Discussion Topic |
|
This thread has been locked |
| Messages 1 - 72 of total 72 in this topic |
imaserious
Big Wall climber
melbourne
|
|
|
Topic Author's Original Post - Aug 12, 2015 - 01:13am PT
|
At long last , moves are a foot to produce a totally brilliant book about Aus climbing great ...KIM CARRIGAN ....
If anyone here .... such as Tarbuster , Mike Graham , etc , have any unpublished pics or short recollections about Kim , then please post here or on Chockstone ...
I have read a few threads on this site and it seems Kim caused quite a stir when he introduced hangdogging to America ... he also did the 2nd ascent of Pacific Ocean Wall , ... and first complete free ascent of the Rostrum ? ...
Apparently he wrote an article about yanks being wankers or something ... which led to the Kim vs Valley Boys thing .... can someone PLEASE find and post that article
CHEERS !!!!
http://www.chockstone.org/Forum/Forum.asp?Action=DisplayTopic&ForumID=1&MessageID=127145&Replies=5&PagePos=0&Sort=#NewPost
|
|
NA_Kid
Big Wall climber
The Bear State
|
|
|
Aug 12, 2015 - 02:23am PT
|
Way cool.
After climbing a bit in Australia, Carrigans name is everywhere.
Didnt know he did the first full free ascent of the Rostrum.
and the PO in a group of 4 with Greg Child, Darryl Hatten, and Eric Weinstein in '77.
Mad props to Kim Carrigan. Too bad he didnt get the FA of the Ring Route.
|
|
survival
Big Wall climber
Terrapin Station
|
|
|
Aug 12, 2015 - 02:30am PT
|
I did Black Rose on Middle with him in 79 or 80. A day I'll never forget. What an incredible guy and personality! We swung leads, but I was sure glad he led the crux pitch!
|
|
Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
|
|
|
Aug 12, 2015 - 10:51am PT
|
Black Rose: another good one that got away, darn. I bet that was a good day on the stone Bruce!
I don't have any photographs of Carrigan. I think Kim doing a book is a great idea. Fits right in there with the market for autobiographies by people like Ron Fawcett and Jerry Moffat.
My best recollections of Kim are on this site, at least in rough form. I'm sure they could be improved upon if deemed worthy.
Valley Syndrome by Jeff Smoot is a nifty companion piece to the Carrigan article. Was Kim's article titled Americas Cup or some such?
|
|
Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
|
|
|
Aug 12, 2015 - 12:31pm PT
|
Live radio interview featuring a short passage from me about Kim Carrigan.
Full-length audio:
go to 27:20 - 30:00
http://www.soundcloud.com/climbtalk/roy-mcclenahan-1-16-2015
also on youtube between 12:10 and 15:00
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7DBdYW07cQ&list=PLS8KnllkXQhBTXPFW1svb_S4tk7ENFGU6&index=2
---------------------------------------
Here's my stuff from a Supertopo search:
I climbed Hotline with Kim Carrigan in 1980 and at that time he predicted that many of the greats wall climbs in Yosemite and those of El Capitan particularly, would go free. I said to him: "even the PO?" He said yes. I was skeptical; it's happening, of course not on the PO, yet.
http://www.supertopo.com/climbing/thread.php?topic_id=2110264&msg=2114259#msg2114259
---------------------------------
During the high season of 1980, it [Astroman] seems it was getting done once a week.
Kim Carrigan was hiking over there with his binoculars to watch parties work their way up the route. He gave us beta.
http://www.supertopo.com/climbing/thread.php?topic_id=1856207&msg=1857438#msg1857438
---------------------------------
Ditto on the [Hotline] traverse.
The 11 plus crack leading up to it is pretty burly.
Definitely not 5.12 as a walk across on the dyke, but very delicate and I remember reaching low for a rurp scar to help myself complete a final step through.
I did this in 1980 swinging leads with Kim Carrigan; this was before he got all Valley Syndrome on us...
(or did we do it to him) !!!
He got a little greedy and having led the crux also climbed the first few body lengths of the long hand crack after completing the traverse. That hand crack pitch is glorious if easy; when you see people doing it from afar they really cruise. [edit 8/12/2015] *he did this so I wouldn't swing so severely if I came off of the traversing crux.
The 10D flair has really no resemblance to typical wide: it's basically very delicate bombay chimney climbing with as I remember a long thin edge on one side for the feet.
At the final pitch, I remember bragging to Kim about how I grew up doing thin slab climbing and as I started off on the lead, promptly fell off on the 10A move right by the bolt!
http://www.supertopo.com/climbing/thread.php?topic_id=836851&msg=841235#msg841235
------------------------------
Carrigan wrote an article, generally calling the Valley locals a bunch of myopic, xenophobic, flyweight, deli-bound wankers.
Then he did that America's Cup thing on the Cookie.
There's more good stuff, but as I've already shown, I don't have a mind like a steel trap for such anecdotes.
He sort of championed this whole idea of the poor sportsmanlike California-centric behavior of which Bob speaks. Perhaps somebody could post up the article; I think it had a picture of him doing the Rostrum roof in Harlequin inspired Lycra.
Anyhow, I liked him, we climbed Hotline together in '80, before the big dustup. (He lead the crux)...
http://www.supertopo.com/climbing/thread.php?topic_id=588524&msg=593138#msg593138
----------------------------------
I'll take a time trip to the Arapiles in the early 80's, when Carrigan, The Sheperd bro's and their sis Louise, and Mike Law were mixing Punk, Lycra, & 40's gangster attire with all kinds of audacious behavior, thrilling routes, and creative merriment.
http://www.supertopo.com/climbing/thread.php?topic_id=297204&msg=298049#msg298049
----------------------------------
Carrigan came to this country and instituted hangdogging; a big uproar ensued,
http://www.supertopo.com/climbing/thread.php?topic_id=231718&msg=234252#msg234252
---------------------------------
Fully peeled outa' that pup [Waverley Wafer],
Owing to said creeper pump.
Carrigan happened to be there gettin' a snap shot.
http://www.supertopo.com/climbing/thread.php?topic_id=225646&msg=226478#msg226478
------------------------------------------
Well, this has happened before, back when Kim Carrigan climbed America’s Cup on the Cookie and that whole hullabaloo about the insular and xenophobic nature of quite a few Valley locals. I recall Mark Chapman was quite disappointed that our legacy had been spun down that low, because he relished the time when the Europeans came and shared in the exploits and he was able to encourage international participation. I climbed with Carrigan before all of that and had a great time with him, and that’s how I remember him. If people feel pushed into a corner, they will often push back, yes -no surprise.
http://www.supertopo.com/climbing/thread.php?topic_id=220133&msg=222713#msg222713
Good luck with the project and best to Kim!
Roy
|
|
imaserious
Big Wall climber
melbourne
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Aug 12, 2015 - 09:21pm PT
|
>>>Good luck with the project...
Tarbuster ... u r da man !!!
I love the Kim - Louise story u did on radio
I never knew about the Kim vs Valley Boys thing , until recently ... and hope u or one of ur mates ... errrr .... pals .... can dig up the valley syndrome and americas cup articles ....
Kim Carrigan was truly one of australias greatest ' stone masters '
CHEERS
|
|
imaserious
Big Wall climber
melbourne
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Aug 12, 2015 - 11:11pm PT
|
>>>Way cool.
>>>After climbing a bit in Australia, Carrigans name is everywhere.
Far too many ppl in aus simply do not know the significance of Kim in his own country ....let alone what he got up to over seas
>>>and the PO in a group of 4 with Greg Child, Darryl Hatten, and Eric >>>Weinstein in '77.
Kim led the crux ....and got in trouble with the other guys for forgetting the grass or something .... its all in greg childs pacific ocean cruise article ... great read...
>>>Mad props to Kim Carrigan. Too bad he didnt get the FA of the Ring >>>Route.
Ring route totally changed everything for Kim ... probably burns his ass to this day .... hoping the book will be an exorcisim for him ...
|
|
imaserious
Big Wall climber
melbourne
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Aug 12, 2015 - 11:16pm PT
|
>>>What an incredible guy and personality!
Still is ... more ppl need to discover this bloke ... this book project should do the trick ...one of the best yet to be told stories ....
|
|
sasha Cohen
Trad climber
South Lake Tahoe CA
|
|
|
Aug 12, 2015 - 11:38pm PT
|
Have heard great things, not too many yanks that could actually cup his balls.
|
|
survival
Big Wall climber
Terrapin Station
|
|
|
Aug 13, 2015 - 12:20am PT
|
Would anyone actually be interested in my best recollection of my Black Rose climb with Kim?
I'm sure it may differ from his memory, it was a long time ago. But we did the thing, and it was difficult, sporty, and stout. There are good moments, and it was a helluva day!!
Imaserious, maybe you don't realize how significant it is to see Tarbuster on this site these days. You really hit a nerve with this one!!
|
|
imaserious
Big Wall climber
melbourne
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Aug 13, 2015 - 12:28am PT
|
>>>Would anyone actually be interested in my best recollection of my Black >>>Rose climb with Kim?
Absolutely !!! BRING IT ON !!!
>>>I'm sure it may differ from his memory...
Thats the point ...Kim needs the fresh perspectives to reactivate his brain ..
|
|
imaserious
Big Wall climber
melbourne
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Aug 13, 2015 - 01:15am PT
|
>>>Have heard great things, not too many yanks that could actually cup his balls....
OMG ...
:D
|
|
NA_Kid
Big Wall climber
The Bear State
|
|
|
Aug 13, 2015 - 05:53pm PT
|
Pacific ocean cruise!
Where can I get a link to this article by Greg Child???
|
|
Truthdweller
Trad climber
San Diego, CA (stuck in Jersey)
|
|
|
Aug 14, 2015 - 01:05am PT
|
I've got a postcard of Carrigan on the Rostrum Roof around here somewhere...
In the mean time, found the same on Google:
|
|
terryl
Trad climber
south lake tahoe ca
|
|
|
Aug 27, 2015 - 10:42am PT
|
Not climbing related,but a good Kim story. I lived in Brisbane in the mid 80's / early 90's and the house I was renting had one of the few home climbing walls. Kim was coming over to climb one night and all the guys were super psyched to train with him.
After a short while I quietly went inside to watch the tv show LA Law. There were no VCR's or DVR's back then and admittedly I was hooked on it and enjoyed seeing American shows once in awhile.
Some of the guys and my ex husband knew what I was up to and were stunned that I would stop climbing / training with Kim to watch an American TV show. Shortly after Kim comes inside for something and sees me watching it. He promptly sits on the couch with me and
says - cool, my wife and I love this show. Mind if I watch with you?
I thought the guys were going to kill me, but I still get a good laugh thinking about it. I hope he's doing well.
|
|
imaserious
Big Wall climber
melbourne
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Aug 29, 2015 - 09:00pm PT
|
>>>I hope he's doing well.
He's doing very well
http://www.westendmagazine.com/sol-breads/
We just have to convince him to do the book .... then he will be wonderfully well cos it will do him so much good to share his story ...
|
|
imaserious
Big Wall climber
melbourne
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Aug 29, 2015 - 09:03pm PT
|
>>>I did Black Rose on Middle with him in 79 or 80. A day I'll never forget. >>>What an incredible guy and personality! We swung leads, but I was sure >>>glad he led the crux pitch!
survival ...PLEASE... write up a brief but JUICY trip report on this .... we need it for the book project ...
|
|
imaserious
Big Wall climber
melbourne
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Aug 29, 2015 - 09:07pm PT
|
>>> I grew up with photos of him and Gullich in Mountain Magazine. Awesome.
The book will be TOTALLY awesome
|
|
chill
climber
between the flat part and the blue wobbly thing
|
|
|
Aug 30, 2015 - 07:25am PT
|
All I know about the man is that his Arapiles guidebook is a classic. Hilarious comments, great route descriptions.
|
|
survival
Big Wall climber
Terrapin Station
|
|
|
Aug 30, 2015 - 07:39am PT
|
Imaserious, I sent a note via supertopo private email function. Did you get it? That email system has problems with consistency, so I thought I'd ask.
|
|
imaserious
Big Wall climber
melbourne
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Aug 31, 2015 - 12:13am PT
|
Yeah ...finally worked out where it landed...
>>> I was seen in it!!
fair enough ...
;)
>>>Kim did so many more amazing things...
This is very important ... cos Kim has probably forgotten what was amazing / important circa 1980 ... both to him ... and to the climbing scene in America and Australia ...
Can you please give a rough list ...this is still at the rough stage ... but you always pan a lot of dirt to get the gold in the bottom ...
I APPRECIATE ANY IDEAS
|
|
survival
Big Wall climber
Terrapin Station
|
|
|
Aug 31, 2015 - 07:29am PT
|
List of what? There was only the one route that I did with him.
Kim climbed with a LOT of people that year as I recall.
What is he up to now by the way?
|
|
shipoopoi
Big Wall climber
oakland
|
|
|
Aug 31, 2015 - 09:22am PT
|
kim is the man. i had the chance to climb with him in europe summer of 1983, and he instilled a confidence in my climbing that led to my second ascent of the bachar yerian later that year. his route names and comments were hilarious, such as dead americans at wraps, with the comment that there should be more of these lol.
i last saw him ten years ago in oz where he is a successful buinessman for a rock climbing store chain. and is married with two energetic kids. ss
|
|
survival
Big Wall climber
Terrapin Station
|
|
|
Aug 31, 2015 - 09:27am PT
|
Steve, thanks for the info, and the phone call BTW, that was nice.
I had a good talk with Robbie recently also.
|
|
Largo
Sport climber
The Big Wide Open Face
|
|
|
Aug 31, 2015 - 12:47pm PT
|
Dear Survival, Black Rose was one of the first 5.12 multipitch routes in the US so it would be super interesting to hear your story about climbing a route that, owing to the runouts, is rarely even done these days, when 5.12 is old hat. I remember the route as being just what you said - sporty and stout. With a cranker hard crux.
JL
|
|
imaserious
Big Wall climber
melbourne
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Aug 31, 2015 - 06:53pm PT
|
>>>List of what?
Of what you consider were '...the many amazing things...' he did
|
|
imaserious
Big Wall climber
melbourne
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Aug 31, 2015 - 06:56pm PT
|
'...Black Rose was one of the first 5.12 multipitch routes in the US so it would be super interesting to hear your story about climbing a route that, owing to the runouts, is rarely even done these days...'
Come on suvival ... man up and spill ya guts ALL YA GUTS ...
|
|
imaserious
Big Wall climber
melbourne
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Sep 1, 2015 - 05:27am PT
|
TARBUSTER WROTE
>>>I did this in 1980 swinging leads with Kim Carrigan; this was before >>>he got all Valley Syndrome on us...
>>>(or did we do it to him) !!!
Can someone ANYONE !!! please briefly explain what valley syndrome is ...
###########################
survival wrote
>>> maybe you don't realize how significant it is to see Tarbuster on >>>this site these days. You really hit a nerve with this one!!
TARBUSTER ... If I havent driven you to the loony-bin ... can YOU please explain valley syndrome ...
Cheers
|
|
survival
Big Wall climber
Terrapin Station
|
|
Largo, you may have me confused with someone else!! 5.12?? Well, I was a pretty damn good face climber at that time, but certainly didn't consider myself a 5.12 face climber.
First of all, there is the confusion about Black Primo/Black Rose on that North apron. I heard both many times over the years. Plus, at that time I think it was rated 11a? So are we talking about the same route here? I'm sure we are, but I only ask because Tarbuster was thinking I was referring to Wild Rose or something and wanted to hear all about it. When I said no, it was definitely Black Rose, he said "Oh, I've done that." Hrrrrumph!!
Like, no big deal eh? Well it was a big deal to me!
FOR THE RECORD!! It was 35 years ago, so I make ZERO claims to any and all accuracy of recall. I just don't have one of those photographic memories for routes, moves, and pro that some guys claim to have. And I don't really care. What sticks with me is the vibe of the time and where my mind was when climbing with a person. That's a more important reflection to me anyway. I don't think I've ever even seen a topo of the thing!!
Yes, it had a pretty fierce reputation for a route that hadn't been climbed much. I think Kim even told me that we did the 4th/5th ascent from the scarce information he got. I have no way of knowing whether that's true or not. There sure wasn't that much evidence on it!!
Anyway, Kim had been surfing around and hadn't found anyone to do it with him. Someone told him that the kid from Oregon was a pretty hot face climber. (I was 19 at the time) I couldn't crank like some guys, but I did have excellent feet, and a good head for being out well beyond pro.
So he asked me, and I agreed. I wanted to climb with Carrigan more than I wanted to face those pitches, so my good judgement was overcome!
The black diorite that makes up a large part of the route is beautiful, and really did take the shape of a rose in my mind, so I will always think of it as Black Rose, no matter the name confusion. This was my first and only climb on that apron, so I was highly impressed!
Anyway, as I recall there are 5 pitches, and we set it up so he would lead the crux. So he led pitches 1,3 and 5, and I led 2 and 4. That way I could at least say we swung leads and keep my meager honor in tact.
Kim led off solidly and seemed to have no trouble on the first. Plus, he was good at talking up my climbing and how I was hiking along, so this was good for my head.
I remember being as focused as I'd ever been for this entire route. Laser like focus, because I wanted to give us the best possible chance at a clean ascent, and because I wanted to climb well in front of Carrigan, who already had about as fierce of a reputation as the climb.
I remember some pretty steep climbing for Middle, but the climbing was amazing. Some very ballet like moves, some high steps with all my weight on one foot praying that the edge I was reaching for would be decent. It was very heads up, focus was needed. There were serious consequences if you came off in the wrong place, but this isn't unusual for Middle Cathedral face climbing.
Fortunately my composure held, and my confidence grew, even as my stamina waned higher up. It seems I always managed to find a nut placement, a good hold, or a little shake out stance just when I needed it most. I faced that inner demon "Please God, don't let me come off here..." a number of times. I climbed up and down many times to work a little section out.
Kim was solid, smooth and business like. I could always tell where it got hard or heady because of where he slowed down! I was sure impressed with his ability, his confidence and his strength. He had a good sense of humor too! I remember having a lot more fun around him one on one, than when he had a posse of admirers around him. He seemed to change at those times, to me. I have one painful example that I won't bring up here.
The crux was a bulge that might have been the steepest thing on the whole route. I remember Kim working the moves and cursing, but he didn't come off! I studied every move he made so I could copy them to the best of my ability when I got there! I managed it clean as well, although I came as close as I could possibly be to coming off, without actually coming off.
I think that Kim didn't have the habit of welding nuts with hard downward jerks like some of my old partners. A stuck nut can cost you a hang on the rope quite easily, even on easy ground, so I remember being impressed and very happy that his gear came out smoothly on hard, sketchy climbing.
So here's the part of the climb that will never leave my mind. For anyone who has never climbed on that North apron of Middle Cathedral, it can get damn cold over there. I was armed with a t-shirt, period.... We also had little water and food, and dehydration and loss of calories can also cause you to have trouble keeping warm. So by the time Kim was leading that last pitch, the breeze came up, and the exertion and fear sweats were now costing me dearly. Please take a light jacket if you're ever gonna be over there in the shade.
So as we began the descent Kim loaned me this gawd awful pink frilly shirt that he had brought. I mean Paul Revere and The Raiders frilly. Frills at the collar, frills down the front, frills at the cuffs...the horror!! But I was also damn glad to have it.
As we rappelled, someone came out of the trees. It was Louise, Kim's beautiful girlfriend!! She may have even had another gal with her. I was caught, in the hall of shame, with this heinous shirt on. They all got a good tease out of the situation, but I was cold, and wasn't about to take the damnable thing off.....
So there you have it Imaserious.
|
|
Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
|
|
Well done Bruce!
I really like that short piece.
Your punchline is golden.
(I thought you were talking about the 5.11C alternate crux pitch of Ramblin' Rose, a multi-pitch Kevin Worrall/Mark Chapman route left of Hawkman's Escape on Lower Brother, FA 1975).
Black Primo, N. Face Middle Apron, 5.11B: FA Kevin Worrall, John Long, George Myers, 5/1974
Pitch counts and belay points can change, in Reid's guide from 1994 it's shown on the topo as having five pitches and that's how I remember it.
The money pitches are the second and the fourth. I know because I led them. The second pitch contains the mental crux, 5.9 high-stepping moves way way out from gear. The fourth pitch has the technical crux, powerful fingery moves overcoming a bulge, as you described.
Not that it matters much for your narrative Bruce. Although you might adjust just that small detail of pitch identification. I'll post the topo later and see if it helps jog memory.
----------------------------------------------------
back in a bit with something on Valley Syndrome
|
|
survival
Big Wall climber
Terrapin Station
|
|
So you're telling me I led 1,3 and 5? That's awesome!! My testicles just grew back to their old size. I led Kim Carrigan up 3 pitches of stout Yosemite face climbing. Stout in my mind at least, but hey, that's where I live.....
That would make sense because I know for a fact he led the "technical" crux. It would also explain why he was pumping my stoke on pitch one, as a leader, rather than just complimenting me as a top roper, which so many people can do well. Further, it would explain why I was so cold at the top of the route, as in belaying him up rather than being warmed by climbing the 5th and then immediately starting the descent.
But don't try and tell me there weren't plenty of mental and physical cruxes on my pitches, or I'll slap you next time I'm in Nederland, and you'll have a hard time slapping back with those cheesy elbows of yours...hahahahaha!!!
And by the way, thanks for the compliment. I didn't really think I had anything to offer about Carrigan, and knew for a fact that I didn't remember enough about the route itself.
You're a good man Roy.
|
|
Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
|
|
You succinctly captured the flavor of the moves and the ambience of the route!
|
|
Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
|
|
The Valley Syndrome
The Valley Syndrome is emblematic of an era rife with conflict and it is also outright hilarious. Maybe Steel Monkey has it in his archives. He's not on the forum much anymore ... Must … must research this article. Too important, as is Kim's article America's Cup, to pass over in order to gain informed historical perspective and for downright flavor.
Must search Rock and Ice or Climbing magazine. Mid-1980s. Start with 1986, the year of the FA of Valley Syndrome on Apathy Buttress by Dimitri Barton et al.
*I will start a thread asking after these articles!
BTW: Kim's free ascent of the Rostrum Roof is credited in Reid's 1994 Yosemite Free Climbs guide as occurring in 1985, with Kauk and Yablonski.
The Valley Syndrome in brief:
In the early/mid-1980s, the US climbing community was becoming polarized between the sport climbing scene arising in places such as Smith Rock … versus the ground-up first ascent ethos practiced in Yosemite, Eldorado Canyon, and the Shawangunks.
It wasn't until the mid/late 1980s that things really heated up. These two factions, sport and trad, struggled over new route activities in their respective areas. Much animosity arose between them, most often centered around the acceptable use of bolts for free climbing. The chief concern was about how the bolts went into the rock. For the traditionalists, bolts went in from the ground up and were employed sparingly; for sport climbers, bolts were placed from the top down and with liberal application.
True, Ray Jardine had been setting standards via hangdogging in Yosemite in the 70s but remained nearly a solitary actor. Until his chiseling and bolting of a critical passage on the free Nose of El Capitan, his tactics were generally confined to crack climbs so he wasn't imposing much in the way of rappel bolting.
While expressing their methods in Yosemite during the 1980s, sport climbers and their tactics were rebuffed by many of the Valley locals. This included not just the criticism of bolts placed from rappel, but involved shirking of FAs and FFA's via pre-inspection and hangdogging (a.k.a. working a route in sport climbing fashion, which was then frowned upon by American traditionalists and at the same time widely adopted by the Australians and most of the Europeans).
At this time Jeff Smoot wrote an article of plaintiff tone. Here he voiced his frustrated perspective as an emerging sport climber. He published his article in Climbing magazine and titled it Valley Syndrome. In it he called out the Valley locals for enforcing their old school rules of engagement. In 1986 Dimitri Barton, Ken Ariza, and Tracy Doton authored a new route to commemorate the article (tongue-in-cheek): Valley Syndrome on Apathy Buttress.
The syndrome which he ascribed to the Valley locals was one of xenophobia and protectionism: a.k.a. the Valley Syndrome. As I recall, Smoot's piece is riddled with contempt for the Valley Boys. It's a colorful article. I'd love to read it again.
Kim Carrigan followed suit with a similar article, America's Cup, in which he was highly critical of a stagnant subculture then purported to be holding the reins in Yosemite Valley. This was somewhat true (stagnation), but that's also a matter of opinion. There was a period in the early/mid 80s where a "B" team could be said to have been most vocal in Yosemite ... and, for better or worse, this is largely who Kim dealt with in terms of opposition.
Regardless, trad was the dominant mode in Yosemite and it was natural for the incumbents to uphold that tradition. Kim clashed with them. This began to change when Ron Kauk openly adopted sport climbing in the late 80s. America's Cup, like Valley Syndrome, is also a colorful article!
There were many similar skirmishes and clashes of style throughout the USA at this time. By the late 80s there were flareups of animosity between the Valley Boys themselves. Even the A-Team was torn apart. Punch outs and bolt destruction followed. It was a volatile stage in the evolution of free climbing.
|
|
survival
Big Wall climber
Terrapin Station
|
|
Yes, it was a volatile time in a number of places, and still comes up all the time, even for the present era. Just look around Supertopo!!
I fell squarely in the trad camp, even at my home stomping grounds of Smith Rocks.
Alan Watts kept going on about traditional aid climbing destroying the fragile rock. But then as I continued to visit in the early/mid 80's suddenly there were shiny bolt hangers sprouting everywhere, mountains more chalk visible, and fixed ropes dangling from everyone's "project". Not to mention hundreds more people dogging around yelling beta at one another.
One day I said to Alan: "Yeah man, that old school aid climbing sure did destroy the place..." and just kinda let it hang in the air as I strolled off.
|
|
Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
|
|
VALLEY SYNDROME
Commentary by Jeff Smoot
Climbing Magazine, #94, February 1986
Yosemite has been under a barrage of bad press lately, and according to nearly everyone you talk to -- outside of California -- it has been long overdue. Even foreign visitors, such as Moffatt and Carrigan, with only a brief exposure to Yosemite, have had few kind comments. Don’t be offended by what they’ve said about Yosemite, however. They weren’t trying to get anyone upset. Their main motive was to get some reaction, to prompt American climbers to get out onto the crags and start climbing, to start pushing themselves, and not just sit around believing that the hardest routes in America, in Yosemite, are the ones already done. Maybe if we would put some effort into climbing, we would get more out of it; we could raise the standards and, quite possibly, improve. It’s going to be tough, though. There’s a problem gripping part of the American climbing scene; it’s what’s wrong with American climbing, plain and simple. It’s called the “Valley Syndrome”.
The Valley Syndrome is a kind of creeping lethargy, a sedentary stagnation that cloaks Yosemite Valley in a shroud of complacency.
There are pockets of resistance, of course, but according to a number of recent visitors to the so-called Mecca of world rock climbing, the Valley scene is dead. Admittedly, some of the best climbers in America are in Yosemite. But lately that isn’t saying much, considering that most Valley climbers don’t go anywhere outside of California and, especially, since the likes of Carrigan, Moffatt and Edlinger continue to make a mockery of the hardest routes in America. The “Best of America”, it seems, are no longer among the best in the world. And, more often than not, the best climbers in America are foreigners.
If you don’t believe it, just glance at the facts. In other countries -- Australia, Germany, France, England -- climbers such as Kim Carrigan, Jerry Moffatt, Patrick Edlinger and Wolfgang Gullich have established climbs which are harder than 5.13, routes that are far harder than anything in the States.
For years, the hardest route in America was Grand Illusion, a route done in 1979. Why is it that, despite a quick lead in the rock climbing game, American climbers have fallen behind? And why is Tony Yaniro the only American to have Grand Illusion? Carrigan made the fifth ascent in only two days of effort, after Gullich, (who made the second ascent in 1982), an unidentified German, and Hidetaka Suzuki had already climbed the route.
Grand Illusion is in California; everyone who has repeated it has traveled thousands of miles to do so, yet few Californians have even tried it. Moffatt flashed The Phoenix, yet few Valley climbers have tried it. Why are foreign climbers willing and able to do our hardest routes in excellent style when the “Best of America” won’t go near them?
“STIGMA: A scar left by a hot Iron: a mark of shame or discredit; a specific diagnostic sign of a disease ...”
Webster’s Dictionary
Despite what Yosemite locals may tell you, the first pitch of The Stigma, an aid practice line of the Cookie Cliff, goes free at solid 5.13. Thus, it is by far the hardest free climb in the Valley. They might call it something else -- a “hangdog” route, perhaps -- but it is no more of a hangdog route than Cosmic Debris, The Phoenix or the Rostrum Roof. Every 5.13 in America has been sieged to some great extent, and most 5.12’s as well, so why all this fuss about The Stigma? No one, so far, has been able to make an on-sight, flash ascent of a 5.13; at least, no American, and especially on the first ascent. But does this mean we should not try, by whatever means, to improve, so that someday we may be able to?
What is significant about The Stigma is that Todd Skinner, the self-proclaimed renegade climber who claimed the first free ascent of the pitch, knew very well what he was doing. He was going against the grain of Valley ideology by fixing pins in The Stigma and then sieging the hell out of it to free climb it. He was making a statement, perhaps inadvertently, trying to break the Valley Syndrome. He was not the first, certainly, but his ascent of The Stigma is one of the most controversial and, thus, one of the most important.
What Skinner did was try to snatch the hardest free climb out from under the noses of Valley climbers. It was an act which has already left a foul taste in the mouths of certain Californians who, in the name of preserving ethical purity, had not even tried to free The Stigma, convinced perhaps that it would be too hard, would take too much effort, would be a “hangdog” route, or perhaps that they might fail. It is safer to sit at a distance and call something “impossible” -- to hide behind a mask of “good ethics” -- than it is to have the courage to come forward and try something impossible like The Stigma, which is what Skinner did. It took even more courage to do it in Yosemite, knowing that everyone there was against hirn, and to keep on trying after being confronted and told that he was a “hangdog”, that he was violating Valley ethics, and that he shouldn’t even bother.
It seems that Valley climbers have already dismissed Skinner’s ascent of The Stigma as a joke. But, then, they have done the same for others, such as Henry Barber, who “stole” Butterballs, Ray Jardine, who supposedly chopped holds on The Nose of El Cap, and even Warren Harding, who got more bad press overthe Dawn Wa//than anyone ever will for any climb.
//“... You just live in this little world thinking the routes of
five years ago are the hardest routes in the world. The
Valley’s a little world, a very little world, with little people.”//
Kim Carrigan
The “little world” of Yosemite Valley is the strict ethics capital of American climbingilNobody sieges, nobody previews, and nobody does anything in “bad” style. They usually just go bouldering instead. There have been significant advancements in that area, certainly. But the hardest route in the Valley prior to 1985 was either Cosmic Debris or The Phoenix, both overrated at 5.13. Why hadn’t anything harder been done? Not because there was nothing left to do. The Stigma was blatantly obvious, and there are still other potential 5.13’s. More than likely, it was the fact that no one was willing to go against the harsh “Valley Code of Ethics” and push themselves, to make an honest effort and press on despite repeated failure.
Skinner showed up, full of ambition, worked on The Stigma for weeks and did it, establishing what is without a doubt the hardest free climb in the Valley. After he claimed it as a free ascent, Valley climbers were irate, as if Skinner had no right to come into their area and steal their route, even though none of them was willing to even think of trying it. Even if the pitch had been done in perfectly legitimate style, it seems doubtful that Valley climbers would have accepted it.
What’s wrong with sieging? Why shouldn’t we try something that’s way over our heads? Who cares if we aren’t able to do something in perfect style? Valley climbers shouldn’t be angry with Skinner for doing The Stigma in bad style; they should be mad at themselves for not having done the route first in whatever style. Why didn’t they place pins on rappel and then try to free it? Bad style? Why didn’t they top-rope it? Surely a top-rope ascent cannot be considered bad style; at least, not by California standards.
Skinner didn’t breach any ethic by fixing pins and then trying to lead The Stigma. He didn’t place bolts, or chop or improve holds. All he did was place pitons in an aid crack and chalk it up a little. Certainly he didn’t, to use Carrigan’s words, “detract from anyone else’s efforts to do it in better style”. On the contrary, he gave us something to aspire to, to train for, and to try to do in better style, while at the same time improving his own ability to do future routes in better style.
Another trickster who is greatly disliked in California is Tony Yaniro, who has been slandered heavily for his siege style of climbing -- and possibly because he was a better climber than a lot of his critics. He had done the hardest route, in any case. So what if he fixed pins? So what if he left a rope hanging overnight? Pins can be removed from routes, and a hangdog or a rope left overnight doesn’t take anything away from someone who wants to do a route in better style. It’s not like a bolt, which affects everyone; these “taints” affect only the climber who uses them. Yaniro pushed the standards almost before the standards existed, establishing the hardest route in the country many years ahead of its time. What kind of reaction did he get? People hated him. Certainly his ascent of Grand Illusion was an accomplishment worthy of at least a little praise. Or was it merely the selfish act of self-admitted trickster, defiling the purity of American rock climbing?
//“It’s just so stagnated...
It’s the most apathetic climbing area I’ve seen."//
Jerry Moffatt
Is there really complacency in Yosemite? Next time you go there, take a look for yourself; the answer is a resounding yes. The attitude seems to be: “We have the hardest routes in the world, so why should we try something harder? Everyone still thinks we’re the best, so why bother? All those other routes are hangdog routes; they’re not really hard. Besides, if we hung all over routes, we could do them, too.” The problem is that the hardest routes in Yosemite, the hangdog routes included, aren’t even close to being the hardest in the world. Even The Stigma is not the hardest route in America.
Another problem is the way Valley climbers treat visiting climbers. Many locals act as if they own Yosemite in the same way a school bully thinks he owns the playground. If you don’t play by his rules, however unfair, he will taunt you, threaten you, and bring his friends along to laugh at you and call you a “homo”, then run away when the teacher comes.
Several episodes back up this comparison, such as the Wings of Steel incident, where outsiders establishing a new line on El Cap had their fixed ropes pulled down and, of all things, defecated on. Valley climbers -- rescue climbers, in fact -- allegedly admitted that they were not only responsible, but even proud of what they had done, but later denied any involvement when confronted by park authorities.
In another incident, a British climber who had just arrived in Yosemite was directed by a park ranger to “set (his) tent up anywhere” in Camp Four, which he promptly did, unwittingly choosing the hallowed rescue site. The hapless visitor will not soon forget the verbal lashing he received when a Valley climber discovered him erecting his tent there. In any other area, he more than likely would have been shown, politely, where he could camp; in Yosemite, he was treated like a trespasser, a memorable and novel way to welcome a foreign visitor.
Finally, when Alan Watts, a noted “hangdog” climber from Oregon, arrived in the Valley to try and repeat The Renegade (as Skinner had renamed the pitch in response to the Valley climbers’ reaction to his ascent), he had barely started working on the line when a group of locals, the “Cookie Cliff Hooters”, gathered on a large rock at a safe distance and began yelling at him. This same group was probably responsible for scribbling homosexual innuendo, with illustrations, on the dirty rear window of his truck.
Fortunately, not all Valley climbers can be grouped with the troublemakers. Many maintain a certain ambivalence towards visitors, and don’t seem to mind so much what other climbers do, short of drilling unnecessary bolts or chopping holds and otherwise changing the rock. Ron Kauk, for instance, showing Alan Watts how to make the final move on Midnight Lightning; and John Bachar, who talked with Todd Skinner even while he worked on The Stigma. And there are others, certainly. Many Valley climbers appear to have transcended the puerile attitudes of a few, but it takes only a few to ruin the Valley experience for many others.
The scar created by Skinner was reopened by Watts, who repeated The Stigma on only his fifth attempt from the ground, with very minimal hangdogging his first few efforts, and without fixed protection, since Todd’s pins had been removed. The style of Watts’ ascent left very little to be criticized, yet Valley climbers still wouldn’t believe it.
No locals witnessed Watts’ ascent, as had been the case with Skinner. They simply sat back at a distance, ripe with prejudice, and “knew” what Alan was up to. “Watts is a hangdog. Therefore, he couldn’t possibly have climbed The Stigma in good style. He must have chopped holds or something . . .” Even when confronted with the facts, they chose to ignore them, insisting that no such thing had been done. They’d rather have burned both Watts and Skinner together at the stake for their joint heresy, than to have conceded that the standards had been raised by outsiders.
Watts, like Skinner, merely shrugged it off. “They just aren’t willing to accept that someone might be better than they are,” he said. “I’m not saying that I am better than they are, but that there are a lot of climbers who are better than anyone in the U.S. A lot better!”
Yosemite, like all National Parks, is set aside for the enjoyment of everyone, not just for a handful of narrow-minded rock climbers. It is truly one of the greatest rock climbing areas in the world, as is shown by the annual influx of climbers from all nations. Hopefully, in the future, all climbers can share and enjoy the Valley on equal terms, without having to feel like they are desecrating the altar of American rock climbing.
And maybe someday, after the smoke has settled, Yosemite climbers will emerge from the ashes to become the best climbers in the world once again.
|
|
survival
Big Wall climber
Terrapin Station
|
|
Imaserious will be happy when he comes back!!
Tar, I can't believe you and I were the only ones from this site that hung out, or climbed with Kim during those days.
There's got to be dudes around here who had more experience with him than I did!!
|
|
Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
|
|
Profile: A Conversation with Australia’s Leading Rock Climber
By Jeff Smoot
Climbing Magazine, #93, December 1985
I had the good luck to meet Kim Carrigan in Yosemite Valley during his latest visit to the United States last spring. Geoff Weigand, another visiting Australian climber, told me that Kim was climbing the Nose of El Capitan, so I had to wait. I wanted to ask him a question: exactly what is a “universal, sports, and free climber”? (From a Mammut rope ad).
“A terrible translation, I’m afraid,” he told me a few days later in Camp Four, shaking his head. But it was I shaking my head in amazement a few days later, after Carrigan had made an ascent of the Valley’s hardest testpiece, Cosmic Debris (5.12 + ), on only his fourth try! So I’m sure that, whatever a universal, sports, and free climber is, Kim Carrigan is among the best.
Many of you have no doubt seen the advertisements touting Carrigan as one of the world’s best climbers. Well, believe them! Kim proved it on his latest visit to Yosemite, making a number of good style ascents of the hardest routes, including Cosmic Debris, The Phoenix (5.12), The Alien (5.12c, on-sight), and The Rostrum (V, 5.12c), from bottom to top, connecting all of the hardest variations, including the final 5.12 pitch, on-sight and without falls, the first time that has been accomplished. At Smith Rock, Oregon, he repeated a number of the desperate new face climbs, managing the first 5.12+ pitch of Monkey Face, East Face on his third try. And, as a finale to his West Coast tour, he made the fifth ascent of Grand Illusion, previously thought the hardest climb in America at 5.13c, on the morning of his second day, in only seven attempts overall, for the fastest ascent the route has seen! It is easy to see why Carrigan is the foremost climber in Australia.
Carrigan, 27, started climbing in the Blue Mountains, near Sydney, at age fourteen. His school group instructors had trouble with him though, because, as he put it, “I was actually keen to go climbing.” He and his friends were ostracized from the group because of their relentless enthusiasm, and the instructors often wrote letters home to their parents urging them to stop the boys from climbing!
Not long after he started climbing, Carrigan discovered Mount Arapiles. Now he prefers “Araps” to any other area in Australia, because of the infinite potential for new routes, despite the fact that the crag has been decared ‘climbed-out’ more than once. Carrigan always seems to find a new line. “There are dozens of routes at Arapiles that would be ‘three star’. There are so many hard routes, and so many new routes to do!”
Carrigan took to climbing at Arapiles so rapidly that, within three years time, he had clearly estabished himself as the best rock climber in Australia. “It was very easy to be the best,” Kim says, “because there were no hard routes, and almost no good climbers.” The hardest route in Australia when Kim started climbing was graded 20 on the Austra: Nan system -- about 5.10. Within three years, he had surpassed that, establishing 22 as the new standard. He has remained at the forefront of hard free climbing in Australia ever since.
Of Carrigan’s first ascents at Arapiles, he considers Procol Harem one of the most important. Henry Barber had tried the line, declaring that it would certainly go free at 26, despite the skepticism of the locals. But, prompted by Barber’s prediction, Carrigan tried the line and, much to everyone’s surprise, reached a point only five feet below the top on his first day. Two days later, Procol Harem was the hardest route in the country at 26.
Since then Carrigan has worked on one improbable line after another. In 1982, after four solid days of effort on one route he suffered a dislocated shoulder and was forced to stop climbing for two months. The layoff failed to dampen his enthusiasm for the route, however, and he was back on it immediately after his shoulder had healed. After three
more days work, he had established India as Australia’s first 29 -- moderate 5.13. Then, soon after completing India, Carrigan set to work on yet another, even more improbable line. The route proved to be so difficult that, after several days of tremendous effort, he was unable to complete the line. He was hoping to have it finished before an upcoming trip to Europe. Then, in a rush of desperation, he hired a car to take him to the crag for one last try on the day he was to leave. He failed miserably, and had to wait until his return to Australia before establishing Masada at 30.
Carrigan is currently eager to return home to yet another project, a route at Arapiles which he has named Serious Young Lizards, which he is certain will be Grade 32 -- which would be 5.14 in America. “I don’t have many rivals in Australia,” he says.
Carrigan is one of a number of climbers, such as Jerry Moffatt and Wolfgang Gullich, who spends much of his time traveling to other countries to try the hardest routes there. He feels that travel is important for a climber. “For me, it’s a chance to meet people who have similar interests and philosophies about life. I enjoy making new friends by traveling. If you travel, you get to see what’s happening everywhere in the world. You don’t get this sort of narrow, parochial view of what climbing’s about.”
Kim’s first trip abroad brought him to America, where he stayed for over a year, climbing the big walls of Yosemite Valley. Among other climbs, he made the second ascent of the Pacific Ocean Wall on El Cap; he also managed an ascent of the Salathe Wall with only twenty-six carabiners. “That,” he says, “was memorable.”
He returned to Yosemite again in 1980, but found it less interesting than on his previous visit. A week later he was off for Smith Rock, the first stop on a cross-country voyage that took him to Colorado, Wyoming, South Dakota, and finally to the East Coast, to the Shawangunks.
“The Gunks was fantastic! It’s one of my favorite places in the world. It’s a lot like Arapiles, with lots of roofs and face climbing, which is my favorite.”
From New York, Carrigan ventured to England, where he spent nearly a year climbing on British limestone. “I’d like to go back to England,” he says. “There are a lot more hard routes there now.”
In 1983, Carrigan left Australia for England once again. On this trip he visited France and Germay as well. While in Germany, Kim got a lucky break. A friend mentioned to him that Mammut, the rope manufacturer, was looking for a climber to sponsor. Kim jumped at the opportunity. He met with company officials at a Munich trade show, and the deal was arranged. “I had to sell myself as a great climber,” he recalled, “but it worked!”
Always outspoken, Kim has remained a controversial figure on the climbing scene. His remarks about Americans seem especially cutting, such as his “There should be more of these” remark about the Dead Americans route at Arapiles. I asked him why there was so much anti-American antagonism in Australia.
“We’re very much down on America for its imperialist politics,” he told me straightforwardly, “the way it criticizes Russia, and then acts just like Russia.”
If Australians are down on America for its aggressive foreign policy, Carrigan is down on American climbers for quite another reason. “I find American climbers to be very complacent,” he says, “especially in California. A big problem is the ethics. Because they won’t hang-dog, people are afraid to try something that might be over their limit. So that has the effect that they will try nothing. Rather than trying and failing, they try nothing and then go bouldering all day!”
Kim feels that the American bolting ethic -- not placing bolts on rappel especially -- is a detriment to the advancement of the sport, and a major reason why Americans are falling behind. “What’s the difference between drilling on lead and drilling on rappel, except that you might get hurt? As far as ethics go, you’re still drilling! The ethic restricts what everywhere else has been the natural growth of the sport. I mean, the hardest route in Yosemite is five years old. Look at what Alan Watts has done at Smith Rocks; he’s practically established 5.14 in America all by himself!
“Everywhere else has a dynamic scene; in the States, it’s just a dead one!”
Carrigan hopes that a “kick in the bum” from foreign climbers will change a few attitudes. “There are a lot of foreign climbers here this year, and they’re actually keen and interested in doing new things. Even Todd Skinner trying to free The Stigma, that’s pretty controversial. For someone relatively unknown to come into the garden of the Valley demi-gods and give something they all think’s impossible a go, I’d say that it’s very controversial, as will the style in which he’ll eventually do it.” (See Basecamp in this issue and Climbing #92.)
But Kim feels that this is the only way for standards to increase, for climbers to try things that seem impossible for them. “It doesn’t detract in any sense from someone else’s attempts to do them in good style. It gives them something to aspire to. If you don’t have that, you just don’t have anything. You just live in this little world thinking that the routes of five years ago are the hardest routes in the world.
“The Valley’s a little world, a very little world, with little people!”
Weary of the Valley scene, Carrigan left Yosemite less than two hours after ‘ticking’ the last route, Cosmic Debris, from his list. Needless to say, he was very pleased with what he had accomplished there. In addition to repeating the hardest climbs, he had emphasized his point about the apathetic Valley scene by establishing a new route on the Cookie Cliff, with Weigand. Kim led the route on-sight, without falls, and named it, like a pointed stick, America’s Cup (5.12c).
“And,” he smirked, “you can have it back when you get good enough!”
|
|
Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
|
|
Bruce,
I agree. If this thread had come up in 2007 we would have rocked it with input from lots more people, whether or not they had roped up with Kim Carrigan.
You're right about Kim having climbed with more of us. On the other hand, until you posted up, I couldn't name anybody else from the states who I knew actually climbed with him!
Dan Michael, a well-seasoned Colorado climber, introduced me to Kim and knew more about his exploits. Through Dan I learned that Kim had done some stout FFAs at Devils Tower for instance. Dan visited Australia. He had a crush on Louise Shepherd.
Louise had appeared in Camp 4. I saw her in tight lounge pants, poised on a pair of five inch heels. No kidding. What a dish! She was just standing there in the powdered dirt, slowly darting her head about like an exotic bird ... parting a sea of shirtless men.
The day Dan was mourning his rebuff from Louise, I saw him out on the sands down in Joshua Tree, wandering between the crags. His chest and shoulders were all pumped up … like from battle. He was on an offbeat path in his climbing togs, wandering solo. No pack. Shoes in hand. His ponytail was tight. He strutted around like the cock-of-the-walk.
I busted him cold. "Okay man, tell me what you did. I can see the jolt in your eyes. What’s her name and where you been? You're all busted up over a girl right?"
Dan had just free soloed Figures on a Landscape out at the Astrodomes and her name was Louise. Two pitches of finger stinging vertical slab. It goes past a hanging belay! I know that was a first. I bet that's also never been free soloed by anyone since. I hope he felt better about Ms. Shepherd, but I doubt it.
|
|
imaserious
Big Wall climber
melbourne
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Sep 1, 2015 - 09:43pm PT
|
>>>Imaserious will be happy when he comes back!!
SIR vival and TARBUSTER ....THANK YOU SO MUCH !!!!!!!
This is GOLD !!!
Just need a bit of time to absorb it all ... thanks again ....CHEERS
:)
.
|
|
survival
Big Wall climber
Terrapin Station
|
|
So glad you like it!!!
But Tarbuster's contribution is more important than mine.
I will go back and edit my little tale to reflect Tar sorting me out on which pitches I led if you'd like....ha!!!
|
|
imaserious
Big Wall climber
melbourne
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Sep 1, 2015 - 10:29pm PT
|
CHEERS AND BEERS
:)
|
|
Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
|
|
Still need Kim's article!
I mean really, after all that we want it straight from the horses mouth!
Correction to my text upthread has been made. Valley syndrome was not a route authored by Jeff Smoot, but by Dimitri Barton, Ken Ariza, Tracy Dorton. The route name was intended as a jibe, as they also named the whole cliff Apathy Buttress to commemorate the "apathetic" Valley Boys, a notion brought to the fore by Smoot and Carrigan.
(I know that's pretty granular FA detail, but it's accurate).
-----------------------------------
Okay Survival: here's your topo for Black Primo. Just for fun.
The red dot on the second pitch shows the mental crux (I'm told Yabo almost whipped off here)
The red dot on the fourth pitch indicates the technical crux.
A) Jigsaw 5.11a R
B) Black Primo 5.11b R
C) Road to Ruin 5.12a
D) Ticket to Nowhere 5.11c R
E) Quicksilver 5.9 R
F) Walk of Life 5.10+ R
G) Freewheelin' 5.10b R
|
|
survival
Big Wall climber
Terrapin Station
|
|
Wow, that's really cool Tar!!
That totally helps fill in the blanks!! It's really shaking a couple things loose.
Probably won't change the flavor of my write up much, but I will go back and modify it after a while.
Thank you VERY MUCH!
|
|
Michael Hjorth
Trad climber
Copenhagen, Denmark
|
|
A book about Carrigan? I’ll buy a copy!
I had the good fortune of climbing a few routes with Kim Carrigan in Sweden in 1987. And he paved the way for a Mammut sponsorship for our Ama Dablam climb in 1988.
He had come to Copenhagen to do his brilliant and humorous slideshow from around the world. In the following weekend we went to “Danish home crag”, Kullaberg in Sweden, where he flashed two first ascent 11d’s. He didn’t bring any gear for the trip, and as I had shipped most of my gear to Greenland for a coming expedition, I only had some old crappy wires, solid stem friends and bulky carabiners left for him. He was repeatedly mumbling through clenched teeth: “How am I supposed to do this with such crap gear…!?”
Sunday we went further to Gothenburg / Utby where he quickly ticked off the harder tradlines. I especially remember him on Pripps, 5.12b, fiddling with my silly wires, but still having power in reserve to flirt with the very nice Norwegian girl climbing on Tuborg, 5.10c, just to his left, asking her to pose for a photo, he would include in his slideshow…!
Later I visited him in his home in Switzerland and got a tour around the Mammut Factory. In the production hall, he showed me a huge squarecut machine, apparently put on automatic, spewing out ready packed boxes. “This is our best profit product: cow tail hooks!” A Swiss law demanded farmers to hook the cow tail away from udders during milking, and Mammut had the exclusive right to produce these. No silly demands for new flashy colors, or expensive fall testing as with most of their other products...!
I only have a few (and lousy) pictures from then:
Kim Carrigan finishing "Cracked", 5.11d on Kullaberg, Sweden:
Carrigan with his daughter Kira in Val di Mello / Sasso Remenno, 1989. Shoes I belive are Boreal prototypes of the later Laser:
Michael
|
|
imaserious
Big Wall climber
melbourne
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Sep 4, 2015 - 08:03pm PT
|
TARBUSTER
>>>Still need Kim's article!
THAT WOULD BE VERY GOOD ...
Must be someone here who has it ...
|
|
imaserious
Big Wall climber
melbourne
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Sep 6, 2015 - 08:27pm PT
|
KIM @ ARAPILES.. DURING THE LYCRA CRAZE...
.
|
|
chill
climber
between the flat part and the blue wobbly thing
|
|
And apparently before the quickdraw craze.
|
|
imaserious
Big Wall climber
melbourne
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Sep 9, 2015 - 12:47am PT
|
http://www.supertopo.com/inc/photo_zoom.php?dpid=Oj8_ODolICsjJg,,
Greg Child
climber
Apr 8, 2014 - 12:47am PT
'...Something I recall about Daryl that resonates with me, and which happened the day after that photo was taken... when we got to the base of the PO wall, The 4 of us (Hatten, Weinstein,Kim Carrigan and myself) were rather humbled by the looming project we'd set ourselves. Daryl took his piton hammer out from his holster and held it up like mighty Thor and banged it into a block of granite, and yelled "The PO team is here!" It got us moving. He was a driving force on that climb...'
................................................................
http://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/t.php?t=278087#x4118566
'...Aid climbing is not hard. It’s just rope-access done scarily badly.
Aid climbing requires very basic fitness and a few skills that can be picked up by reading books and leading half a dozen pitches. Old people can climb high-grade aid routes. It is quite possible to climb the hardest aid pitches after a week of practice (Kim Carrigan did the second ascent of The PO Wall when it was the hardest wall in Yosemite. He had virtually no aid experience. There are plenty of other stories like this).
You can’t climb 9a+ or cycle the Tour de France after a week of practice. These are hard.
Aid climbing is scary and seems dangerous. Sometimes it is dangerous, but it’s much less dangerous than it seems. There is a certain amount of bullshit surrounding aid climbing. It benefits some people, who are not very good climbers but have climbed quite high-grade aid routes, for aid climbing to be seen as complex and hard. It is neither.
It’s useful to practice aid climbing in order to get up some long routes. By far the best practice is just f*cking doing it. Climb an easy route where you have to aid a bit. Allow plenty of time, make mistakes, work things out yourself. If you must practice in the UK, go and clean aid some routes where you definitely wont damage the rock ( >95% of aid climbing does not involve pounding iron and you can learn the other 5% ‘on the job’). Rock is scarce in England and Wales and we need to cherish even the crappy stuff. Peak and Yorkshire Limestone is too easily damaged by aid climbing and should be left for free climbers. This includes The Dove Holes, which is now a superb free venue. There is no justification for repeating aid routes that have been freed if there is any likelihood of this damaging their free status.
I’ve done 10 routes on El Capitan and lead 150+ aid pitches. I’d recommend everyone should try it. It’s sometimes fun. It’s often quite scary, sometimes too scary for me. It’s usually a lot of work. It’s an excellent way to loose weight. You get to some amazing places. It’s not hard. I fell and hurt myself once on a wall…free-climbing.
Chris Kalous has done some extremely gnarly aid climbing, second ascent of Reticent Wall, etc etc. This is what he thinks: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=boQHYBhlOcs
>>>Kim Carrigan did the second ascent of The PO Wall when it was the hardest wall in Yosemite. He had virtually no aid experience
THat just not true ... Kim got plenty of ' experience ' in aid climbing when he made the second ascent of the Totem Pole in 1974 (this aid route was freed 35 years later at about 5.12b...and this route is not to be confused with The Free Route 5.11d )
Kim led the crux of Pacific Ocean Wall in 1977
.
|
|
imaserious
Big Wall climber
melbourne
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Sep 9, 2015 - 10:22pm PT
|
http://www.climbing.com/news/patrick-edlinger-reported-dead/
11/16/12 - A French newspaper is reporting that Patrick Edlinger, one of the great free climbers of the 1980s, has died at home at age 52. No cause of death was given.
Edlinger was one of the leading figures in the sport climbing revolution, putting up numerous routes and free climbing as hard as 8c (5.14b) in the late 1980s. He also free-soloed routes as hard as 5.13b, and he won many major competitions, including an early international event at Snowbird Lodge in Utah. With his elegant climbing, his headband, short shorts, and long hair—he was known as "Le Blond"—Edglinger embodied French style at a time when the French were defining modern rock climbing.
Edlinger also launched climbing development at the great crag above Ceüse, France, creating numerous spicy routes with widely spaced bolts. Asked years later why he didn't put in more bolts, Edlinger said it was simply because he and his partners didn't have enough money. They wanted to put up lots of routes, and thus they had to ration their bolts.**
............................
http://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/page.php?id=5117
'...He profoundly influenced a potent nucleus of his contemporaries who would become the world's most significant trend-setting rock climbing icons during a crucial era of emergence during which the modern sport of rock climbing was defining itself in France. These agents of the modern era included the likes of such highly regarded legends as Patrick Berhault, Jibe Tribout, Antoine LeMenestral, Didier Raboutou, Alain Ghersen, Jean-Marc Troussier, Alain Robert, Catherine Destivelle, Jacky Godoffe, Lynn Hill, Ron Kauk, Wolfgang Gullich, Kim Carrigan, Luisa Iovani, Stefan Glowacz, Beat Kammerlander, Jerry Moffat and everyone who tried to emulate them!...'
.
|
|
imaserious
Big Wall climber
melbourne
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Sep 9, 2015 - 10:30pm PT
|
http://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/t.php?t=302157
'...Personally I rather feel we should be phasing out pegs on Cloggy. I don't think it can have been there for a long time after the FFA. A bit of history for those who don't know it - in 1982 a few people were trying to make the third ascent. Kim Carrigan fell off the 'crux' (which incidentally is no harder than the rest of it, really) and Dougie Hall famously jumped off the belay (a scary proposition). Carrigan fell sixty feet or so and wound up brushing the ground (as did DH, I imagine). KC then retired from the fray and DH went up. 'I seemed to see a dotted white line on the rock above me. I knew that if I went above it and fell off I'd hit the ground.', and also retired. The route's reputation grew until 'everyone' did it in July 1983. I saw what I think was the third ascent, by Dave Lee. He stood below the crux for so long we got bored waiting and went down to Halfway House for a lemonade. We sat about, chatted a bit, and strolled back up. He was still there. We watched for a bit longer, got bored again, and went off and climbed. I think Rowland Foster, Jerry (who had just done Master's Wall and freed Pistolero), Uncle Tom Cobley and all did it shortly afterwards, possibly also Graham Hoey of this parish.
|
|
imaserious
Big Wall climber
melbourne
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Sep 9, 2015 - 11:19pm PT
|
http://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/t.php?t=178960#x2577234
Kim the gentleman...
'...In 1981 I fell of the final mantel at the top of the arete on Swastika Crack (Severe) at Simonside in Northumberland. I was blown off balance by a gust of wind at a critical moment, with all my weight on my hands, and just sensed my centre of gravity shift backwards. It all went into that strange slow motion and I seemed to take an age to topple backwards,. I remember my fingers clawing at the flat top of the arete, scraping across the rough rock like a cat's claws, trying desperately to find a purchase. Then a moment of utter stillness, with a brief sound of rushing air, then a BANG!
I woke up not knowing who I was, where I was, why I was there. Nothing. Blank mind. I stared up at scudding grey clouds coming from above the crag, then suddenly my mind refilled with consciousness and sense of self. I remembered falling. My mouth was filled with grit and I could taste blood. There were sharp, angular rocks pressing into my back, as I lay head downwards on the slope below the crag.
My head hurt.
I flexed my fingers, then my toes. I could feel them move, and no pain as I did so. Relief. Next, my arms, then my legs. I flexed my elbows and cycled my knees in the air gently. Nothing wrong. Amazing.
My back hurt, and I was terrified of back injury, a sudden movement crushing my spinal cord, so that the sensation from my legs suddenly vanished forever. I lay for a long time, contemplating it, fearing it. The crag was deserted. Nobody could help me. The road was what, 2 miles away?
I tried to roll over, and managed to do so, onto my hands and knees. Blood instantly poured down my face in rivulets and stung my eyes. My back seemed ok though.
I managed to stand up, and saw that I'd been lying on a jumble of broken sandstone blocks. I'd fallen on THAT, and not broken anything!?! Wow.
I felt my scalp. There was a big mushy area just behind and right of the crown of my skull. I couldn't tell if my skull was damaged. there was a huge lump, like half a cricket ball, protruding from my bloody hair (which was long at the time) like something from a cartoon. Lots of slow dark blood.
I looked up the route I'd fallen from. The very last move. That was 30 feet! I looked around the rocks to see where I'd bashed my head, expecting to see skin and hair adhering to the gritty sandstone somewhere. Nothing to see though.
I felt the grit in my mouth, and cupped my hand to spit into. What came out wasn't grit however. It was fragments of shattered teeth. My jaws slammed shut with such force when I landed on my back, that my teeth smashed like china cups.
Falling from 30 feet, onto a pile of boulders, landed me with a period of unconsciousness (seconds? minutes? hours? I have no idea) a mouthful of broken teeth, severe concussion, some thunderous bruises, but no broken bones, no brain damage, no paralysis, no choking on a swallowed tongue, no death, all of which were at least as likely as the actual outcome, and some of them more so.
I don't seek to put anyone off with this, but it serves as a cautionary tale. My average leading grade at the time was about VS/HVS and the route was well within my ability. A mere gust of wind was all it took to kill me. That I didn't die is just luck.
I had trouble soloing after that, even bouldering more than a yard or two off the ground freaked my head out. I remember a visiting Kim Carrigan at Caley watching me gibbering on an arete problem and, assuming it must be harder than it looked, getting on it straight after I jumped off. He was puzzled when it turned out to be a 4c path, but gracious enough to listen to my story about why I was having problems, and encouraged me to get on and have another go.
I never really got over it until 1985 when I went back to Northumberland and Simonside, where I felt compelled to solo Swastika Crack again, looking at the top of the arete, expecting to see deep groves where my fingers clawed at the rock as I began to fall. I then soloed down it, a controlled descent to exorcise the devils of my previous plummet. A final repeat of the solo, and a photo looking down the route from the top, to picture my nightmare landing and throw perspective on my survival, and the barrier was gone. I soon went on to solo bigger and harder routes, up to HVS/E1, which was equal to my lead grade at the time, and I gained nothing but pleasure and controlled thrill from doing so.
I rarely dwell on my avoidance of death that day. It never put me off climbing. I never even considered that. I didn't even tell any of my family until weeks after the event, and even then I played down its potential seriousness.
I love to climb, and always will, but I don't solo now. It's just something I gradually lost the desire to do. Climbing for me is nowadays just about fun and good craic and being in beautiful places, nothing more. But to solo, you have to be aware that survival isn't necessarily in your hands, that no matter how good you are, there are always other forces waiting to interrupt your flow, and perhaps your life.
As an addendum, the poster formerly known as JoHNy, who wasn't exactly Mr Popular amongst many of you, had a fall of 30 feet at Ratho Quarry back in March. 5 days intensive care. 5 weeks in hospital. Multiple injuries. Now in a wheelchair, though not permanently.
The difference is, he was roped, not solo. He fell the same as me, but was severely injured. And he has given up climbing for good. ...'
|
|
imaserious
Big Wall climber
melbourne
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Sep 10, 2015 - 01:51am PT
|
**Australia (1979) Tobin Sorenson and John Allen
**
Mt Arapiles
The remarkable development of Australia's hardest area continues without respite. Again Kim Carrigan has been the dominant activist. He put up Australia's first two grade 27s when he freed the old aid problems Yesterday and Denim (pitch one) in quick succession. Both are sustained and extremely overhanging crack problems. Yesterday has not been repeated in its free state but visiting American climber Tobin Sorenson repeated Denim after a number of attempts and said it was 'hard' (American 5 .12). (He said that some, only, of Australia's 26s equal American 5.12 and all 27s would be 5.12 in the U.S.A.)
Carrigan freed the four-meter ceiling on Tiger Wall, Fox on a Hot Thin Roof, after five days and graded it 28. This grade did not last long, however, as Sorenson repeated it with relative ease and regarded it 27. John Allen (UK) led the third free ascent. A feature of the first free ascent of this climb was the pre-placing of some protection from aid.
Another of Carrigan's big efforts was his new climb on Bluff Major, Anxiety Neurosis (26) which basically follows an uncompleted bolt and rurp route. The first pitch is an extremely overhung traverse leading to a fearsome, undercut arete (26). It succumbed only after a number of days and many falls. The second pitch, up a blank arete, is little easier and also put Carrigan and his partner, Warwick Baird, to considerable trouble. Sorenson led the second ascent and Allen led the third ascent (first pitch only).
On Declaration Crag, Carrigan and Tony Dignam put up the face problem Look Sharp (23) with some pre-placed protection. Carrigan's first free ascent of Orestes (pitch one) (24) in The Atridae surprised most climbers because of the line's apparent looseness. However the line is one of the best at Arapiles and has already had a couple of repeats. This route received some attention from abseil prior to the first free ascent. In the same vicinity Kevin Lindorff and Dignam worked on the face left of Reunion to produce the rather bold Lois Lane (23) on which Peter Lindorff and Matt Dunstan followed. Dignam and Geoff Little did a similar route left of Frenzy - Iron Void (24). Below this, on the D Minor Pinnacle, Carrigan and Chris Peisker worked on the old aid problem The Philosopher (25) until it became a very thin free route. Lindorff and Geoff Little put up a minor new route, Fail Safe (25).
On the left side of Central Gully, Carrigan, Rod Young and John Smoothy climbed Cruel Canine (23) on the unpromising face right of Puppy Love.
The other side of Central Gully yielded a number of hard routes to Carrigan. Two of the best are Devoid (23), done with Tony Marion, and Vacancy (23), with Smoothy, on the wall right of Mari. Both were wire brushed prior to the ascent and require many small wires for protection.
Also in this general area Carrigan put up the 'nasty' Tres Hard (25) and an extremely overhanging crack problem. Dyslexia (25), with Peisker. Further right the same team found No Standing (24) on the steep face left of Stillborn and Carrigan led the brilliant face climb Morfyne (24) on which he was seconded bY Glenn Tempest, Louise Shepherd, Eddie Ozols and, rumour has it, Uncle Tom Cobbley!
On the Pharos there were two outstanding efforts: Kevin Lindorff led the very bold and sparsely protected Delirium Tremors (24) up the imposing southern face of the pinnacle, the first to get up this section of the wall, and Carrigan and Lindorff did the first free ascent of the dramatically exposed roof of Aftermath (25).
In the Pharos Gully there were more hard new climbs of mixed quality including Pattern Juggler (23) by Rod Young and K. Oaten, Snow Blind (23) by Coral Bowman and Peisker and Haphazard (23) by Carrigan, Dignam and Smoothy.
On Kitten Wall there were some major efforts. Carrigan finally freed Cat Cracker (26) after innumerable plummets from the hard boulder-problem crux and, with Mark Moorhead, put up the steep face climb Indoctrination (24) on which'Friends' are essential for some protection.
However the plum was undoubtedly Sorenson and Allen's beautiful and spectacular new route up the wall (23) and over the fifteen foot ceiling (25) right of Stranger's Eliminate. Tjuringa Wall, as they called it, was done in the best style and is one of the finest new routes at Mt. Arapiles in recent times.
In the Northern Group, Carrigan climbed a seam over the bulge right of Kachoong to give In Phase (24). Again 'Friends' were considered indispensible for protection. Sorenson's unroped on-sight solo of the ceiling route Kachoong Left Hand (22) really slackened local jaws. Another first was his similar solo of Christian Crack (2O). Finally, Allen and Sorenson, this time with the rope on, climbed a new ceiling which certain pundits considered unlikely' - Fiddler on the Roof (25).
Sorenson and Allen's most notable repeats not referred to above were the fourth and fifth ascents of the very strenuous testpiece Procol Harum (26) and the third and fourth ascents of Peisker's uncompleted (one pitch, only, so far) new route No Exit (26) in Central Gully.
The Grampians
Whilst Mt. Arapiles has had it all in quantity and difficulty, some of the best new routes have been done in the Grampians. The hardest is Life (24) on the face left of Decree Nisi at Black Ian's Rocks by Carrigan and Neil Parker (NZ). A bolt runner was placed by abseil. Also in the north, at Mt. Difficult, Rick White and Chris Baxter did Coup de Grace (21) one of the most overhanging crack climbs in the State, and an outstanding line. On Sundial Peak, Kevin Lindorff and Peter Jacobs climbed the 'elegant' Lion-Hearted (2O) 15ft right of Caucus Race.
In the South Jim Nelson and Dick Curtis climbed a prominent line on The Cheesecake at Mt. Abrupt - Shadow Road (2O). A point of aid used by the leader was eliminated by the second. Mick Law, Baxter and Mike Stone did the first climb on Ferret Hill - Tipsy (22), a beautiful corner and roof climb of two pitches. Nearby on The Promontory, another new outcrop, Hugh Foxcroft, Ed Neve and Nick Reeves did a sustained line which they called Restless (2O). Just to the north, on Mt. Fox, Baxter, Stone and Dave Gairns climbed the outstanding and unlikely wall between Foxfire and Leaner to give Twentieth Century Fox (2O) after first placing protection bolts.
Mt. Buffalo
Kevin Lindorff and Joe Friend reduced the aid on the She/Ozymandias Integral (22,M1) to one pendulum. This is one of the most spectacular routes on the north wall of the gorge. To the left of this Lindorff and Tempest did a remarkable almost free ascent of Lord of the Flies (23,M1) with only two aid points, to get off the ground, and four long pitches of 20 or harder.
Rest of Victoria
At Wilson's Promontory Tempest freed Cachalot (22), with Andrew Martin.
South Australia
Kim Carrigan recently visited Moonarie in the Flinders Ranges and, predictably, that area's number of hard routes underwent a quantum increase. One of the best was his first free ascent, with Louise Shepherd, of Robbing Hood (24) in the Great Wall area.
Other aid eliminations by Carrigan included Trojan (24), an overhanging crack and the removal of the single aid point from Medici (22). On the latter climb, a problem that has defeated a number of strong attempts, he was seconded by Shepherd and Tony Dignam. He put up one new climb, Self Destruct (24), which is said to involve a 3Oft ceiling, and did a new variant on Birdbrain (23). Dignam seconded the latter. Earlier, John Smart did the State's first grade 24 when he freed Grand Larceny on the same cliff; a proud roof 3OOft above the ground.
Elsewhere in South Australia Eddie Ozols put up Rubber Ducky (21) (for all you CB radio fans out there) on the sea cliff at Victor Harbour.
Oueensland
The chalk dust has fina!!y settled . after Tobin Sorenson's (U.S.A.) and John Allen's (U.K.) momentous visit. They raised grades in that State a couple of notches to bring them up to southern levels. Significantly Carrigan has already repeated all their hardest leads, confirming their difficulty with a dramatic series of plummets.
Allen and Sorenson's hardest route was Catcher in the Rye (27) on Frog Buttress which may be the most technical climbing in Australia but which required 'English tactics' to arrange the protection on both ascents to date. Sorenson took the lead from Allen to free a pair of aided climbs Barbwire Canoe (26) and Green Plastic Comb (26). These ascents have really impressed the locals. The former has scarcely no climbing below grade 22 in its 140ft. The latter is very strenuous and is protected by tiny wires. Sorenson took a series of dramatic, wire-snapping falls on both these demanding leads.
Elsewhere on Frog Buttress they put up The Guns of Navarone (24), a sought-after line right of Odin which incorporates one of this area's few ceilings. Tantrum (25) was an aid elimination with a boulder-problem start by the same pair whereas their Crack in the Pavement (23) was a new route.
Some Australians have also contributed to this cliff. Before he went to the U.S.A. Chris Peisker freed Worrying Heights (24), a sustained corner. Carrigan, seconded by Kevin Lindorff, got the only currently feasible aid elimination left by Sorenson and Allen (who had not had time to attempt it) - Voices in the Sky (26), and found a new climb Go- Between (23), seconded by 'barefoot boy' Fred From, which is something of a fiercely protected lead. Finally, a Oueenslander got in on the act when Robert Staszewski hit form and freed the strenuous finger crack of Carrion Comfort (25), which he wants to rename Forever Young, and found Delilah (23).
On Mt. Maroon, Sorenson and Allen freed the notorious Nympho Roof (24) which is a dangerously unprotected face leading to a hard undercling traverse. On a granite outcrop at Mt. Greville they did a rather obscure ceiling problem (24) which they doubt will be refound!
Correspondents: Baxter, Friend.
|
|
imaserious
Big Wall climber
melbourne
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Sep 10, 2015 - 02:19am PT
|
Climbing Magazine, #94, February 1986
'...For years, the hardest route in America was Grand Illusion, a route done in 1979. Why is it that, despite a quick lead in the rock climbing game, American climbers have fallen behind? And why is Tony Yaniro the only American to have Grand Illusion? Carrigan made the fifth ascent in only two days of effort, after Gullich, (who made the second ascent in 1982), an unidentified German, and Hidetaka Suzuki had already climbed the route.
Grand Illusion is in California; everyone who has repeated it has traveled thousands of miles to do so, yet few Californians have even tried it. Moffatt flashed The Phoenix, yet few Valley climbers have tried it. Why are foreign climbers willing and able to do our hardest routes in excellent style when the “Best of America” won’t go near them?...'
..................................................................
http://www.mountainproject.com/v/grand-illusion/105875792
>>>By Craig Smith
>>>Sep 15, 2014
>>> For the record both Tod Skinner and I did it in '86 before Suzuki I >>>think, and we placed all the gear on lead. I'm not aware of anybody >>>who has flashed the route placing all the gear on lead. I think some >>>have pink pointed the route with gear in place.
.
.
|
|
jaaan
Trad climber
Chamonix, France
|
|
|
Sep 10, 2015 - 11:57am PT
|
In the spring of 1981 I was climbing at Tremadoc in North Wales. I led a route called Atomic Finger Flake, a wildly overhanging layback at about mid 5.11ish. From the belay above the flake, the climb is invisible. I shouted to my partner to start climbing and he replied OK. I could hear him asking me to take in a bit quicker, which I did. He climbed fast but managed to keep up a move by move commentary about the pitch... right up to the last move... when a grinning Kim Carrigan pulled into view accompanied by manic laughter from the ground!
|
|
imaserious
Big Wall climber
melbourne
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Sep 10, 2015 - 09:08pm PT
|
>>>In the spring of 1981 I was climbing at Tremadoc in North Wales. I led >>>a route called Atomic Finger Flake, a wildly overhanging layback
>>>Boris Hannon and Ian Parsons. 1981.
IS THAT YOU ???
|
|
jaaan
Trad climber
Chamonix, France
|
|
|
Sep 11, 2015 - 12:31am PT
|
No, it's not me but I took the photo. It was taken in April 81. The incident with Kim was in May. Atomic Finger Flake is one of a handful of routes that stay dry in the rain (it's underneath the famous Ochre Slab of Vector) - something quite handy to know about in North Wales - and Tremadoc itself tends to get better weather than Snowdonia in general - and so at that time if you climbed regularly in N Wales you'd end up climbing routes like this again and again. I say 'at that time' as now there are far more wet weather alternatives up on the limestone of the north coast - Pen Trwyn etc.
|
|
Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
|
|
So what's the current disposition of this book project?
|
|
imaseriousyounglizard
Ice climber
mekbourne
|
|
|
Dec 16, 2017 - 09:00pm PT
|
http://www.chockstone.org/Forum/Forum.asp?Action=DisplayTopic&ForumID=2&MessageID=11090&Replies=429&MsgPagePos=-1#NewPost
https://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/page.php?id=9629l
THE KC BOOK WILL BE THE #1 BEST SELLER OF 2018
THE BOOK LAUNCH WILL BE BIGGER THAN THE TRUMP - NASAz NEW LAUVCH TO THE MOON !!!!
THE BEST CLIMBERS OF 1981 ACCORDING TO KC IN CRAGS MAGAZINE # 32 :
.....................................................................
'...Crags : Do we have world class climbers in Britain ?
KC : Of course. Fawcett is obviously one of the best in the world, BUT THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS THE BEST. He'd certainly make the team though
Crags: What team ? Some kind of All Star 11 ? Do you really have some imaginary team ?
KC : Sure . Tony Yaniro is one just for Grand Illusion ......JIm Collins has to be in for Genesis.....Dougie Hall over here who Ive been climbing with. He's efficient , prolific , bold , totally world class...Obviously Fawcetts in. Its really impressive how he can go almost anywhere and do so many top routes. In Yosemite he's done the top crack climbs when he's not really a crack specialist - routes such as Phoenix........From Yosemite, John Bachar gets in . He's specialized but when he's good he's untouchable. He's just so good at bouldering No one has repeated Midnight LIghtning which is his showpiece right on a boulder in the middle of Camp Four.......Mark Moorhead from Australia who nobody has ever heard of but he gets in because he's done every one of my routes.......Also from Yosemite , Bill Price is probably the best crack climber. His route Cosmic Debris is pretty hard at 5.13.......By reputation, Kurt Albert the German is in and Wolfgang Gullich has done a lot in America . Those are the 2 Germans I know of ... and Jean Claude Droyer from France is highly rated I know.
Crags ; Thats 10 . Who is the eleventh man ? Do you get into the team ?
KC : I think I might...'
...........................................................
IM 1985 KC FINISHED HIS FOUR YEAR PROJECT ... SERIOUS YOUNG LIZARDS... GRADE 31 ... 5.13d ... only Wolfgang Gullich had a climb of that grade at the time ...
AND OF COURSE IN 1985 KC FREED ALLTHE ROSTRUM AND MADE THE 5th ASCENT OF GRAND ILLUSION...
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
|
|
Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
|
|
|
Dec 21, 2017 - 10:42am PT
|
Thanks for checking in, SeriousLizard!
Enjoyed reading the UKC article by Andy Pollitt.
Oh, and by the way, I may have been misleading you that there was another article by Kim Carrigan on Americas Cup yet to be found.
Perhaps you have figured this out by now.
I'm thinking it was the Jeff Smoot Carrigan/Profile which I posted up earlier in this thread.
Still not 100% on this, but that's probably the article I was referring to. Problem is, I only have the text, and not the photographs which went with it when first published, to help confirm.
|
|
AP
Trad climber
Calgary
|
|
|
Dec 21, 2017 - 10:54am PT
|
I wonder what other slander and witticisms occurred during the PO Wall ascent?
Darryl would have kept spirits up (until he discovered the grass was left behind)
|
|
Ghost
climber
A long way from where I started
|
|
|
Dec 21, 2017 - 12:14pm PT
|
Darryl would have kept spirits up (until he discovered the grass was left behind)
We used to tease him about making the first clean ascent.
|
|
Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
|
|
|
Dec 21, 2017 - 11:41pm PT
|
Jeff Smoot Climbing (93) 26, Profiles: Kim Carrigan
|
|
Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
|
|
|
Dec 22, 2017 - 05:52am PT
|
Yes, Ed:
I have that article posted in full up thread, text only. (Got it either from you or Steel Monkey)
What I'm saying is, I thought there was another one authored by Kim himself.
But I think the Jeff Smoot article is what I was referring to. (i.e., looking for an article from Kim might be a wild goose chase)
Until I can see if the initial photograph from that article (Climbing 93) includes Kim on Americas Cup, at the Cookie, I can't be sure.
|
|
Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
|
|
Any more news on this book project?
I just did a Google search and came up with nada.
|
|
shipoopoi
Big Wall climber
oakland
|
|
hey, just saw this thread. i climbed a bunch with kim in europe in 1983 after the french climbing meet. he was super inspirational and supportive to me. always motivated, it was fun to try and keep up. i did early repeats of some of his testpieces like india and was close to doing the ring route.
last saw him maybe 18 yers or so ago when i was in sydney or brisane.
Besides bachar, he was probably the most influential climber in y upbringing.
steve schneider
|
|
ionlyski
Trad climber
Polebridge, Montana
|
|
When I did my one and only (hopefully that will change) tour of South East Australia and Tasmanian climbing areas, Kim Carrigan's name was everywhere, of course alongside all those other colorful characters. Names like Greg Child, Roland Pauligk, Simon Mentz, Simon-the other guy, Mike Law (sometimes he changed his name to Mike Claw) and so many others I forget just now. I bought a guidebook at every single area just to pour over the history of these scraggly, impoverished but tough climbers.
Is Louise, the wife of Kim that Survival writes about The Louise Sheppard? She was still living in Natimuk and climbing when I was there in 2008.
Arne
|
|
Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
|
|
Yes, Louise Sheppard.
I also wrote about her in one of my reports. Strong ass climber, that one. And the guys were not so bad either!
|
|
| Messages 1 - 72 of total 72 in this topic |
|
SuperTopo on the Web
|
Let us know!