WORLD'S GREATEST BOLT HANGER THREAD

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karabin museum

Trad climber
phoenix, az
Topic Author's Reply - Oct 31, 2015 - 01:11pm PT

This Todd Swain hanger has a similar shape to the Hughston hanger but has a round carabiner hole.
Roots

Mountain climber
Tustin, CA
Nov 3, 2015 - 12:28pm PT
The HME hanger is awesome. I'd be stoked to clip one. It seems overly strong and the large 'biner hole is nice too.
karabin museum

Trad climber
phoenix, az
Topic Author's Reply - Nov 4, 2015 - 09:34pm PT

Roots - I agree that the HME hanger is awesome!

I started climbing in the mid 1980s, and by that time the climbers from the 1960s and 1970s had ascended most of the rocks natural lines protecting them with Leeper and SMC hangers. The majority of the Leeper hangers were the bomber thicker ones, but every once and a while I would come across one of the older thin Leeper hangers with the tiny carabiner hole. I remember climbing a project route in Crown King AZ, hard sustained thin 5.11+ face and one of the clips was a thin Leeper hanger with a bail sling tied to it. What sucked was there was no room for the carabiner to fit in the hole with the bail sling in the way. I was screwed and the meter was running and then came the air time. The next route I climbed had a HME hanger that I clipped and I announced right there, “Now that is a quality bolt hanger.” At that time I still did not have a HME in my bolt collection so I stayed at that clip for a while checking out the “mystery” hanger. Eventually Metolius, Petzl and Fixe hangers started filling the store shelves, and climbing became more ability centered, over ability and wondering if the rusty bolt was really going to hold.
karabin museum

Trad climber
phoenix, az
Topic Author's Reply - Nov 7, 2015 - 08:34am PT
Bandito hangers

The Banditos were a bunch of high school friends that became accomplished climbers by senior year. Bandito gang: Stan Mish, Dan Langmade, Glenn Rink, Jeff Bowman and Dave Hodson. They climbed heavily at the crags in the Phoenix AZ area, and in 1977 they started visiting the Navajo lands in Monument Valley and throughout the Southwest. The Banditos became known for their biker image, climbing while in costume, and their bolt hangers which had rude sayings stamped on them. Hangers were first created in 1978 stamped “BANDITO.” During the late 1970s another accomplished climber named Jim Waugh was sending all of the hard routes and was policing new bolting activity at the crags. The Banditos didn’t favor Jim’s authority and created a constant disturbance between the Bandito gang and Waugh. One night in 1978 the Banditos bolted the front door shut on Jim’s apartment. Jim for years denied the story but when he moved to Thailand mid 2000s, he stopped at my house first and donated the two Bandito front door hangers to the museum stating, “yes the story is true.”

The disturbance between the Banditos and Waugh could have started at the time Waugh started dating Mish’s girlfriend, or Waugh’s bolt chopping authority which the Banditos dubbed Waugh “Marshall Good” and created the “NO GUD” Bandito hanger. I believe the NO GUD hanger is a warning for Waugh to not touch a Bandito route, and not because the bolt is bad. I state this because the hanger made for Waugh’s front door is stamped “M. GUD” not (M. GOOD).

For the full Bandito story : Rock & Ice magazine #89. “The Legend of Los Banditos” by Cameron M. Burns. Cameron writes: “As the gossip spread, the legend of the Banditos blossomed. They went from being a few directionless young men interested in climbing and motorcycles, to a pack of leather-clad heathens dragging their women around by their hair and hosting LSD-laden orgies under the desert moon.”

For history notes: Bandito hangers first made either 1978 or 1979. Two M. Gud hangers were holding Waugh’s front door shut. Front door of Waugh’s apartment, not his house.

steelmnkey

climber
Vision man...ya gotta have vision...
Nov 7, 2015 - 10:11am PT
Couple items on the Banditos story:

I think Dave Hudson is the wrong last name. I believe it's Hodson. Used to run into him while out climbing in the early 90's, but then not for a bunch of years. But he came to the Sindicato Granitica event up in Prescott a few years ago. Was cool to see him. He was always (and still) a nice guy.

If I remember correctly, Dan Langmade's family had a machine shop where the Bandito hangers were punched out and stamped (after hours?).

Edit: Now that I look at the names... I think all those guys were at the Granite Mountain event.
karabin museum

Trad climber
phoenix, az
Topic Author's Reply - Nov 7, 2015 - 11:43am PT
steelmnkey - Now that I put my glasses on and reread the R&I story it is Hodson not Hudson. Thanks for correcting it and I will edit it in the above story.

Stan Mish was a owner of the rock gym Vertical Relief in Flagstaff AZ in the 2000s. Now the gym is named the Flagstaff Climbing Center.

Dan Langmade told me a story of one of his expeditions where he came across a dead German man frozen in his tent. Dan retrieved a few pieces of gear and his partner spent some time peeling a north face sleeping bag off of the dead climber. I believe he had to use a stoves heat to separate the sleeping bag from the climbers face. One of the items is a Salewa fifi hook with handle which is in the Karabin Museum, listed as: "Salewa Fifi hook from dead German dude"
Steve Grossman

Trad climber
Seattle, WA
Nov 7, 2015 - 12:25pm PT
The "NO GUD" stamp was just humor and not any sort of territorial pissing marker. In order to become a BANDITO BITD you had to climb something illegal on the rez.

My darling wife was the only gal to make the cut by climbing the second ascent of Chinle Spire with Dan. They topped out to find no rappel anchors since Eric Bjornstad and Fred Beckey while trying to free their rappel ropes had bounced the drilled piton anchors out of their holes in the soft cap stone! Dan and Mimi had to sacrifice a new 9mm rope to wrap the summit block and escape.

Dee Hodson may have also become a BANDITA but I never heard the initiation story.

GUD TIMES!!!
karabin museum

Trad climber
phoenix, az
Topic Author's Reply - Dec 14, 2015 - 09:07pm PT


I made another attempt of obtaining the KONG keyhole style hanger set. On this round the AZ Hiking Shack totally came through obtaining the whole set minus one item, the Wide Soleymieux hanger (the item I want the most). KONG replied that they no longer make the Wide Soleymieux. Drats! Made from 2000-2015 and still not one in the museum. But nevertheless I landed the Fix Soleymieux and bolts so I am content…content…content….

“The possibility to remove the plate allows to eliminate the risk of use of the anchor point by unauthorized persons.”

Thanks again AZ Hiking Shack!!! Happy Holidays!!!

The reason for the taped thumb: I was drilling screw holes in climbing holds at the gym, and the drill bit skipped off of the hold. Good thing my thumb flesh was there preventing the rotating drill bit from hitting the table. I feared this happening on the many hundreds of holds I drilled and suddenly, ta da! Inspect the crater, wait for it to pool up with blood, show all of your friends, tape it up, and get back to climbing!

If anybody has an extra KONG Wide Soleymieux hanger, the Karabin Museum needs one!
Marc Hughston

Trad climber
Dana Point
Dec 29, 2015 - 01:17pm PT
Hey, I just stumbled across this thread...cool! It was HME, for Hughston Mountain Equipment. I was talking with Ed Leeper, and I remember him giving me his specs and Rockwell hardness for the hangers. The Yates brothers said I ought to make the hole big enough to hang two biners side by side for the aid climbers, and I thought a bigger hole would make it easier to clip too. Glad to see you're carrying on. I like the stainless too. Best, Marc.
rick d

climber
ol pueblo, az
Dec 29, 2015 - 01:46pm PT
Hodson, Dee, Bill Vittel, Jaybro, Jay Schmidt, Jason Sands, Chris Pomeroy, and myself and a few others worked on the move of Desert Mountain Sports to 2824 Indian School after 16th street in 1987/8. Dave still had a harley then.

Jim's "front door" apartment I think was the only entrance. He had a big tree in front yard with bachar ladder and cup size (3 camalot) crack machine. It was near NW corner of papago park- thomas 40th street ish.

Langmade's dad had a sheet metal shop- I might have gone by the first time I met Dan.

We made a couple Al bandito hangers in '89 that were in the supes. Not bent well and kinda sub par all around.

and the Marshal thing originated because of things like chopping bolts on Rhythm and Blues as Jim believed you could just down climb the 5.6 chimney instead of leaving a hole. There were always bolts up there 1984 and later.
karabin museum

Trad climber
phoenix, az
Topic Author's Reply - Jan 10, 2016 - 08:13pm PT

Thanks Marc for locking in the history! HME Hughston Mountain Equipment.

rick d - I climbed Rhythm and Blues at Troon Mtn back in the early 1990s and there were no bolts on the top. I did however retrieve a stuck WC Friend cam unit on the summit which had a bent trigger bar. I fell at the crux of the route blowing my flash attempt but sent the route on my second go. Great pumpy route which I thought was harder than the guidebook rated it.
karabin museum

Trad climber
phoenix, az
Topic Author's Reply - Jan 10, 2016 - 08:17pm PT

karabin museum

Trad climber
phoenix, az
Topic Author's Reply - Jan 11, 2016 - 08:55pm PT

karabin museum

Trad climber
phoenix, az
Topic Author's Reply - Jan 11, 2016 - 08:58pm PT

karabin museum

Trad climber
phoenix, az
Topic Author's Reply - Jan 11, 2016 - 09:05pm PT

karabin museum

Trad climber
phoenix, az
Topic Author's Reply - Jan 11, 2016 - 09:53pm PT

karabin museum

Trad climber
phoenix, az
Topic Author's Reply - Jan 11, 2016 - 10:00pm PT


Ed Leeper


The more Leeper catalogs and advertisements I read, the more I see another vintage climbing character who has heavily left his mark on the climbing world. Ed Leeper has a way of showing his product, explaining why it is the finest, gives ideas how to improve it further, and gives his opinion of the other companies that have directly copied his creations. I will say that every item Master Craftsman Ed Leeper created was of the finest quality in shape, function, and in cost. The history I know about Ed Leeper is that he lived and manufactured his products in Boulder Colorado and starting making climbing gear in 1962.


The 1962 Leeper bolt hangers had small carabiner holes and were thin, cut from .063 alloy steel. The hanger was also more square in shape (pointed) under the carabiner hole. In 1964 a additional cut was added under the carabiner hole making the hanger front more rounded which prevents injury if a climber falls into the hanger. However the 1964 Leeper hangers still had small 9/16” carabiner holes and were thin .063 alloy steel. In the late 1960s the hanger carabiner holes became larger and also the steel was thicker to .080.


In June 1972 Ed Leeper stopped manufacturing hangers stating he was creating 12,000 per year. But sometime in the mid 1970s Leeper reintroduced his hangers and this time the metal was even thicker to .090. In the 1980 Leeper catalog it mentions a batch of over tempered hangers in 1975 -1978. Leeper hangers were available in two bolt hole sizes, 1/4” and 3/8.” Over the years I have replaced hundreds of old bolts and hangers and I have come across many Leeper hangers with 5/16” bolt holes. But Leeper catalogs only show 1/4” and 3/8” available. Possibly these 5/16” hangers were special order through Ed or climbers were personally redrilling the hanger bolt holes? But still I have a few mint condition 5/16” Leeper hangers that are factory perfect. Hmmmm


The 1982 Leeper catalog shows that Leeper hangers have been discontinued. In later Leeper catalogs and Leeper advertisements in climbing magazines the wordage states Leeper hangers were made up to 1984. Maybe the hangers stopped being made in 1982 and surplus was distributed till 1984?

“95,000 Leeper bolt hangers made between 1962 and 1984.” That sounds like a lot but I bet these days the company Fixe Hardware in one year alone stamps out over 100,000 of just their standard hanger.
BruceHildenbrand

Social climber
Mountain View/Boulder
Jan 11, 2016 - 11:37pm PT
Here's a homemade hanger from a route at Pinnacles National Monument, er Park. I don't know who made them, but am following up a potential lead.

karabin museum

Trad climber
phoenix, az
Topic Author's Reply - Jan 28, 2016 - 07:41am PT
After a year of not wanting to pay the high ebay price for the Keith titanium hanger and bolt set, I paid the $35.00. From China, all titanium and very lightweight. I wonder if these hangers would be good for the Thailand sea cliffs? However 10 bolt route $350.00, whip snap whip snap.......

mastadon

Trad climber
crack addict
Mar 2, 2016 - 06:15am PT

Found this below Dolt Tower recently. Could have been from Roher's rappel route. Hopefully not from the anchor those three guys pulled when their haulbag cut loose in the 70's.
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