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crunch
Social climber
CO
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Jun 17, 2015 - 08:49am PT
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My guess would be that the bracket was used in a electrical application.
Ah yes, that does make sense, thanks! Alas, Eric died a year ago or I'd be sure to suggest this to him to try to jog his memory.
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karabin museum
Trad climber
phoenix, az
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Topic Author's Reply - Jun 17, 2015 - 10:10am PT
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I met Eric Bjornstad at a winter Outdoor Retailers Show in Salt Lake City at a dinner with Jim Waugh. Eric first said to me if I could not spell his last name he would not talk to me. So I spelled it and got it correct. Eric then rambled about his climbing career. At the end of dinner Jim disappeared so I had no ride back to my hotel so Eric said he would give me a ride. It was quite cold and snowing at the time and Eric's vehicle was packed with outdoor gear for everything and his dog was in the front seat. So on the ride to the hotel his big shaggy dog sat on my lap the whole way. Eric whimsically rambled and laughed all the way to the hotel where when we pulled in three old ladies were walking the crosswalk toward the hotel lobby. Eric looked at me and with a wheezing laugh said "look, three points." Eric punches the gas and suddenly speeds toward them on the icey ground. I was suddenly gripped and totally surprised as he hit the brakes in time avoiding the three ladies. We got some very nasty looks from the ladies but that made Eric laugh even louder. Yipe! Good times!
The following year the same scenario happened. I was at dinner with no vehicle and this time Fred Beckey drove me back to the hotel. Fred did not have a dog but his truck was packed with outdoor everything gear and he purposely sped up so he could slide his vehicle up to the lobby doors. He was impressed that his vehicle stopped perfectly at the hotel entrance. These older climbing legend guys sure have some interesting driving skills!
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karabin museum
Trad climber
phoenix, az
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Topic Author's Reply - Jun 17, 2015 - 10:42pm PT
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LONGware Product History
The other day I called the inventor of LONGware climbing gear. I dialed the number and while the phone was ringing, in my mind I began to recite on how I was going to say hello to him once the phone was answered. I first thought, “hello I am trying to get a hold of….Dick Long.” I thought to myself that the greeting sounds kinda dirty so scrap that one and try, “I am trying to get in contact with…….Dick Long.” And no way on that greeting also, laugh. The phone was still ringing so I was going into panic mode to hurry and prepare to say the proper greeting. So my next thought was “hello I am trying to in touch with…..Dick Long,” and thats where I started to laugh…..and then the phone answered…..oh great! But it was a female voice and she said she would leave a message for him to call me.
The next day I received a phone call from Dick and the conversation went back and forth saying “Hello” about eight times, and then I asked to talk to Dick. He replied “There is no Dick’s here, just ass holes.” I replied back to him, “with a greeting like that I would say you are not an ass hole, but more of a character.” He was surprised that climbers were still interested in LONGware products. He specifies that he was a inventor not an entrepreneur, and he was inspired to create climbing gear simply because he climbed. Dick was rummaging around while we were talking so the communication was choppy at times but this is what I got so far. He is going to send me greater details of his history through email.
I asked him since he was friends with Harding, then why did you not supply Harding with large bongs for the Nose FA? It was simply because Harding did not know about them, or Harding maybe had enough gear already, or because LONGware was not heavily advertised. No LONGware catalog was made. This shows that LONGware bongs were available during the Nose FA. Then Dick mentions that his gear manufacturing started before the Nose FA began, so very late 1956/beginning 1957 LONGware began producing products. This puts my Baboquivari LONGware hanger as original, but creates two questions for my Gibralter rock 1954 hanger. The hanger may be homemade, or the original hanger for some reason got replaced when LONGware hangers became available.
LONGware products were being made in California. Dick did not use Dies to cut out the shapes. On the other end of the history is when did LONGware stop making gear? In 1963 he entered third year in medicine and was going after his masters. So for now until I further talk to Dick, LONGware history 1957-1963, (Wow exactly what Bridwell told me). The LONGware products shown in the 1964-1968 Holubar catalogs, Ski Hut catalogs, etc are surplus that was being sold off through the years. Wow a ton of surplus!
Dick Long is presently 81 years old, and started climbing when he was 17 years old with his brother who was with the Sierra Club. Dick climbed a lot! A few days ago he climbed to the top of a 9000’ peak, but says these days he easily loses his balance. Father of many children. It was a great on the spot conversation, and now that he knows that I am wanting his story he will put greater thought into dialing in the overall history of LONGware products.
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karabin museum
Trad climber
phoenix, az
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Topic Author's Reply - Jun 18, 2015 - 12:36pm PT
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The other night I had a visit from Art Christiansen who donated a few more items to the museum. Art is a total historian when it comes to climbing in the 1960s-70s. He corrects the Baboquivari Peak building being not a heliograph station but a fire watch. He also has no idea how it burned down but he gave me the names of the people in the 1964 Babo photo which I edited to the photo. Art donated a LONGware bong which has a different weld and bong crimp then the one I have, so other questions hopefully will be answered like the times the welds changed to rivets, and when LONGware bongs were painted red-orange as well as being non-painted.
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karabin museum
Trad climber
phoenix, az
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Topic Author's Reply - Jun 18, 2015 - 12:43pm PT
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Rap station from the Nose route. Tom Rohrer's Nose rap route
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karabin museum
Trad climber
phoenix, az
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Topic Author's Reply - Jun 18, 2015 - 12:49pm PT
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Miscelaneous newer hangers that were pulled off of the Nose route.
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karabin museum
Trad climber
phoenix, az
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Topic Author's Reply - Jun 18, 2015 - 12:52pm PT
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Charlie Porter hangers that were on the Nose route. I don't have these and I am not sure where this photo is from.
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karabin museum
Trad climber
phoenix, az
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Topic Author's Reply - Jun 18, 2015 - 12:57pm PT
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karabin museum
Trad climber
phoenix, az
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Topic Author's Reply - Jun 18, 2015 - 04:35pm PT
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LONGware History from the man himself
Thank you Dick for sharing your history with us!
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bhilden
Trad climber
Mountain View, CA/Boulder, CO
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Jun 18, 2015 - 05:16pm PT
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Yes! Very cool!
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karabin museum
Trad climber
phoenix, az
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Topic Author's Reply - Jun 18, 2015 - 05:32pm PT
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-- Ashby from Vertical Archaeology writes:
I've been told by an early boulder climber that some of the strap-style hangers available in the late 50s early 60s could be found without the LONGware stamp. Memories can be fuzzy though. Harvey Carter told me (in 2004) that LONGware stuff could be found in shops until the early 1970s. Damn! That's a LOT of surplus!!! Harvey used LONGware bongs in the Fishers because they were wide and shallow and worked great in the weird bulges and fluted cracks on those towers. He said they were less suited to parallel cracks because he believed the spine of the bong was too flat and prone to shifting. I think it was personal preference to use big chouinards for stuff outside the Fishers.
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karabin museum
Trad climber
phoenix, az
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Topic Author's Reply - Jun 18, 2015 - 09:11pm PT
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Back in 2003 the Natimuk Bolting Fairies ‘NBF” began a process of rebolting routes at Mount Arapilies in Australia. I donated a bunch of new hangers to their project and in return I received a few items, one of which is priceless! Big thanks to Ingvar Lidman for donating these items to the Karabin Museum. The chain anchor is from the early 1980s. A homemade keyhole hanger, possibly Pickard. A carrot bolt which is stainless steel. And a Mammut ring bolt from the famous test piece route “Lord of the Rings 5.13d (31).” The climb Lord of the Rings was created by Kim Carrigan as early as 1981. He originally called it “Serious Young Lizards” or the “Ring Route” prior to Stefan Glowacz’s free ascent in 1986 which dubbed it “Lord of the Rings.” Most locals still call it the “Ring Route” or “Lord.” Due to the routes major Australian climbing history, and the famous John Sherman free solo beer drinking photo, it was somewhat difficult for Ingvar and myself to obtain this precious relic! Ingvar you totally rock!
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karabin museum
Trad climber
phoenix, az
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Topic Author's Reply - Jun 19, 2015 - 11:55am PT
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Ashby Robertson 9:10am Jun 19
Here are a few more pictures for the bolt thread if you're interested. The black strap hanger marked "Carter" in gold was a product of a funny bit of bolt war history. Harvey Carter was chopping tons of bolts around Colorado Springs in the early and mid 90s. Most of these belonged to Stewart Green or Bob Robertson but ol' Harv was an equal opportunity chopper, he had a few of mine as well! He had a huge sling of hangers he had removed...must have had a hundred at least. He always did it solo so I didn't get to give him sh#t for it.
I was putting up a few damn hard aid routes back then and decided to take the piss out of him with a few "homage hangers" hehehe. One day after he ran across one on a new route in the Rampart Range area, he came stomping into Mountain Chalet (gear shop where I worked) cussing and as pissed off as I'd ever seen him. It was wonderful! Messin' with Harvey was kind of fun sometimes.
Also included:
Another LONGware hanger that is wide and thick like the older hanger you have in your collection.
A few Troll aluminum hangers with attached self-drive anchors.
A Cassin ring hanger and 3/8 inch split shaft
A bunch of "pop tops" unmarked purchased from REI in the 1966, with 1/4 inch split shaft Rawl studs.
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karabin museum
Trad climber
phoenix, az
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Topic Author's Reply - Jun 19, 2015 - 09:16pm PT
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Robert Pinckney homemade hangers
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karabin museum
Trad climber
phoenix, az
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Topic Author's Reply - Jun 19, 2015 - 09:57pm PT
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SKY
In 2005 I received a box of historical climbing items from Derek Marshall in South Africa. Derek is the owner of SKY climbing company that makes bolt hangers. In 2004 I gave a shout out to many manufactures that I was nearing 1000 different bolt hangers in my museum. I just needed a few more to reach 1000. I believe Scott Miller relayed the message to Derek, and Derek responded adding 40 more different hangers to the museum. Derek also included some homemade climbing gear items.
Adrenelin from Australia
Alpha Vertical from South Africa?
Vektor from South Africa
CT (Climbing Technology) from Italy
AME (Arapilies Mountaineering Equipment) from Australia
Scavenger from South Africa
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karabin museum
Trad climber
phoenix, az
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Topic Author's Reply - Jun 19, 2015 - 10:03pm PT
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Climbing Technology from Italy. I hope someday Climbing Technology will have a distributor in the USA. Their products on the internet looks so available, but the shipping charges to the USA are ginormous!!!
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karabin museum
Trad climber
phoenix, az
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Topic Author's Reply - Jun 19, 2015 - 10:27pm PT
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I just noticed that the bend on my LONGware hanger from the walls of Yosemite is opposite the bend (mirrored) of the other two LONGware hangers. So adding that each hanger was created with 1/4" or 3/8" bolt holes that makes 6 possible differences with this shape hanger
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karabin museum
Trad climber
phoenix, az
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Topic Author's Reply - Jun 20, 2015 - 10:56pm PT
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DeLos Reyes homemade hangers
Marty Karabin homemade hanger
Late 1990 my climbing partner Scott drew a few bolt hangers on paper and came up with the idea of how we could save money by making our own hangers. We would split the overall cost and have a machine shop make them for us. Scott talked to the shop and the deal was made to make the hangers. We were totally psyched that we now had a hanger outlet and for half the manufacturers hangers shelf price. I believe we made 200 of the Shark Fin style hangers. But at the time we picked up the hangers, the machine shop charged us hundreds of more dollars than the original deal was for. Oh well, we paid and took them.
The stainless steel Shark Fin is a great hanger, but the extra metal which sticks out from the wall is unnecessary, and could hurt if the climber fell and hit it on the way down. I dubbed the Shark Fin hangers a DeLos Reyes creation since thats Scott’s last name and his design. I took 100 of the Shark Fin hangers and cut the extra chunk of metal away one by one using a hack saw and vice. Good cross training! This was the Marty Karabin hangers and some of them have “MK” on them sliced in with a dremel cutting wheel blade. So it was a fun experience making hangers, so we tried again with a new design.
This time when we picked up the finished hangers from the machine shop and the metal was thinner than what was quoted and the hangers were cut smaller than the drawing provided specified. I believe 100 of these SS hangers were made. We ended up getting a great deal on the hangers but they were not necessarily lead route worthy. These were called DeLos Reyes aid hangers. We used these hangers on top of pinnacles to aid in getting to the top anchors of the sport routes, for backup ledge safety anchors, or on aid routes. The majority of these hangers were placed in Devils Canyon in Superior, AZ.
For some reason Scott and I loved to experiment with climbing gadgets and to make our own creations. One time on Camelback Mtn while rappelling off of the Monk, I was using Scotts extended Figure Eight idea because we didn’t know why the belay/rap device had to always be positioned between the climbers legs. So good times and laughter while zipping down the free hanging section of the rappel, until the wind blew my long hair into the figure eight and moving twisting rope. Within seconds a good chunk of my hair got trapped and zipped through the device causing a chunk of skin behind my right ear to rip away. My rappel motion never slowed down, the hair was still stuck on the rope above, I have a bloody shoulder, and Scott’s laughter to listen to.
Mid 1990s we came up with the idea of climbing at the Oak Creek Overlook AZ while only using homemade gadgets for protection. I took cord and strung up a bolt hanger as a nut which worked really well. However I wonder if the hanger would fold under the force of a good lead fall. I also strung up a full range set of “sockets” which worked awesome as nuts! I can’t believe so many climbers were focused on hardware store threaded hex nuts when sockets were available everywhere. I grinded the outside of the sockets so they would catch the rock better and used the softer metal sockets from China so they would grip the rock better. Craftsman and Snap-On sockets somewhat didn’t grab the rock as well since the metal is quality. I even had offset Sockets, and I liked them so much I eventually colored them.
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karabin museum
Trad climber
phoenix, az
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Topic Author's Reply - Jun 23, 2015 - 08:37pm PT
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