Peter Haan in Alpinist 33

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Messages 1 - 48 of total 48 in this topic
Ghost

climber
A long way from where I started
Topic Author's Original Post - Dec 31, 2010 - 08:54pm PT
Some fine writing, beginning on p.93.

A tale of smelly bandages, and other things, partly told here on ST a while back.

BBA

climber
OF
Dec 31, 2010 - 08:59pm PT
And the link and the scanned images would be found ....
Ed Hartouni

Trad climber
Livermore, CA
Dec 31, 2010 - 08:59pm PT
it was a wonderful retelling of the story, and great to see that very humane instantiation of a wonderful tale.

Thank you Mr. Haan and thank you Alpinist...
Ed Hartouni

Trad climber
Livermore, CA
Dec 31, 2010 - 09:02pm PT
it's not on the Alpinst site yet...
http://www.alpinist.com/
Ghost

climber
A long way from where I started
Topic Author's Reply - Jan 1, 2011 - 08:27pm PT
Bump to get this back to where it will be seen. Peter wrote a great piece for Alpinist. If you don't subscribe, you should.
WBraun

climber
Jan 1, 2011 - 08:58pm PT
"Peter Haan in Alpinist 33"

What's he doing in there?
Mighty Hiker

climber
Vancouver, B.C.
Jan 1, 2011 - 09:00pm PT
You tell us, guru - you're the one who's good at answers to cosmic riddles. :-)
H

Mountain climber
there and back again
Jan 1, 2011 - 09:03pm PT
Just read it the other night. Good job Peter. I am surprised he did not mention Eds giant hands being perfect for large cracks. Ever see Ed Drummons paws? They're huge!
SteveW

Trad climber
The state of confusion
Jan 1, 2011 - 10:40pm PT

Nice job, Peter! Quite the tale.
Peter Haan

Trad climber
San Francisco, CA
Jan 1, 2011 - 11:11pm PT
Yeah I do Tami; "A man with large hands has large friends"! Ed had big hands it is true and I can fist jam 4". We made a unique crew I guess this way but the crux on Basket Case was a bit too wide for anyone's fists.

Bill Amborn, because the tale is just off the press, it won't be "online" for some time; they want you to buy or subscribe to the physical magazine or I am guessing even subscribe to the online iteration although I am not sure how the two entities relate since I don't use alpinist.com but know they are not exactly the same manifestations.

Thanks folks. I think the next article is going to be a re-edit of the Left Side of the Hourglass tale I have had up in varying states of development and everywhere else for years now. Alpinist hasn't committed to it yet and their next issue isn't due out for months. The magazine is quarterly. And I have a book review apparently coming out in the next American Alpine Journal covering that "Pilgrims of the Vertical" book of Joseph Taylor. That piece is with the editor now.

And by the way if any of you are wondering what it is like working with the magazine and with their senior editor Katie Ives and publisher Michael Kennedy, I can't overstate how really excellent they are, how committed and awfully friendly this crew really is in action. Real pros and totally honorable.
Ghost

climber
A long way from where I started
Topic Author's Reply - Jan 1, 2011 - 11:23pm PT
Peter, you're too polite. I was thinking of saying that the link to the article is called "a subscription"
Peter Haan

Trad climber
San Francisco, CA
Jan 1, 2011 - 11:24pm PT
Ghoster, Handling Bill Amborn has always been both a matter of artistry AND science (grin).
HighTraverse

Trad climber
Bay Area
Jan 2, 2011 - 01:29pm PT
Where's my #33?
arrrrrgh....I always get it a few days after youse guyz.
Ghost

climber
A long way from where I started
Topic Author's Reply - Jan 2, 2011 - 02:34pm PT
And my junk is IN the gawdamm thing. Shit!!!!!!!!

Doncha hate it when that happens? Get startled while reading and snap the book shut on your junk? Although I'm surprised it's a problem for you, what with not having dangly junk and all...

Of course, not reading while naked is an easy way to avoid the whole problem.
em kn0t

Trad climber
isle of wyde
Jan 2, 2011 - 03:10pm PT
Peter,

Kudos on a tale deep on many levels, not just the physical crux but emotional as well. I shuddered to think of facing the slick pod of Basket Case; you described it so vividly; what c-c-c-courage to work past it, especially after a fall. Wow.

And the bivy...brrrr, shaking along with you. I hope you've come to peace with the emotional struggle, society is much different now in accepting the beat of a different drummer. Have we learned anything????

Best wishes,
Em of Wyde


And my junk is IN the gawdamm thing.
Junk? Au contraire, Tami, your BluGoat spoof is brillyunt. :-)))))))))
They should Fed-Ex your copy, eh?

John Vawter

Social climber
San Diego
Jan 2, 2011 - 09:15pm PT
Wow Peter. Another rich, beautifully nuanced piece. This one set off a cascade of memories about climbing, relationships, and roads not taken. You are growing as a writer and we are all better for it. I’m so glad you chose to write down your recollections and craft them into these gems, and that they are being published. Your stuff is among the best, worthy of collection in an anthology.
crunch

Social climber
CO
Jan 3, 2011 - 11:35am PT
Excellent. A piece that gently cajoles the reader into following the artfully arranged threads into a web of unusual design, then leads the reader back out again, to blink in the sun and ponder.

Thanks Peter.
telemon01

Trad climber
Montana
Jan 8, 2011 - 02:29pm PT

pg. 22

"Dad, when I'm older can you teach me how to spray?"

I am sitting here typing, looking at Tami's caricature of a dude typing, and I am "guffawing" for sure.

Tami, I have a copy of your "Climbing Tales of Terror". I show it to my kids, and they just don't get it.

Nice to see your work again, after enjoying it in Climbing mag back when Climbing was worth reading ( back when MK was editor ).

And I just got my copy today. I was beginning to wonder if my subscription had expired.

By the way, does nineinchclimbing.com have anything to do with big hands?
Steve Grossman

Trad climber
Seattle, WA
Jan 9, 2011 - 01:07pm PT
I hate to say it but coloring books don't do much for the soul of an artist, no matter how small. Let 'em scribble, stroke and scrawl with wild abandon!

Conformity creeps in fast enough!
LongAgo

Trad climber
Jan 9, 2011 - 04:24pm PT
Just to second Peter's assessment of Alpinist editorial process, when he says editor Katie Ives and publisher Michael Kennedy are good to work with. A few months back I did an article for the magazine on Pinnacles National Monument and Katie had to put up with my wild, rambling tone poem mixing wonder with history of style conflicts, a potential big mess. Katie kept with me through several drafts, made many good suggestions, but also allowed me my freedom of style. Alpinist is the place for good tales and insights on climbing, much like Ascent from days of yore.

Peter, I have not yet seen the final piece, but will look for it and know it will be good.

Tom Higgins
LongAgo
LongAgo

Trad climber
Jan 9, 2011 - 04:28pm PT
I said I worked with Alpinist "a few months back." Turns out it was Summer 2009! Time flies. For anyone interested, here is the Pinnacles article I did for them (Alpinist 27):

http://www.tomhiggins.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=56&Itemid=20

LongAgo
Ed Hartouni

Trad climber
Livermore, CA
Jan 9, 2011 - 05:17pm PT
spraying... it makes a difference if your dad is a tom cat...
telemon01

Trad climber
Montana
Jan 9, 2011 - 08:22pm PT

Longago- spray sometime about the FFA of serenity crack, I'd love to hear the story.

A partner and I climbed The Slide last fall. One of the cruxes on Serenity Crack, (10d on 3rd pitch?) was in perfect profile to our right the entire morning. Systematically, almost every party was hanging on their rope, trying to figure it out.

I climbed Serenity Crack 23 years ago. I remember getting to the top and looking up at Sons of Yesterday. Why we didn't keep going mystifies me. There were no lines, no crowds, no problems.

A few days later I led a runout single pitch in that same area. Fire Fingers? 10c? Anyone recognize what I am talking about?
Crimpergirl

Sport climber
Boulder, Colorado!
Jan 10, 2011 - 01:18am PT
Thanks Peter - I look forward to your next piece where ever it may land.
Ghost

climber
A long way from where I started
Topic Author's Reply - Jan 10, 2011 - 02:10am PT
Ascent wouldn't touch my stuff with a bomb robot.

That's one of those statements that's both true, and not true. When we put out the last issue of Ascent the deal was "One man, one vote." Given that Allen and Roper had conceived, birthed, and raised Ascent to the point where it was the pre-eminent forum for climbing writing in the world, that they gave me a full, no-contest vote was probably the most amazing thing that ever happened in my life. Being asked to co-edit it was one thing, but being told "your voice is just as important as either of ours" blew my mind.

As it turned out, there was very little argument. Probably 80% of the submitted pieces got either three "Yes" or three "No" votes. End of story.

But the other 20%... Holy f*#k. I think that the three of us pretty much drank up the entire red wine output of Argentina for that year in trying to find resolution for that last 20%.

Each of us won a few and each of us lost a few. I think the one I'm proudest of winning was Dave Insley. Getting his stuff in, in the face of original No votes from my two friends was a great victory for dirtbag climbers all over the world.

But although both of them eventually came round to appreciating Insley's stuff, neither one of them would give an inch on you. This was a pair of guys who loved Sheridan Anderson, guys who had lived the dirtbag life themselves, but who looked at your stuff and said "What the f*#k is funny about some stupid rats dressed up like climbers? And anyway, she can't even draw."

Yes, the end result was that Ascent didn't publish any of your work, but it sure wasn't for lack of lobbying (and threats and bribes) on my part.

Ditto for Long Tall David Dornian. They thought his writing was reeeeally stooopid. “What the f*#k has this sh#t got to do with climbing?” was how they so delicately phrased it. And yet you and I both felt he was probably the best climbing writer of the time.

None of which is a knock on either Allen, Roper, Ascent, or the process we used to put the last issue together. Ascent stands unquestioned as the finest climbing publication in the English language, and may well be the finest in any language. But to be "perfect" instead of "finest", the last issue needed one or two of your stupid bad cartoons, and something -- anything -- from DD.

D
Paulina

Trad climber
Jan 10, 2011 - 02:04pm PT
How many times have we heard the unplanned bivy "joke" from some macho mountaineer, or seen it in some second-rate comedy? Mostly with quiet acquiescence.
Peter, thank you for telling your very personal story. Maybe your sexuality was common knowledge among the inner circle. But you publicly coming out with your story may give a hopeful anchor to many others, maybe young aspiring climbers, who still have to hear a lot of bs from oldtimers and newcomers alike. And surely it will add more understanding and, as you say, a deeper friendship to the around-the-campfire chest-beating.
Homo Climbtastic and other clubs notwithstanding.

Cheers,
Paulina

PS My Alpinist #33 only arrived late last week and I read (most of) it over the weekend. A great issue!
Paulina

Trad climber
Jan 10, 2011 - 05:53pm PT
Tami, I feel your pain. I think that somebody at the post office used to read my entire issue before actually delivering it (it always came unwrapped).
BrianH

Trad climber
santa fe
Jan 10, 2011 - 06:02pm PT
My in-laws gave me a subscription to Alpinst. I'm looking forward to it even more!
em kn0t

Trad climber
isle of wyde
Jan 10, 2011 - 06:14pm PT
Tami

PM me yer address & I'll Fed-Ex ya my copy

Edit: but ya gotta send it back when yours comes!
TMO

Trad climber
Puyallup, WA
Jan 12, 2011 - 11:10pm PT
Certainly a FULL VALUE read Peter, I couldn't put it down! We need more from you sir.

Quite the representation of Supertopians, Mighty on Logan in winter, Tami on wankers and sprayers, Donini and blue Camalots AND Basket Case. Surely there is more.... who am I missing?

Troy
Peter Haan

Trad climber
San Francisco, CA
Jan 13, 2011 - 12:19am PT
Tami your visuals are overwhelming.
TMO

Trad climber
Puyallup, WA
Jan 13, 2011 - 12:22am PT
Well dang me for a fool! I hadn't a clue.... Thanks fer catchin' me up Tami, I have always admired his work :)
LongAgo

Trad climber
Jan 13, 2011 - 02:15am PT
tele-
Very short story on Serenity: Pratt said it was nice, new free crack. Went with Chris Jones, all went nicely until last pitch which seemed pretty hard in old shores (Krons) with no rubber toes to go in crack, so used mostly fingers and small edging flakes outside crack. Told Pratt we did it all free and he said WHAT? Only free part was first pitch (ending to the side - still done that way??). Second, final pitch had not gone free. He tried it few days later and said, nope, no could do, so thought 5.11 was fair rating. Since then it slipped to hard 5.10, I guess. Whatever, nice rock, place, view..
Anastasia

climber
hanging from a crimp and crying for my mama.
Jan 13, 2011 - 02:42am PT
Nice!
Excellent writing!
AFS
scuffy b

climber
Three feet higher
Jan 13, 2011 - 06:49pm PT
Hey, Thanks for the story, Tom.
I was just wondering, because Pratt's notes in the 67 Ascent have it
done by Sacherer and Fredericks in 65, which was news to me (I hadn't ever
seen the 67 or 68 Ascents until recently).
My memory was always you and Chris Jones, which I guess is what was in
Roper's green guide.

I have this idea that the first pitch would really have been the crux at
some unknown time before your free ascent, because it must have started out
so absolutely impossible before the scarring.
It seems to me the third pitch (present crux) is not so drastically altered
from its original condition.
This could be a delusion of mine, of course..
Ed Hartouni

Trad climber
Livermore, CA
Jan 16, 2011 - 01:49pm PT
I keep reading great articles in this issue, not that other issues aren't great too...

the reach across the span of time, from J.D. Hooker to E. Frechou, the span of objectives from The Grand to the TBP, and the poignancy of Haan's story, and the remembrance of Dave Thomson...

thanks to Alpinist for persevering with their vision.



--- and as we read in the wonderful quick story of SLCDs we find a reference to a Bridwell comment in Climbing in 1978, the piece: "Friends: A look at new technology in climbing-- Response," Feature Climbing 51, page 23.

Anyone care to post that to us (and maybe the Feature would be interesting too!) and Letters to the Editor [(issue)page]: (51)36, (52)36, (55)42, (57)38,42. I would but, alas, my collection doesn't go back that far.
klk

Trad climber
cali
Jan 16, 2011 - 02:03pm PT
still havent seen peter's article-- my issue isnt here yet
philo

Trad climber
Somewhere halfway over the rainbow
Jan 16, 2011 - 02:04pm PT
Nope. Alpinist will publish me. Happily, in fact.

Ascent wouldn't touch my stuff with a bomb robot.

He he he.


Alpinist 3, as usual, is filled with the most wonderful offerings. Even Tami 'toons no doubt delivered by "return magazine requested" bomb robot.

Peter your piece was courageous and told with brilliant sensitivity. Thank you for sharing. I too look forward to more of your work.
philo

Trad climber
Somewhere halfway over the rainbow
Jan 16, 2011 - 04:37pm PT
Sound like R2D2 got yer mag 2u.
telemon01

Trad climber
Montana
Jan 16, 2011 - 09:42pm PT

Thanks for the story, Longago-
good work

Auto-X Fil

Mountain climber
Jan 28, 2011 - 10:42am PT
I've been busy climbing and skiing, so it's taken weeks to get to Full Value.

Bump for Haan, and for Alpinist! Excellent issue and excellent article, Peter. I would love more.
donini

Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
Jan 28, 2011 - 10:45am PT
Well done Peter!
Buju

Big Wall climber
the range of light
Feb 7, 2011 - 02:02pm PT
Thanks, Peter, for a SPECTACULAR read!
Darwin

Trad climber
Seattle, WA
Mar 23, 2011 - 02:08am PT
Bump this.

I loved the descriptions of the climbing, of the times and of Peter's thoughts. I want to point out about that w.r.t Basket Case, if Peter had problems with a holdless subtle overhanging flair, it was f*#king difficult. That was his strong suite from what I saw, and he just walked up those.

I've never seen any photos of Basket Case or for that matter of any side of the Hour Glass. Are they out there?

Also: what Hartouni said, the whole issue is good.


Darwin
ß Î Ø T Ç H

Boulder climber
bouldering
Mar 23, 2011 - 03:53am PT
The Hour Glass thread either had photos, or the description was so bone-chilling you didn't need any.
Jan

Mountain climber
Okinawa, Japan
Mar 23, 2011 - 04:16am PT
This thread just motivated me to order a subscription to the Alpinist!
Peter Haan

Trad climber
San Francisco, CA
Mar 23, 2011 - 09:32am PT
No Dar, there have been photos of the Left Side up for years. I took a group of images in 2000. It seems there are no photos though of anyone actually climbing the first pitch (or any of the pitches) from what I can tell. Here is one of the links to see those yr 2000 images:

http://www.supertopo.com/climbing/thread.php?topic_id=199688&tn=0&mr=0

I did have a camera back then but I couldn't bring myself to take it to the Hourglass then (1971) because "everything had to be perfect"--- I knew the lead would be so dangerous, all things had to point upward the whole time I would be leading it, and to go deepest, I couldn't have a camera around, looking at surfaces. To this day, that lead---although not the hardest climbing I have ever done---was by far the deadliest, given how it couldn't be protected with the methods of the time.

A very recent finding regarding the Left Side is that Rik Rieder, Bridwell's partner on the second ascent of the Left Side, has stated Bridwell established a hanging belay just below the roof---- like 40 feet off the ground and thus broke the first pitch into two forty to sixty foot pitches, dissolving the pretty hard problem of clipping and turning around at the one bolt starting the roof. And obviously providing a giant rest there too.

The actual article I began in 2002 or so is now in editing with Alpinist for #35/Summer edition, by the way. It will be incredibly interesting to see how Katie Ives works with this piece; I think I will see the first go-around in about two weeks. I spent so many different times writing and rewriting the thing, winding it tighter and tighter....
Patrick Oliver

Boulder climber
Fruita, Colorado
Mar 23, 2011 - 06:03pm PT
Peter is one of those writers whose strong energy gives to writing
an exhilaration and excitement. I will never forget an evening with Peter in the early 1970s when he brainstormed with me, as I began to compose my piece "Nerve Wrack Point" with Tom Higgins. It amazed me how clever and imaginative he was and inspiring. I was more or less a beginner at the
time, and I learned a lot as I listened to his spellbinding comments...
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