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pix4u
climber
Sonoma, CA
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Bed with a view on fa
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Roxy
Trad climber
CA Central Coast
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this thread is rich!!!
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pix4u
climber
Sonoma, CA
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Jan 11, 2011 - 03:21pm PT
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Just another day at the office.....on the FA of the Dihedral Wall
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Gene
climber
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Jan 11, 2011 - 03:44pm PT
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Ed,
In the famous Glen Denny photo looking down the Dihedral Wall, who is the climber?
g
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pix4u
climber
Sonoma, CA
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Jan 11, 2011 - 04:25pm PT
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Can you point to me where I might view the photo (or can you post a copy of it here)? I'll probably be able to tell when viewing it.
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Gene
climber
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Jan 11, 2011 - 04:27pm PT
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Mighty Hiker
climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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Jan 11, 2011 - 04:32pm PT
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There's a lovely photo of Bev Johnson at much the same spot, on her first female solo ascent of El Cap.
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pix4u
climber
Sonoma, CA
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Jan 11, 2011 - 05:38pm PT
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The person in the Glen Denny photo is me.
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pix4u
climber
Sonoma, CA
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Jan 11, 2011 - 05:45pm PT
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This is a picture I took looking up at Glen from just about where you see me in Glen's photo.
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Gene
climber
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Jan 11, 2011 - 06:02pm PT
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Thanks, Ed. That is one of my favorite wall photos.
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'Pass the Pitons' Pete
Big Wall climber
like Ontario, Canada, eh?
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Jan 11, 2011 - 06:33pm PT
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I sure remember that pitch - it's a good one.
How long were you guys on the wall? Did you bring hammocks? Did you do the direct finish straight up from Thanksgiving, or the usual way people go now which is to walk along Thanksgiving and finish on West Buttress. [Actually, I guess that route didn't exist in 62]
What hauling system did you use? How much weight did you haul up?
Cheers, and thanks! The photos are fabulous - keep 'em coming for sure!!
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Burt
Big Wall climber
Las Vegas, Nv
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Jan 11, 2011 - 06:39pm PT
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I just think it is BS that the FA team did not bolt the free variationsor add bolts to the pitches so it can go free... I mean come on... no vision by the FA team on that blunder... :)
Kurt Burt
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pix4u
climber
Sonoma, CA
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Jan 11, 2011 - 09:33pm PT
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I humbly apologize for our shortcomings. I'm sure if you were there in 1962 you would have done it the right way.
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'Pass the Pitons' Pete
Big Wall climber
like Ontario, Canada, eh?
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Jan 11, 2011 - 10:37pm PT
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Ed - I believe Burt is being facetious in reference to the large amount of retrobolting done by Todd Skinner. Are you familiar with what he did? If you scroll upward in this post, you will see some pictures I posted of Todd's bolts right next to perfectly good cracks. This allowed Tommy Caldwell to later free climb the route.
How do you feel about the bolts? They really piss me off, and I really should have brought my tuning forks and epoxy to remove them. As you will see from the photos, I didn't use them.
Were you to make a public request they be removed, it might motivate someone to do so.
And keep on posting your great FA photos - the fungus on the slide hardly shows!
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guido
Trad climber
Santa Cruz/New Zealand/South Pacific
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Jan 11, 2011 - 11:44pm PT
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Agree with Pete-keep it up Ed this is fantastic. And Denny, what a cool dude with the shades and all, he looks so relaxed. Dam, stylin way ahead of the times.
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JBC
Trad climber
Tacoma, WA
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Jan 12, 2011 - 01:25am PT
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Nice job scanning the transparencies Ed! Very cool to see these!
Jim
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Burt
Big Wall climber
Las Vegas, Nv
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Jan 12, 2011 - 01:53am PT
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I humbly apologize for our shortcomings. I'm sure if you were there in 1962 you would have done it the right way.
Yes Ed, I was poking fun at the way that climbing has gone... trust me when I say that I have the utmost respect for all you guys that blazed a trail before us. So many times I have found myself scared shitless and then I think about you guys being up there with crap for gear, swami belts, gold line or worse, no cams, and it blows my mind. The pictures are awesome and thank you for taking the time to show us and also for the effort that you have put into this crazy life we call climbing. Take care
Kurt Burt
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Captain...or Skully
climber
leading the away team, but not in a red shirt!
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Jan 12, 2011 - 08:39am PT
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Sweet pics, Ed. Definitely cool stuff. Thank you.
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pix4u
climber
Sonoma, CA
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Jan 12, 2011 - 12:05pm PT
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To respond to a few questions...
1. Our climb was in two segments. The spring attempt halted abruptly when Jim's prussik knots failed to properly grip the rope and he went into almost a free fall down over the roof at 700'. He was only stopped because the rope was anchored in below the roof. The prussik knots burned about half way through, and Jim suffered severe burns of the hands as he instinctively grabbed the fixed rope with his hands trying to slow his fall.
2. The autumn push: By this time Jim's hands had healed. We used the prussik knots with 3 loops around the rope instead of two for more secure grip. Mechanical ascenders did not become available until the following year. The fixed rope was in part responsible for the accident in the spring. It was actually yachting nylon, which had a much smoother surface than regular climbing rope. Glen joined the team, and the rest is history.
We finished the climb by going straight up from Thanksgiving Ledge. We were aware we could have more or less walked of by following Thanksgiving Ledge to its end near the top of the west buttress, but we wanted to maintain the purity of the line.
For hauling, we generally let the bags hang below us as we prussiked up the rope. With three people, two could climb and the third could haul.
Regarding Todd Skinner's bolting to turn the climb into a sport route.....I was not even aware of this until I read about it here. I had heard that the route had been climbed free, but was not aware that the extra bolts placed made it possible.
It does seem to me that it is wrong to place these bolts just so that the elite of the elite climbers could "free" the route.
I'm posting another picture of Glen. This is definitely not just another day at the office! The original picture is this color; the B&W seen earlier in this post was made by converting the color to B&W. This is on the last pitch of the climb, where rope drag became almost impossible. Jim Baldwin is seated here.
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 12, 2011 - 12:31pm PT
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Beauty Ed!
So wonderful to see your classic photos in ALL their glory!
Any attempts at a belay seat or hammock in your equipment beyond strategic use of haulbags? LOL
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