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Vitaliy M.
Mountain climber
San Francisco
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+1 on Croft. I am no Valley historian but he seems to be as important as Bachar, Kauk, Potter and Honnold. And how about Caldwell...as far as phenomenal free climbers go in recent history those guys pushed it quit a bit! Would be wise to have more info about him and less about all the base jumping.
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clinker
Trad climber
Santa Cruz, California
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Sequels.
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RP3
Big Wall climber
Twain Harte
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I bet it is because Caldwell and Croft are too unsensational. Croft actually had a job so he did not have to run from the rangers. Caldwell sleeps in has van outside of the park or at friend's houses. They seem to generally follow the rules, don't have confrontations with the rangers, are kind to the resource and still manage to climb hard!
This goes against that movie's general thesis.
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RP3
Big Wall climber
Twain Harte
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I finally saw this movie and was absolutely disgusted.
Honnold's statement that he "...needs to share the park with 4 million other people" was the only voice of reason in the whole dang thing. I'm sorry, Largo et al. I do not buy that climbers are special. What about a handicapped or elderly person who can only look up at the cliffs? Is their experience in Yosemite less valuable than yours. I say HECK NO!
To Potter et al. who "just want to be free". Does this freedom apply to Enrique Rodriguez and his 70 member extended family who want to have a bbq in El Cap meadow, leave their garbage all over the place, and sleep in the bushes? That definition of freedom is egocentric.
Most people who work for the park are climbers. Those who don't climb have good friends who do. The climber vs. ranger dichotomy is more blurred than the film wanted it to be.'
I walked away from this film immensely disappointed. It characterized a conflict that dominantly exists between the park service and abusers of the resources, not between park service and climbers.
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mucci
Trad climber
The pitch of Bagalaar above you
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Nice summary RP3.
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clinker
Trad climber
Santa Cruz, California
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Is any given "Enrique" any less special because he is one of 9 siblings and has fifty-some cousins?
Where is the love of conflict? I cruise the right "Bus and park employee only lane" at Arch Rock. Yellow Love notes with $5,000 fine if you don't follow procedure along with Bear police shining spotlights in face at 11:30pm.
At least I can still get free showers and coffee, some of the time. Do not be so quick to let go of tradition.
The Movie barely scratched the surface of conflicts.
Many of the Park service employees deserve commendation for their exceptional service. More than a few should be prison guards, morticians, or college dorm janitors. Probably not that last one as the Yosemite falls bathroom is usually an embarrassment at our beautiful, international, wonder of the world destination.
Though when we need a respectable persona to represent our cause, it is important to have the Tom Frosts and RP3s of our world available to get results rather than the reprehensible dirtbag scum.
Harding, Harding, Harding, the movie was about Harding and of course Robbins and a few others!
Human nature baby, and a damn good story.
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clinker
Trad climber
Santa Cruz, California
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Yesterday at the Pinnacles Eastside parking lot, a twenty-something year old climber proudly pulled old one copy each of Royal Robbins Basic and Advanced Rockcraft. I don't know the back story of how this became important to her but it was very cool how proud she was to have those books. One of the other climbers then let on that he had a signed copy. No Valley, no story, no such stuff.
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eeyonkee
Trad climber
Golden, CO
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I was impressed with Robbins' reflections. I knew all of the stories about him and Harding. I've actually done the Dawn Wall via the Nose (1976), and have seen those beautiful, shallow dihedrals that Robbins was so impressed with Harding's ability to negotiate in the way that he had. I like the way he described his decision to stop destroying the route.
As much as I was very much a child of the Stonemaster era in the Valley, I can't help but think that the adventure was that much more intense in the "Golden Era", as defined in the movie. To do the first ascent of Half Dome, the first ascent of El Cap...
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bvb
Social climber
flagstaff arizona
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BEst part of the movie was where the Jack Booted National Park SWAT Cops beat the sh#t out of the Stonemasters in El Cap Meadow.
Huh? We must have seen different movies.
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RP3
Big Wall climber
Twain Harte
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Walleye: I got that idea by working for the NPS in Yosemite for seven years and climbing there at least twice per month for the past 4. I'm also still highly involved in geology research in the park and have a lot of friends who still work for the NPS.
Clinker: Climbers have been responsible for several bears being euthanized. In the past, some climbers repeatedly improperly stored food around El Cap and bears because habituated because of this. This loss is, in part, due to climber irresponsibility. That is just an example (to me) of an NPS function that is designed to protect the ecology of the park, not just be an inconvenience out of some kind of hate for "the hippie climbers"
In my experience, the people who draw the heat are those who dont follow the simple rules that were established to protect a resource shared by 4 million people.
Sorry if I hurt some climber fee-fees, but I don't think climbers are more special than any other human trying to use the park for their enjoyment...
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Jones in LA
Mountain climber
Tarzana, California
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Mar 10, 2015 - 07:34am PT
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What left me scratching my head was the blatant omission of Charlie Porter's undeniable impact on the trajectory of big wall climbing in Yosemite Valley. I believe what left Porter as nothing more than a footnote at the end of the film, was the fact that he was a quiet, unassuming guy. His drama-free demeanor and his under-the-radar way of getting things done, simply did not fit into the narrative that the film makers ultimately concocted. What a shame.
Rich Jones
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FRUMY
Trad climber
Bishop,CA
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Mar 10, 2015 - 07:42am PT
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^^^^ so many important people left out. Very disappointing.
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clinker
Trad climber
Santa Cruz, California
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Mar 10, 2015 - 08:12am PT
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I'm also still highly involved in geology research in the park
Geologists finding faults, typical. ;-)
I shouldn't stay in the Valley, it raises my blood pressure. Staying there has become unbearable.
I made a request for bear boxes at the Tamarack Flat trailhead and other ares frequented by climbers trying to comply with good food storage practices. Lack of resources was the answer given and the official yet unofficial word was, "food storage in your vehicle during daylight hours is fine." This is usually followed by a dissertation on how smart and adaptable bears are.
Climbers should be storing food in bear boxes at all the day use areas and trailheads in the Park. Get the first generation boxes that have been replaced at the campgrounds distributed to these places to keep the bears wild.
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Mar 10, 2015 - 02:15pm PT
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gee wizz.... its a darn movie.
Lots of people get left out, now if it was made in India, we could enjoy a 18 hour epic film.
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Rhodo-Router
Gym climber
sawatch choss
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Mar 10, 2015 - 02:22pm PT
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Balanced, well-adjusted people make for boring viewing. Have you ever seen a reality show about, say, Buddhist nuns?
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RP3
Big Wall climber
Twain Harte
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Mar 10, 2015 - 02:24pm PT
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And that's not counting the various creative work-arounds and alternatives that climbers have developed.
One thing is to get a girlfriend who works for DNC. Oh wait...that would cut into your climbing/drinking-in-the-boulders time.
Edit: that was funny, Rob!
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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Mar 10, 2015 - 04:48pm PT
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Sorry if I hurt some climber fee-fees, but I don't think climbers are more special than any other human trying to use the park for their enjoyment...
+1,000. Climbers are TOURISTS. Sorry, it drives me nuts when climbers talk down to or about other visitors. It's public land and no forms of enjoyment are more important than any other form. Except maybe those geologists, bunch of weirdos :)
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Lynne Leichtfuss
Trad climber
Will know soon
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Mar 10, 2015 - 06:40pm PT
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Very good short treatise, Ed! The only idea I slightly disagree with is found near the end of your excellent presentation.
"The only way we climbers can influence what actually happens in the Valley is to get involved in it, a civic responsibility to understand the laws, our responsibilities and our rights. This is a drag for someone who is young and relatively naive, but there are enough of us older climbers who could be involved, who have some time, and more importantly, have the expertise. The climbers have just as much access to the Superintendent as anyone else, I wonder how often they use it. The climbers could get much more involved in the governance of the park, it is a wonder that they do not. The FaceLift is an example of how we might approach the issues of climber/ranger interactions."
I don't think we should under estimate "the young" and using Alex Honnold as an example I would assert there are those out there that are intelligent and thoughtful. Perhaps a group of those that care about the Park and climbing, including all ages, would be a great representative force to do what you suggest, which by the way is an awesome idea.
If someone has already suggested this, I apologize for my repetition.
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Off White
climber
Tenino, WA
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Mar 10, 2015 - 08:32pm PT
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This is a pretty great thread, a fine bit of debate and honest disagreement that suggests the Taco is not just a moribund troll cave.
I have a LEO/Court tale to share. It would have been summer of 77, I was headed down to Fresno to fly to my father's wedding in Mexico City, and it isn't surprising that my multicolored 67 VW bus caught the LEO's eye as I negotiated the curves somewhere after the Tunnel. He pulled me over and wrote me a ticket for driving too close to the center line. When I tried to argue that I hadn't crossed the line, he said, fine, would I rather be cited for driving too close to the right side of the lane?
Naturally, I wouldn't just pay a fine, so I went to the hearing in the Valley. Not like I needed an excuse to go back, but I made an earth shattering discovery:
If you're going to a court appearance, you don't have to pay an entrance fee.
Ho man, I worked that scam every time I had to stop at an entrance booth for years and years, more than enough to pay back whatever fine I had to pay after trying to gripe about biased cops. I don't even really remember the courtroom scene, but that stop at the entrance booth is etched in my mind.
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Jaybro
Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
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Mar 11, 2015 - 06:36pm PT
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Brilliant, Offwhite!
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