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fgw
climber
portland, or
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Survival, Jeff T's article in Mazama annual (2008?) on the history of St. Peters Dome climbing would be another good source for Oregon old school pioneers. Also, how about Tom Bauman.
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MH2
Boulder climber
Andy Cairns
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Was there / is there a Portland climber last name Sowerby?
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Grinching
Trad climber
State of Confusion
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How about the legendary Wayne Arrington? (That guy has to have some epic stories!)
Nathan Charleton? Last I saw of him was as an engineer for KPFF in Portland.
Monty Mako? I think it was through Nathan that we teamed up with him, and Mark Cartier one day to climb in the gorge at Smith Rocks.
And what is the latest about Alan Watts; JoAnne?
Big John Adams?
I haven't seen Ron Houck since he got married and headed to Mexico.
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Rock Eagle
Trad climber
Central Coast
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Mike Smelser - still alive and kicking. He's mostly into trail running and endurance races these days. He's also my husband of 32 years :-)
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survival
Big Wall climber
Terrapin Station
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Topic Author's Reply - Sep 10, 2015 - 07:38am PT
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Grinching, thanks for posting up!! Grinching is the hard headed nailer I spoke of previously. Hey, I took some of those pix!! Woot!!
Rock Eagle!! So awesome to hear that Mike is doing well, and still doing difficult things. You've put up with him all these years? You must be a blessed Saint. Tell Mike I was in Yosemite when he led "The Void". He was a face climbing god in those days, and doing us Oregonians proud.
Now I will dip into the deep waters. Anybody ever heard of John Barton? He was a high school teacher of mine.......
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rockermike
Trad climber
Berkeley
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Sep 10, 2015 - 08:03am PT
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What high school did you go to? I graduated from Adams in '73. There were a group of climbers there and one teacher who taught us a bit. Mostly don't remember names. Teacher may have been Nash??? Then there was Smitty... Roger Smith I believe. Fell off tbe north side of rooster rock and landed in shallow water and mud. Lived through it but barely.
Neil Olson and Wayne Hack come to mind... famous from early El Cap rescue.
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Crimpergirl
Sport climber
Boulder, Colorado!
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Sep 10, 2015 - 08:10am PT
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As an outsider, I'd love to hear more about everyone on this growing list. I hope people offer lots of stories about those who are still here and those who have already passed. Great thread Survival!
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Joron
Trad climber
Hoodland, Oregon
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Sep 12, 2015 - 08:35am PT
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Great thread as always, Survival!
Oregon old timer? Maybe, I can add something. My first trip to Smith was Thanksgiving weekend 1970 with the PSU Outdoor Program. In those days there was no bridge or hordes of tourists and we camped at the Old Climbers Camp under the big pine tree near Monument. My first climb that weekend was Juniper Spire in my new Galibier Super Guides! And, what partying – drunken night climbs up the backside of Monument, walking deep into the dry canal tunnel and off to the Red Barn in Redmond for beer swilling. I’m still climbing, but have sworn off high altitude stuff.
Some of the folks I remember:
Dan Gates – still in PDX - retired from climbing.
Steve Strauch – still in PDX. Showed up one time at Smith in a full Kendo outfit.
Dan and Steve put up several classic routes at Smith. As Watts puts it “Their hardest routes didn’t raise the standards , but they were the first to commit themselves to free ascents. – deserve partial credit for starting the movement” Steve was also one of the earliest Oregon climbers to start leaving pitons behind after a trip to Wales in the sixties.
Wayne Haack – retired from climbing, lives in Scappoose? Neal’s partner on the 72 El Cap rescue. Wayne was seriously into Klepper, kayaking, exploring Greenland and Inside Passage. I ran into Wayne at a party a few years ago – hadn’t seen him for over thirty years.
Neal Olson – still climbing after recovering from a brain aneurysm about 8 years ago. We still hang out for happy hour and get out climbing some. Broke his leg on El Cap in 72 and rescued by Bridwell, Werner, et al.
Brian Holcomb – ? haven’t seen Brian since 1984 in Yosemite
Janice White – first topless ascent of Monkey Face with Brian Holcomb 1971? (deceased)
Tim Carpenter – Tim and John Tyreman (deceased) established one of the first rap bolted routes at Smith - “Revelations”. Still in PDX, not sure if he still climbs?
Mike Lake – climbing and bicycling around the world
Jon Sprecher - still in Bend and climbing?
Jim Davis – still in Bend?
Mike Pujanas - ?
Gary Rolle – the man behind Portland Rock Gym
Chet Sutterlin - ?
Bob Marshall – not climbing, living in Juneau
C’mon Oregon climbers, post up more vintage photos! Here's one from 1972.
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christoph benells
Trad climber
Tahoma, Ca
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Sep 12, 2015 - 08:44am PT
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I climbed with a jim olsen at broughton bluff about year ago, this may be the Jim you speak of...he talked of much BITD
we climbed hanging gardens into sesame street, he led sesame street! pretty strenuous climb for a dude that old.
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Joron
Trad climber
Hoodland, Oregon
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Sep 12, 2015 - 09:17am PT
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More photos from the 70's:
Cinnamon Slab. We all called it Rat Dung Ramp back then and thought Wayne Haack had done the first ascent. Acltually, Bob Bauman free soloed it in the sixties. It was one of the few free climbs in the Dihedrals then.
At the time the pin list for West Face included a couple of RURPS. I still have the hand drawn topo Wayne Haack shared with me.
Monkey Face, West Face Variation 1973
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rockermike
Trad climber
Berkeley
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Sep 12, 2015 - 09:04pm PT
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I remember Janice White well.... As a young recent high school graduate on one of my first outdoor program trips she was doing one of her topless climbing things. :) I'm still smiling. Sad to hear she passed on.
If I'm not mistaken that black and white of Ratdung Ramp was one of my photos. :)
When I moved away from Portland I -sadly -threw out all my photos. I had quite a few nice ones of Smith as I recall. Glad someone keeps stuff. :)
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survival
Big Wall climber
Terrapin Station
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Topic Author's Reply - Sep 13, 2015 - 08:33am PT
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Great stuff you guys!!
Rockermike, I went to Bend High, and then graduated from Mountainview in Bend the first year it was open.
The John Barton I spoke of earlier was a teacher at Bend High. He did some pretty early things in the Cascades and was also on a couple of the first ascents at Wolf Rock, before Barad Dur went up.
Joron, I think I met Steve Strauch, but didn't know him. I certainly know the name, now that someone else has jarred the old memory box!!
Keith Royster at Smith, in the not so old days....
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Joron
Trad climber
Hoodland, Oregon
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Sep 13, 2015 - 12:26pm PT
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That could be your photo, Mike, but not sure I knew you when we were still climbing in Robbins boots? I still have several of your B&W photos including ones from Mt. Stuart. Janice was lost in a sailing accident sometime in the late 70's. In 72 we had a run in with the local sheriff at Index when Janice and my girlfriend decided to go skinny dipping!
Steve Strauch is quite the character. One story goes that he fell off the top of Juniper Spire way back when, but was able to grab the rappel lines in the nick of time. In 93 we did a bivy at 16,000' on Pisang Peak on the Annapurna Circuit when he got into an argument with Neal Olson. Steve was pissed and he asked Neal if he wanted to step outside!
PSU Outdoor Program Alumni 1992.
Beacon Rock, SE corner 1971
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Rock Eagle
Trad climber
Central Coast
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Sep 13, 2015 - 09:01pm PT
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Survival - Yes, Mike's always been a good face climber. He still has those nerves of steel for runout faces. He is still trying to figure out why he went to the Cookie (and the Void) to face climb!
Here is Mike's favorite picture of Ken Stroud (who died on ice climbing on Forsythe Glacier on Mt. St. Helens fall 1976) taken at the base of Sunnyside Bench. Mike and Ken climbed RNWF Half Dome that August.
Mike says this was a common pose for both of them in those days. Guidebooks in hand with a puzzled look on their faces.
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