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Darwin
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Oct 29, 2010 - 11:12pm PT
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Gosh another blast from the past. Even after climbing with you, Peter, in the early 70's, I would have sworn that Luke Freeman and I were the first to do that crack as an aid route in maybe 69. You undoubtedly had us beat, and the proof is in the photos, espcially the cool hard hat. I'm thinking those boots were Piveta Eigers, but maybe Spiders.
Even before climbing up there, I used to go up to the Jr. Museum at the top of the crack to take mirror grinding classes for astronomy earlier in the 60s, and I swear the SF grotto of the NSS (cavers) met up there, too. Kind the beginning of everything for me.
Darwin
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Peter Haan
Trad climber
San Francisco, CA
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Topic Author's Reply - Oct 29, 2010 - 11:26pm PT
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Fun Darwin. And there were climbers before me and Vern too. I wouldn't be surprised if climbing went back more than another decade before us. Very cool rock character.
Tom, I agree. It is very hard being in the City. Even for surfing and the surfing is largely lame compared to the Santa Cruz area. Biking in the City is pretty hairy; motorists hate you and the road surfaces are just appalling. Parking is always a crisis. They have a gross-receipts tax on businesses here. Building and planning departments are slower than glaciers and a bit corrupt too. And building in the City is a tremendous hassle also in comparison to most other areas. Some projects are so tough for access! And it is not really very safe here either. My truck has been broken into four times in 9 years, my house once and I live in a good area! There are also plenty of good things about being here though and so I continue...
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tom woods
Gym climber
Bishop, CA
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Oct 29, 2010 - 11:40pm PT
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Oh yeah- can't leave anything more valuable than pocket lint in the car.
Those aren't the reasons I'll never go back though. It's the drive time to the rock, pure and simple. I find I go less often, the longer the drive. There might even be ratio that I could calculate.
Right now, I'm a busy beaver with school, two jobs and a two year old, but I still get out once or twice a week.
All that being said. I have a job in the city over the Thanksgiving weekend, and in the next couple of years I might be working with that very same planning department to build on a site off Sansome Street.
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Nate D
climber
San Francisco
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Oct 30, 2010 - 12:01am PT
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Slippery Beaver street wall is fun. I've always felt the direct start to the crack is easier than the crack.
Now, when you top out, you can peer into the windows of the new fancy white house right there. Or say Hi to the homeless dude sometimes camped out up there with the same luxury view!
Haven't been in a few years, but I recall seeing some very rusted bolts on a large block of choss down by the Sutro Baths, just through the tunnel. What's that?
I don't go much at all, but when I do hit up Glen Park, I'm always surprised that I very rarely run into other folks bouldering, considering the popularity of the sport these days. Everyone must be in the gyms, forking out the cash...
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Russ Walling
Gym climber
Poofter's Froth, Wyoming
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Oct 30, 2010 - 12:23am PT
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1982, Roy Wonder at one of those SF areas.... with myself, the Swiss Michi crew and other vagrants in tow. This was a stop on a Hunter S -esque tour than went to the Bay Area to score in the Haight and then on to Tahoe to completely flip out at the Pete Minx and Strappo digs. UNHOLY!
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tom woods
Gym climber
Bishop, CA
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Oct 30, 2010 - 01:33am PT
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Russ digs out the classic shots. Well done sir.
Nate D- the direct used to be a lot harder than the regular crack. There was this tooth that you had to stack two finger on in the crack. It literally felt like grabbing one of the smaller molars of a person's mouth. If you could tolerate it, the move was 11a.
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Rick A
climber
Boulder, Colorado
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Oct 30, 2010 - 10:35am PT
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Peter,
To a visitor, though, there is no better American city-the bay, the food, the jaw-dropping views around every corner, and the crazy spirit of the place.
And the surfing looks like real adventure compared to the warm water sites down south.
Those etriers look like you tore bedsheets and knotted them, like a resourceful prisoner might have fashioned to lower himself out of a lofty Alcatraz cell. That's a good caption for the photo: Peter making his first escape upward from the urban mundane.
Rick
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Maysho
climber
Soda Springs, CA
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Oct 30, 2010 - 10:41am PT
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Wow, haven't heard the name Vern Muhr for a long time. He was the climber to emulate in the Sierra Club RCS of the early-mid 70's. I learned a lot watching him smoothly climb up Moss Ledge in his RR's. He was very encouraging and helpful to this eager kid and I am grateful that I got to learn from him.
A few years later in high school in SF we used to boulder at Glen Park many afternoons. I still go into that canyon now and then, the traverse is still fun and if you have big pads or very good spotters the "Unnatural Act" roof is a classic.
Couple of weeks ago I was at Ocean Beach with my son, Jimmy Haden and the rest of their crew who were rigging cable cam for the 49'ers game. We had a fun bouldering session at a cave on the north end of the beach at the right side of the cliffs under the Cliff House. It was pretty good!
Did that area used to be covered by sand dunes? BITD we wouldn't have bothered with the cement sea wall crack if the cool steep rock was a short walk away.
Peter
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Peter Haan
Trad climber
San Francisco, CA
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Topic Author's Reply - Oct 30, 2010 - 11:52am PT
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That was all interesting Peter and Ricky. Ricky, that photo is of Vern Muhr, not me. I took the photo. We were learning to aid, obviously; we started climbing together under the tutelage of Les Wilson beginning July 1963 during a ten-day crosscountry hike starting from Tenaya Canyon up through to Sunrise Lakes and on southwards for days. Ricky, very funny about "bedsheets" love it. Very witty.
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HighTraverse
Social climber
Bay Area
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Oct 30, 2010 - 12:44pm PT
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The Banker's Heart in the plaza in front of the BofA building.
555 California
Glen Park rock is SLICK Serpentine. Too slick for gym climbers. Also scary falls, even with pad.
Much less trouble to go to Planet Granite in the Presidio and pose.
Oh yeah, the hike in is Horror Show.
(one of these days I'll figure out how to get my posts dripping with the intended sarcasm)
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guido
Trad climber
Santa Cruz/New Zealand/South Pacific
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Oct 30, 2010 - 01:47pm PT
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Peter-do you remember the adventure Roper and Pratt had with an actual climbing job in the City in the early 60s? Put something up or take it down?
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bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, CA
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Oct 30, 2010 - 02:01pm PT
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darwin and Peter, everybody knows the soul of BA climbing is Castle Rock State Park and Aquarian Valley.
Sheesh......
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tom woods
Gym climber
Bishop, CA
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Oct 30, 2010 - 02:59pm PT
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Thanks for the link Drunken master. That little area looks pretty good.
Anyone ever try those boulders on San Bruno Mountain, you can see them from 280. I checked them out one time. They looked alright, but a little poison oakey.
Also drunken master- have you checked out Muir Beach at point reyes? At the far end there is a good sized (by bay area standards) crag. It's granite and not that steep, but being weathered next to the ocean, it might be more interesting than it looks.
Long live Beaver Street!
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drunkenmaster
Social climber
santa rosa
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Oct 30, 2010 - 06:16pm PT
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your welcome - enjoy!!
i have been to muir beach south of slide ranch and stinson beach but never to a muir beach in pt reyes, are you sure your not confusing them becuase there is a small crag on the south end of the muir beach im talking about. and yes i have climbed on it and my old marin/class 5 homie jeff follet put in the tr anchors. i thought it was kind of chossy so i never climbed it more than maybe once but i need to go back to make sure i wasnt just spoiled back then. and the san bruno stuff ive seen but never been up to.
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Srbphoto
climber
Kennewick wa
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Oct 30, 2010 - 11:15pm PT
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I remember checking out the boulders on San Bruno Mt. in the early 80's. All I remember was poison oak.
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Oct 30, 2010 - 11:44pm PT
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Don't overlook the wall climbing...
Mako Koiwai photo from Ascent 1980.
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Mungeclimber
Trad climber
sorry, just posting out loud.
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Oct 30, 2010 - 11:58pm PT
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try and do the TA building nowadays, you get a visit by the feds I'm sure.
Here's Clint's hosting of the Jensen book...
http://www.stanford.edu/~clint/ba/isf.htm
Beaver Street...
http://www.stanford.edu/~clint/ba/sf38.gif
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