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Tarbuster
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Topic Author's Original Post - Jan 29, 2009 - 10:07pm PT
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1990 North Face Berkeley World Cup & Sport Climbing Championships
We just had a world cup championship here in the states during 2008.
There hadn’t been one since 1990, then staged at Berkeley’s Greek Theatre.
This spectacular 1990 North Face World Cup at Berkeley was Jeff Lowe’s culmination of Sport Climbing Championships (a series of national events), the introduction of the Jean Marc Blanche Sport Climbing Designs “Twin Towers” climbing walls & the follow up to Snowbird World Cup competitions from 1988 and 1989.
The scale and scope of these efforts, including both a competition series and various mobile climbing walls, a pair of articulating climbing walls unique to the World Cup, were way ahead of their time; too much so, as the backing for such an endeavor just wasn’t there, even with The North Face figuring in hugely for the finale, as the title sponsor. At the time there were maybe two, (at most a small handful) of climbing gyms in the states.
After Snowbird II in ‘89, and prior to the Berkeley World Cup, we did a number, half a dozen or so, of these Sport Climbing Championships' national competitions at various venues. We did this traveling with various configurations of our own mobile wall. The detail involved producing and running these events was tremendous, requiring a staggering confluence of materiel, manpower, logistics, and support.
By “We” I mean to say the group of us involved in building these various climbing walls, then producing and directing the events. This was Jeff Lowe’s brainchild, and a legion of workers and volunteers came through in support.
Offhand, besides myself, I can think of four Super Topo people who were involved in various capacities: Bill Roos a.k.a. Local, Guy Kenny a.k.a. Prod, Sasha Montagu a.k.a Unimog, and Kurt Smith a.k.a. The Kid.
Many other names come to mind as having contributed greatly to various events: organizers Peter Darmi & Jim Waugh, promotional directors Bart and Tracy Fay, and tons of people from the climbing community at large. Course setters from France, Christian Griffith and so on…
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Tarbuster
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 29, 2009 - 10:08pm PT
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A view of one of the JMB Twin Towers at the Greek Theatre:
Photo by Clean Dan
Isabelle Patissier?
Photo by Clean Dan
Photo by Clean Dan
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Tarbuster
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 29, 2009 - 10:09pm PT
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Lynn Hill, being Lynn:
Not sure who took the photo, or from which mag; a very nice shot, I hope to figure it out.
Robyn Erbesfield, Jubilant!
Greg Epperson photo, not sure of the magazine.
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Tarbuster
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 29, 2009 - 10:10pm PT
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Rear views of the articulated steel structures comprising the top third of the walls, "The Horse Sections"
These were built in Karl Arndt’s metalworking shop at Paul Sibley's direction:
Photos by Clean Dan
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Tarbuster
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 29, 2009 - 10:10pm PT
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Thanks to Mike Bolte for Climbing Magazine December 1990/January 1991 posted below.
I will be posting an article from:
 Outside magazine January 1991
*if anybody has this back issue of Outside and would care to scan it in full color, I’d love to edit my post with a fresh scan*
size at 700 pixels wide and save at 200+KB per page, then e-mail to me please.
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Tarbuster
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 29, 2009 - 10:11pm PT
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From Climbing Magazine December 1990/January 1991
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the kid
Trad climber
fayetteville, wv
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Jan 29, 2009 - 10:12pm PT
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really good post tarbuster...
This was my fourth or fifth big comp in my life and i went there with Mike Pont, who helped build the wall with Paul Sibley.
Steve Schneider and i were tied for 11th and in the semi's and both almost made the finals.
A few months before you, Mike, Sibley, myself a a few others drove that wall to Seattle for that comp, set it up, competed and drove it back in a week!!!!
Crazy times, crazy times..
KS
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Tarbuster
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 29, 2009 - 10:24pm PT
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Yup,
Here I am with Mike Pont, trucking all that "Cack" as we say in show business, out to Berkeley:
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Tarbuster
climber
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 29, 2009 - 10:29pm PT
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Yes, Sibley was the madman can do builder for Jeff.
He could get anything done, anything built on time & over budget: no matter how harebrained.
No problem.
I just tracked the pieces and expenses as we went...
Mike Pont figured in really heavily on the fiberglass layering of the 4' x 8' panels,
While I single-handedly bent all the corners of the 6 inch x 4' x 8' steel frames, all in one push!
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bhilden
Trad climber
Mountain View, CA
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Jan 29, 2009 - 10:30pm PT
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I was there at the Greek Theatre covering the event for a magazine. The moment I remember most is during the semis (I think) when Lynn Hill fell and her belayer dropped her almost to the deck. I think they were using people from a local climbing club. In about 10 seconds that belayer was replaced by someone else.
Anybody out there remember the indoor competition the same year(I think) at some theatre in Berkeley?
Bruce
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Tarbuster
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 29, 2009 - 10:32pm PT
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As a team, most of us were out of the other Berkeley event, due to financial reasons.
John Cook, one of our buddies here from Boulder pretty much ran the construction side of things; without Sibley he was way in over his head...
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Tarbuster
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 29, 2009 - 10:34pm PT
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Yes Bruce, armies of volunteers were required for these things.
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Tarbuster
climber
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 29, 2009 - 10:38pm PT
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Remember the big earthquakes back then; when Berkeley high school had a big plume of smoke coming from it and that freeway collapsed?
I was there that day, looking at venues for J&J Lowe Sport Climbing Championships, I used that double-decker freeway en route to look at a venue in Oakland.
When the earthquake started, I was with the technical director of the theater up in the rigging and the whole building started shaking. As we scampered down the stairs I remember the side walls of the hallway slapping my legs. We got outside and the sidewalk was buckled all the way around the building.
As I left I took a different route home and I was heading towards the smoke coming from Berkeley high, unaware at the time that the freeway had collapsed…
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bhilden
Trad climber
Mountain View, CA
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Jan 29, 2009 - 10:40pm PT
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Tar,
my comment wasn't meant as a dig at the competition or the organizers. The event was pretty cool! That's just what I remember the most(I guess I don't like being dropped).
Bruce
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Tarbuster
climber
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 29, 2009 - 10:43pm PT
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Paul Sibley, during a pensive moment up in the scaffolding at the Greek Theatre, preparing it for the towers to be attached.
Sasha Montague by his side, working over the edge:
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Tarbuster
climber
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 29, 2009 - 10:45pm PT
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No dig taken Bruce!
These things were spectacles; I got on in the 1989 Snowbird competition.
Lots went on there too: harrowing workloads, extreme time constraints, we were hard-pressed to keep a tight safety reign around all.
And construction as completely distinct from running of the competitions themselves,
Which had its own unique sets of safety and logistical concerns.
So many long nights.
Steve Petro, who posts up, might chime in with some stories...
In many cases, by the time the competitions started, we were completely sacked, but for the most part finished with our work. Usually some ancillary things to do, or trading positions as others slept.
I'd love to hear anybody's recollections.
Post Up!!!
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Tarbuster
climber
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 29, 2009 - 11:12pm PT
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Mike Pont, Deanne Gray, and Bill Roos,
Just getting started at the Greek Theatre.
Usually, "just getting started", was mid-thrust after long travel hours in trucks, "convoys"...
First preceded by many days back in Colorado, engaged in long-term building scenarios.
Sasha Montagu, Deanne Gray, & Mike Pont:
Preparing to lift the articulating portion of the wall:
And up it goes:
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Todd Eastman
climber
Bellingham, WA
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Jan 29, 2009 - 11:21pm PT
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Clean Dan - RIP you crazy Buffalonian
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ron gomez
Trad climber
fallbrook,ca
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Jan 29, 2009 - 11:41pm PT
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Really cool post Roy. Lots of neato background stuff that most people never see that makes these events happen. How ya doin' boy. Hope all is well, say hey to the Lisa! Wish you out for the Croft show this weekend. Take care!
Ron and Kelly
Peace
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rmuir
Social climber
the Time Before the Rocks Cooled.
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Jan 30, 2009 - 12:01am PT
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Damn. If I squint really hard, I think I can see myself down on the stage when I was asked to become one of the "official" timers during that event.
I did enjoy introducing my, then, four-year old son Galen to the much older Galen. That was a fun afternoon with great weather.
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