Westbay, Bridwell & Long photo in front of ElCap question

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akapisten

climber

Topic Author's Original Post - Jun 20, 2015 - 01:33pm PT

Hello
This might be a strange question, but I'm working on a documentary film in Norway about the history of climbing in our region. The climbing in Yosemite was also an important inspiration, and if I manage, I hope to illustrate this in the film with one or two images from Yosemite in the seventies.

I love the image of Westbay, Bridwell and Long in front of El Capitan (in 1975 I believe), but as of now, I struggle to find out who was the photographer? Would someone here by any chance know this?
I'm very greatful for any help :)

Best regards from Norway
Carl

PS: If you know how I can get in touch with Westbay, Bridwell and/or Long (possibly by email?) that's also greatly apreciated! (e.g. via personal message). I'm sorry about my English.

clinker

Trad climber

Santa Cruz, California

Jun 20, 2015 - 01:45pm PT

A little stone carving project?

Clint Cummins

Trad climber

SF Bay area, CA

Jun 20, 2015 - 02:03pm PT

Carl,
The photo is credited in "Yosemite Climber" as "Westbay collection" (but see mastadon's answer below).
It is plate 62 in the book "Yosemite Climber" (1979), by George Meyers.
Yes, it was taken in 1975, right after the team did the first one day ascent of the Nose.

Billy Westbay passed away a few years ago.
John Long posts here as Largo.

Hardly Visible

Social climber

Llatikcuf WA

Jun 20, 2015 - 02:03pm PT

You can send a message to John Long (Largo) by finding something he's posted on this site. Click on his name then click on send a message.

wayne w

Trad climber

the nw

Jun 20, 2015 - 02:36pm PT

The Supertopo messaging isn't always the most reliable.

John is on Facebook, and sending him a message there would likely be a more reliable way to contact him.

Good luck on your project.

Roger Breedlove

climber

Cleveland Heights, Ohio

Jun 20, 2015 - 04:27pm PT

George Meyers has also posted on ST, but not in a long time. His email on his account might still be good, however. Look for posts by "Jorge," click on his name and you can email him.

mastadon

Trad climber

crack addict

Jun 20, 2015 - 07:15pm PT

Mike White took the photo. He has the original.
Mike is a computer moron and doesn't use email or any such nonsense without his wife's help. If you need to get in touch, let me know and I can let him know.

Fuzzywuzzy

climber

suspendedhappynation

Jun 20, 2015 - 08:59pm PT

Yes you are correct Mastadon it is Mike White's photo.

Have you ever seen credit given to Mike for this?

As I remember his words to the trio were, "Do us proud"!

akapisten

climber

Topic Author's Reply - Jun 21, 2015 - 03:45am PT

Thank you all for great help here. Really apreciated! Mastadon, that would be great! I will send you a message via PM here if that's ok.
Have a great day everyone!

mastadon

Trad climber

crack addict

Jun 21, 2015 - 05:13pm PT

Talked to Mike White today. He's totally OK with you using his picture as long as he gets credit for taking it.

Let me see if I can accurately relay what he said, "It was my fu##ing camera, my fu##ing film, I was the one that spent time getting those a$$holes lined up correctly and I was the one that took one of the most significant climbing pictures of the past 50 years and every fu##ing a$$hole wants to take credit for it."

Mike always did have a way with words.

Apparently the confusion came from Mike giving the undeveloped film to Billy Westbay to have it processed.

There you have it.

WBraun

climber

Jun 21, 2015 - 05:17pm PT

ROFLMAO ^^^^

Whitey is as bad as I am .....

Hahahaha

fosburg

climber

Jun 21, 2015 - 08:13pm PT

Did Mike White work for YMS?

Roots

Mountain climber

Tustin, CA

Jun 22, 2015 - 01:20pm PT

"It was my fu##ing camera, my fu##ing film, I was the one that spent time getting those a$$holes lined up correctly and I was the one that took one of the most significant climbing pictures of the past 50 years and every fu##ing a$$hole wants to take credit for it."

Just thought I'd quote it in my bump and let me throw in a "Fu##ing A" too!

akapisten

climber

Topic Author's Reply - Jun 22, 2015 - 04:32pm PT

Mastadon, that's amazing. Thank you so much! Please forward a big thankyou to him next time you talk - I will hopefully find a way to thank him as well too. I feel very privileged to have that image in the film - I will triple check that he is credited right in the closing credits ;)

One last worry is that if Mike White is not using computers, I'm not sure how to get hold of a digital version of the image with sufficient resolution. I feel bad for asking more, but if you have some ideas how I can investigate further, I'm very grateful! BTW I'm gonna message Jon Long asking if his ok with using the image, so maybe he actually might have the image too..

mastadon

Trad climber

crack addict

Jun 22, 2015 - 06:50pm PT

Kevin,
There is ABSOLUTELY NO WAY I'M GONNA TELL MIKE THAT IT WAS YOUR IDEA! The next time you see him, you tell him. Good luck with that…...

I doubt Mike was hammered when that was taken as I don't really remember him drinking much in those days. Other sources of alteration are another story.

We're not really that old, are we??

Largo

Sport climber

The Big Wide Open Face

Jun 22, 2015 - 11:57pm PT

Use it. Everyone else has...

JL

akapisten

climber

Topic Author's Reply - Jun 23, 2015 - 05:14am PT

Thanks John! Carl

Rollover

climber

Gross Vegas

Jun 23, 2015 - 07:30am PT

I'm guessing 6/21/15 was the 40th anniversary of the first NIAD?
Peter Metcalf was on the route when the trio of JB Largo and Billy passed them..

Largo

Sport climber

The Big Wide Open Face

Jun 23, 2015 - 08:22am PT

Wow, that photo of Billy (belaying), Bridwell (cleaning below), and me leading in the Stovelegs feels like something from the Pliocene.

The idea for the 3-man team was that once a pitch was dicked, the leader woluld tie off and a second man could dash up the trail rope with a fresh rack as the other man cleaned. This allowed the leader to bolt before the man cleaning could possibly arrive at the belay. Or something like that.

Except in the Stovelegs, Bridwell declared that the guy sprinting up the trail rope (Billy) need not carry a rack owing to fixed pins he thought would be there. Except they weren't. So running out the "Legs" (as pictured) was exciting (only .10a) during this first NIAD run.

JL

climbski2

Mountain climber

Anchorage AK, Reno NV

Jun 23, 2015 - 08:32am PT

40 years later... and still considered a solid accomplishment for climbers. A real benchmark for most. Pretty cool.

Plus I think I like this guy Mike White! Ha.. a few more pieces of the picture to fill in a legendary story. Thanks

hobo_dan

Social climber

Minnesota

Jun 24, 2015 - 06:02pm PT

It is the best photo ever- in 1977 I was in the Tetons when someone looked around to see who was listening and then he whispered that the Nose............" got done in a day"
we were all scandalized

fosburg

climber

Jun 24, 2015 - 09:03pm PT

Anyone know which party did the 2nd NIAD?

Clint Cummins

Trad climber

SF Bay area, CA

Jun 24, 2015 - 09:16pm PT

Hans' page has this timeline, but he does not state the 1978 climb was the second NIAD:
1975 - the FIRST one day ascent was made, took just under 15 hours.(Billy Westbay, Jim Bridwell, and John Long) Did you know that Peter Metcalf and partner were on the route the day they did it?
1978 - The route was climbed by Mike Lechlinski and John Bachar in 15 hours
http://www.speedclimb.com/yosemite/thenose.htm#98

Roger Breedlove

climber

Cleveland Heights, Ohio

Jun 25, 2015 - 04:30am PT

Hey Kevin, fixing to Sickle sounds right. As far as I remember, just about everyone fixed something on El Cap. Still very cool to think about those one-off moments that marked the changes in Valley climbing. Good thing that Jim didn't make us wear those kind of clothes on regular days.

BTW, I like your age math. I am getting my Medicare card in a few days. I like the prospect of slicing 15 yaers off. Now that I know how it works, I am stretching my Valley days to include those being pushed in a stroller.

fosburg

climber

Jun 25, 2015 - 06:59am PT

It'd be interesting to know for sure whether or not they were fixed to Sickle Ledge on that ascent.

Anguish

Mountain climber

Jackson Hole Wyo.

Jun 25, 2015 - 08:12am PT

I took the action photo above with Peter's Rollei that we agreed to share. There were two frames of this view, this one focused on Largo.

Peter — of Black Diamond — some time ago loaned the slides to a friend who was touring a show about free climbing. As I recall the slides were essentially "lost" in this slide-show carousel for (perhaps) a couple of decades before Peter got them back.

After Largo arrived on Dolt Tower, (where this photo was taken) Peter might have taken a couple more shots of Largo leading on. But last time we talked he hadn't been able to locate those, if they actually exist.

So right now there's essentially only one action shot of NIAD — plus the classic meadows pic.

Largo would know whether the team fixed pieces or ropes to Sickle, but I think they climbed from the bottom without jugging.

It was an impressive, although fleeting, sight to see the boys go by.

fosburg

climber

Jun 25, 2015 - 04:54pm PT

So it seems Largo would have the answer to the fixed rope question...

WBraun

climber

Jun 25, 2015 - 05:31pm PT

Largo would know whether the team fixed pieces or ropes to Sickle

They had pieces fixed to sickle ....

fosburg

climber

Jun 25, 2015 - 07:20pm PT

Pieces of rope?

zBrown

Ice climber

Jun 25, 2015 - 07:26pm PT

If you want to get down to the real nitty gritty:

What brand of cigs were they tokin'?

Did Largo really give the glove to Michael Jackson?

Is Westbay packin'?

Peter Haan

Trad climber

Santa Cruz, CA

Jun 25, 2015 - 08:32pm PT

Okay K.Warbler and thanks; let me try some adjustments. Don't have a high res file though. I am down to the laptop as well these days as I travel.

karabin museum

Trad climber

phoenix, az

Aug 29, 2015 - 11:35am PT

- Cigs

I'm gonna say Camel non filter, because thats what Bridwell smoked

Tom

Big Wall climber

San Luis Obispo CA

Aug 29, 2015 - 02:08pm PT

I'm gonna say Camel non filter, because that's what Bridwell smoked

Yes. Very likely. You lick the paper a bit, and they stick to your lip. Leaves both hands free. Makes it very easy to climb the Nose in a day - - - jug, belay, and lead the Stovelegs without placing any gear.

I don't believe there is any valid copyright on that NIAD photo, btw. I could be wrong, I'm no expert.

Back then, if you didn't explicitly mark your work as Copyrighted, or use the © symbol, there was no valid copyright. If it was displayed to the public without the marking, it would fall into the Public Domain. The original print of Night of the Living Dead famously suffered from this legal doctrine when the distributor redid the credits at the beginning, "accidentally" omitted the ©, and George Romero lost all copyrights to his fine film, which went on to gross millions in the theaters.

Today, the instant a work of creativity is produced, the copyright exist. If you want to successfully sue in Federal court for infringement, you should pay a $30 filing fee (or whatever it is now) and include a copy of your work, to be filed in perpetuity with the Library of Congress. Very simple. Patents, not so much.

Mike Bolte

Trad climber

Planet Earth

Aug 29, 2015 - 04:48pm PT

this any better?

MikeL

Social climber

Seattle, WA

Aug 29, 2015 - 05:04pm PT

Camels had filters? Wimps.

cuvvy

Sport climber

arkansas

Aug 29, 2015 - 06:00pm PT

Must have been an impressive time.

survival

Big Wall climber

Terrapin Station

Aug 29, 2015 - 06:35pm PT

Hey!! I spent a season with the Norwegian contingent in Yosemite! 1980

Bjorn Myerlund, Kirsti Nordhaug, and the tall blonde dudes name escapes me right now.

What a fun crew that was!

imaserious

Big Wall climber

melbourne

Aug 29, 2015 - 10:04pm PT

PLEASE BUY THE KIM CARRIGAN BOOK WHEN IT COMES OUT !!!!

KIM DID THE 2ND ASCENT OF POW ...

AND SHOWED YOU YANKS HOW TO CLIMB THE ROOF ON THE ROSTRUM ...

Rollover

climber

Gross Vegas

Oct 24, 2015 - 11:45am PT

Marlow

Sport climber

OSLO

Oct 25, 2015 - 01:45am PT

Survival wrote:

Hey!! I spent a season with the Norwegian contingent in Yosemite! 1980

Bjorn Myerlund, Kirsti Nordhaug, and the tall blonde dudes name escapes me right now.

What a fun crew that was!

Hi Survival:

Tell us some stories, we're eager to know, facts as myths. Does there exist any photos?