WML
climber
Biggest Little City, NV
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Topic Author's Original Post - Feb 6, 2013 - 01:29pm PT
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I've become pretty fascinated with the unique climbing history that Red Rock has, and I know that a few of the luminaries of those eras post here. Just wanted to see if you guys had any particular stories to share or anything like that...
Very intrigued by the place and am moving back to Vegas soon. Went to high school there and had zero concept of what I was missing out on. 8 years later I will be coming back and am looking to get stoked via the history for what the place has to offer beyond staring at topos.
Love climbing history and love Red Rock, so hoping some of you out there who were heavily involved would share, especially considering there has been some incredible threads here involving other areas and their illustrious history
Tales from the adventures of Herbst, Hamilton, Uriostes, Van Betten, Mamusia, Broussard, Harrisson, Handren, Philo, Largo, et al would be awesome.
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michaeld
Sport climber
Sacramento
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Driving to Red Rocks tomorrow night. So beyond psyched.
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WML
climber
Biggest Little City, NV
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 6, 2013 - 02:43pm PT
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Awesome! Yeah the history there at least seems cool, lots of big names visiting and local folks who are huge names relative to the area...just wish I knew more.
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Vegasclimber
Trad climber
Las Vegas, NV.
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Wendell Broussard (The Dean) doesn't post on here, but if you spend any time at Desert Rock Sports you will likely meet him, he's there almost every day. I can learn more talking to Wendell for an hour then days on the rock. Have also been honored to climb with him a few times. He's happy to take anyone out just about any time. In his 70s and still can climb a lot of us into the ground.
One of my favorite stories with Wendell was when we were climbing at Brass Wall. A visiting couple had just finished Topless Twins and were enthusing to Wendell about the route.
He let them go on for a while, then grins and shrugs and says "Yeah, I thought it was pretty good when I put it up in '86...."
Harrison used to climb at the gym a lot, but I haven't been there in a long time so I am not sure what he is up to these days, I know he was under the weather for a while. Always been cool to me when I have talked to him.
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bergbryce
Mountain climber
California
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You'll need a copy of the Handren guidebook if you don't have one.
It's got some excellent historical information concerning climbing in the area which makes it an even sweeter guidebook. It's not a bad place to start.
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Texplorer
Trad climber
Sacramento
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There is a pretty good history written by Joanne Urioste in Alpinist a few years ago.
Wendell also has some pretty cool old Vegas stories including some classic extra-curricular activities.
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Texplorer
Trad climber
Sacramento
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I found this cool thing on an approach to the Blood Wall on the Cactus Flower Tower. A welded chainlink to a sharpened screw with goldline girthed to it. I would love to know who made this thing. George and Joanne didn't know.
Found this cool hand drilled out hex complete with goldline and steel rap ring on a recon day with Joseph Healy and Larry DeAngelo. We had hiked up past the Basin Wall on Wilson and were coming down a gulley on the face to the soutch of Lady Wilson's Cleavage. I did some sketchy downclimbing to be able to retrieve this thing but it was worth it. George Urioste had said it looked like something guy he used to know would do that was also a cyclist. I have forgotten the name. Still a pretty cool find.
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philo
Trad climber
Is that light the end of the tunnel or a train?
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Here's a good start for history.
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drljefe
climber
El Presidio San Augustin del Tucson
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Man, some of the best written history, ever, on Red Rock was right here on Supertopo.
Philo scrubbed it, right? Some of those stories made it into Alpinist if I'm correct. Killer reading.
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Vegasclimber
Trad climber
Las Vegas, NV.
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Wendell also has some pretty cool old Vegas stories including some classic extra-curricular activities.
Ask him about the time he knocked this Mob dude out in the middle of the casino....
Wendell is the man.
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WML
climber
Biggest Little City, NV
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 6, 2013 - 07:14pm PT
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Already have the Handren guide as well as the Alpinist 28 with the crag profile written by JU and with the great tales interspersed. That is the main reason I asked here about the history. Hamilton's tales of the early days as well as philo's tales just have had me pretty intrigued. Add in the Largo/Lynnie factor and then the tales not told anywhere by Van Betten, Mamusia, Nordbloom, et al....very intrigued.
I've met The Dean before at DRS as a matter of fact, went in there lookin' to buy the Handren guide, or new sunglasses, a few years back and wound up hanging out chatting with him for an hour. Incredibly nice guy and I wouldn't doubt for a moment he could climb his ass off even at his experienced age. I'm incredibly psyched about the area and am stoked to move down, just dealing with the hassle of applying to rent houses now, meh.
edit: cool artifacts!!!
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healyje
Trad climber
Portland, Oregon
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Texplorer: I did some sketchy downclimbing
Dude, that was sketchy all the way up, and ridiculously sketchy coming down. I'm not even going to get into the tale of how we ended up heading up there with a single 7.8mm and a handful of gear, or how we were lucky to still have our shoe laces when we got down after using up our slings on all the manky non-load-bearing shrubberies.
Texplorer: I have forgotten the name.
I believe Joanne said 'Max' and meant it in sort of a 'Mad Max' sort of way...
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Jaybro
Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
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This thread has some awesome potential.
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RyanD
climber
Squamish
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That alpinist profile was exceptional. Would love to know more about RR history as well. One of my favorite places to climb.
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WML
climber
Biggest Little City, NV
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 7, 2013 - 01:55pm PT
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Philo, thanks for posting that link to the nuked thread. What an incredible thread...about halfway through reading it and am pretty enamored. Awesome!!!
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mouse from merced
Trad climber
The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.
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Philo, from the first page of that link, who is "flamer"?
Burning curiosity compelled me to ask in behalf of De Flames.
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WML
climber
Biggest Little City, NV
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 7, 2013 - 06:46pm PT
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Just finished reading the rest of the old thread. Any more tales of red rock adventure floating around out there in the collective consciousness of the taco?
Sorry this isn't a politard thread...
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donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
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You forgot Jay Smith.....lot's of FA's almost all excellent quality.
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WML
climber
Biggest Little City, NV
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 7, 2013 - 07:12pm PT
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Jim, i have noticed that Smith put up a few routes down there. ..that's covered in the et al ;-)
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SuperTopo on the Web
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Let us know!