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healyje
Trad climber
Portland, Oregon
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Topic Author's Original Post - Aug 30, 2010 - 09:03pm PT
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What became of him or does anyone know where he is?
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healyje
Trad climber
Portland, Oregon
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 30, 2010 - 09:17pm PT
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He was apparently up here in Portland for awhile, but then the trail appears to go cold. Stephane would like to chat with him about gear he was involved with designing.
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TYeary
Social climber
State of decay
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Aug 30, 2010 - 09:50pm PT
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Bump for Acapulco Bill.
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TripL7
Trad climber
san diego
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Aug 30, 2010 - 10:04pm PT
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I can remember very distinctly the last time I saw/spoke with Bill. He was recuperating in a Yosemite Valley Hospital bed. That was the Summer of 1974.
I had spoke to him briefly that morning at the base of a climb that I can no longer remember, believe it was at Reeds(but it could have been by Maple Jam). It was a one or two pitch route that was popular at the time, and notorious for the pile of old rotten slings that were being added to weekly at the last rappel point(a block or tree)about 75-80 ft(I'm estimating)off the deck.
The topic of NEVER trusting a sling that was left for a prior rappel no matter how new, was beiing discussed often back then in light of the number of rappelling accidents/fatalities of recent years. As a matter of fact I believe we discussed the last rap, and mentioned for him to be sure and use a new sling to do so, that very morning before he lead the pitch.
I went off to do something else, and was shocked to hear of the accident. He didn't replace the webbing, and the old slings broke, and he fell so many odd feet to the ground, breaking some vertebrae in his lower back. Evidently he was very lucky to have survived the fall/or lucky that the sling hadn't broken within the first couple feet off the rappel.
Last I heard(late 70's)he had become a Christian and was living in Oregon, and no longer climbing.
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Jaybro
Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
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Aug 30, 2010 - 10:05pm PT
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Last time I saw him was vedauwoo mid 80's with skinner......
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TripL7
Trad climber
san diego
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Aug 30, 2010 - 10:12pm PT
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Bill was one of the original Stonemasters from So Cal. I new him from climbing at Suicide/Tah. Great guy.
Rick A., et. al. could better answer the particulars.
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Ihateplastic
Trad climber
It ain't El Cap, Oregon
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Aug 30, 2010 - 10:28pm PT
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Didn't know him, but he seems to have had a tad bit of bad luck with nasty falls!
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dee ee
Mountain climber
citizen of planet Earth
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Aug 31, 2010 - 12:06am PT
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Bill Antel and Acapulco Bill are two different people, I knew both. I climbed with Bill Antel in the mid '70s, he was a good guy.
I was there the day Acapulco took the big one off Guillotine, two different people.
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TripL7
Trad climber
san diego
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Aug 31, 2010 - 12:31pm PT
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Never heard of or met Acapulco Bill. Did you(dee ee)climb with Bill Antel after his accident?
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nutstory
climber
Ajaccio, Corsica, France.
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When, in the late nineties, I heard that John Long and Bill Antel teamed up and planned to introduce innovative SLCD’s with the cam lobes made of investment cast chromium alloy, I waited for these new babies with a lot of interest. In the meantime, I compiled all the info, which I found here and there about Long Climbing Gear 4-Cams and 4-Cams.
I am fortunate to have numerous camming devices, some of them quite rare, with the cam lobes made of different materials: magnesium (early Jardine’s prototype Friend and Old -School Valley Giant #12), composite (Salewa prototype “Friend-like” and Coyote Mountain Works Samson), bronze (HB small Micromate and Quadcam), 7075 T6 aluminum alloy (Metolius TCU and FCU) or 6061 T6 aluminum alloy and titanium. It would have been a great privilege to enhance the Nuts Museum with samples of the Bi-Cams and 4-Cams, even at pre-production stage.
I do not know the reasons why these amazing and strong devices never hit the market. Any information and anecdotes about these steel camming units would be of great value for me.
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couchmaster
climber
pdx
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Stephan, I can't help but remark how like a "Buddy" that "Bi-cam" cam on the right is. Buddy's, as you probably know, came out of Canada and were quite unsuccessful both in practice while climbing and in the market.
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nutstory
climber
Ajaccio, Corsica, France.
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Tony Bird
climber
Northridge, CA
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i haven't seen a wad of webbing in years--all replaced by modern rap stations, i guess.
i always thought there was safety in numbers.
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TYeary
Social climber
State of decay
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@ Dee ee,
What was the story with Acapulco Bill ?
I always thought that moniker referred to one of Antel's famous whippers.
Just trying to set my fuzzy memory straight.
Thanks,
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Bullwinkle
Boulder climber
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Acapulco Bill took a huge whipper on Insomnia Crack, I think that's where the name started, he also fell on lots of other climbs, always went big. He Died while soloing the Nose, one pitch from the Top. . .
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TYeary
Social climber
State of decay
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Thanks, Dean. The story I remember was the Insomnia Crack fall.
Jeez, one pitch from the top? Tell me he didn't pitch off?
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dee ee
Mountain climber
citizen of planet Earth
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I believe Acapulco's (not Antel) first biggie was the one on the Guillotine. Legend has (I was there but on the Flower at the time)it that he had time to scream twice and when the rope caught he was actually below the belay ledge at the base. Spencer knows.
Acapulco told me once about soloing the E. Face of Whitney and getting off route. He found himself committed on a 5.9 section and just went for it, just barely scratching through. Dean is right about his final epic.
I think I probably knew Bill Antel from before his "accident." He was robust and healthy at the time (early '70s).
Didn't he do an early and very stormy ascent of the Direct on 1/2 Dome circa 1978? I was there but fuzzy memory.......or was it Goodykoontz?
Dang I'm old!
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healyje
Trad climber
Portland, Oregon
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Topic Author's Reply - Sep 7, 2010 - 12:57pm PT
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He Died while soloing the Nose, one pitch from the Top...
Anyone know the details? A fall, weather, rockfall...?
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dee ee
Mountain climber
citizen of planet Earth
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OK, I just looked in the archives. I can only find one time climbing with Bill Antel. It was April 28, 1974. Rob Muir, Bill and I did the Bat Crack on Tahquitz. I think Rob probably led it that day.
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