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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Topic Author's Original Post - Oct 30, 2010 - 07:38pm PT
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Larry Dalke is one of the quiet giants of Colorado climbing. His evolving commitment to pure style has long been an inspiration for free climbing excellence. Boulder became bolder with guys like Larry setting the pace!
A couple of photos from Kor's superb Beyond the Vertical. 1983.
Larry climbing The Viper on Twin Owls. "A naturally brilliant free climber able to float up hard rock fast and seemingly effortlessly."
Larry climbing on direct aid close to the top of Spider Rock. "I trusted Larry as much as any person I ever climbed with."
And some more historical background from Dudley Chelton and Bob Godfrey's classic Climb, 1977.
No way that I can crop out a classic Gill shot!
One good look up X-M is all it takes!
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philo
Trad climber
Somewhere halfway over the rainbow
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Oct 30, 2010 - 08:12pm PT
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Larry Dalke was a big inspiration to me as a young aspiring ascensionist. I love the storys of him climbing the same no matter the difficulty. He would always ask "was that the crux". Not many people in this sporty game we play have a whole genre of climbing named for them. The respect afforded to "Larry Dalke 5.9s" is indicative of the tremendous significance of his contribution to free climbing.
Larry is the real deal.
Thanks for posting this thread.
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mud
Trad climber
CO
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Oct 30, 2010 - 10:04pm PT
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Larry's doing good.....saw him this last Thurs.
He really doesn't like to talk climbing anymore.
That's Cool
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Oct 30, 2010 - 11:25pm PT
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Please let him know that he has fans that still admire his brilliant style of climbing while it was of interest.
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telemon01
Trad climber
Montana
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Oct 30, 2010 - 11:30pm PT
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Thanks Steve for all your historical posts... good stuff!
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Oct 30, 2010 - 11:53pm PT
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It is a cool web of connection... I went looking for the striped shirt traversing shot because it features a classic MOAC nut and reread the surrounding chapter.
Dalke and Kor! What a team!
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philo
Trad climber
Somewhere halfway over the rainbow
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Oct 31, 2010 - 12:02am PT
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XM is a wild and beautiful climb. Back in the days of EBs and before RPs that traversing lead off the flake was daunting. There was no pro except a manky sideways #1 stopper. The chasm of a crack behind you looked like it would eat the unlucky whole. We shuddered at the thought but also laughed, wondering how much crisco it would take to extricate a well jammed leader, or would you just have to let them become fixed gear?
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Brokedownclimber
Trad climber
Douglas, WY
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Oct 31, 2010 - 12:42am PT
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Larry hasn't climbed for years, and really refuses to discuss climbing--even with old friends. It has to do with his religious beliefs about "tempting the Lord," by climbing. He doesn't even want to be tempted in thinking about it....
I've climbed with Larry but a long time ago, and can also recall his question: "where does it get hard?" When told by his partner: "Dalke! You're at the crux!" Where his nonchalant reply was "O.K.--where does it get easy?" When asked how hard climb X was: "Probably hard 5.7." Equals ....probably 5.9. When he said "Really hard 5.7," you better watch out!! Most likely a 5.10!
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Jan
Mountain climber
Okinawa, Japan
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Oct 31, 2010 - 02:15am PT
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The second roped climb I ever did in my life after the Third Flatiron, was Redgarden Wall with Layton Kor and Larry Dalke. We got off to an inauspicious start when I pulled loose a large rock and it landed squarely in the middle of the coils of Layton's new perlon rope and sliced it in two. Larry, in his very controlled way, seemed more upset about this than Layton who shrugged it off, saying such things happen every day. In any case, the three of us went back the next weekend and finished off the climb without mishap. We continued as a threesome on a number of other climbs in Eldorado and on the Maiden.
Larry was a music major at CU at the time and asked me if I wanted to go to a concert he was performing in (he played in the orchestra). It turned out that he was playing in Mozart's Magic Flute, which was the first opera I had ever been to, and still one of my favorites.
Later when I was no longer climbing with Layton, Larry and Pat Ament and I, went out climbing and Larry and I went out with Rodger Raubach as well. The little I knew of aid climbing when I arrived in Yosemite in the spring of 1965, I had learned from Larry.
My sister came to visit Boulder in the spring of 1965 and met Larry there. He evidently got quite interested in her and made several trips from Boulder to Glenwood Springs on his motorcycle the summer after I left for the Valley. Needless to say, the arrival of a college guy complete with a motorcycle and black leather jacket to visit my sister who had just finished her junior year in high school, nearly gave my poor father apoplexy!
My mother however, made it a point to talk to him and decided he was quite a nice and serious young man though she didn't like the climbing part and was afraid that my sister would run off to Yosemite like I did. My sister finished high school, and never got into rock climbing, while Larry lost ardor for traveling to Glenwood on a motorcycle in the winter.
Meanwhile, my sister left home for Yosemite just that three days after high school graduation, but not with Larry. She spent the summer of 1966 living in Camp 4 but not climbing, dating Dick Erb and then John Morton whom she married the following June. Thus, we all went our separate ways and neither she nor I have seen Larry since the 1960's.
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Oct 31, 2010 - 10:08pm PT
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Great stories!
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 6, 2010 - 11:19am PT
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Modest Little Bump!
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philo
Trad climber
Somewhere halfway over the rainbow
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The second roped climb I ever did in my life after the Third Flatiron, was Redgarden Wall with Layton Kor and Larry Dalke
Now that could be the start of one heck of a resume'.
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Brokedownclimber
Trad climber
Douglas, WY
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As an aside here--Larry also had a second love--maybe it was in third place--playing his trombone. He was a talanted musician, and played in the CU Mens Marching Band, and in the jazz band as well.
I now recall the climbs I did with Larry: Whistle Stop, and a direct variation of Pseudo Sidetrack, both in Eldorado Canyon.
He was a fantastic guy on the rocks; he and Wayne Goss came up to Longs Peak East Face and attempted an route to the left of the Diagonal when Patrick Oliver and I were on the 4th ascent of the original Northcutt-Kor Diagonal in 1966. Larry dropped his beloved Nikon camera (destroyed)and he and Wayne retreated.
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 26, 2010 - 01:28pm PT
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So many hard 5.7's, so little time...
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 23, 2011 - 01:54pm PT
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Nostalgia Bump!
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survival
Big Wall climber
A Token of My Extreme
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Jan 23, 2011 - 02:10pm PT
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Great history stuff. Love it!
Thanks Steve.
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Brokedownclimber
Trad climber
Douglas, WY
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Jan 23, 2011 - 03:08pm PT
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As I was going through my "archives" (i.e. envelopes of old pictures from eons ago!) yesterday, I happend across this classic picture of both Larry Dalke and Wayne Goss at the base of Long's E. Face, as Patrick Oliver and I were about to embark on the 4th ascent of the "Diagonal." Wayne and Larry were doing another one of Kor's lower East face rouest off to the L. of us. We shared the hut the preceding night, and made the trudge up to the wall at dawn. I can't recall the name of the route they were attempting, but Larry dropped his precious Nikon camera and it was totally destroyed. They retreated after that happened.
This is enlarged, cropped, and digitally processed to reduce the contrast such that faces (?) can be recognized.
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 23, 2011 - 03:10pm PT
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Classic shot!
Thanks for the share.
Kor's Door off to the left?
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Crimpergirl
Sport climber
Boulder, Colorado!
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Jan 23, 2011 - 03:59pm PT
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Really neat stuff. I really appreciate your threads Steve. And I love everyone's contributions to them.
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Brokedownclimber
Trad climber
Douglas, WY
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Jan 23, 2011 - 04:17pm PT
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Steve-
No, it wasn't Kor's Door which was on a seperate buttress and left of Stettner's Ledges. I really can't recall the name of the route, since it hadn't received a second ascent when Larry and Wayne went up to do a repeat. Another of Layton's "classics" that scared the stuffin's out of most normal people BITD. The lower East face had lots of good lines, but many of them were subjected to bad rockfall, were wet, and had some less-than-great rock. I made an attempt on The Shining Slab in early Summer 1967 with Jonathan Hough, but backed off for these reasons.
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