as far as I can remember....Tierry only took two falls on the second pitch - a thirty footer (came to belay to smoke a cigarette before trying a secoond time) and a sixty footer (when he rebounded he smashed Wolfgang into the wall and bloodied all his knuckles and his face a little - he was going for the third bolt (the first bolt is only four feet above the belay and is part of the belay as well - making it a three bolt anchor)....
Nice pics folks!
|
|
G_Gnome
Trad climber
Knob Central
|
|
|
May 11, 2007 - 11:34am PT
|
Ok, I bouldered with Waugh last night and we talked about the B&Y. He has done it 5 times! Once with Linh Nguyen, once with Darrel Nakahira, twice with Jeff Moll, and once with someone else. He has started up it 3 more times only to have the other party freak out and quit. He says the second pitch is only 10c - forever.
So, is 'Drew the Iceman' the blond Drew that works in the Mountain shop in Mammoth some of the time and works SAR in the Meadows some of the time?
|
|
bachar
Trad climber
Mammoth Lakes, CA
|
|
|
May 11, 2007 - 11:46am PT
|
Waugh is right - the second pitch is only 10c!
I watched Mike the first time he did the route. He walked it! He was talking to me all the way up the first two pitches - and I was way down there on the ledge!
Maybe the second pitch is 10d - Waugh's a little strict sometimes with his ratings...
|
|
|
SuperTopo on the Web
|
Let us know!