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mouse from merced
Trad climber
The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.
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Nov 22, 2018 - 07:17am PT
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Anyone have any guess how many Bird stories exist?
I'm sure that there are flocks of them.
"Vive la France," M. Chappy.
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ron gomez
Trad climber
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Nov 22, 2018 - 08:08am PT
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Cool piece Jim gave me a few years back...metolious 5 cam. This was designed as an anti-walking cam for a climb in Alaska. The middle cam is set in reverse to counter any walking movement. Jim’s garage was a virtual shop of inventions and tweeks on existing things. He had an incredible mind that questioned everything. Miss Jim, yesterday was Peggy’s(Mrs. Bridwell) Birthday.
Peace
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Roger Breedlove
climber
Cleveland Heights, Ohio
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Nov 22, 2018 - 08:09am PT
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Mark's comments regarding Jim and the early 70s in the Valley are revealing. It was experimental. Jim's primary contribution to climbing, in my opinion, was not any specific piece of equipment or style or climb, it was his open nature towards any new idea or new climber, the ability to assess it objectively, and a willingness to stick his neck out trying to define how to think about it. Although Royal and Jim were very different, Jim learned this from Royal.
The a, b, c, d grading idea and the list of comparative climbs was an attempt to address the unwillingness of climbers putting up ever harder new routes to estimate the grade of their new routes as opposed to calling it 5.9 or hard 5.10. No one was willing to call a route 5.11. Royal and Chuck were still around for crying-out-loud. Three routes that were 5.11, in hindsight, were done in 1967, three years before New Dimensions was climbed. But no one loudly called them them 5.11: only whispered tones.
At the time, Jim estimated that established 5.10 spanned about two grades as compared to 5.9. In this light, 5.10 c and d, should have been 5.11, easy and hard. I have no idea if this is what climbers would think now, but they have the advantage of an open-ended rating system with a clear understanding of comparative ratings, the system Jim cteated.
In the 60s, Pratt and Royal set the ratings and grades for Roper to use in his guides, using their substantial knowledge of a huge number of routes and there high level of skill. As an aside, for a route on the Cookie (The Cleft, I think), Chuck lead the thing four times before deciding that it was only 5.9.
How many Chucks and Royals were there do this work in the early 70s? Prior to Jim setting the rules, more-or-less, only one: Jim. After his articles, there were many: we could all express an opinion by comparing the pitch to similar pitches with agreed ratings. The more opinions, the better. For free-climbing it seems to work pretty well. This was not the case prior to Jim's efforts to systematize it.
Rating all seemed neat and tidy on the surface but with a little inspection it was a bit messy. Up-thread, someone points out that Rixon's was the first 5.10. Roper states that the first 5.10 was Doom. Here is the point of confusion: Royal climbed Rixons by laybacking the squeeze chimney, without protection, which he rated 5.9 (and everyone who has done it that way seems to agree): scary, but 5.9. Everyone with any sense climbed it as a squeeze/off width, which was plausibly easy 5.10, and safe. Does this mean it was the first 5.10? No.
For New Dimension, the first pitch was top roped by several climbers with a consensus that it was 5.11, if led. When Jim and Mark climbed the route, with the aid swing on the last pitch, they rated it 5.11 A1. When Barry and Steve free climbed the last pitch, they rated it 5.11. The first pitch was down-rated to 5.10. But here is the important bit, the Bridwell bit: by leading the climb and creating a route (as opposed to a top rope pitch) and rating it 5.11, everyone one took notice and starting looking at all the other potential routes at Arch Rock, the Cookie, and other uninspected cliffs. If you want to feel a little foolish, do a first ascent or FFA of a route that you have walked by 50 times before it dawns on you to try it.
In my opinion, Jim's most noteworthy achievement was fostering so many young climbers and visitors to the Valley. A few days before he passed away, I reminded him of this. His response: "I like people." For him it was as simple as that. He liked people and wanted them to be as successful as they could be. He worked hard to climb at the ragged edge of what was possible, but he wanted company, lots of company, and he was very skillful in leading with a soft touch, at least most of the time. He was better at this community-building and support than anyone that came before and, I think, well afterward. We all benefited either directly, like Mark and me (and lots of others), or indirectly for all the future climbers worldwide.
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Jim Clipper
climber
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Nov 22, 2018 - 08:30am PT
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I've heard the story about the airplane funded Alps trip that got mired down, maybe permanently delayed, somewhere in France. However, names were not named? The bird?! Maybe better to know simply, he got things done.
Edit: amsterdam?
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ron gomez
Trad climber
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Nov 22, 2018 - 08:59am PT
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Roger, that last paragraph nailed it.
Peace
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AP
Trad climber
Calgary
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Nov 22, 2018 - 09:24am PT
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I was in J Tree a number of years ago next to a Bridwell guided group.
He showed them a few hot wire cams with the reversed lobe so I had to watch and listen. Cool idea.
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Mark Force
Trad climber
Ashland, Oregon
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Nov 22, 2018 - 08:48pm PT
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In my opinion, Jim's most noteworthy achievement was fostering so many young climbers and visitors to the Valley. A few days before he passed away, I reminded him of this. His response: "I like people." For him it was as simple as that. He liked people and wanted them to be as successful as they could be. He worked hard to climb at the ragged edge of what was possible, but he wanted company, lots of company, and he was very skillful in leading with a soft touch, at least most of the time. He was better at this community-building and support than anyone that came before and, I think, well afterward. We all benefited either directly, like Mark and me (and lots of others), or indirectly for all the future climbers worldwide.
Spot on. Thanks for that, Roger. I was never that great, but he gave genuine encouragement to duffers like me, as well. A big man in a lot of ways.
Thanks to the BIrd
http://www.supertopo.com/climbing/thread.php?topic_id=2632856&msg=2632856#msg2632856
I pay my respects to the mayor of Camp 4 and the ringleader of Yosemite climbing in the 70s. We have Jim Bridwell to thank for the magic of that time and place. Alpinist of the first order; brilliant, focused, fierce, visionary, inventive, hard as nails, funny as hell, generous, kind, always real, and continually driving everyone to be their best.
More stories!
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Flip Flop
climber
Earth Planet, Universe
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I want Tahoe City Camp V stories and Squaw Valley Stories. There are pictures on the wall of The Bird in Le Chamois Loft Bar. There's always been a strong group of Yosemite Climbers who are Tahoe/ Squaw skiers.
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BBA
Social climber
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Feb 10, 2019 - 08:16am PT
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From another thread...
"I answered "Yosemite" and he asked, "what's happening there these days?" Usually, the people asking me questions were generally clueless about climbing, but this question led to suspect that he knew at least something about climbing. I gave a brief summary of things and mentioned that Bridwell was BMOC. He casually let slip that he had taught Bridwell to climb. Who is this guy? The monogram on his briefcase caught my eye: FJS -- "oh, my gawd, you're ..." The conversation continued, but I was a bit more tongue-tied than before."
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Lemurian
climber
Bend
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Feb 10, 2019 - 08:35am PT
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I recall a cut down crack'n'up being revealed as a critical tool for some half dome hijinks in '87. Bridwell had one in the pocket of his red coveralls that he wore on the route and in the valley, too. It was after quite a bit of beer that he pulled his pecker out to share :ComicRimshot:
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Toker Villain
Big Wall climber
Toquerville, Utah
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Feb 10, 2019 - 07:45pm PT
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BITD he tried to talk me into joining him to establish an el cap route with bolted on holds.
He said if it went at .10d it would become the most popular route on it,..
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Flip Flop
climber
Earth Planet, Universe
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Feb 15, 2019 - 03:52pm PT
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Roger Breedlove
climber
Cleveland Heights, Ohio
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Feb 15, 2019 - 06:08pm PT
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I recognize Jim and Kim, and Lois, I think. Other faces are familiar, but no names pop up. Squaw Valley. About 1972?
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Rollover
climber
Gross Vegas
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Feb 15, 2019 - 06:29pm PT
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vvvvvvv Norm Simmons (4 time Chinese Downhill winner and ex-Houston Oiler) vvvvvvv top middle..
Wall of fame photo from Jimmy King’s or Peter Hipp’s office?
Jimmy King white T-shirt bottom middle, no radio harness.
Hippo just to his right in motorcycle racing jacket with stripes.
I like the safety harnesses too...🙄
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Flip Flop
climber
Earth Planet, Universe
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Feb 15, 2019 - 06:47pm PT
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aspendougy
Trad climber
Los Angeles, CA
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Feb 15, 2019 - 09:23pm PT
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I heard that Dolt made a small rurp like piton. Someone called it a "crud bit." Did that come before or after the rurp?
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Squirrel Murphy
Trad climber
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 16, 2019 - 06:23am PT
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I honestly thought the a-d system from 5.10 and beyond was his concept. I can honestly say that a 5.9 Bridwell route is stiffer than others. I was also told a rumor that 10.96 was named after 2 things:
10.96 is = to 10d. Kinda makes sense since it's almost to 11.0, and it also was some LEO code for a "maniac on the loose"
But he never went big walling on LSD?
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