What were these climbing boots called?

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Messages 1 - 41 of total 41 in this topic
Ihateplastic

Trad climber
It ain't El Cap, Oregon
Topic Author's Original Post - Jan 29, 2013 - 11:25pm PT
Of course there is a trick to this...

What were they called in France? What was the brand or climber's name associated with them?


climbski2

Mountain climber
Anchorage AK, Reno NV
Jan 29, 2013 - 11:27pm PT
I know what I'm supposed to say,, but they don't look quite like the ones I had.
Srbphoto

climber
Kennewick wa
Jan 29, 2013 - 11:27pm PT
joyeux prancers

the climber was Philip Joyeux
Bullwinkle

Boulder climber
Jan 29, 2013 - 11:30pm PT
galibier? And they called them the McRoyal. . .
Anxious Melancholy

Mountain climber
Between the Depths of Despair & Heights of Folly
Jan 29, 2013 - 11:33pm PT

Galibier
Gilroy

Social climber
Boulderado
Jan 29, 2013 - 11:34pm PT
Galibier Merle Bleu

Do I get partial credit...
Edge

Trad climber
New Durham, NH
Jan 29, 2013 - 11:36pm PT
Le Converse All-Star Haute Top
Brian in SLC

Social climber
Salt Lake City, UT
Jan 29, 2013 - 11:38pm PT
Richard Pontvert?
Ihateplastic

Trad climber
It ain't El Cap, Oregon
Topic Author's Reply - Jan 29, 2013 - 11:40pm PT
NICE WORK BRIAN!

And yes, they were made by Galibier.

chill

climber
between the flat part and the blue wobbly thing
Jan 29, 2013 - 11:41pm PT
galibier? And they called them the McRoyal. . .
That's McRoyal with cheese.
Brian in SLC

Social climber
Salt Lake City, UT
Jan 29, 2013 - 11:46pm PT
Le Big Mac...
Brian in SLC

Social climber
Salt Lake City, UT
Jan 29, 2013 - 11:50pm PT
WBraun

climber
Jan 30, 2013 - 12:25am PT
They're Blue Red and Black

All Spiderman colors .......
Fritz

Trad climber
Choss Creek, ID
Jan 30, 2013 - 12:26am PT
For Those who have not read the whole history of Royal's Blue Suede shoes.

http://www.supertopo.com/climbers-forum/1022257/Royal-Robbins-This-importing-business-is-a-real-can-of-
WBraun

climber
Jan 30, 2013 - 12:29am PT
I bought my first pair in 1968.

I bought them only because they look cool.

They're a total POS for free climbing.

But !!!!!

They're awesome for standing in aid ladders all day .......
Todd Eastman

climber
Bellingham, WA
Jan 30, 2013 - 01:24am PT
"Yosemite" by Galibier...
ß Î Ø T Ç H

Boulder climber
bouldering
Jan 30, 2013 - 01:34am PT
What were these climbing boots called?
"every (four letter) word in the book".
Scole

Trad climber
Joshua Tree
Jan 30, 2013 - 07:09pm PT
I put sticky rubber soles and rand on a pair. They are great wall boots, but are even better in OW. They make heel-toe jams feel like you're standing on a belay ledge.
Steve Grossman

Trad climber
Seattle, WA
Jan 30, 2013 - 07:27pm PT
The pleasure factor in those old blue RRs is very large.

They were my first boot back in 1970 purchased along with a blue Mammut 11mm rope and baby blue Joe Brown helmet.

You might struggle a bit starting Moby Dick center but the fun factor goes way up above that.

Hard to even find a boot that will protect your ankles and climb well these days.
AP

Trad climber
Calgary
Jan 30, 2013 - 07:47pm PT
I had those the first few years of climbing. Definitely encouraged good foot work. Then I switched to EB'S and I was climbing 1 grade harder right away
Edge

Trad climber
New Durham, NH
Jan 30, 2013 - 08:17pm PT
I bought a pair for something like $25 from the old EMS attic back in 1978. I loved them for standing in etriers while teaching myself aid climbing with a 3/8" Goldline rope, Whillans harness, Forrest titons, and hand tied aiders.

I loaned them to a friend the next year, and his mom threw them in the Goodwill collection box. Gone.

I sometimes wonder who got them through Goodwill.
neverwas

Mountain climber
ak
Jan 30, 2013 - 08:52pm PT
I started rock climbing with the AMC around Boston, late 60's or so. Bought a pair of 'RRs' (or whatever they're called ;-), and one of the instructors, an older guy, saw my new boots, stuck his nose right into them and took a huge whiff. They did have a characteristic and somehow alluring 'new car' smell to them...
TwistedCrank

climber
Dingleberry Gulch, Ideeho
Jan 30, 2013 - 08:52pm PT
I had two pairs of them boots. One pair had a stiff an unpadded cuff, the other pair had a thick pad around the cuff. I liked the unpadded ones better.

Anybody else see those two varieties?

The first pair I won from some kid in a poker game in Gunnison. The second pair I bought from Jack Tackle at a garage sale.

And, of course, they required laces in some shade of red.

Holy cow I miss those shoes.
ron gomez

Trad climber
fallbrook,ca
Jan 30, 2013 - 10:14pm PT
I'll say it for Locker......Blue Butt Plugs!
those were sweet wall boots.
Peace
Ihateplastic

Trad climber
It ain't El Cap, Oregon
Topic Author's Reply - Jan 31, 2013 - 12:38am PT
I have a pair with smooth soles... I'll post a pic tomorrow.

For me RRs were as painful as a raspberry seed stuck in an open cavity. You could however edge on dimes like there was no tomorrow and (as said earlier) that certain off width size was almost pleasant. And, as Werner said, you could stand in tied 1" flat webbing aiders all day long and NEVER get a cramp! Besides, those shoes were built to be abused and they held up like no pansy-arse slipper ever will.
hooblie

climber
from out where the anecdotes roam
Jan 31, 2013 - 03:56am PT
bought pairs in ~'71 for me and my gal, the cute little ones came back like a block sweater when going steady went south. my mom used them in the back yard for standing on the edge of a shovel (was going to saying stomping a spade, but ...)
ydpl8s

Trad climber
Santa Monica, California
Jan 31, 2013 - 11:30am PT
Bought em used, resoled them twice. Loved the edging, I heard people bitching and moaning about cramping feet on J-Crack at Lumpy, I was totally comfy in my blue RR's.


Sierra Ledge Rat

Mountain climber
Old and Broken Down in Appalachia
Jan 31, 2013 - 11:59am PT
I used to free-solo the Grack (up and down) in my RR yosemite boots - just to prove that it could be done.

Ever climb on the apron in RR yosemite boots?

(:
Reilly

Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
Jan 31, 2013 - 12:09pm PT
Ever climb on the apron in RR yosemite boots?

Yes, what else were we supposed to use, Kronhofers? ;-)
But then came that fateful day when I went on the Apron with Ellie Hawkins
wearing her new EB's. Damn, that was embarrassing - really, those weren't
whimpers, just a sort of exhaling. Went straight down to Royal's and had
Bruce Carson fit me to a pair.
JEleazarian

Trad climber
Fresno CA
Jan 31, 2013 - 01:21pm PT
I bought my first pair in 1969 for $28.00. I bought a second pair, one full size smaller, in 1971 for $32.00. I still have and use both pairs for mountaineering and walls.

I climbed Patio and Maxine's Wall in the bigger pair. I first did the Glass Pyramid problem in Camp 4 and Grack Marginal in my smaller pair. The latter was quite exciting, because it is really much more of a pure friction problem than one of edging, where the RR's were quite good. Generally, though, I preferred PA's, because I felt more secure, but the rubber on the PA's was about as hard, and no more sticky, than those of the RR's.

As many others found, I, too, found EB's to be almost cheating when I first used them on the Apron in 1973.

John
ydpl8s

Trad climber
Santa Monica, California
Jan 31, 2013 - 01:33pm PT
I love this pic of Joe Herbst on the FA of the Rainbow Wall at Red Rocks (Original Route 5.12 - 1973) I hope this is ok to post this Chiloe.

john bald

climber
Jan 31, 2013 - 01:51pm PT
Along with other climbs, did Duck Soup on the Weeping Wall with them.
My old pair is currently on display at IME, SLC.
SteveW

Trad climber
The state of confusion
Jan 31, 2013 - 02:16pm PT

I still have my original pair. . .
knott quite so pretty, but they still fit.
Scole

Trad climber
Joshua Tree
Jan 31, 2013 - 07:43pm PT
Still one of the best wall boots ever made. Occasionally you will find a pair in a thrift shop for less than a buck. I bought one pair at the cast off in Mammoth for .25, drove to the valley and sold them for eighty dollars three hours later.
OR

Trad climber
Jan 31, 2013 - 10:00pm PT
Still a great looking shoe IMO. I could have bought a brand new pair in Bezerkely in the early 90's but was too poor. They were in some consignment shop. Bummer
Tarbuster

climber
right here, right now
Feb 2, 2013 - 12:18am PT
I started out in red PAs. As mentioned … case hardened rubber, at least they were sleek!

Yours truly, probably one of the few fools around here who decided RRs would be suitable for long days on the feet. During the late 90s when my arms went south, a bunch of closets were getting purged and RRs would show up in the used outdoor gear stores here in Boulder.

So I went through a couple pair doing big days in the mountains on fourth class. Even did one of those days, something like 11 hours in Rocky Mountain National Park (Glacier Gorge/McHenry's) in a pair of green Shoenards, also called the Vasque Tarentola or some such?


Prancing about on the summit of Mount McClure in Robbins Boots during a 20 hour day, Mount Lyell in the background:



Matterhorn Peak:



John Bald: Duck Soup! It does have some fine edges doesn't it? Still that would not be very easy to pull off. I watched John Lonne waltz New Generations in RRs.
Ihateplastic

Trad climber
It ain't El Cap, Oregon
Topic Author's Reply - Feb 2, 2013 - 12:51am PT
Mountaineering in RRs! I could not imagine the pain and blisters.

Still need to take a pic of the pair that I have with smooth soles.
mouse from merced

Trad climber
The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.
Feb 2, 2013 - 01:26am PT
I've had a good read here. I'm all bluebirded out.

I'd like to say I have the most cheapest deal on RRs from Larry Horton at North Face-Berkeley in early 1970. He had a pair in my size that had the toe rand separated from the leather on one of them, but it was good to climb in, just couldn't be sold full price. So he gave the pair to the Rev to give to me down at Apathy House in Pacific Grove.

Thank you for the God Boots, Larry!

I ended up using the 'oddball' brown leather RDs from Galibier. I thought the rubber better than the popular PAs.

The first climb I got to do with them was in the Pinnacles. The Higher Spire was next, my first 5.8 climb. And descent after )a8=$ dark!
Sierra Ledge Rat

Mountain climber
Old and Broken Down in Appalachia
Feb 2, 2013 - 03:07am PT
Still need to take a pic of the pair that I have with smooth soles.


My soles are also worn flat!
Haston

Trad climber
Boise, ID
Jul 16, 2016 - 11:07pm PT
I still have mine, they don't fit any more but used the heck out of them. I am thinking of putting them on eBay just for kicks to see what they bring.
rgold

Trad climber
Poughkeepsie, NY
Jul 17, 2016 - 10:30am PT
I did lots of mountaineering in RR's. Sized right, smeared with SnoSeal, and used with gaitors, they were fine for navigating steep snow in places like the Bugaboos and Tetons, and I could climb almost as well in them as with any of the other smooth-soled more pre-sticky rubber board-lasted shoes of the day.

My impression is that La Sportiva might have even improved on the concept with their Ganda's, but sadly that shoe is now discontinued.
Messages 1 - 41 of total 41 in this topic
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