Discussion Topic |
|
This thread has been locked |
| Messages 1 - 11 of total 11 in this topic |
Myles Moser
climber
Lone Pine, Ca
|
|
|
Topic Author's Original Post - Apr 6, 2013 - 09:39pm PT
|
"On first ascent of Looking Glass, Whitney Portal Buttress 1970, Keith Schwartz photo."
http://www.supertopo.com/climbing/thread.php?topic_id=2062938&msg=2064448#msg2064448
It started through a pillar/ tunnel? Or did start to right on the slab? Then to the top of the pillar. Some A3 to the gong flake,to one of the best slammer splitters on the portal buttress! You end up wandering over to the main hole on the Portal Buttress on this one? Cool man!
Just perusing the old post and found it.
"Looking Glass"... Sweet name.
We are going to need more photos and pictures on this one.
|
|
McHale's Navy
Trad climber
Panorama City, California & living in Seattle
|
|
Here's a drawing I have, but it was drawn recently, and only an estimate, but we sure did go through the cave. I don't really remember where we started the route, which crack, and I'm sure we did not do that nice splitter, but I clearly recall a section just before going into the cave area. There is a blocky pillar, maybe 4'x4' that I stood on with about a 2 foot gap to the main wall. I put a foot across to bridge the gap and placed a bolt and then did about 3 rurp moves up a seam. I clearly remember this since I was worried about losing my head on the block if I zippered. There may have been one more pitch after that to get to the cave area.
I clearly remember the cave too. The cave of course is the Looking Glass. Looks like the guys that came later (in this century) climbed the right side of the cave. I did it the hard way I guess, and it was hard and scary chimneying along the inside of the lip. Bender looked at it, but I had to do it! It was wet and toe/back and facing out. The light coming in would blind me, making it difficult to see, with only one piece of pro half-way across I think. It had to be at least a hard 5.9.....an early 70s 5.9 (haha). It may be one of the most dangerous things I've ever done, in terms of taking a big whipper. It was cool chimneying up through a cluster of boulders inside (much easier) and then coming out on the Ledge. The cluster of boulders inside reminded me of traveling through a cluster of stars or planets (I was a teenage astronomer before I got into climbing). I would have just turned 18 when we did that climb. Greg may have been a year younger....Keith may have been a year older. We were all pretty advanced for our ages, having been brought up at Stoney Point!
One of the coolest things ( I used to have a photo of it) was Greg Bender's light plastic tarp, very light like the stuff they used to put on dry-cleaned jackets, puffed up just like an aluminum Jiffy-Pop popcorn package. We were bivied on the ledge and the warm morning sun heated the air from below and it came up through the cave though the gravel and inflated his ground cloth. It was amazing that the top of the cave had a crawlspace to get out of the chimney too. From the Ledge upward it seems like there may have been a shallow scrack on the face that we climbed, I remember Bender doing that, but we ended the route over on the pillar of the Beckey/Callis route to the left - and finished on that route. This photo below is a scan of a print from a pdf. I'll try to get it clearer. I have one other slide from the climb, looking down on Keith Jumaring. Oh, I also have one of Greg at about the same spot I am at in that photo. I'll have to get those scanned to put in here. The climb was mentioned in a brief paragraph in a 1970 issue of Climbing Magazine.
|
|
Myles Moser
climber
Lone Pine, Ca
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Apr 7, 2013 - 05:38pm PT
|
Awesome. That RURP section we free climbed at hard 5.11, the area off of the tower. I have heard rumors of the route and found mystery relics up there and made me wonder where it was. The route looks classic and wanders. We called that 70 meter section off the tower that was RURPs "The Bandito" only seventy meters but so good. It's a nice variation to "Ghost Rider" or "Satoris". The route that goes through the hole is now "No Country for Old Men". So Becky had his route up there before you guys. There's a rumor Harding was playing on it too. I think Looking Glass is the second line to the top.
Awesome! That A3 section is here in the photo. We replaced the first bolt and stepped left onto knobs then fixed a piton to a wild heal hooking flake that sings while your on it to that perfect splitter.
Can't wait to get back home! Post up what you got when you get chance!
Thanks for the read.
|
|
McHale's Navy
Trad climber
Panorama City, California & living in Seattle
|
|
Hey, that pic is a little tilted, but I'll let it go for now. :>) Nice stance for bolting!
|
|
Myles Moser
climber
Lone Pine, Ca
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Apr 7, 2013 - 05:48pm PT
|
Those damn towers in the distance!...
|
|
McHale's Navy
Trad climber
Panorama City, California & living in Seattle
|
|
It's the trees....the damn trees.
|
|
Myles Moser
climber
Lone Pine, Ca
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Apr 7, 2013 - 05:53pm PT
|
Dan! No Crap we did meet! You didn't mention Looking Glass at Tuttle! Look at that!
You wanna get back on it?
|
|
McHale's Navy
Trad climber
Panorama City, California & living in Seattle
|
|
Hey, you didn't ask. It's no country for old men now. My goals are modest. I'd like to climb Goldfinger.....the one Beckey did up at the Matterhorn area. My next climb for Spring will be Prime Rib at our local Goat Wall up here.
|
|
Myles Moser
climber
Lone Pine, Ca
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Apr 7, 2013 - 06:03pm PT
|
I saw that on the post. Pretty cool looking. The On Looker is really cool and can be a grade III or IV depending on how you want to go about it. Cool man hope to see each other in the Portal or Bamas! Goat wall?
|
|
McHale's Navy
Trad climber
Panorama City, California & living in Seattle
|
|
Yeah, look it up. Massive nice wall up here. Reminds me of Squamish some....Squamish made of choss but it keeps the people away. How's that for a route name; People Away! I'll bet you could do an awesome route up here......maybe one called Ain't So Chossy. I'm talking new routes - Ain't So Chossy and People Away! don't exist yet. Here's a tiny part of it near the top;
|
|
McHale's Navy
Trad climber
From Panorama City, CA
|
|
I'd like to climb Goldfinger.....the one Beckey did up at the Matterhorn area.
I'm happy to report I think I have found a copy of the Summit Magazine that has Beckey's Goldfinger article in it. I'm waiting for it in the mail and will post up when I get it.
I'm excited to see it because I recall now that it was probably the first time I had heard about Fred; when Joe told me about the climb. There is a spectacular photo of either Fred or Joe hanging in aid slings in the story - one of those photos you never forget. I hope it's as classic as I remember.
Edit: the dome in the photo in my prior post above has on its left side the last pitch of a 12 pitch route called Promised Land (11+). Here's a description of the last pitch; From here, tackle the upper headwall by gaining an orange-hued upper dihedral via a spectacular roof crack, and continue to the top of the headwall on easier cracks. (From Mazama Rock guidebook)
|
|
| Messages 1 - 11 of total 11 in this topic |
|
SuperTopo on the Web
|
Let us know!