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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 2, 2013 - 05:13pm PT
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Climbing Bump
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feralfae
Boulder climber
in the midst of a metaphysical adventure
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Jan 12, 2014 - 12:14am PT
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Wow!
Climbed here during a summer term break in the 80s while I was doing archaeology research out of Northwestern's Center for American Archaeology. I remember that the first night we were camped there, probably more than one raccoon tried to get in the pick up bed box to eat our rations. We went into Baraboo for pizza a couple of nights, nice town.
That is a beautiful and challenging place to climb.
Thank you for the great photos and memories.
feralfae
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Jan 12, 2014 - 01:45am PT
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In the sixties it was absolute heaven on earth. And the climbing was great, too.
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 12, 2014 - 01:39pm PT
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Devil's Lake = Heaven on Earth.
I detect a bit of sideways thinking here. LOL
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jgill
Boulder climber
Colorado
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Jan 12, 2014 - 02:34pm PT
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In the sixties it was absolute heaven on earth. And the climbing was great, too
The fifties were even better. Like climbing on sculptures.
;>)
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pyro
Big Wall climber
Calabasas
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Jan 12, 2014 - 05:52pm PT
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awesome thread!
thank's for the info!
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Jimmy1938
climber
Wisconsin / California
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Jul 16, 2014 - 12:40pm PT
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What a delight to discover this thread, reminding me of my teen years climbing at Devil's Lake. Even more special are the many people who remember and refer to my father, Dave Slinger. We started climbing at Devil's Lake in 1951, when I was 13 and my father was 42. He had bought a cottage at Devil's Lake a few years earlier. We were at Devil's Lake most weekends each summer until I went away to college in 1956. Dad kept climbing, I gradually stopped.
Climbing has changed enormously, of course. In those early 50's years, we climbed in tennis shoes and had not heard of chalk. Still, our skills increased and we kept doing harder climbs, not always approved of by the Stettner brothers. Partly, they objected to even attempting climbs that could not be led. (We top roped almost everything.) We viewed rock climbing as a sport and end in its own right, while they viewed it as a skill developing means to becoming a better mountaineer. What was the point of working at climbing something that no one could lead in climbing a mountain? They, somewhat pejoratively, characterized it as "acrobatic climbing." But, more importantly, they strenously objected to Dad's penchant for solo climbing. They were appropriately in the business of teaching sound and safe mountaineering practices.
A few years after I went to college, Pete Çleveland moved to Devil's Lake/Baraboo. This gave Dad a wonderful climbing partner. Many fine climbers came to Devil's Lake, but Dad always considered Pete the best. Not better than John Gill, of course, but Gill rarely came to Devil's Lake. Gill was practically a god, and his exploits were a source of countless barely to be believed stories. My favorite: On his first trip here, upon reaching the Leaning Tower, Dad showed him the severe overhang route, and proceeded to solo it. Of course, Dad had climbed it countless times. It is not a hard climb, but I would think anyone, anyone, would want a rope their first time up. But Gill proceeded to follow Dad up unroped, except that when his hands were on top, he turned around and jumped down (onto a jumble of rocks), at least 15 feet. I still have trouble believing the jump down part.
I very much appreciate all the remarks about my father, many true and many not correct, and I will finish by correcting a few of the errors for those interested. Alan Rubin, in a superb account of the time, says Dad was believed to be an onion farmer, but was "in fact" a retired banker who owned a farm. Rubin has it backwards: Dad was an onion farmer who bought a small town bank when he was retired from farming, but even then he did not run it on a daily basis. Nor did he make the money he had by investing in commodity futures. He did have a seat on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, but only invested small amounts, and that was nearly always restricted to spreads, a particularly conservative form of trading. He was a very innovative and successful farmer, highly intelligent and competent, and he was able to start from nothing and retire at age 45/50. He was far more sophisticated than he sometimes gave the impression. Later in life, starting about 1975, Alzheimer's began affecting him and consumed his later years.
My strong thanks to all of you who remember him. Jim Slinger.
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Jul 16, 2014 - 06:54pm PT
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A Big ST Devil's Welcome to You Jim!
Splendid addition to this thread. Thanks for posting it!
This is a good place for stories and photos. As you recall and chuckle write them down. If you have slides get them scanned or contact me and I will help you do so.
This is the biggest little area in the USA with lots of fantastic history.
Your favorite Pete Cleveland story perhaps...
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Jaybro
Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
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Jul 16, 2014 - 07:34pm PT
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Wow Jim! Your Dad was a Demi-god to me when I was a wee little sprout with the CMC in the mid / late sixties...
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jgill
Boulder climber
Colorado
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Jul 16, 2014 - 07:45pm PT
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But Gill proceeded to follow Dad up unroped, except that when his hands were on top, he turned around and jumped down (onto a jumble of rocks), at least 15 feet. I still have trouble believing the jump down part
Me too. I recall reaching the top and grabbing a greasy handhold, which I was certain I would slip from. Since my hand was greasy, climbing down the overhang didn't seem like a good option - so I jumped, spraining my wrist slightly!
Your dad was a great guy and a marvelous climber (with his waffle-soled shoes)!
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rgold
Trad climber
Poughkeepsie, NY
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Jul 16, 2014 - 08:04pm PT
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Jim, I met your dad on numerous occasions at Devil's Lake in the sixties, and posted a picture I had of him soloing in those work boots upthread. I was then and remain now in awe of him. How sad for him but especially for you that he succumbed to Alzheimers, but whatever he may have forgotten, we still remember.
A toast to Dave Slinger!
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MH2
climber
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Jul 17, 2014 - 08:10pm PT
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Thank you, Jim Slinger. Good of you to set us straight on your Dad's careers in farming and trading.
It was wonderful to stay in Dave Slinger's cabin by the lake on our trips up from Chicago.
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Dec 23, 2014 - 04:29pm PT
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Bump for more Slinger stories!
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Dec 23, 2014 - 04:47pm PT
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I need to go back and take my Keds for the full value retro rehash.
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Hard Rock
Trad climber
Montana
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Dec 24, 2014 - 06:58am PT
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I remember Dave well. He did seem to know all the holds. I did a few first ascents but my proudest climbing was on the End of the End (around the mid 70's). I was up on the crux and reach out my left hand about a foot further past the crux hold. That hold was a better lay back hold. Pulled through and heard Dave say: "I didn't know that hold was there".
Happy Holidays - HR
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Topic Author's Reply - May 25, 2015 - 09:10am PT
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What, no P F Flyers with the Action Wedge?!?
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Dana Lawrence
Sport climber
Davenport, IA
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Well, this is cool. I am the person who write that article, more years ago than I would ever want to admit. At the time, I wrote it simply because I was new to climbing and did not see any real articles about the area in the climbing press. What a rush to see it again after so many years!
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Jaybro
Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
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Very cool! And good work! Do you ever still climb there now?
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MH2
Boulder climber
Andy Cairns
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The posting of the article on SuperTopo brought out a lot of interesting stories and photos of Devil's Lake. Thanks to Dana Lawrence. Nice to see the article come back to its author.
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