Discussion Topic |
|
This thread has been locked |
LongAgo
Trad climber
|
|
|
May 10, 2007 - 05:59pm PT
|
Guess we should add to Ed's data base one where Barry was involved, but probably too humble to claim any credit. Old Meyers Yellow Guide says only, "The Void," Tom Higgins et.al., 5/71. Well, the et. al. was Barry and Beverly.
I was wandering along Cookie cliff looking for partners and maybe a climb when I found Barry and Beverly at work on a new route: a short face leading to a crack right of Catchy. They had placed a bolt in a blank area just short of where the hand crack began and were having trouble getting past the bolt. Young whippersnapper I was, I asked to give it a go, and easy going and friendly as they were, they said, "Sure."
I couldn’t get past the bolt either, but found a way to climb down and left slightly, then back up on little holds not immediately visible. That got me to the hand crack which was strenuous but not bad. Both followed and off we rapped with chit chat on the great weather, climbs to come, etc, with no trace of annoyance, put down or the other negative vibrations one can imagine arising in the aftermath of someone walking up to a climb on which you're stymied and doing it.
Later, at Pinnacles National Monument, I flopped off a couple of Bates specials before getting them, Mechanics Delight and the old Machete Direct. Mechanics has a mantle on a sloping snout I could not even touch – as with The Void, I had to find a way around on microholds. And Machete Direct seems like 12 to me, but humble Barry really thought it was 11 and there you go again - not one to boost his achievements.
Hope all is well Barry Bates. Hope to see you at Indian Rock someday!
And Bev, you live on well in the only and best place we ever get to live, finally - the minds and memories of committed friends and family.
Tom Higgins
LonAgo
|
|
Oli
Trad climber
Fruita, Colorado
|
|
|
May 12, 2007 - 11:59pm PT
|
Barry came to visit me in Colorado some years after our bouldering in Yosemite years. His artist wife was with him, and we had joyful times in Eldorado, just laughing, climbing easy fun things, knowing what climbing really is all about at its best -- friends. I remember one day leading that Yosemite route of Barry's Vanishing Point. Higgins was with me that day, and if I recall Tom was still recovering a bit from a broken leg or something. I used only a few nuts, if I recall, on that initial bad-hands 5.10d or whatever it is. That's kind of slimy. I loved every Bates route I did, many of those listed, but a favorite warmup always upon arriving in the Valley was his Lunatic Fringe, just very beautiful climbing. Bev was always very sweet and gentle to me. I didn't get to see that sterner, tougher side, though I imagined some kind of toughness existed when she soloed El Cap (didn't she solo the Dihedral?). I remember having dinner with her at the Lodge right after that climb...
Pat
|
|
jstan
climber
|
|
|
May 13, 2007 - 01:22am PT
|
At the risk of grossly violating the cross posting rule, I note here a small fact relating to Carderock. Before Bev Johnson ever went west she was climbing at Carderock and the Gunks. Her parents lived in the Virginia suburbs. That would have been in 68 if I remember correctly.
|
|
bhilden
Trad climber
Mountain View, CA
|
|
|
May 13, 2007 - 02:24pm PT
|
Ah, the sterner, tougher side of Bev....
We climbed a bunch of routes at Reed's one day and I remember folowing Bev up Stone Groove. At the top she looked at the cuts on my hands and was aghast that I would flail so much on an easy climb. I explained that I had struggled up the Vendetta the day before and that the cuts had come from that climb.
Bruce
|
|
hobo_dan
Social climber
Minnesota
|
|
This is the best--wish I could have met him.
|
|
mike a.
Sport climber
ca
|
|
Back in the day I use to boulder at Castle a lot with Barry, he slowed me lots of his tricks on some of what are now considered Castle Rock classics boulder problems, like Bates Eliminator and Bates Arete, Barry was always fun to hang out with and I learned a lot about climbing just watching him climb, Barry was such a super smooth climber so precise and deliberate, and he did an awesome job resoling my climbing shoes as well!!!
|
|
guido
Trad climber
Santa Cruz/New Zealand/South Pacific
|
|
Nice take on Barry, the gentleman climber indeed.
|
|
ionlyski
Trad climber
Polebridge, Montana
|
|
But where is he?
|
|
clinker
Trad climber
Santa Cruz, California
|
|
Legend and never climbed a move harder than 5.9 ;)
|
|
martygarrison
Trad climber
Washington DC
|
|
I first met Barry in the Valley, not exactly sure of the time frame but BITD. I was bouldering on Swan Slab with Chris Cantwell and we were trying some blank face close to the ground. I was never all the great at long angle face and Chris was doing better than me but neither of us had sent it. Barry walks by, asks if he can give it a go and walks it, buttery smooth.
I ended up climbing with Barry a fair amount at Mayfields Gym in Berkeley in the late 80's and we used to have tons of fun on the steep wall. Really nice guy.
|
|
phylp
Trad climber
Upland, CA
|
|
Barry still posts here on rare occasions.
If you see this, Barry, I'm sorry we lost touch. I hope you're both well. M. sends his regards.
Phyl
|
|
Mungeclimber
Trad climber
Nothing creative to say
|
|
|
Oct 13, 2017 - 10:52pm PT
|
Munge never sleeps and it hid most Yosemite classic cracks.
actually, I do sleep, if I've had a good day on hard climbs. :)
But me hiding Yosemite classics? Total conspiracy jibberish. ;)
|
|
drF
Trad climber
usa
|
|
|
Oct 14, 2017 - 01:29am PT
|
Cool historical perspectives from everyone here. Never heard much about BBates but his name is a common sighting in the guidebook. That dude ticked off some gems
|
|
Bruce Morris
Trad climber
Soulsbyville, California
|
|
|
Oct 14, 2017 - 11:48am PT
|
Surprised there isn't anything here about Barry Bates' move to Texas; I think Austin where his wife got some kind of dream job. I know there an entry here about him climbing down there, but can't find it in this string.
|
|
Zay
climber
Monterey, Ca
|
|
|
Oct 22, 2018 - 10:30am PT
|
Hey,
In a recent discussion about favorite route names, I've brought up "Barry Beat Me To It" for it's fascinating history.
From the 2007 Guidebook:
Barry Beat Me To It (5.11b)
"...[The route] ascends the south mushroom across its incredibly loose south face. Spiral left and then up past eight closely spaced bolts to a three bolt anchor (the bolts are easy to aid, making it possible to then ascend [another route]. The first ascentionist found a film canister on top with a lead plate in it. The plate said that Barry Bates had climbed the rock, but it didn't say how"
After doing some googling, I found this excerpt from (Clint Cummins'?) website:
"364.8 Barry Beat Me To It A1, 3x
FA: Jon Cochran, 8/00
...The route ascends the rightmost mushroom (when looking uphill). Spiral up and left past 3 bolts to a double bolt anchor. (This formation was soloed by Barry Bates in 1968! Go Barry.)"
This, to me, adds even more fascination to the story. The route originally had three bolts, now it has eight? I'm assuming the newer bolts were added by Cochran in an effort to free the route... but does anyone have they story behind Barry Bates free soloing this thing?
I'm assuming he didn't downclimb loose 5.11b, and perhaps he climbed it with a rope/tag line to establish a classic "Pinnacles Rappel."
Fascinating...
|
|
clinker
Trad climber
Santa Cruz, California
|
|
|
Oct 22, 2018 - 06:13pm PT
|
My best guess is that Barry was lunging for a hold on a nearby boulder, flexed to hard overshooting the hold and landed on the Mushroom summit.
What is documented, is the ascent of the neighboring pinnacle by escaped lunatics.
Jon
|
|
Zay
climber
Monterey, Ca
|
|
|
Oct 22, 2018 - 06:56pm PT
|
Could have been you, man!
|
|
Matthew Stein
Trad climber
Truckee, CA
|
|
I never new Bev Johnson, but Barry and I used to boulder at Castle Rock in the late 70's and early 80's. Loved the Parking Lot Boulder with its scary high difficult problems with sloped break-your-ankle landings. Learned a lot from his cool focused style, with no shaking and no excess movement--very cat-like. He used to fire some pottery for me when I was living in Santa Cruz and the kiln at Cabrillo College was unavailable between semesters. Last time I saw him was climbing with him in the gym in Santa Cruz in the late 80s or early 90s.Is he still climbing?
|
|
Peter Haan
Trad climber
Wyoming
|
|
Barry was/is living in Smith River, California. He is doing well; we were in the #3 Oakdale event and both talked. Bridwell and Higgins were still alive then and both also talked too.
|
|
|
SuperTopo on the Web
|
Let us know!