Discussion Topic |
|
This thread has been locked |
rich sims
Trad climber
co
|
|
Ok like most of you I climbed most anything
One fun thing was to climb up onto the barn roof, below our house. Then run across and jump off on to an ice plant hillside.
It was till at thirteen I went of the side head first.
Ok so climbing took a backseat for a year or so.
Then I ran with some falconers' or so they thought of them selves. By then I had the fear of height mostly in check again. So they would send up me to rob the nests.
As I got into it and started read about falconry I realized what I was doing, robbing the nests was really messed up and broke away from them.
I got really involved in backing.
On a trip through Yosemite 74ish, if the interaction with the first climbers I met had been different perhaps I would have started climbing sooner.
My tent was along side Columbia boulder and when one of the crowd came forward and asked if I would move my tent I did . That was after some sh#t comments from others (climbers) that at the time made no sense put me off.
I ended up living in the Ozone , spent the night on Half Dome but climbing still did not register.
76 Hiking up to do a winter (Thanksgiving) accent of Whitney we base camped with two climbers Gary Rule and Pat Nay. Pat showed me some bouldering moves but what I really remember was the rock hurts your hands when it cold.
Returning a pack I barrowed from Gary he suggested I not got party in IV but go to Jtree and climb.
I said thanks but the girls in IV… We met up and Gary insisted I had to see JT by the full moon then I could go to IV the next day.
Driving in to the park the domes shining by the full moon will be with me forever. The next morning the rock was even more amazing looking.
Gary and his friend Dave Nettle took me up Mikes book , the Hobbit Roof and North overhang by-pass .
What a day, I hurt in the most wonderful way. I knew then I was hooked for life.
|
|
Fritz
Trad climber
Hagerman, ID
|
|
Spider: Thank you for remembering me for supplying gear to you for your “climbing habit.”
Fritz opened his store in Moscow, Idaho in the early 1970's. We bought a copy of RR's Basic Rockcraft, a goldline, some nuts, biners & webbing. It was winter so the choss was frozen enough to climb.
I swear! I never sold goldline.
However: I was ready for my intro to roped climbing in summer 1969.
I was a “Forestry Student,” wore hiking boots, and loved the mountains.
When I finally had my half-day introduction to belaying and climbing from a friends older brother-------I was "possessed & motivated."
I bought a goldline, steel biners, and soft iron pitons from REI-------grabbed my friends and said “we are going to learn to climb.”
Oh yeah! I also bought and memorized: “Mountaineering, Freedom of the Hills."
I am so amazed that all of us here have lived through the Sh#t we did!
(moment of rememberence for those we have lost)
And the real secret for "getting into climbing:" was that “women dig climbers”--------or at least some of them do!
|
|
The Wedge
Boulder climber
Santa Rosa & Bishop, CA
|
|
Boy scouts lead to caving, that lead to climbing.
Got tired of being cold dark and wet, much of the rigging carried over nicely.
Then a friend took me to crescent rock in VA along the AT. Climbed in my wrestling shoes with 1 foot of snow on the ground.
Then got busted by my school teacher reading freedom of the hills, who gave me Auther Kerns (now owner of seneca rocks climbing school) phone number and the rest was history.
Thanks for Auther taking me under his wing, I did not die or kill anyone else.
|
|
karodrinker
Trad climber
San Jose, CA
|
|
I've got my dad to thank. Took me to castle rock and the pinnacles. We climbed East Buttress of Middle Cathedral when I was 14. Thanks Dad.
|
|
justthemaid
climber
Jim Henson's Basement
|
|
When I was but a wee-Skippy I did like to climb the boulders outside our Mammoth home, so I guess you could say I got my start there. Years later there was a lot of scary teen-aged late-night scrambling at Stony Point. My intro to roped climbing was a bit dull. It happened another decade later when a BF got me into it. I got obsessed and he quit for good. Here I am.
|
|
10b4me
Boulder climber
The End Is Near Retirement Home
|
|
started off reading mountaineering, and rockclimbing books. I said I think I can do that. Took a course(BMTC) thru the Sierra Club. I met some people who were into mountaineering, and rockclimbing. The rest is history. That was thirty-one years ago.
|
|
brett
climber
oregon
|
|
1987, a high school friend asked if I wanted to go "climbing" with her and her father. We get about .5 mile from the trailhead and they start pulling ropes and crazy metal crap out of their packs and I'm like WTF? I thought they meant hike up some Adirondack hill. I'd never heard of rockclimbing.
I flailed on some 5.4 topropes. I was the most terrible beginner I've seen. But we went to the Gunks a little later and I was hooked. The next few years are some of the best memories of my life. I wish I could touch those feeling again.
|
|
ydpl8s
Trad climber
Santa Monica, California
|
|
There was a little stream named Lena Gulch in the neighborhood I grew up in. I used to build dams with mud and generally "play army" down there during those elementary school years.
This tiny creek went under a semi-major road that was supported by a wall of large concrete blocks and stood about 50 or 60 ft high. There were small ledges on the wall ranging from 1/4 to 1/2 inch wide covered with dust and crap from the road above. I was about 10 or 11 and had just read an account of an Everest climb in National Geographic. Inspired, by the photos of these guys "clinging to the rock face", I made a traverse over the creek, where it went through the wall, about 25 or 30 feet up. The adrenaline was certainly flowing as, more than once, my sewing machine leg caused undo slippage on the gravelly covered ledges. Over the period of that summer I climbed numerous routes on my "Mount Everest", taking many of my friends down there to experience the fear and joy that I had found. None of them seemed to appreciate it the way that I did, so I pretty much continued on on my own.
First roped climb? Wind Ridge June 1972, on the final pitch the leader climbed over so that I could finish up by a pull up on Ivy Baldwin's cable that still stretched over to the Bastille. Looking across that cable and imagining him out there made my cojones shrink up tight!
|
|
the Fet
climber
Tu-Tok-A-Nu-La
|
|
*Climbed trees and bouldered as a kid
*Moved to Cali for the skiing at age 20, discovered great climbing as well
*Found a good local bouldering spot and free soloed choss in the Sierra
*Ski team friends took me on my first roped climb in Yosemite Valley
|
|
pud
climber
Sportbikeville & Yucca brevifolia
|
|
ONCE UPON A TIME, IN A GALAXY FAR FAR AWAY...
|
|
EP
Trad climber
Way Out There
|
|
1984 took the class in Yosemite with Herb Swedlund. Went back to Orange County and climbed local stuff using the Hunk's Guide and warehouses with rock cemented on. Moved to Berkeley in 1986, where I sprained my ankle severely within 15 minutes of visiting Indian Rock/Mortar Rock for the first time.
After a protracted healing time, went with the Sierra Club RCS to Split Rock and then to Cragmont. I met TM Herbert at Split Rock, and Chuck Ostin at Cragmont. Chuck and I climbed together about three times a week. He said I should climb Farewell to Arms, so I did it second try. Then he said I should climb I 12, and I did it first try. Pretty much downhill form there as I transitioned from TR to leading. Fell out of Double Cross on lead and lost my mojo for a few years.
|
|
Sunshinesmile
Trad climber
San Diego, CA
|
|
Some random guy sent me a message on Myspace to climb at the gym. I figured it was a public place and went. Liked it so much I got most of my friends climbing at the gym but no one had any outdoor experience. Made sure my next boyfriend was a climber, he took me a few times. Dumped him and found another climber boyfriend who took me all the time! Pure happiness for exactly a year. Now have a full rack with doubles, three ropes and a 4wd truck, don't need no stinky boyfriend to climb now!
|
|
Sunshinesmile
Trad climber
San Diego, CA
|
|
Dumped him because he was emotionally abusive... nothing to do with his climbing skills.
|
|
BrianH
Trad climber
santa fe
|
|
I guess backpacking with the Boy Scouts got me started, then bagging peaks in the Presidentials, and a lot of northern New England skiing and touring. One winter I was 34 and I visited my little brother in Santa Fe NM. We did a ski tour up Santa Fe Baldy and I had a Spiritual Experience(tm) and decided I needed to learn how to climb big mountains. So back in DC I signed up for a top-roping course (with a guy who was to become a rock star guide in the Himalaya, but then he was teaching out of his trunk). I progressed through a leading class and started chewing up easy leads at Seneca Rocks. Eventually I moved out west, to be closer to "real" mountains.
Now I'm recovering from surgery and realize that aside from a few dabbles in the past 5 years I haven't climbed much at all. Burningman was a lot of fun though!
But to incent my recovery I'm planning a long roadtrip starting April '11, Red Rocks, the Cascade volcanoes and the Sierra high country here I come. I want to regain that feeling of power, joy and rightness I feel on a really good climb. It's now or never, bubbelah!
|
|
Lynne Leichtfuss
Trad climber
Will know soon
|
|
Great Thread Mr E. Total fun reading so many of your stories !!!
Many of you know mine, so I'll give the short version.
Husband Dan, a good climber bitd, died @ two years ago. All my life I feared alot of things, but when I saw death and dying suddenly many of my fears died too.
I needed adventure and to create a new life since my best adventuremaker/ friend died. My best friend jesus suggested I try climbing. The incredible climbing community helped make it happen. Still is slowly happening thanks to All you folks out there. I love you and can't thank yo all enough. lynnie
|
|
dfrost7
climber
|
|
Sespe Wall 1985. So much fun. I was dating a climber and told him I had wanted to since I was little (We might have actually gone to Mugu Rock first). I would see climbers in Yosemite on family camping trips and was fascinated. Living in Ventura at the time, I asked him
to promise, if we broke up, he would take me climbing no matter what.
He kept his promise - thanks Joe. I kept climbing, now and then, for several years. Didn't get very good at it, but I had so, so much fun. Never forget that day.
|
|
mooch
Trad climber
Old Climbers' Home (Adopted)
|
|
Twenty years ago.....this little bitch made me do it!
Tagged teamed "her" with Munge a few weeks back. HAHA!!
WHORE.
|
|
SCseagoat
Trad climber
Santa Cruz
|
|
Thinking myself too old (mid 50s) and ending up constantly being Sherpa to my partner and his climbing partner (both over 40 years experience) one day at the bottom of some climb at Lover's Leap I just started climbing up because I was bored (also the few rattle snakes slitering around at the base were an incentive). The boys were long gone several pitches above me. I thought "geez...the up part wasn't too bad...now how to get down" (about 12 feet off the ground). I groveled around, ripped my knees and ankles but made it down. I said I want to do this! So I've been working hard at it...absolutely love the rappelling; figuring out how to override some body foilbes such as "fused" large toe joint due to 40 years of soccer; and just some of the other things that pop up when you gain life experiences...some of you know what I mean! I do the gym time, and we get out quite a bit. This fall will be on El Cap (errrr...bridge for me as partner does an El Cap solo). I'm probably hard wired as my Astro sign is Capricorn "Sea Goat" and we also do extensive off shore sailing. Plus I've always been a late bloomer. So it goes...
|
|
noshoesnoshirt
climber
Arkansas, I suppose
|
|
I climbed on top of a rock. It seemed like fun so I did it again.
|
|
Fat Dad
Trad climber
Los Angeles, CA
|
|
1976, when I was 13, my buddy and I started climbing the Eucalyptus tree in his front yard after seeing "Solo." About a month later, we were walking by the old Holubar store that used to be in Santa Ana and they had a flyer up in the window for climbing lessons. It was a two day class at Mt. Rubidoux and Big Rock. After that, it was all over. The Beach. Weekends at Josh. Idyllwild. The Valley during summer break. Good times.
I climbed pretty much exclusively with the younger O.C. crew after that--Eric Held, Bob Cox, Bob Critchfield, Andre Olibri--all of whom have pretty much disappeared, though they probably have thought the same about me.
|
|
|
SuperTopo on the Web
|
Let us know!