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Chiloe
Trad climber
Lee, NH
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May 20, 2008 - 03:37pm PT
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Tahquitz Rock, 1968.
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Rick L
Trad climber
El Dorado Hills, CA
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May 20, 2008 - 04:03pm PT
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This thread conjures up a bunch of old memories. I climbed on Goldline in the mid-60's as a kid. Chiloe's picture of the fuzzed up coil of Goldline reminded me of the horrendous handling characteristics. When trying to use a brake bar or caribiner brake, it would take the better part of 10 minutes to assemble because the rope was so fat. The stuff kinked like the devil. I worked for Doug Tompkins at the North Face in Stanford Barn during highschool. He would order 1200 ft spools and we would cut- typically to 120 or 150. One of these giant spools arrived with both ends of the spool broken off in transit. 1200 feet of kinked and tangled Goldline was an unbelievable mess to sort out. Another charming quality in addition to the spins on rappel was its propensity to stretch- a lot. Stepping out of a sling belay felt like the anchors pulled. Prusiking or jumaring required marching inplace for about a half hour just to get the stretch out. There was another product- a white rope that I believe was called Columbian that stretched even worse.
Perhaps the most vivid memories are of the Sierra Club Loma Prieta RCS Chapter "Dynamic Belay" practice held annually at San Francisquito Creek in Palo Alto. A VW bus was used to alternately lift the concrete barrel and anchor the belayer. It was a rather elaborate mechanism designed by one of the Ph D types in the group. The weight was hoisted and clipped to a releasable trigger, mucho slack was then developed and a trigger rope would release the weight. The hapless belayer was lashed to the bumper of the VW, fitted with leather gloves and a leather motorcycle jacket for the hip belay and then the weight was cut loose. The belayer/victim was then violently launched into the air, partially obscured by the great volumes of smoke that were generated from the "Dynamic" part of the belay. It scared the living hell out of anyone with any sense. The further irony was that the practice was typically to prepare climbers for a trip to the Pinnacles. No one dared take a leader fall in those days and I don't think I ever heard of any leader acually taking a fall. We all thought the bolt and/or the rock in which it was placed would come flying out with any apreciable weight.
I can still smell the scent of worn Goldline and feel the texture.
Rick
p.s. Hi to Mike Jefferson- long time, no see. Larry- if you talk to John Byrd, tell him I still have the old beat up guitar he gave me in Mammoth circa 1973. Put some strings on it the other day- still sounds pretty good inspite of the ravages of time. All said, the guitar has held up better than I have.
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Chiloe
Trad climber
Lee, NH
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May 20, 2008 - 04:31pm PT
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Larry- if you talk to John Byrd, tell him I still have the old beat up guitar he gave me in Mammoth circa 1973. Put some strings on it the other day- still sounds pretty good inspite of the ravages of time. All said, the guitar has held up better than I have.
Hah! I'll tell him. To think that on another thread they're asking whether SuperTopo is real.
The belayer/victim was then violently launched into the air, partially obscured by the great volumes of smoke that were generated from the "Dynamic" part of the belay. It scared the living hell out of anyone with any sense.
Sounds even more frightening than the similar hazing ritual John and I experienced catching a cement bucket at Stoney Point. But the upside was that, on one of my first climbs in the Valley, another UCSB lad (Bob Funk) took a 20-foot headfirst freefall, and I caught him exactly as taught.
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Mighty Hiker
Social climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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May 20, 2008 - 04:52pm PT
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You guys mean belay training like this?
Or this?
Photos taken 1977 - not sure if Goldline was used or not.
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Chiloe
Trad climber
Lee, NH
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May 20, 2008 - 06:26pm PT
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MH, that's lower-angle than the site we were using -- looks like more chance for the thing to bounce out atcha?
All these dangerous belay practices must have been back in the days when pterodactyls ruled the skies and kept the lawyer population in check.
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bob d'antonio
Trad climber
Taos, NM
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May 20, 2008 - 06:28pm PT
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yes...many times.
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Mighty Hiker
Social climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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May 20, 2008 - 06:38pm PT
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Once in a while the rope would actually break, which caused all concerned to dive for the bushes. Either the hoist or the belay rope would get abraded, weaken, and bust from repeated impacts.
A good time was had by all.
This was before lawyers had even been invented.
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doughnutnational
Gym climber
hell
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May 21, 2008 - 10:32am PT
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I had one of the MSR ropes. At one point after it stretched about 15 feet and planted a friend on the ground while topropoing I was asked what kind of rope it was. When I said "MSR" the questioner replied "what does that stand for; Mighty Shitty Rope" which was a very accurate description of it's qualities.
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Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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May 21, 2008 - 10:47am PT
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used Goldline when I first started... tied in with a bowline-on-a-coil
but my very first rope was a Chouinard Fantasia, which I still have long pieces of hanging around in my garage...
me, doing the Dulfersitz incorrectly on Goldline at Indiant Cove... circa 1969... don't know why I shaved for that outing...
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Dudeman
Trad climber
Hansen, Idaho
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May 21, 2008 - 11:01am PT
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Nice photos and good commentary. Goldline was killer good stuff. I trusted that gnarly twisted cord long after Kernmantle was common. It just semmed to be stouter. None of this "meteric" system stuff either, just 7/16". You could easliy inspect the entire rope for any damage. No hidden core damage to worry about. Bought mine off a giant spool in any lenght I wanted. The biggest drawbacks were knots, handling and the stretch. That stuff was like a giant rubber band.
Post on dinosaurs!
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F10 Climber F11 Drinker
Trad climber
medicated and flat on my back
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May 21, 2008 - 11:05am PT
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Nice pic Ed, at least you had enough clothing (padding) so you didn't have to suffer too much!!!!
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Delhi Dog
Trad climber
Good Question...
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May 21, 2008 - 11:12am PT
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Gotta say this:
"I did it. I climbed on that crap, goldline.
So what? Thank God there's better sh'it now."
Was classic!!!
Never climbed on 'em.
Sold plenty of 'em.
:>)
Cheers,
DD
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Ihateplastic
Trad climber
Lake Oswego, Oregon
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May 21, 2008 - 11:39am PT
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One friend had a Goldline and another had a Fantasia. I had a red Edelrid. We always wanted to "protect our Perlon" so we often used the Goldline at Pinnacles.
The one vivid memory I have of using it was a Tyrolean we set up from the top of the Monolith to the rim. We stretched that sucka as tight as three pre-pubescent rock weenies could and then I got to be the first across. I clipped in and began to walk down from the top of the Monolith. I walked, and walked until the wall turned vertical. Finally, I had no choice but to step off and go for the ride. I still remember the slick and BUMPY ride downward as the rope released all its remaining stretch factor. I was sure I would be walking across the floor of the gap as it never seemed to stop stretching. Finally I reached the negative apogee (hey astrophysicists, is that the right term?) and I pulled out my 5mm perlon prusiks and began an equally bouncy but far slower ascent to the rim. Those last few meters before I could gain foot purchase among the Poison Oak were frightening. I was sure everything would break and I would end up a tangle mess in the rocks and scree below. Somehow I survived to go on to equally frightening and fun things. But without a Goldline ever again.
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OGBO
Trad climber
Palo Alto, CA
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May 21, 2008 - 12:15pm PT
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First rope I had and learned on was 100 ft of manila that a couple friends and I bought after reading some climbing book or other in the early 50s. On one of our outings some real climbers saved us from ourselves and I climbed on other folks Goldline, and yes with a single bowline around the waist. I learned not to do that at Tahquitz when a friend took me up the Fingertip (was rated 5.1 in those days - why the grade inflation in the current guides?) and as I got set to follow him across the traverse, the bowline untied itself and fell off my waist - luckily I grabbed the end and retied in utter terror. Shortly after, I bought my first real rope - a white Plymouth nylon 7/16, 120 ft, from the Dolt out of the trunk of his car. A couple years ago, a Dolt collector (Marty K) traded me a 70m 10.3mm kern mantle (brand new) for the remaining 60 ft of that rope.
Yes, I took a leader fall (40 ft whipper off the lip of an overhang) on Goldline. About 1964, I brought a 50m Edelrid Perlon back from a summer of climbing in Europe, along with some early Clog chocks - started using them when I got back to Tahquitz and the Valley and never looked back - much nicer to use.
Somewhere I also have some slides of me prussicking (yes, prussick knots) out of Soldiers Cave on goldline. Every move up resulted in spinning, which was exciting since we used carbide lamps, and that little flame coming out of your head always seemed much too close to the nylon.
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TrundleBum
Trad climber
Las Vegas
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May 21, 2008 - 07:07pm PT
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Funny Thread ;)
I had Gold Line when I started but only used it for top roping.
One time I was at cannon cliff in Franconia N.H.
This group of 'jar heads' came up to my partner and I as we were racking for a base route and told us we should be aware of rock fall etc. It turns out that they were half of a group intending to kick a 600' foot spool of Gold Line off the top of the crag and do a giant rap.
It was quite comical. They rolled this spool down the crag. The ground guys went up too the top and told the rest of the party that the rope was not quite too the ground but when straightened and stretched it should be fine.
It was not !
Either brainlessness, lack of communication or a combo of the two, put these marines in quite a predicament.
There was 6 of them all at the end of the rope... 40' off the ground.
My partner and I gratuitously provided our fine boys of 'stars and bars' with a subsequent rap rope that we setup from an anchor acquired above them with much shenanigans.
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Mighty Hiker
Social climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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May 21, 2008 - 07:41pm PT
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Somewhere I read a story of the first ascent of the Salathe Wall, in 1961. Robbins is below the roof underneath the headwall. A teammate (Pratt or Frost) has led the pitch leading over the roof and onto the headwall, and is belaying in slings. The other is following and cleaning. Robbins gets to prussik up the freehanging rope from below the roof to the belay. Goldline, presumably. He does so by tightening the rope, cleaning the belay, and cutting loose.
His account says that he "nearly gave a shout" as he cut loose. Rumour has it that he surely did - he would have pendulumed a long way, and dropped as he did so. Pretty exciting stuff.
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Chiloe
Trad climber
Lee, NH
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May 21, 2008 - 08:26pm PT
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he would have pendulumed a long way, and dropped as he did so. Pretty exciting stuff.
I'll say. That's a vivid image.
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Texplorer
Trad climber
Reno
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May 21, 2008 - 08:47pm PT
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I haven't climbed on goldline but I have found these relics with remanants of goldline in the canyons and walls of Red Rocks, NV.
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TrundleBum
Trad climber
Las Vegas
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May 21, 2008 - 08:49pm PT
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'eh Karsten ;)
How's Reno treating you bro' ?
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Chiloe
Trad climber
Lee, NH
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May 21, 2008 - 09:02pm PT
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Those are odd ones, Texplorer. A first-generation hexentric with homemade lightening holes, early 70s, but tied off with laid rope? I don't recognize the bolt at all, wonder who those belonged to.
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