A Day in Eldo! .......plus: A Visit With Sibley

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Prod

Social climber
Charlevoix, MI
Aug 10, 2007 - 12:53pm PT
2 questions Tar,

Where is the Sibley part?
Is that the 2nd pitch of Werks?

Prod.

OK 3,

Wanna meet this fall in SD and climb the needles eye? I'd gladly follow you up that thing.
Tarbuster

climber
right here, right now
Topic Author's Reply - Aug 10, 2007 - 01:05pm PT
Hi guy!

This Sibley part is still under my hat.
That is the second/upper pitch of Werk Supp.
I would love to climb in The Needles of SD again.
Oli

Trad climber
Fruita, Colorado
Aug 10, 2007 - 01:15pm PT
Roy, I'm not sure you can say in any of those three photos that they are using the old green Chouinards. Much better were Spiders, and they look a lot like the green Chouinards (the latter of which lasted only a short while, for some reason, probably because they weren't popular, and were probably patterned off the superior Spiders). Wunsch looks as though he's in Spiders. He used them at times. I used them at times, because of their good edging and stiffness. Whereas the Chouinards were awkward and too hard to break in. They didn't work all that well, other than for standing in aid slings. How can you even see what Duncan is wearing on Hair City? Just curious... I doubt Duncan is in Chouinards on Werk Supp (you couldn't smear anything in those things, and you see him smearing out on the right wall).
bob d'antonio

Trad climber
Taos, NM
Aug 10, 2007 - 01:30pm PT
They could be RD's.
Tarbuster

climber
right here, right now
Topic Author's Reply - Aug 10, 2007 - 01:37pm PT
...might be Sorel's.

Okay, just kidding.
Of course you may be right about all that stuff Oliver.
It is interesting to know what people were standing in then and always impressive to consider the moves done in that footwear versus the modern shoes.

That move on Werk Supp would be wicked in any of those stiff shoes/boots.
And that shot on Jules Verne; yes, the boots look a tad bulkier/different than Shoenards.
(I see a heel & something like a Vibram label on the sole, so probably not an RD).



Could be a Spider, Shoenard, really close, or a Black Beauty?
Does the blow up help Oli?
Tarbuster

climber
right here, right now
Topic Author's Reply - Aug 10, 2007 - 03:06pm PT
I'd love to see a good archive of Spiders, Cortina's, Black Beauties, etc.
When I started out, my buddy wore brown RD's and I had the red PA's, so aside from the Shoenard all that gear is before my time.
Hardly Visible

climber
Port Angeles
Aug 10, 2007 - 04:09pm PT
Nice TR Roy,and thanks for yer hospitality last night putting up with an out of towner. Some guys got the jump on us today on the Yellow Spur so wound up doing Ruper as a consolation prize.
Great fun got off just in time to avoid the thunder and lightening. See ya soon.
KR
PS. Zander careful with adopting a cowboy hat, every time I wear one I bump my head into roofs and such cause I can't see em coming.
Tarbuster

climber
right here, right now
Topic Author's Reply - Aug 10, 2007 - 06:03pm PT
When, via e-mail, Chiloe and I were organizing our day out in Eldorado Canyon, he asked me if Paul Sibley might be available to get out with us on the rock. As they hadn't seen each other for some 35 years, and I keep in touch with Paul, I said I'd look into it.

When Paul heard that Larry might be in town he said he’d like to see his old friend; “Stop on by after climbing, might be a little busy myself, can't climb, but would love to see you guys”.

Sibley's place has been something of a meeting ground and sometime living quarters for many climbers over the years. It has been called “Macho Acres” and back in the day lots of folks lived there; people like Jeff Lowe, Collin Lantz, Mike O'Donnell, Prod from Super Topo, and many others.

So after Larry and I came down from the Grand Giraffe, we went out to lunch, had a couple beers, then moseyed on out to Paul's place:



And sure enough, as is most often the case, stuff was going on:



Paul at the helm:


(I don't know what the deal is with the cowboy hat).
Tarbuster

climber
right here, right now
Topic Author's Reply - Aug 10, 2007 - 07:03pm PT
Right on Kevin I'm totally game for the whole boot mystery of yore thing...
Tarbuster

climber
right here, right now
Topic Author's Reply - Aug 10, 2007 - 07:04pm PT
But back to my story at Sibley's place.

Once inside the old boys started up the time machine and the stories began the flow:




They reminisced about those few who lived in and around Eldorado Canyon in the early 70’s and about their stable of climbing partners; among their own little crew the likes of Bill Roos, Diana Hunter, Paul, Larry, and Ron Cox to name just a few. Apparently back in those days there was but a small group on sojourn out there in the canyon.
Tarbuster

climber
right here, right now
Topic Author's Reply - Aug 10, 2007 - 07:08pm PT
Oh, they talked about climbing technique, stiff climbing shoes, personalities, you know, old times. They were marveling at Ron's climbing capability, and Sibley began to chuckle, proceeding to tell us about a particular “growth period” which Ron enjoyed. It seems he discovered the fairer sex and developed his persuasive powers all at once one summer: indulging a flourish of sorts.

Ron Cox:



Apparently Ron was taken by the whole experience and the number of dates he entertained grew to a status quite prolific, sometimes with ramifications. Such as the time a great big black boyfriend of one of these gals showed up in the canyon and began banging on the doors in Eldorado looking for Ron to talk to him, …or something.

Also during this period of Ron’s personal renaissance, he would often come knocking on the door of Paul's place, (and Paul's sweetheart Yum Yum) late at night, enthusiastically begging questions and searching information from Paul & Yum Yum about this whole "adventure d'amour". As an aside, Yum Yum happened to be the daughter of Jack Durrance; you know, the Durrance route on Devils Tower, Durrance of the famed Fritz Wiessner K2 expedition and so forth.


I know, maybe not the best picture of Jack Durrance, at least he was a Denver boy, so the mag is appropriate.
But hey, what was he thinking naming his daughter Yum Yum???
Tarbuster

climber
right here, right now
Topic Author's Reply - Aug 10, 2007 - 07:13pm PT
Then Larry chimed in with Paul's story about Ron Cox and said, you know, Ron came to me one day and opined:
“Gosh Larry there is one gal that I just can't crack,... um... I mean get to go out with me”.

As it turns out this woman was a little too sharp to be taken in by Ron's charms!
The sweet spot in this story:
After Ron made the introduction, the smart girl wound up becoming Chiloe’s dearest; “The One” so to speak:





I hope I'm not out of line here: maybe Ron's ears will be burning and he'll post up!
(…I'm not sure how long this story will stay up, hehe)

Tarbuster

climber
right here, right now
Topic Author's Reply - Aug 10, 2007 - 08:02pm PT
marty(r)

climber
beneath the valley of ultravegans
Aug 10, 2007 - 09:05pm PT
Related thread in need of input: http://www.supertopo.com/climbing/thread.html?topic_id=431988
neebee

Social climber
calif/texas
Aug 11, 2007 - 01:32am PT
hey there, thanks chiloe, for the reasons as to these fantastic rocks.... and say there, oli... thanks for the "living feelings" about that place, it made it very real, from your point of remembrance....

thanks to tarbuster for these pics... these are marvelous--especially these old black and whites--as to history, etc (course not as to the fantastic colors)...
Oli

Trad climber
Fruita, Colorado
Aug 11, 2007 - 03:15am PT
I know Wunsch used Spiders for a time, but I don't remember Duncan using them. Those other shoes, the light gray ones, look like Zillertals.

Sibley doesn't look as though he's aged. He's probably lived there in that same house forever, and generations of climbers pass through time, and he stays the same...
Tarbuster

climber
right here, right now
Topic Author's Reply - Aug 11, 2007 - 10:43am PT

Tarbuster, Sibley, Chiloe: July 2007.
unimog

climber
windy corner in the west
Aug 11, 2007 - 11:47am PT
Roy
That is one of the finest posts you have done in a wile thanks i only wish i was there to enjoy the day with the 3 of you. how big is the hole in the back of the house?
Sasha
Tarbuster

climber
right here, right now
Topic Author's Reply - Aug 11, 2007 - 12:02pm PT
Well hello there Sasha,
I'm happy to know you're enjoying the entertainment.

Ah, the hole at the back of the house.
It currently looks like a sizable swimming pool to me; as wide as the house.
That would bring me to the second story that filtered out of this little gathering...
Tarbuster

climber
right here, right now
Topic Author's Reply - Aug 11, 2007 - 12:18pm PT
Sibley's house is a very old stonewalled structure, the walls in fact are about a foot thick, with a plaster and white washed skin. It was built by the French in the 1860s and served as a stage stop for the Pony Express.

Paul’s son Gabe grew up in a little room in the back. When Gabe was about nine or ten years old, Paul introduced his son to something that the boy didn't know about his bedroom.

“Hey Gabriel, you know that bookshelf in your room? I bet you didn't know there's a cave behind it. Did yah…...”

To hear Paul tell it, Gabe's eyes grew big as saucers, because it has to be every boy's dream that there might somewhere be a secret hidden passageway leading to a mysterious place. But he didn't believe it.

Imagine Gabe as a very young boy, and all the time growing up, not knowing that there was a bookshelf in his bedroom which could be slid away revealing a solid oak door with iron fittings, then behind it, yes! -a hidden cave where the settlers in the stage stop would climb in, bolt the door and hide during indian attacks.
Messages 61 - 80 of total 177 in this topic << First  |  < Previous  |  Show All  |  Next >  |  Last >>
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