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Ghost
climber
A long way from where I started
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Ghost-so let me get this straight -those articles by burton, sutton and gordy didn't count as being written by real climbers?
Of course they did.
And there were others. But they were becoming increasingly rare by the mid-80s, and the guys doing hard things in the Rockies and the interior ranges were hardly submitting at all. In fact, when I went out to Canmore and Calgary to talk to the Rockies crew and ask them to send stories to the CAJ their response was "Huh?" I can't now remember who it was -- Blanchard? or Jeff Marshall, maybe? -- who looked at me in confusion and said "Why would the Alpine Club want stories from us?" They'd pretty much given up on the CAJ as a place to record their stories.
I was hardly a climber on their level -- or yours or Perry's -- but at least I was a climber, and kind of a dirtbag, and cared about the same things they did. A major change from the previous fifteen years or so.
Cheers
D
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klk
Trad climber
cali
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great piece-- that 2nd pitch on u wall looks absolutely amazing-- like the 2nd pitch of good book, but bigger and left-facing.
never went up there, maybe my only regret from squamish days. i was actually in town and crashing at tim's place when he told me perry was looking for a partner. but i was up to my elbows in some stupid project.
you'd have to line up six deep to get on that rig if it was in the valley. it'd be worth doing even if you had to yard a bit of a0.
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Chief
climber
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Topic Author's Reply - May 4, 2010 - 01:32pm PT
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"Why would the Alpine Club want stories from us?" They'd pretty much given up on the CAJ as a place to record their stories.
Good point Dave.
There was a period where the CAJ's relevance to what we were doing or more importantly, our relevance to the CAJ was questionable. Periodicals like Mountain, Summit, North American Climber, Climbing and Rock and Ice became the natural venue for much of the writing at the time.
I can say that the CAJ was a formative publication for me as a young aspiring rock climber and mountaineer. That photo of the late great Lloyd McKay (on Les Courtes I think), Chick Scott's moody piece on Daulaghiri, Burton's account of Warrior, shaped my view and inspired me deeply.
Under your tenure the CAJ did undergo a "refreshing" of it's format and content and it remains as relevant and vital today as it ever was.
Thanks for a great effort on your part.
Perry
ps) probably some misspelled names, will correct.
you'd have to line up six deep to get on that rig if it was in the valley. it'd be worth doing even if you had to yard a bit of a0.
Couldn't agree more.
It's hard to imagine ever freeing it again in this lifetime.
I've been up a couple times as a one day fun aid route and plan to do that a few more times before I get the hook. How about the old light bulb in the bivi cedar? I have no idea who put it there but it was there when I first did it with Steve Loomer in 76 and still there a couple years ago.
Kind of like the old Uncle Ben's beer can skewered on a limb at the top of the route that bears it's name.
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bmacd
Trad climber
Beautiful, BC
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I dont remember any Light bulb .... ???
Seems like there is a lot of unwritten accounts of great adventures by a couple people on this thread, particularly GF and Chief. I'm pretty curious about what went down in the 90's while I was smoking pot, shredding powder, and drinking cappuccinos in Whistler for a decade and a half.
It seems the current generation of west coast climbers ala Stanhope, Kruk, Madolonini, et. al. - their adventures are putting everyone to shame, so modesty is no excuse to remain silent.
In other words pictures, stories and tall tales of adventure from the 80's and 90's crowd are long overdue from a few of you ....
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Chief
climber
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Topic Author's Reply - May 4, 2010 - 02:24pm PT
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Great photos Bruce!
It seems the current generation of west coast climbers ala Stanhope, Kruk, Madolonini, et. al. - their adventures are putting everyone to shame, so modesty is no excuse to remain silent.
I'd like to think that rather than putting us to shame, Sonnie, Will, Jason and the new generation are just stepping off our shoulders and pushing the standards the way we stepped off the shoulders of Burton, Sutton, Smaill, Piro, Weinstein and those who preceded us. I never intended for my efforts to put anybody to shame, don't feel the least bit diminished by what Will's doing and would be horrified if that's how someone felt about my climbing. Will, Jason, Sonnie and others are boldly pushing on into terrain we could imagine but not grasp and they couldn't have a bigger fan than me.
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bmacd
Trad climber
Beautiful, BC
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I didnt word that correctly and you beat me to an edit ...
My apologies, yes you laid the foundations
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hamie
Social climber
Thekoots
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Just a small correction to the caption on Bruce's last photo above, which he describes as "the last pitch of University Wall". In fact the route continues for another 4 or 5 pitches up the Roman Chimneys, to the top of the Chief. As I was recently quoted in Gripped magazine, "If you bale at Dance, you have not done the U Wall. Rather, you have done the High School Wall". And that is the lesson for today!
Cheers H.
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Chief
climber
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Topic Author's Reply - May 4, 2010 - 03:06pm PT
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Hamie,
Exactly!
If you haven't climbed the "Foamin Rimneys" you haven't climbed the Grand or U Wall. Nuff said!
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bmacd
Trad climber
Beautiful, BC
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Okay let me dig up the Roman Chimney photos now Hamish. Seems Uwall got separated from Roman chimneys a while back as a distinct route.
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Chief
climber
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Topic Author's Reply - May 4, 2010 - 03:14pm PT
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Kudos to Don McPherson for nabbing the "boot flake" Chimneys direct at 10d.
Insecure wriggle up bombay/pinch to steep thin hands and jugs.
The only way to do the Chimneys. And if that doesn't satisfy how about the direct finish, originally graded 11a by Peter and Hamish but now regarded by many as pushing 5.12 if your vertically challenged?
Splingus pitch!
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bmacd
Trad climber
Beautiful, BC
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Here is one shot of Dean Hart on the Boot Flake of the Roman Chimmenys. I beleive Scott Young was the 3rd man on this trip up the Foamin Romans. We were under the impression at the time the next pitch was .11c. Did we or did we not free it ? I do not recall glory here. I do recall trying to follow Deans lead of the crux pitch free and being absolutely terrified and pumped. As I recall Dean had to aid in slings on the lead. It was a serious spanking all round for all of us. If it is 5.12 then I must have hung and wimpered also which seems to be the accurate recollection.
Note Whillans harness and EB's !!
I have more pictures somewhere ....
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bmacd
Trad climber
Beautiful, BC
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Bump for Foammin Rimeneys !
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bmacd
Trad climber
Beautiful, BC
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Stanhope is da man ....
Will is gunning for freeing "Up from the Skies" this summer, but I wonder if the curtains pitch should be left alone, being it's likely the hardest aid pitch in Squamish.
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Mighty Hiker
climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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gf mentioned on another thread that there's a pitch on Son of Pan where Daryl placed 22 rurps in a row, including some equalized. So that must be in the running for hardest aid pitch in Canada, not to take anything away from the very different expanding horrors of the Curtains pitch on UFTS.
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Mighty Hiker
climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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University Wall might be said by many to be on the left side of the Grand Wall feature, and the routes of course intersect at the top. "Grand Wall" is often used to generally refer to the entire formation.
It's a bit like the Salathe Wall - there's both a feature (southwest face of El Capitan) and a route with that name. The meaning usually depends on the context.
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Mighty Hiker
climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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Nope, not at Perry's this morning, though I was in Squamish last night, "projecting" with my brother. And smoky hazes aren't my scene, or for that matter theological questions.
Baldwin and Cooper, in 1961, apparently called "it" the Grand Wall, because one remarked to the other that it was a grand wall. Whether they were referring just to their route, or to the wall as a whole, maybe they didn't really consider. Doesn't matter - it can have either meaning. It's kind of like being a dual citizen, eh?
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bmacd
climber
Relic Hominid
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Wow this a loaded question if I ever saw one .... There is one and only one Grandwall, which is likely the first grand experience on a wall for many Squamish climbers. I recently saw a photograph of someone following the 5.12 Underfling pitch, wearing a pack. That blew me away.
Here is another Question. Nothern Lights, U Wall, Freeway is the big enchainment in Squamish. Has anyone done Grand Wall free, Black Dyke free, Cannabis wall free, as an enchainment ?
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eeyonkee
Trad climber
Golden, CO
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Nice, Perry!
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Chief
climber
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Topic Author's Reply - May 8, 2010 - 03:48am PT
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Coz,
It breaks down like this.
Both U Wall and The Baldwin Cooper with it's variants (aka The Grand) are on The Grand Wall of The Chief.
Generally speaking, anything from Drifter's Escape to The Negro Lesbian is on The Grand.
So Peter, Hamish and Greg did the first free ascent of the Grand Wall via U Wall.
You on the other hand, did the first free ascent of The Grand Wall route via it's free variants, with The Foamin Rimneys finish!
Howdy Greg!
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Chief
climber
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Topic Author's Reply - May 8, 2010 - 11:34am PT
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Anders does NOT need to smoke anything to maintain his permanent and fixed orbital relationship with the rest of us! It'd be like offering fins to a fish.
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