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bmacd
Boulder climber
100% Canadian
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Mar 26, 2012 - 12:21am PT
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A good friend of mine from childhood times, Barry Cox, on Saltspring island, died when he was about grade 5 or 6, climbing on steel hydro power pylons. Horrific stuff ...
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Mighty Hiker
climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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Mar 26, 2012 - 01:08am PT
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Hmm, Hamish's story is uncannily parallel to one that I could tell, from six or seven years earlier.
Lovely day at Squamish today, eh?
This may be the unfortunately-named and therefore perhaps unlamented "Buns Up" climb. Randy figuring it out. 1978.
I need to think about the first 'real' 5.11 at Squamish - either by standards then, or now. The first 5.10d 'climb' was probably Bob Woodsworth's Slab Alley variation, in 1964 or 1965. Although it's only a few m of slab. I'm not sure when the earlier version of Clean Crack was first done - 1973, maybe. (Climb to the pod, then a few m, then grab a nice cedar.) It was hard 5.10, anyway. Brunser Overhang and Perspective, both in 1975, were also hard 5.10. Then Nic Taylor did the left side of the Pillar in September 1975, and it's given 'easy' 5.12.
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c-plus
Trad climber
Vancouver, BC, Canada
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Mar 26, 2012 - 01:30am PT
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Thanks Kris! Can't wait to get on it!
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Chief
climber
The NW edge of The Hudson Bay
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Mar 26, 2012 - 01:50am PT
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I'm not convinced Randy did the FA on Buns Up.
There's nothing unfortunate about the name and it was inspired by the fact we inverted for a heel hook at the lip in order to reach past the flare for a funky hand jam and were listening to a lot of Zappa at the time, and I mean a lot.
Daryl and I could quote all of Dynamo Hum verbatim.
Ditto for Nanook Rubs It and Slime From the Video.
Buns Up started from the obvious hand jam in Mighty's awesome archival contribution (Randy's left foot is wedged in it).
Weasels Ripped My Flesh (an earlier Zappa effort) was the name we gave the extended sit start to Buns Up as the first couple jams were pretty raspy.
Just sayin'.
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thekidcormier
Gym climber
squamish, b.c.
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Mar 26, 2012 - 11:54am PT
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Another Great story Hamish, and a great sounding new route Mr Wild!
Trundle Babe dropped a big rock of the Malamute the other day;[Click to View YouTube Video]
More pics athttp://thekidcormier.blogspot.com
Does anyone wanna get on Kris new route with me right now?
Edit: I Was asking earlier about "The Unhappy Hooker" with no reply from anders, but after a closer inspection I see that you, Scrubber, had a hand in freeing the 2nd pitch, have you guys looked into freeing the first pitch? Is there any pro on the first pitch to protect to the hooking?
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Scrubber
climber
Straight outta Squampton
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Mar 26, 2012 - 04:47pm PT
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I never even looked at the first pitch. It seemed so blank that I dismissed it without giving it a chance at all. I was involved in the second pitch effort where it leaves Quagmire Crack. A friend of mine Mark, has tried to clean it and send it, but he didn't dig the crack out deeply enough. We went back together and dug it out to about 6" for lovely jamming.
After it cleaned up through a couple of rains, we went back with Andrew B. to send it. He had done the lower parallel crack several weeks earlier, and suggested to Mark that he clean up the higher one and free it. I led it first, but kept falling at the little two move face crux at the top. Eventually I got it from the no hands stance at the top of the crack, but never bothered to lower back to the station and do it in it's entirety. I think Andrew sent it a day or two later "by fair means" :)
K
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RyanD
climber
Squamish
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Mar 27, 2012 - 02:21am PT
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Awesome buns up photo! Thanks for the info on that one guys. As well the stories & historical info coming out here from everyone is pretty much the best thing ever & is keeping the psyche for climbing high, even with the random weather.
Was so fun to climb in Squamish the past few days, i am trashed.
Re: Malamute.
Most climbs at the Malamute may just have some of the best rock anywhere.
Overly hanging out is awesome, nice work Kidcormier.
I was wondering about another climb down there next to OHO called Strawline, anyone here done that one or happen to have a story about it??
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Scrubber
climber
Straight outta Squampton
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Mar 27, 2012 - 02:32am PT
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Never done Strawline, but Survival of the Flatus over there is fantastic.
K
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hamie
Social climber
Thekoots
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Mar 27, 2012 - 02:35am PT
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"The oldest recorded problem is the Baldwin problem up by the base, done in '61"
Hey RyanD
I am puzzled by this claim.
.....Who recorded it?
.....Where was it recorded?
.....When was it recorded?
Just curious, H.
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Big Mike
Trad climber
BC
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 27, 2012 - 03:14am PT
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Awesome stories indeed everyone.. Too much going on lately to comment on everything... I got out with my buddy PY yesterday and we went for a jaunt on the Apron and today thanks to the energy, optimism and sheer pluck of "The Kid" we hit up the Papoose.
Luke at the top of what climb?
After things started to dry up a bit and we hit up Mushroom.
Kyle on Mushroom 5.9
Luke generously gave up his chance at a onsight so he could take this lovely photo of me.
Just noticed you can see Yula "The Kid's" dog in the upper right corner :)
Hamish F- Good thing you were strong enough to hold it together on that tower! Crazy.
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RyanD
climber
Squamish
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Mar 27, 2012 - 03:48am PT
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My info is from the Squamish Bouldering guide by Marc Bourdon, not sure on the who's & how's so unfortunately i can't claim it as my claim. The Baldwin Problem i speak of is on a big pyramid shaped block about 60-70? yds from the base & about 50 yds left of Apron strings, it's actually pretty fun, tall too, climbing a nice arete/featured slab on the south side. Maybe 5.9 & a pretty obvious line so wouldn't be a huge surprise if it was in fact climbed 50 years ago- Unless of course you are going to lay claim to it Hamie!!
Kris I'll have to check out the flatus sometime. saw hanging gardens from the highway today on the way south, looks pretty shiny! Have to get on it soon, thanks!
Yep Big Mike & Luke, i'm sure there's some common friends, U guys know Henkel? That is how i met PY. We'll see you out there soon!
Another shot of the climb that started this thread.
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thekidcormier
Gym climber
squamish, b.c.
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Mar 27, 2012 - 12:57pm PT
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Sick Shot Ryan, have you done any of the crack problems up by funorama? or the one on the loop trail at the climbers left corner of the split beaver?
At the top of a climb? my footwear indicates im still on the approach..
Bump for Big MIke and I's rainy day adventure!
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Mighty Hiker
climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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Mar 27, 2012 - 10:02pm PT
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Jim Baldwin's "A Climber's Guide to the Squamish Chief Area" (1963/64) has the following, on its last page:
Boulder Problems in the Squamish Area
There are many interesting boulder problems in Murrin Park as well as a 70 ft cliff on the NW short of Browning Lake called the Sugar Loaf, which is a favorite practise area. There are also many good problems to be found among the boulders at the base of the W wall of the Chief massif. The cliffs on the E side of the town of Squamish also make excellent practise grounds.
Big Jim says that Baldwin, and perhaps others, climbed on what is now called the Black Dyke boulder at about that time. Perhaps Hamie and Tricouni can elucidate as to what did or didn't happen, although the excerpt is rather fascinating - bouldering, and climbing somewhere in what came to be called the Little Smoke Bluffs, in 1963? We may never know the details, but it does make you wonder.
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Scrubber
climber
Straight outta Squampton
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Mar 27, 2012 - 11:06pm PT
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...and today thanks to the energy, optimism and sheer pluck of "The Kid" we hit up the Papoose.
Luke at the top of what climb?
Hey, hey, hey!!! That would be the last pitch of the MEGA-CLASSIC Papoose route Hanging Gardens (formerly of Babylon). Even I didn't recognize it at first. How did it get soooooo clean?????
Whadda' ya think?
K
PS. You do realize that there are probably less than ten people that have climbed that route since you were born? Don't you feel lucky?
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hamie
Social climber
Thekoots
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Mar 27, 2012 - 11:25pm PT
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Ryan, thanks for the info. It is probably more likely that the problem is named as a tribute to Jim B, rather than saying that he made the FA. But we will never know now. It's always good to have some myths, legends and tall tales. They all add to the tapestry. I think it's called faction.
It's not widely known, but Jim B had an extra finger on his right hand. This gave him a little extra power to swing his hammer on the big walls, and also gave him a little extra surface area/friction for those slab climbs like Diedre and Slab Alley.
On the topic of gardens, hanging and otherwise, a friend named a new route "The Reluctant Gardener" last year. I think it is an orginal name, and pretty funny.
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Russ S.
climber
was Seattle, now Spokane
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Mar 28, 2012 - 12:21am PT
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RyanD
climber
Squamish
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Mar 28, 2012 - 02:27am PT
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Wooooahh that is an awesome photo Russ S!!! That thing looks badass too! I never really looked at it when doing OHO & wow, what a cool position! Thanks for posting that. Definitely gotta check that one out this summer.
Yo Luke, thanks man. i've climbed a few of the crack boulders in the bluffs, as well as bouldered a few of the cracks. the photo i posted a few pages back-roaches corner is up there by call it a day in front of cockburns & is awesome. On another note I was walking by respiration rock a few weeks back & it's looking pretty nice too! Are you going to scrub the far left side of the overhang as well? If you haven't already. Looks like there could be a little something up the left side of the bulge, may need a bolt tho!
The excerpt from the old guidebook is interesting indeed Mighty Hiker, it's cool to know that they were aware of "bouldering" in the not so modern sense in the 60's at Squamish & the smoke bluffs. I guess that out of Jim Baldwin & others who were active at Squamish in that time some would have already been to Yosemite & probably bouldered there?
Hamie, faction or not. Nowadays it is written as scripture.
They only gave it 1* out of 5, I thought it was 3* myself! gets a ghost too.
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thekidcormier
Gym climber
squamish, b.c.
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Mar 28, 2012 - 10:25am PT
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Looks like there could be a little something up the left side of the bulge, may need a bolt tho!
Yea I'm gonna clean the entire bluff! We'll put a bolt in there for ya and you can ground up it.
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hamish f
Social climber
squamish
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Mar 28, 2012 - 11:06am PT
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We'll put a bolt in there for ya and you can ground up it? Oxymoron.
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Mighty Hiker
climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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Mar 28, 2012 - 11:29am PT
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I guess that out of Jim Baldwin & others who were active at Squamish in that time some would have already been to Yosemite & probably bouldered there?
Jim Baldwin, in 1962 - 64, and the Hamie, in 1964 and 1965, were probably the first Squamish climbers to spend significant time in Yosemite, in both cases quite a lot. No doubt it exposed them to other influences, and opened their eyes. Jim may not have done a lot of climbing at Squamish after 1962, but had had a hand in about half the routes to that time. We may never know exactly what bouldering, or what climbing in the Bluffs, he got up to.
Carrying on in Hamish's vein, rapbolting can perhaps be described as a way of grinding (or grounding) up climbs.
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