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Johannsolo
climber
Soul Cal
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 5, 2014 - 08:46pm PT
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Hey skeetch, read the whole story before commenting dude.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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I'll put in a good word for Troy here. Whatever happened with the 2nd pitch, Troy saw a good line and the route is the result of his vision. Funny that it took over 2 decades for someone else to take a serious look at it.
Troy cut his teeth on the slabs of Suicide Rock in the mid 80's. Charles Cole had taken him under his wing, and some of Troy's first leads were first ascents of hard and scary slab climbs (11+/12), drilling from stances on the lead.
Charles and Troy were testing out various concoctions of 5.10 rubber, and they put up numerous slab testpieces that have been rarley repeated- hard, thin and scary.
In the 90's I focussed on putting up new routes on Tahquitz, and Troy moved on to the newly discovered Williamson Rock, where he was a key player in its development, and he became a talented sport climber.
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Johannsolo
climber
Soul Cal
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 5, 2014 - 11:26pm PT
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I know Troy and most of the others around then cut their teeth on classic trad. I'm just trying to get/confirm the history of a really classic beautiful route.
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RyanD
climber
Squamish
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Thanks for the pic.
Looks like a cool climb. Digging the esoterica involved in the history here too,
Good luck on clipping the chains johannsolo.
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ß Î Ø T Ç H
Boulder climber
extraordinaire
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I know Troy and most of the others around then cut their teeth on classic trad. I'm just trying to get/confirm the history of ... Terse response to a very reasonable, and informative post by BG.
You seem like kind of an as#@&%e.
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Johannsolo
climber
Soul Cal
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 6, 2014 - 04:03am PT
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And you are one Bitch!
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neebee
Social climber
calif/texas
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hey there say, all... i am not a climber, but i really appreciate reading all these shares about routes, things remember, things being learned and shared...
glad to be at the taco and share in all this...
just 'eaves dropping' here, tonight...
usually just read these kind, and don't post, since i don't know 'these things' ...
but i really enjoy them... :)
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drljefe
climber
El Presidio San Augustin del Tucson
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Kind of a weird contentious vibe to this thread...
Best of luck on the route John, I commend you for going after these old hard slab routes.
I've always been intrigued by this one- the hardest on the Astrodomes, and the photo of Mari Gingery on it in my old guide(with Troy on the cover). In that guide the first pitch is listed as 12c, the second 13a.
Send it!
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Johannsolo
climber
Soul Cal
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 6, 2014 - 10:47am PT
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And yes, I am an A$$hole.
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Tan Slacks
climber
Joshua Tree
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Warning! Thread drift!
Bob said ...
"...you got the second ascent, and the girl!"
My memory is also pretty weak (really weak) but can anyone confirm? ... I have this fuzzy memory about being at a wedding near Turtle rock, Karen Tracy playing the harp and a reception somewhere at a Josh house. Is this some sort of weird dream or did it happen? I'm serious.
Coz, BG, ?
PS, I do remember the down rating of Mamounia and Troy seemed very cool about it when I heard him talking to others in Idyllwild.
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GDavis
Social climber
SOL CAL
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Cool stuff. I think it's funny how to get good info on a lot of routes you have to hang out at the saloon or wait in the parking lot of Nomad for Todd to walk by. So many hard routes in the park that rarely get done, it's cool to hear the FA stories. Got a chance last week to camp next to J.P. Oullet and tell him stories about the bad ass routes nearby and how they were put up and the ethic of JT. He really dug it and he's one of the most talented guys out there today.
Someday when I'm big and strong...
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looking sketchy there...
Social climber
Lassitude 33
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Hey skeetch, read the whole story before commenting dude.
If you mean the prior posts (which is hardly the "whole story"), yea I read them. Some are informative, some just the same old trash talk.
If you mean having been around and actually knowing something, well I suppose that the answer to that is an affirmative too.
Cool that you are trying to repeat the route, but the apparent "ready, shoot, aim" of some of your posts is pretty amusing.
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Johannsolo
climber
Soul Cal
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 6, 2014 - 01:16pm PT
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Then please add any information you have (which you are alluding to), which is all I am asking. This site seems to bring out the best in people. (jk)
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looking sketchy there...
Social climber
Lassitude 33
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Scott, I'm not accusing you (or anyone) of lying... don't see where I've said anything like that.
I do know that many a FA has ended up being down-rated later (though it seems that doesn't usually apply to your hard routes -- which if anything seem to get bumped up when eventually repeated), but it is not an unusual occurrence. This seems especially true with hard routes put up in the 80s -- when the number of 5.12s and 5.13s were still pretty limited and the number of people climbing at that level were even smaller.
So, if the first pitch was first called 5.13 by Troy, and upon a repeat down-rated, it doesn't necessarily mean that the obviously harder second pitch wasn't climbed free. Troy is a naturally gifted athlete and very good person, who established dozens of very hard routes (at least hard to me). As such, if he claims to have climbed it, I'll accept that at face value.
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Rick A
climber
Boulder, Colorado
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John,
Regardless of whether it is a first or second ascent of the second pitch, it seems like a fine project and an excellent accomplishment once you get it.
Thanks for a climbing thread and prompting the back stories of the route.
Rick
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looking sketchy there...
Social climber
Lassitude 33
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I won't say much further due to my apparent "false" voice. Is that like a falsetto?
And, perhaps more pertinently -- and without burdening this thread with more ad hominen -- no one seems to have been there (witnessed) when the FA went down. And that includes me.
So, carry on -- and as Rick mentions, lets hear a report when it is repeated.
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kev
climber
A pile of dirt.
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Stop spraying and go climb P2 monkeys!
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Here's some more esoterica to give you a sense of the zeitgeist when Mamunia was first climbed (1988).
This was my Basecamp write-up for Climbing Magazine, June 1988. Scott Franklin is on the cover climbing Smith Rock's Scarface (14b) in pink tights. There's a nice photo of Coz on Sun Bowl (13a/b) and a very brief mention of Mamunia.
CALIFORNIA
JOSHUA TREE
First-ascent fever borders on epidemic
During the 1987/88 season, activists put up an unprecedented number of new routes, and firmly established 5.13. John Bachar commented, "More bolts were put in this season than in the last five."
Both Joshua Tree's vastness and power drills were responsible for the route explosion, allowing certain motivated climbers to fire in ten or more new routes in a day. Many of the new climbs sport 3/8" bolts, a welcome change from the manky 1/4" spinners of the past. In keeping with local tradition, all new routes were done from the ground up, although hangdogging insidiously slipped into vogue, with new 5.13's usually requiring many days and many hangs.
On one route, Charles Cole and Troy Mayr added a new twist to the ground-up game, preplacing the drill on a toprope and lowering it to the leader when he arrived at a drilling stance. Despite chopping threats, their now-popular route, Cactus Flower (5.11b), still stands.
Kurt Smith got the season rolling by leading a couple of former topropes:
Bikini Whale (5.12b) (now with 3 bolts) and Chicks For Free (5.12b/c). Smith's finest creations were Duncecap (5.13b), a steep edging climb on Cap Rock, and Hold Your Fire (5.13a), requiring a very awkward mantle over a bulge.
Ron Kauk made a brief visit, guiding rock star David Lee Roth who cruised the Monument in a sleek, black, Mercedes 450SL with a huge skull and crossbones embossed on the hood. Kauk made the second ascent of Hold Your Fire in an impressive one-day effort, confirming the 5.13 rating. He then succceeded on the often-tried toprope, Brown Out, rating it 5.12d.
During his inspired stay, Scott Cosgrove established two steep leads on the Baby Apes Wall: Apartheid (5.12c) and Buffalo Soldier (5.12d). He also bagged a couple of even more difficult routes, Sun Bowl (5.13a/b) and Father Figure (5.13a), both desperate, bolt-protected, overhanging faces.
After multi-day efforts, Tom Herbert led Money For Nothing (5.12b/c), a former toprope first climbed by Cosgrove. And true to his trademark, Dick Cilley toproped Persian Room (5.13a), an interesting, overhanging flake to groove to pockets on the Blob.
Randy Leavitt ferreted out some classic testpieces in the Wonderland of Rocks. Slaves of Fashion (5.12c) is an overhanging thin crack on Punk Rock, and Existential Decay (5.12d) is an overhanging, stemming corner to the right of Nihilistic Pillar.
In the Homestead area (due south of The Fortress), he found two more very difficult corners. The Thrill of Deesire (5.12c) offers a wild lead and requires stemming, laybacking, and arete moves. Leavitt broke the 5.13 barrier with Dihedralman (5.13b), a radically overhung corner, capped by a roof, followed by an exciting face above. He also climbed several classic 5.10's here. And for the offwidth connoisseur, Leavittation (5.12a) near the Willow Hole parking area, climbs a 15-foot roof via hand/fist stacks and knee locks.
Also in the Wonderland of Rocks, the energetic Troy Mayr added a difficult line to the forbidding main wall of South Astro Dome. Mamunia (5.12b) follows a vertical, orange streak to the right of Strike It Rich.
Jumping on the bolting bandwagon, the ever-present Mike Paul added Glory Road (5.12a), to the left of Course and Buggy, and cracked the baffling Riddler (5.12a) on Echo Rock.
Johnny Woodward, as usual, put up some bold leads. Quickstone (5.12b) is a face left of 29 Palms, and Every Which Way but Up (5.12b) is a pumping dike traverse at Split Rocks. Woodward also top roped the north face of Headstone Rock (5.12b), then threw himself into the hotbed of ethics by chopping the ancient beginner's bolt ladder, a move which disgruntled many locals.
Mike Lechlinski led the Bosch contingent, seeking the precious overhanging desert patina, then producing some of the season's best classics. Elephant Walk (5.11 +) is the stunning arete left of Equinox, and Bombs Over Libya (5.12), originally toproped by Tom Gilje, is a superb face on the Punk Rock block.
After Joshua Tree's busiest season ever, Randy Vogel's upcoming guidebook supplement will be welcomed by honemasters and weekenders alike. It's due out this fall.
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kev
climber
A pile of dirt.
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I was just pointing out the reason I remember the event so well. I ended up in a four year relationship with his Girl.
How do you say booty!
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GDavis
Social climber
SOL CAL
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Kurt Smith got the season rolling by leading a couple of former topropes:
Bikini Whale (5.12b) (now with 3 bolts) and Chicks For Free (5.12b/c). Smith's finest creations were Dunceecap (5.13b), a steep edging climb on Cap Rock, and Hold Your Fire (5.13a), requiring a very awkward mantle over a bulge.
Nice year for KS! Great video of Lindner doing the first repeat (!!) of Dunce Cap here:
[Click to View YouTube Video]
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