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Chiloe
Trad climber
Lee, NH
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 5, 2009 - 11:28pm PT
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But the difficult nailup felt less hard than expected. Steve cleaned the pitch.
We had no Jumars, nor any concept of how to use them, so the second simply followed
on belay, hammering out pitons. Ascents like ours are what made so many of those nice
finger jams that cleaner climbers nowadays can enjoy.
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Chiloe
Trad climber
Lee, NH
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 5, 2009 - 11:34pm PT
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But now it was Steve's turn on the sharp end, a pitch we'd been dreading. Expecting little
protection, he didn't try to place much, maybe two pins the whole pitch. And grabbed one of
those to save falling. The big lead went by pretty fast.
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philo
Trad climber
boulder, co.
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My first time on the Edge was in 1976 (maybe 77) as a party of three (which slowed us down quite a bit). Stan Mish and I swapped leads. I got the second and fourth, Stan the first and fifth. Our third who was mostly along for the ride led the third pitch. We topped out with the full moon rising which was too cool to express in words alone. I sure wish I had a camera in those days. But I had just dropped my girlfriends fancy shmancy camera down 700 feet of Gothic Mountain's east face. No way was she going to lend me her replacement. The other thing that was striking about that ascent was on our approach. We did Rosy Crucifixion to the upper ramp. While following the final pitch of Rosy someone from on high dropped a wired nut and biner without yelling a warning. Out of nowhere and into my peripheral vision this whistling blur came aimed at my head. In those days we only took helmets in the Black and only one to be shared for belaying. In my effort to fend of the rude intruder it smacks hard into the back of my hand between the knuckles and the wrist. Man did that smart! I thought I was done for the day but had to at least finish the pitch I was on to get off. But by the time I got there I had already blocked it out of my here and now so we pressed on. After a full day of crimping and jamming, pushing and pulling my hands were swollen and sore but oddly the insulted one never bruised. I always wondered if continuing to use and abuse it immediately after injury kept it from being able to react in a normal fashion.
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cowpoke
climber
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can't believe it didn't break a bone, philo...as a way of saying, "bump for classic"
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Dominic
Big Wall climber
Peak District, UK
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I did this route on my 40th Birthday - what a fantastic way to spend a landmark day. I was over from UK at the start of a 3 month tour of the Western States.
I teamed up with my great friend, Mike Ryan, who had done the route twice before. Mike was visiting his son Gary in Boulder and had made a generous offer the previous day: "You choose the route tomorrow; whatever you want to do is fine by me." Mike's heart sank when I immediately said the NE (at 65 he was climbing very strongly, but it would still be quite an "ask") and said OK "providing you lead the chimney pitch!"
We had a brilliant trip - I agree with everything on this thread re the quality of the route, easily in my all time top 10 and I've climbed all over the world. Must come back and do some of the other great routes nearby.
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Misa
Trad climber
SJ
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The DB is still one of the most funnest routes I ever done, though as baggage on the crux! My climbing partner was so stoked she lead the crux pitch topless. Sorry no pix. Also if you were looking for the fixed #10 on the Divingboard in the late 70's, I'm sorry, I didn't know it was fixed,so I unfixxted it. Misa (the perennial klutz)
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Jello
Social climber
No Ut
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I was the rigger for the film, First Ascent (1980, I think?). Bob Carmichael behind the camera and my brother, Greg, running sound. Starring Lynn Hill and Beth Bennet.
The story line had Lynn failing to lead the firt pitch. A total fabrication, of course, since Lynn could lead it with one hand tied behind her back...
Then Beth takes the sharp end:
It was a fun film to work on. In the middle of the filming, I took advantage of a one-day break in the schedule to drive out to Glenwood Canyon to meet up with Michael Kennedy and make the first free ascent of the Internationale, about 15 pitches of varied climbing on the largest piece of rock in the area.
-Jello
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Chiloe
Trad climber
Lee, NH
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 8, 2009 - 08:52pm PT
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Jello, I think there was an even earlier Carmichael/Naked Edge film. Local could tell
us about it if he drifts past the campfire again.
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Jaybro
Social climber
wuz real!
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"My climbing partner was so stoked she lead the crux pitch topless"
Really? Too funny.
It was a meaningful climb to me; a fantastic experience, and a step into history. I think my partner and I were just as glad that neither he nor I felt the need to go topless.
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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One of the more dramatic portraits of The Edge:
From Rossiter's Boulder Climbs South
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Robinson
Trad climber
Chattanooga
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I'll never forget my first trip to Eldy back in 81'... seeing The Edge from the highway as we blew into Boulder after driving for 27 hours non-stop (fueled by dreams of five star sandstone thanks to Dudley and Chelton's book Climb!) The Edge is undoubtedly one of America's great iconic climbs.
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Crag Q
Trad climber
Louisville, Colorado
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Chiloe thanks for the great stories and pictures!!
The irony of this thread is that the Naked Edge just closed for nesting on February first, so it doesn't seem fair to get all pumped up about it.
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Chiloe
Trad climber
Lee, NH
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 9, 2009 - 10:29am PT
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Tarbuster, that is a great photo.
Misha:
The DB is still one of the most funnest routes I ever done, though as baggage on the crux!
I agree, I used to love Diving Board, and I had it sort of dialed, unlike the Edge. On the
morning of my comprehensive exams, as a confidence-booster, I went out and led the
Board. Walked into the oral defense with my hands all ragged -- not smart enough to
tape up, but feeling sure that I could answer any question.
My climbing partner was so stoked she lead the crux pitch topless. Sorry no pix.
Now there's an image!
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philo
Trad climber
boulder, co.
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Unfortunately Chiloe there appears to be no image.
As my kids would say/text :(
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Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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one's imagination, the image made in the "mind's eye" is always ever so much better than the actual article....
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Chiloe
Trad climber
Lee, NH
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 9, 2009 - 11:06am PT
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But to complete the cycle, or at least the story of our unremarkable 1969 ascent....
The fourth pitch looked like nothing Steve or I had ever climbed. We had somehow planned
beforehand that Steve would lead it, but he took a good look and said "You're the aid leader!"
I hadn't thought of it that way but was flattered.
Hours passed while I slowly worked upwards, building up rope drag and running out of gear.
It was too windy to communicate with Steve, so I talked a lot to myself. It began to seem
like a good thing we had bivouacked in the Meadow, and had the whole day to burn.
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Chiloe
Trad climber
Lee, NH
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 9, 2009 - 11:19am PT
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Steve said later that he looked up at one point and saw that I had taken the belay seat out
of my pack, and it was waving in the wind.
"That's not a good sign," he thought.
But eventually I reached the top of the steep part, and set a hanging belay off two bong-bongs.
In late afternoon light, Steve led through to the summit. We felt tired and proud, like we'd done
something cosmic.
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Chiloe
Trad climber
Lee, NH
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 9, 2009 - 11:23am PT
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Bravo!!!
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Chiloe
Trad climber
Lee, NH
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 9, 2009 - 12:24pm PT
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Bravo!!!
Glad ya liked that. Funny thing, there was nobody to tell about our great adventure,
at the time -- we didn't know other Colorado climbers.
Then, years later when I did know some, aid ascents of the Naked Edge had become
déclassé.
So, only on Supertopo....
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