Original Dolt Angle Piton on eBay. benefits ASCA

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Chris McNamara

SuperTopo staff member
Topic Author's Original Post - Nov 21, 2014 - 04:17pm PT
Historical treasure alert! Bonnie Kamps donated this original Dolt piton to ASCA online gear auction.

Bid high and often!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/261671197581

And you can see the rest of the gear for sale here

http://goo.gl/Vw4HOJ

Chris McNamara

SuperTopo staff member
Topic Author's Reply - Nov 21, 2014 - 04:24pm PT
And if anyone can help add more to the ebay description, that would be helpful. i think we need more text that explains the significance of this piton
couchmaster

climber
Nov 21, 2014 - 04:29pm PT

That's awesome Chris, a short letter from Bonny saying that it was from Bob's gear stash would help the provenance and increase the price you folks get. Nice parks service photo showing the piton. Bidding is going up now.

Jon Beck

Trad climber
Oceanside
Nov 21, 2014 - 04:57pm PT

agreed, a short letter would be awesome, and would probably double what I bid
Chris McNamara

SuperTopo staff member
Topic Author's Reply - Nov 21, 2014 - 05:22pm PT
I just got this from Bonnie. I will put together a more official letter

Chris,

I think it's important to promote that it was used on the Diamond. In the field of collectibles provenance can add $$$ to the value of an item. It wasn't Bob's. Dave Rearick sent it to me when I was putting together the D1 video. He believes he was holding that very same piton in the Park Service photo taken shortly after their 1960 ascent. I would be happy to send you the photo. I don't know how to do it here. If you send me an email address I can.


 Bonnie Kamps
Chris McNamara

SuperTopo staff member
Topic Author's Reply - Nov 21, 2014 - 05:42pm PT

From Bonnie:

How appropriate, it’s sepia toned. That was a while ago.

Piton belonged to Dave Rearick. Was used on First Ascent of the Diamond.
WBraun

climber
Nov 21, 2014 - 06:06pm PT
Like a fine samurai steel these hand forged steel tools where created by cavemen in days long past not like modern tools made by robots or politards.

These fine pitons enabled these men to access the natural weakness these huge beast of granite walls gave to ascend them.

Not like modern robots drilling their way up blank faces.

Buy this piece of history, rub the steel thru your hands and feel the spirits of the cavemen pioneers blood sweat and tears ......

Banquo

climber
Amerricka
Nov 21, 2014 - 06:34pm PT
Well, I did my bit and got the bid over $120.
LilaBiene

Trad climber
Technically...the spawning grounds of Yosemite
Nov 21, 2014 - 08:03pm PT
YAY, Bonnie!!! ")
Clint Cummins

Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
Nov 21, 2014 - 08:53pm PT
This photo from the 1958 Dolt Hut Catalog might help, too.
http://www.supertopo.com/climbing/thread.php?topic_id=727870&tn=86
Fat Dad

Trad climber
Los Angeles, CA
Nov 21, 2014 - 10:09pm PT
Nicely put Werner.
wheatBeer

Social climber
TheBronx
Nov 22, 2014 - 01:06am PT
Is there a chance that this piton was used on the FA of the Nose and other historic climbs? Sure sounds like it.
Chris McNamara

SuperTopo staff member
Topic Author's Reply - Nov 22, 2014 - 08:28am PT
Bidding is at $355. Let's go higher, please.
steveA

Trad climber
Wolfeboro, NH
Nov 22, 2014 - 09:49am PT
I had an unused Dolt 3/4 angle, at one time. For some reason, I misplaced it years ago, and still can't find it. Damn
mouse from merced

Trad climber
The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.
Nov 22, 2014 - 10:00am PT
As a comparison, here's an offer from Chessler's for a used pin made by Dolt.

http://www.chesslerbooks.com/item/5834-dolt-handmade-stoveleg-piton-from-1957-signed-by-royal-robbins.asp
Gorn

Trad climber
las vegas, NV
Nov 26, 2014 - 10:54pm PT
I grew up in Ogden, UT (where the Lowe clan also grew up) One day in the early 1990's my climbing partner of many years, the late Ken Gygi, recruited me to belay him on an obscure crack/roof pitch several hundred feet up on a quartzite cliff face towering above north Ogden. This was the Macabre Roof, and it was reportedly first climbed by a young Greg Lowe in the late 1960's.

After completing the moderately easy approach pitches, we arrived at the roof pitch. It was very overhanging but had a pretty nice crack all the way that would take gear. Midway up the crack, there were pitons that were no longer secure in the crack...they had just fallen down into the crack and got wedged after decades of weathering. Ken was one of the best free climbers in the area at that time, a solid 5.11 climber. He was placing cams and got to the crux near the top with some difficulty. However, he had to hangdog a couple times thru the crux, but got to the end of the route without having to pull aid.

The anchor was just a piece of webbing on a couple angles. I followed the route, and had to basically aid climb the thing because it was so strenuous and over my head. When I joined Ken at the top, I noticed the original webbing had lichens on it, and was so brittle that it crackled when you bent it! No way it would have been safe to rap on it, so we placed new webbing. Above the anchor was a blank wall, so we surmised that no one had been on top of this route in a very long time, probably not since Greg Lowe had done it. I have been told that, at the time, it was the hardest free route ever done in the country. I believe the rating is 5.11c today.

Ken returned the next year with another partner and a video camera and did the Macabre Roof totally free. This was likely the second ascent of this little known but historic route. I have had one of those original pitons hanging on my wall for over 20 years now. I used to look at it as a cool piece of history, something that the hands of a Lowe once held and drove into the rock while doing the hardest free route in the country.

Nowadays, I look at it and mostly think of my good friend Ken, who lost his life doing what he loved most: climbing.
Clint Cummins

Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
Nov 26, 2014 - 11:55pm PT
Cool.
The Macabre Roof was the hardest free climb in the world at the time it was done.
7b+ (5.12c) 1967 Macabre Roof Ogden, UT Greg Lowe
http://web.stanford.edu/%7Eclint/yos/hard.htm
lostinshanghai

Social climber
someplace
Nov 27, 2014 - 09:11am PT
$500.00

Been known to bring back spirits: through dreams.

Farley

Mountain climber
Portland, Oregon
Nov 27, 2014 - 12:20pm PT
Chris -

A bit more information about how the monster made its way from the Valley and Dolt's participation in the El Cap attempt to the hands of Kamps and Reardon for the Diamond FA would be helpful...

fascinating stuff!
Steve Grossman

Trad climber
Seattle, WA
Nov 28, 2014 - 12:15pm PT
Just under four hours to bid on this rare and splendid historical artifact in support of a more than worthy cause!
Messages 1 - 20 of total 31 in this topic << First  |  < Previous  |  Show All  |  Next >  |  Last >>
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