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Chiloe
Trad climber
Lee, NH
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Oct 29, 2009 - 10:10pm PT
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So Pate, you're back in the Rockies now?
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slobmonster
Trad climber
berkeley, ca
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Oct 29, 2009 - 11:41pm PT
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I'm pretty sure Bill Aughton is still teaching for SOLO.
Nice fellow. He was my boss working for the AMC in 1993(ish). We shared many a whiskey and stumbled through the cold NH winter on many a rescue. I'm pretty sure the two don't overlap.
Somewhat reticent about his former life with the British military, but we pulled a few stories out of 'im.
He's still bald.
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Oct 30, 2009 - 01:56pm PT
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The northeast has seen some blue ribbon ice conditions in recent years. I hope you get in on some of the action!
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slabbo
Trad climber
fort garland, colo
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Nov 29, 2009 - 07:28pm PT
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Zonked Out 12b 1978- by Jimmy and Ed's Women In Love for sure. I agree with Tomcat on Shadowline- 11 MY ASS ! I say 12a at least.
Trundlebum- You got older gear than me ! I remember Ethereal with original stoppers and EB's AHHHHHHHHHH !!!!!
john
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Seamstress
Trad climber
Yacolt, WA
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I learned to climb in NH. For years, 100% DEET was "my summer perfume". I keep thinking that I would love to move back East to that climbing and skiing paradise. First loves always have a special place. Then I remember the torturous first pitch, endless attack by insects until you are a pitch off the ground. So the West does have its advantages.
I have many versions of guidebooks to NH and find it endlessly entertaining to see the story of the cliffs/routes evolve. The last two journies into the past were marred by constant rain. The next trip will be dry - I'm due a dry week in NH.
And I hope to see the locals in their element again. And all the regular visitors from all over NE converge on NH or the Gunks all summer long.
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 17, 2010 - 02:39pm PT
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More than enough bumps for a no-hands rest!
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Edge
Trad climber
New Durham, NH
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Jan 17, 2010 - 02:50pm PT
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For years, 100% DEET was "my summer perfume".
Seamstress, for a period of time in the early 80's a certain group of locals routinely ate Elvios cheese pizza with anchovies and extra garlic. It did seem to stave off the bugs.
As for scaring away the non-climbing women downtown, well, it was either due to that or the lycra pants.
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Jun 30, 2010 - 05:44pm PT
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Bump in the woods!
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Jul 17, 2011 - 10:39am PT
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Annual Noreaster Bump!
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 21, 2012 - 12:30pm PT
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Still frozen bump...
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 2, 2013 - 05:14pm PT
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Refrozen Bump
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perswig
climber
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"Offering an attractive combination of poorly protected face climbing plus difficult route finding, this obscure climb has seldom, if ever, been repeated."
This phrase (actually from an adjacent obscurity called Airy Aerie) and Bill Aughton's 1000-yard stare from Steve's OP were burning my frontal lobe this summer when, for some incomprehensible reason, Andrei and I decided to venture onto Hallowed Eve on South Butt.
What a horrorshow. I'm not convinced we were even near the route.
A moss and running water dihedral unroped as the approach pitch.
Following Andrei through overhanging deathblocks on traversing fingercracks with lichen tufts for our feet. Most certainly NOT 5.9.
A right-trending traverse of bulges with marvelous exposure (actually fun in a nauseating kind of way). Crappy gear but moderate climbing.
Third or fourth pitch, I'm launching off one of Andrei's gear belays (never particularly inspiring; we should have brought pins); ahead is a beautiful swath of slab. It's wider than high and capped by a lip of unknown slope and a rooflet. That lip beckons like a siren.
But the lichen. Oh, and the lack of gear.
I managed to find a great nut 15' directly above Andrei. I breathe easier, knowing that one piece is likely better than all the gear at his waist, and we won't plummet to our deaths when I grind off the lichen slab. Maybe.
Straight up is steeper. I traverse 25' left, find a mica-thin flake and shimmy a yellow Alien in, sling with a Screamer. Make it another 8-10 feet up and realize a) I'm not Ed Webster, b)this is why Bill A. looked like he's not having fun, and c) if I can't stick the lip, I'm going for a big swinging ride and it will not end well.
I reverse to the belay, Andrei goes up and after 10 minutes decides the same thing. (Having a guy who on-sights 5.11 back off makes it easier to swallow.) We do very sketchy, barely-protected down-climbing, I stop shaking after about 5 minutes, stop grinding my teeth after 15, and record that day as by far my scariest day out.
Might be talked into poking around there again, though, in the right conditions.
Dale
Edit: You, Slabbo! YOU! I nearly went for it, thinking about those NC stories of your whips on gear, pins, buttonheads, whatever. STRAND would do it ... and I'd reach up and brush some lichen and shift my weight to one foot ... and then I'd do the math to the nut WAYYY to my right, and step down. Wisely. (Hope you're getting fit for spring!)
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slabbo
Trad climber
fort garland, colo
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Very cool Dale... brought back BAD memories... TC and I did "The Horror" BITD and yes, we brought pins and used them.
i think we took 10 hours or so,,, not to bad considering we were both climbing 5.12 at the time.
There wasn't to much lichen back then, but I'm guessing that MAYBE 5 or six ascents ??? EVER ??
strand
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donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
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I've only climbed in NH in the winter, bugs not a problem but i never knew that 20F could feel soooo cold.
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slabbo
Trad climber
fort garland, colo
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A big reason I moved !
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Dec 25, 2013 - 05:27pm PT
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Bump in case steveA missed this one...
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steveA
Trad climber
Wolfeboro, NH
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Dec 25, 2013 - 06:32pm PT
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Steve,
You have been busy today, bumping all this old stuff and I've enjoyed reading it! I climbed quite a bit up here in N.H. this year.
Have a great New Year!
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Dec 28, 2013 - 05:42pm PT
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steveA- I saw that you hadn't chimed in on this one and tossed another log into the fire since you had some fun in these parts. Hint Hint...
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steveA
Trad climber
Wolfeboro, NH
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Dec 28, 2013 - 08:04pm PT
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O.K. Steve,
For anyone who had climbed Recompense on Cathedral, in the late 60's, they may remember the wooden wedge, driven in by the legendary John Turner. One day, I noticed it was gone, and I often wondered who snagged it.
Well, a few years ago I was talking with Brian Delaney, and he is the lucky owner of it now. Brian was probably the 1st climber to free solo the route BITD.
When I started climbing on Cathedral Ledge, there were only 7 routes
on the cliff, and 5 of them were put in by Turner. He was a bold climber known for running it out.
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donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
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Dec 28, 2013 - 08:10pm PT
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Turner was pulling down hard when the Robbins, Pratt et al were just beginning to wet their whistles. He climbed in relative obscurity but for a couple of decades he was climbing harder than anyone else in the country.
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