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Rick A

climber
Boulder, Colorado
Feb 4, 2006 - 10:10pm PT
Hey, Can’t Say.
I don't remember the Ski Mart ad you refer to, but I have another quiz about the Ski Mart. A 10’ high rock was installed in the parking lot for bouldering purposes. The grand opening of the bouldering rock was a contest: the first no-hands ascent won a rope. Who won and how?
can't say

Social climber
Pasadena CA
Feb 4, 2006 - 10:38pm PT
ding, ding, ding, we have a wiener, sort of. The pic also had a babe sitting in the sand. Way to exercise those remaining brain cells Jeff.

Roger Breedlove

Trad climber
Cleveland Heights, Ohio
Feb 4, 2006 - 11:09pm PT
Good memory on Ken, Rob. (Edit: the person referred to real name is Bruce Cooke, not Ken. See posts below from 'Scuffy b')

He was pretty impressive on the boulders. The Cooke Book was first climbed by Kamps and Higgins is 1967. I think Tom and Ken were friends, but I don't know what, if any thing, he had to do with the climb. It may be just a tip of the hat. It is also a good name.

Roger
rmuir

Social climber
Claremont, CA
Feb 4, 2006 - 11:13pm PT
Oh, dear. The braincells could use a wee dusting!

The adverts had The Captain rising out of the Pacific, indeed. And you could see a good line of surf, but there was a DUDE sitting on the beach looking out at the sea and stone! No babe in sight. (I grabbed a Mountain Magazine at random, #57, and there's an ad there on page one.)

Who took that? Steve Makay, maybe? I'm guessing that might be Bruce Nyberg on the sand. Maybe Steve West? And Steve West and I cut up the El Cap photo for the quick paste-up.

As for O. Moon... He owned Rubidoux, too, didn't he? Isn't the O. Moon Crack down below Hemophiliac's Horror? Largo knows the best stories of Oliver Moon...
Largo

Sport climber
Venice, Ca
Topic Author's Reply - Feb 4, 2006 - 11:27pm PT
I'm actually trying to get hold of Moon right now, but it's tricky because I haven't seen him in nearly 15 years and all I have is a phone number for the casino in St. Croix (which, I believe, his family owns). Gimme a day or so to track him down.

JL
can't say

Social climber
Pasadena CA
Feb 4, 2006 - 11:45pm PT
Rob, you're right, maybe I just wanted to see a babe on the beach. The question was posed from my memory. After checking the mags, I saw it was a dude.

What is slightly ironic was that the first mag I picked up had Tobin's obit in it and I flipped right to it. I only met him once (when he lived in SLO) and even though the meeting was brief, it left an idelible image on me.
rmuir

Social climber
Claremont, CA
Feb 4, 2006 - 11:53pm PT
Quiz question for the history buffs:

Which Uplandish lads, who later went on to become Stonemasters, claimed the first ascent of the El Cap of Cucamonga (TM)?

Hmmm?
rmuir

Social climber
Claremont, CA
Feb 5, 2006 - 10:05am PT
My God! I had no idea!! ;-p (Truly, ST addresses the most monumental topics of our generation.)
Rick A

climber
Boulder, Colorado
Feb 5, 2006 - 11:40am PT
JL, I know you remember this one.

One memorable night was the rescue on the White Maiden route at Tahquitz, around 74. As I recall it, we were getting ready to head down the trail one evening after a day at the crag, when there were calls for help from near the top of the White Maiden. A number of us, including Gib, Richard, John and several others I don’t remember scrambled up the Trough to lower a rope to the stuck climbers, who were about 15 years old and had some sort of problem, although they weren’t hurt. It was getting dark quickly, the boys were too exhausted to climb any more, and we needed to get them up to the top.

It was decided that the quickest way to rescue them was to simply haul them up. Somebody rapped down and attached the first to a rope while those of us on top grabbed the rope and started pulling. We started putting our backs into it like a good rowing team and someone, probably you John, acted as coxswain, setting a steady rhythm of Pull!, Pull! Pull!. The first one came up pretty fast, but for the second guy, we had the technique down and we reeled him in like a trout. Now the top of that climb is by no means vertical and the poor lads endured some scrapes as they were rapidly hauled over little roofs and other rock features. They were grateful nevertheless and we all made it down the trail in the dark.

The young lads who were rescued grew up to become excellent climbers and second generation Stonemasters.
Gramicci

Social climber
Ventura
Feb 5, 2006 - 07:51pm PT
one of those trivia tests was pretty hard!

The funniest ad Ski Mart did and would rivial any today was the Photo of Owen Gunter hanging at a mock bivy setup at knots berry farm. He’s sitting in a belay seat (if anyone can remember those) with this devilish grin and a live sheep hanging out of the haul bag!

That was quite bold even back then.

Mg

PS: Largo’s jingle for the school was hilarious.
sandsnow

Social climber
SoCal
Feb 5, 2006 - 11:11pm PT
I remember the boulder from the Ski Mart parking lot. It was still there a couple years ago, but they had moved it to the back of the parking lot.

Back in 73 0r 74 my friend and I were guided by Dominique (I guess it's the same guy) up Tahquitz. we met in the Ski Mart parking lot. He drove too. I remember making fun of his car, a Reneault I think that had a steering column shift. I think he took us up The Trough. We were 15.

We were always trying to get our parents to let us have money for gear. Then my mom asked Dominique and he said we had enough gear to do all the climbs on Tahquitz already. That sucked.

I really don't remember much about the climb, but all that other stuff is just weird.

uzi

Trad climber
oslo
Feb 6, 2006 - 05:02am PT
met JL at malibu creek couple years back. i believe he lied about his name, can't blame him : ) but the "largo" on his rope bag, and my recolection of the ever-classic "basic rock climbing" vid saw through the lies. i remember him saying "hell, if people put more than a couple feet between bolts these days it's RUN OUT" : ) look forward to the book. met bridwell in jtree where i learned that "laybacking is not technique at all".....us younguns need to learn all we can from you visionaries. i'm always inpspired by your ascents and freespririted adventures.

"use to boulder at the beach in CDM(very close to the above mentioned "ski mart") and on a good day you could be bouldering with: Randy Vogel, Maria Cranor, Mike Lechinski, Mari Gingery, Tony Yarniro, Rob Raker, Shawn Curtis, Nick Badyrka, Tobin Sorenson, Yabo, John Long, Lynn Hill, Eric EEEErickson, Uh Howard King, Rick Accomazzo, Pat Ney, Rob Muir, Dave Wonderly, Jack Marshall, Kevin Powell, Darryl Hensell, Mike Paul and others I couldn't begin to remember their names. That place was a training ground for the southern group and there was plenty of good karma going around that place. The "stonners" home ground when they weren't out blowing away everyone at the rock. You guys remember the place? Last I heard...the lifeguards won't let you climb there because it's too dangerous...for the beach goers! Great memories of chaulk gooo if the humidity and/or the tide got too high. "Bowls in the Cave boys!"
Peace "

...........this is totally off topic, but do you know the right-to-left "green burrito" problem? last time i was at CDM i pulled the best hold off it, a small-wattermellon sized chunk. have kept that grease-smeered chunk for some reason........ : ).........have to wonder how many of you folks have touched that chunk :)

btw: last i checked lifeguards won't allow at certain times. i've nearly landed on a couple beach umbrellas when coming off problems these days. still remember with bliss first time i pulled the iron man roof. that's a beautiful problem
scuffy b

climber
S Cruz
Feb 6, 2006 - 12:05pm PT
Rob, Roger
Good memories of Indian Rock.
However, his name (the older whiz kid) was Bruce Cooke.
He was also a bit younger than most folks realized,
probably only about sixty when Rob moved South.
He and his contemporary Jim Crooks had been in the Mountain
Division in WWII. One of them had one of the world's first
nylon climbing ropes.
Those two guys had a big influence on the outlook of a lot
of youngsters coming along.
Cooke Book was a tip of the hat to a dear friend.
Fun climb, too.
sm
rmuir

Social climber
Claremont, CA
Feb 6, 2006 - 12:28pm PT
Thank you, scuffy b! BRUCE Cooke, not Ken. I've modified my prior posts, to correct the name. He and Jim Crooks were such a huge influence on several generations of Berkeley climbers; I want to set the record straight.

I think I recall using his goldline when we'd toprope some super-tall problems. And his Kronhoffers were always PERFECT!
Russ Walling

Social climber
This space for rent
Feb 6, 2006 - 12:44pm PT
I'm way too young to get in all this Fossil Talk™™, but Richard Harrison sends his best. Was climbing and yapping with him yesterday. He is still out there in Vegas floating stuff. Smooth man, smooth......
G_Gnome

Trad climber
Ca
Feb 6, 2006 - 02:34pm PT
Oh come off the sanctimonious crap Fish. You are almost as old as the rest of us and been around just about as long too.
healyje

Trad climber
Portland, Oregon
Feb 6, 2006 - 03:23pm PT
In some parts of the MidWest and South where there are steep sandstone overhangs and roofs without cracks, "laybacking is not technique at all" would be fighting words - not that anyone would want to particularly mix it up with Bridwell...
ol one eye

Trad climber
south lake tahoe,ca
Feb 6, 2006 - 03:40pm PT
+wow!deja vu. so many names i haven't heard in a long time. rob, where did you get that brochure? i don't think any of us made money, but it beat pounding nails. don also had us start a boy scout explorer troop,mainly for the insurance,i think.we had a few 'sponsored' events,a pancake breakfast or two,which paid for a road trip to gran trono blanco, among others.funny cause most of us were 'advisors'. i think malcom best, kurt reider,grandstaff and mcdonald were the only scouts! but it worked.good fun.





rmuir

Social climber
Claremont, CA
Feb 6, 2006 - 05:42pm PT
Hi, ol one eye.
I found a copy of the brochure for the old climbing school in Idyllwild--which was around for a few years in the mid-seventies (?)--kicking around in my old files. Here's a very detailed image of the front and back of the brochure, but be prepared to scale it for useful viewing...

HUGE scanned image

The original brochure was a lot more than a tri-fold flyer. Must have been something like a 6-fold, with 12 sides. Lots of details, probably so that Don Wilson wouldn't have to explain too much... :-)
rmuir

Social climber
Claremont, CA
Feb 6, 2006 - 06:05pm PT
More Stonemaster trivia...

Anyone know who this guy is? Taken at Suicide Rock, 13 Oct 1974. (Neither Gramicci or I can remember...)

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