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Mighty Hiker
climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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Dec 31, 2009 - 11:37pm PT
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Thank you, James. It's a delight to hear from you.
I look forward to meeting you sometime soon, to going climbing (indoors and out), and to taking you to the Baldwin plaque in the spring. Christina says that you go to the Cliffhanger in Vancouver, so perhaps we've already crossed paths. Also, there are places in B.C. that might provide a home for your uncle's documents.
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Keeper of Australia Mt
Trad climber
Whitehorse, Yukon , Canada
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Sounds like an amazing set of records - of high importance to the history of North American climbing. The interesting thing is that they are key to the development of North America's premiere crags - Yosemite and Squamish.
Maybe you could put up the significant info on the site but I would second Mighty Hiker (and Thinker) in recommending finding a repository where they will be preserved for all time. BC Archives is one place but there are others. They could form the basis for a Jim Baldwin Collection containing these and other documents. I will follow up some leads with the BC Archaeology Branch to see if there are any archaeology reports in their library.
Enjoy your jaunt up the Chief this summer! You have the best tour guides so you should have a blast. Take a few pints of Baldwin beer for a hydration moment at the top!
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MHope
Big Wall climber
Scarsdale, New York
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**Dear James II: I'so delighted that you were surprised with your Christmas present from C. It is hard not to miss My Jim and once in a while I take a peek at in the Shadow of the Chief. Your Uncle Brian is the one who put me on to it. You should get to know your Uncle Brian, Jim told me that of his brothers Brian was his favorite. (Dont tell you father I'd not want to hurt his feelings), Brian would probably be a fount of information if you could possibly want more! Jim was a very tender and gentle man and I loved him exceedingly and still do. I thought I was doing him a favor leaving him but it had lousy consequences. PLEASE no free climbing! That is in my opinion a stupid display of machoisim. The Baldwin family is too valuable a Canadian resorce for unnecessary risks. Happy New Year!
Hope Meek....
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Mighty Hiker
climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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Hope: It looks like you tried to post some photos, using a photo-hosting site. If you need information on how to do so, or help, send a note to: aiourom(at)telus.net You can now use the "photo" tab at the top of the "new post" screen, and post directly, without using a host.
First ascents by Jim Baldwin at Squamish, including year and partner(s). Based on his late 1962 compilation.
1. Flake Off (1961; Ken Baker & Jim Sinclair)
2. Xodus (1961; Jim Sinclair)
3. Tourist Delight (1961; Ken Baker)
4. Big Daddy Overhang (1962; Jim Sinclair)
5. Sentry Box (1960; Ed Cooper) (then named Artificial Land)
6. Peasant's Route (1958; Les MacDonald) (the first route with substantial technical climbing)
7. Grand Wall (1961; Ed Cooper) (the first two pitches later became known as the Flake Route)
8. Panic Route (1961; A. Mackenzie, D. Mostowy, Jim Sinclair) (on Eleven Bolt Rock)
9. Slab Alley (1961; Tony Cousins) (first route on the Apron)
10. Diedre (1962; Jim Sinclair)
11. North Gully (1958; five others)
The Grand Wall was much the longest and hardest route Baldwin did at Squamish, and indeed much the longest and hardest rock climb in western Canada at the time. It was two or three years before any similarly challenging route was done at Squamish, although some contemporaneous routes in the Bugaboos, in which Cooper was sometimes involved, were pretty serious.
By late 1962, there were 21 recorded significant climbs at Squamish, and Baldwin had a hand in over half of them. Jim omitted a few climbs from his notes, including:
 Other short climbs at Murrin Park, e.g. those on the Sugarloaf, and on the so-called "Bog Wall". These were apparently not considered significant enough to specifically record.
Sunshine Chimneys (1960; Ed Cooper)
Baldwin Crack (1961; Jim not on ascent, but there must be a story to it)
South Arete (1962; Hamish Mutch)
Boomstick Crack (1961; Poul Nielsen, Jim Sinclair) (originally considered the last pitches of Slab Alley)
Granville Street (1961; Ken Baker)
Jim was clearly a busy fellow at Squamish from 1958 - 62, but he doesn't seem to have done any new routes there after then. As with some later Squamish climbers, perhaps once he discovered Yosemite, he had other priorities. Being from (very) rainy Prince Rupert, the sun and warmth must have been quite attractive.
There's an interesting postscript to his guide:
Boulder Problems in the Squamish Area
There are many interesting boulder problems in Murrin Park as well as a 70 ft cliff on the NW shore of Browning Lake called the Sugar Loaf, which is a favorite practice area. There are also many good problems to be found among the boulders at the base of the W wall of the Chief massif. The cliffs on the E side of the town of Squamish also make excellent practise grounds.
The boulders at "the base of the W wall of the Chief" are of course the Grand Wall boulders, now overrun by the pad people. I wonder how many know that bouldering there goes back 50 years, and that Baldwin was probably the first to climb the Black Dike boulder? And the "cliffs on the E side of the town of Squamish" may be referring to the lower/closer part of the Little Smoke Bluffs. There is no other record of climbing there before 1973, but vague traces and stories.
Maybe Clint can check his database, and give us Baldwin's record of FAs in Yosemite? Although I believe that he made some significant early ascents also.
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Clint Cummins
Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
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From Ed's database (although I've added other things to it):
Yosemite First Ascents by Jim Baldwin
785. Delectable Pinnacle - Left Side FA: Jim Baldwin, 5/1962
874. Dihedral Wall FA: Ed Cooper, Jim Baldwin, Glen Denny, 3-11/1962
1149. Limbo Ledge FA: Jim Baldwin, Steve Roper, 10/1962
1190. Tweedle Dee FA: Frank Sacherer, Jim Baldwin, 6/1963
1768. Yasoo Dome - South Face FA: Jim Baldwin, Kit Carr, 7/1963
2236. Promulgated Pinnacle FA(prusik): Warren Harding, Bob Swift, 1956; FA(base): Jim Baldwin, Joe McKeown, Steve Roper, 6/1963
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neebee
Social climber
calif/texas
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hey there, say, to the baldwin family...
very wonderful to see these memories, and surfaced "wonders" have made for a wonder new year for you all!!
a wonderful gift of the past, to be more "present" in
your lives...
god bless...
and to mighty hiker:
thanks for posting this:
There is a Jim Baldwin Memorial award, created in 2008. It is presented during the Squamish Mountain Festival each year, "to the climber or team of climbers who display boldness, innovation or significance in the climbing of a new route in the Squamish area".
me not being a climber, naturally i would never have known to even look for such news, but now i know this, and i know more important history of "those that love the rocks"
thanks so very much for being
a sharer to all these folks here...
:)
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neebee
Social climber
calif/texas
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hey there hope... say, it is very hard to share one's
heart sometimes...
as to this here:
Jim was a very tender and gentle man and I loved him exceedingly and still do.
these are such sweet and deep caring words...
and it lets folks that did not know jim, understand
that much more about him...
thank you for sharing...
god bless...
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Mighty Walker
climber
Vancouver
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 3, 2010 - 01:38am PT
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Hey all,
Thanks once again from the bottom of my heart for all the contributions to this conversation both online and off. Your memories of Jim have made me yearn to know him but I know enough to know that some of the spirit of Jim is in my James. The spirits on the other hand, definitely not.
:)
Looking forward to adding a photo to this thread in a few months' time when we organize a few people to go scrambling up to Memorial Ledge.
Christina
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Mighty Hiker
climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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May 14, 2010 - 01:15am PT
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Well, we haven't quite gotten James and Christina up to the Baldwin plaque yet, due to a damp spring, but hopefully quite soon. Perhaps we'll be able to get there via Slab Alley, the first route on the Apron, which Jim did with Tony in 1961 - it's almost reconditioned.
And perhaps Jim's friends will be able to toast his memory next week.
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pix4u
climber
Sonoma, CA
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This is my favorite photo of Jim, and truly embodies his spirit and what he was about.
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pix4u
climber
Sonoma, CA
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Here is an early photo of the plaque at Memorial Ledge. Compare it to a photo taken more recently, seen earlier in this thread. The bleaching is no doubt due to water dripping over the plaque and running down the rock, with minute traces of the metal and fastenings of the plaque.
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bmacd
Trad climber
100% Canadian
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Superb imagery! got any shots from the fa of grandwall Ed ?
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pix4u
climber
Sonoma, CA
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I'm attaching two pictures of climbing on the Split Pillar. Yes, it did expand, especially with those super large bomb proof pitons made by the local blacksmith in Squamish especially for us, when we ran into this problem. In fact, in one picture looking down the split pillar, you can see a bolt placed a little to the left of the crack as you view it in this image. The reason for this was that just below this point, suddenly most of the pitons I had put in the crack just fell out, leaving me hanging from just one. It was at that point I put in a bolt as back-up. IT DOES EXPAND!
The second picture is a view looking up at Jim, with the large bong pitons clearly seen behing the Split Pillar.
Incidentally, I will be giving a talk & slide show at the Squamish Mountain Fesitival this year, and will show many never before seen pictures climbing the Grand Wall.
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bmacd
Trad climber
100% Canadian
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Ed that is cool seeing a picture, how that bolt, which became 2 bolts, originated on the split pillar. I hammered a bong in there too, and major irreversible problems occurred immediately, that chunk of granite is very flexible.
The route is by far one of the best in world, though I may be biased. I hope we get to see more pictures of it on ST and not wait till the mountain festival ? It's mind boggling that grandwall goes all free now, I've seen photos of guys doing the .12c undercling while wearing big day packs.
Ed, it: pardon my image quality
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TomCochrane
Trad climber
Santa Cruz Mountains and Monterey Bay
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Jim and I shared his last two climbs: the Harding Route on GPA, and the left side of Goodrich Pinnacle. He invited me to the East Face of the Column, however I had previous plans. Those two climbs were my only experiences with him.
I was bivouacked on another route the evening he fell. Returning to Camp 4 the next day; I was told the details by John Evans and others.
Layton Kor also climbed with Jim on the West Face of Sentinel. We were recently discussing what John Evans had told each of us about it. Layton was not in the valley at the time, and heard the story later.
Up until this point we were all acting as if we lived charmed lives.
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pix4u
climber
Sonoma, CA
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Here is a picture which shows the tree at the base of the Split Pillar as a shrub, taken in 1961 as Jim Baldwin is approaching the base of the Split Pillar.
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pix4u
climber
Sonoma, CA
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This is a little off topic, but it is an interesting post from my last visit to Squamish in 2008. I promise I will post more pix from 1961 soon.
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