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Jerry Dodrill
climber
Bodega, CA
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Topic Author's Original Post - Sep 1, 2007 - 11:11pm PT
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Today I was talking to someone about the tragic history of the Eiger's North Face in the context of Heinrich Harrers The White Spider. This evening I was thinking that in the early history of Yosemite climbing, I can't think of a single death or tragic occurance. Apparently, the men were all bold heros, establishing precedents at ever higher levels without a single mistake. Salathé, Axe Nelson, Harding, Robbins, Pratt, Kor, Frost, on and on. Am I wrong, or did all the heros survive the Golden Age unscathed? Why is it that these men, even while establishing new techniques and entering increasingly more "impossible" terrain suffered no harm, but people in later years are hurt and even killed on subsequent ascents of what are now "trade routes" at a surprisingly frequent occurance?
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wildone
climber
Where you want to be
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Maybe the heroes survived, but many would-be heroes did not. What about the bodies stuck in the Lost Arrow chimney?
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WBraun
climber
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There's nobody in there.
And those guys survived because providence protected them.
Without divine protection you are HOSED.
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Raydog
Trad climber
Boulder Colorado
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RE:
" I can't think of a single death or tragic occurance"
the only one that comes to mind is Jim Madsen.
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steelmnkey
climber
Vision man...ya gotta have vision...
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What about the Anchors Away dudes...
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WBraun
climber
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Not dudes only one guy, Tim H.
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Jerry Dodrill
climber
Bodega, CA
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Topic Author's Reply - Sep 1, 2007 - 11:40pm PT
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What's the story? Haven't heard it.
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Raydog
Trad climber
Boulder Colorado
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single bolt rap anchor - right Werner?
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Jaybro
Social climber
The West
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The guy with the Plaque on Conness? (Goodrich?)
Google style edit;
Don Goodrich, June 12, 1959 rockfall/leader fall Mt Conness
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Mimi
climber
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Jim Baldwin of Dihedral and Grand Wall fame.
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WBraun
climber
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No not single rap bolt anchor.
Tim Harrison would lead pitches by backing up his placements. Kind off weird I thought. He was slightly paranoid.
So .... his idea was to place the bolt as deep in the hole as possible. Just enough thread remaining for the hanger and nut.
Now at the apron it's low angle and they lowered off that single bolt to come back another day.
Well that another day Tim jumared up on that single bolt and the nut came off. When he got to the bolt the hanger popped off the threads and the rest is history.
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Lost Arrow
Trad climber
The North Ridge of the San Fernando
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Mark Powell - Distracted Climbing caused by female. Dingus type injury. Very Sad.
LA
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Mimi
climber
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Bummer of a needless mistake (on Anchors Away).
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Jerry Dodrill
climber
Bodega, CA
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Topic Author's Reply - Sep 2, 2007 - 12:04am PT
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Were these "Golden Age" though, or after?
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Raydog
Trad climber
Boulder Colorado
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after.
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Toker Villain
Big Wall climber
Toquerville, Utah
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Well, as climbers get older and more senile I think you are going to see lots more golden age accidents.
(even if its only because they're not wearing Depends,)
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Jerry Dodrill
climber
Bodega, CA
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Topic Author's Reply - Sep 2, 2007 - 12:20am PT
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Nice Ron.
So was Tim the first climbing death in the Valley? What year was that?
If Harding/Rowell (S.Face .5Dome) were the first technical big wall rescue (ala Robbins), were there previous accidents? Seems like perhaps this part of Yosemite's history has been glossed over by all the heroism, OR, there just wasn't any history in this department. ?
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WBraun
climber
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Two guys died?
Sh'it I didn't know that?
I went to camp that night and everyone was only talking Tim H
Gota go ask Dill.
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Raydog
Trad climber
Boulder Colorado
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Tom Kimbrough was on the rescue when Madsen died - he related the story well.
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graham
Social climber
Ventura, California
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I remember Kevin's version of the AW story
Peter Barton was another and the is bummer I know there were more too.
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morphus
Mountain climber
Angleland
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The Golden age of alpinism was the period between Alfred Wills's ascent of the Wetterhorn in 1854 and Edward Whymper's ascent of the Matterhorn in 1865, ...on the descent, four members of the party slipped and were killed, and only the breaking of the rope saved Whymper and the two remaining guides from the same fate
The Golden age of Yosemite was the period between ..... and ....., ......
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seamus mcshane
climber
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Years ago, I sort of remember reading a short story by Chouinard or Frost regarding the body in the Chimney(LA?). They climbed past the carnage, it may have been the next fatality after Madsen... I'd have to dig to be sure.
Rik Reider also comes to mind, 1975-ish? P.O. Wall?
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Jerry Dodrill
climber
Bodega, CA
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Topic Author's Reply - Sep 2, 2007 - 12:44pm PT
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"The Golden age of Yosemite was the period between ..... and ....., ......"
I guess I'm thinking late '40s to early '60's. Sound about right?
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Mighty Hiker
Social climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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I studied history, and very often a "golden age" is the age preceding that from which the narrator speaks. For example, the "golden age" to the Stonemasters might have been the late 1950s - late 1960s. The golden age to Pratt-Roper-Chouinard-Robbins-Frost et al might have been the Steck-Salathe period. And in turn, their golden age might have been the Brower period in the 1930s.
There's a natural human tendency to sometimes see the past as better than the present. It's a common theme in history.
Jim Baldwin* died on Washington Column in 1964. Working from Roper's Camp 4, the accidents and fatalities in and near Yosemite Valley during (roughly) 1950 - 1970 were:
1952 - Bill Dunmire, East Buttress of El Capitan (concussion)
1955 - Anne Pottinger, Higher Cathedral Spire (fatality - hypothermia)
1960 - Irving Smith*, Lost Arrow Spire (fatality)
1961 - Steve Roper, Half Dome slabs (broken rib, kidneys)
1964 - Eric Beck, Direct North Buttress, Middle Cathedral (broken arm)
1965 - Pete Spoecker, Stech-Salathe, Sentinel Rock (broken leg)
1960s - Eric Beck, South Face of Mt. Watkins (shoulder)
1960s - Tom Gerughty, Nose, El Capitan (jumars/hands)
1960s - Jim Stanton, Higher Cathedral Rock (broken knee)
1960s - Jim McCarthy, Nose, El Capitan (zipper fall)
1968 - Jim Madsen*, Dihedral Wall (fatality)
1968 - Ernie Milburn*, Glacier Point Apron (fatality)
Roper says the 1965 incident was the first major climbing rescue in the Valley. Four of the five fatalities were rappelling accidents, and Gerughty's was a near-miss.
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Jaybro
Social climber
The West
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and, as I noted above:
Don Goodrich, June 12, 1959 rockfall/leader fall Mt Conness fatality.
In the park, and he does have his own pinnacle.
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seamus mcshane
climber
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Cool!!! Eric Beck is like 2 out 12 possible beaters...
Never met the guy, though I worked @ Squaw Valley for 7 years and knew many of his mutual friends.
The guy always epic-ed.Hehehe.
One Hand Clapping is still one of my favorite climbs anywhere, I'm hooked.
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Jerry Dodrill
climber
Bodega, CA
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Topic Author's Reply - Sep 2, 2007 - 02:53pm PT
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So I guess back in the day, when ever it was, there were very few climbers in the Valley, and those who were active weren't hacks. The history, generally speaking, is one rich with climbing successes rather than tragedies, which were all too prevalent in alpine realms like the Alps, where the limestone is weak and weather deadly.
"Roper says the 1965 incident was the first major climbing rescue in the Valley"
Are you referring to the Spoecker incident in '65? Rowell/Harding was '68, and I thought it was the first rescue on a big wall.
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Mighty Hiker
Social climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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Camp 4 (page 203): "Five other accidents during the mid- and late 1960s turned out to be less tragic. A Berkeley climber named Pete Spoecker shattered his leg high on the Steck-Salathe and had to be winched out. This rescue, on June 24, 1965, was the Valley's first major one, and it helped heal some of the age-old strife between climbers and rangers. Four climbers - Glen Denny, John Evans, Jeff Foott, and Chris Fredericks - played a huge role in setting up the rescue."
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Jerry Dodrill
climber
Bodega, CA
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Topic Author's Reply - Sep 2, 2007 - 03:59pm PT
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Interesting. Thanks!
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Prod
Social climber
Charlevoix, MI
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What is the story about a body in the LA Chimney?
Prod.
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Clint Cummins
Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
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I suspect that 1973 was after the "Golden Age", but since people have asked about the 1973 accident on Anchors Away, I thought I'd provide some more details on that year.
Here is a partial list of fatal climbing accidents in Yosemite in 1973, from Accidents in North American Mountaineering 1974
 May 29 - Peter Williamson, drowned trying to cross Bridalveil Creek (roped) after climbing Leaning Tower. [some might not call this a climbing accident, but it was on a descent]
June 7 - Mike Blake, fell while jumaring last pitch of the Nose, went 150', then rope broke and he went 3000'. It has been stated on supertopo.com that the rope was sliced over a bolt hanger or exposed bolt.
June 17 - Charles Stanbrough, fell to the ground while rope soloing the Steck Route on Higher Cathedral Spire. Apparently an aid placement failed and his belaying system was unsafe (prusik loop).
July 16 - Brian Quinn, fell to ground while climbing the Waterfall Route unbelayed on Sunnyside Bench. He was inexperienced and had a clothesline with him.... In the description it said this was the ninth climbing fatality of the season.
October 17 - David Bryan, Michael [Tim] Harrison. Harrison jumared to the end of p1 of Anchors Away (route named posthumously). Anchor was a single 1/4" x 1" bolt with homemade aluminum hanger. The rope ran over left 10' and down slightly through a carabiner on the last lead bolt on the pitch.
"As Bryan followed Harrison he reached the lower bolt and unclipped the rope from it. His weight, in addition to Harrison's, came onto the belay bolt. It failed and both men fell to their deaths."
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Oli
Trad climber
Fruita, Colorado
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Clint, glad you mentioned Pete Williamson. I was about to. I've told the story of the person Bridwell and some of us carried down off Goodgrich Pinnacle (was he mentioned already? he wasn't a noted climber). His rappel anchor pulled, and he fell about five hundred feet to a ledge just off the ground. His partner was left stranded above. Bridwell and Covington climbed to him and started hammering in a good piton. The fellow said, "You don't have to over-drive it."
People talk about the Lost Arrow Story. My recollection is that Roper and Chouinard were doing the route. Chouinard was squeamish and didn't want to be the first to encounter the body they knew existed up in there. Roper arrived at the remains, mostly a skeleton with a parka. Chouinard asked, "What's it look like?" Roper replied, "His parka doesn't fit." Roper then moved the remains a bit so Chouinard wouldn't have to deal with them directly.
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WBraun
climber
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The early years when 9 guys died by summer and the rangers say to us:
"You guys are dropping like flies" and "Do you guys know what you're doing?"
I said: "Of course knott!"
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lars johansen
Trad climber
San Francisco, CA
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How about Bob Locke walking off the Falls Trail? Or was he pushed?
Was he in possession of the 'black book' from the crash buds?
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Mighty Hiker
Social climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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I believe Bob Locke died in autumn 1976. The airplane incident was in winter/spring 1977.
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WBraun
climber
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Wrong guy
Locke died on Watkins.
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lars johansen
Trad climber
San Francisco, CA
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Right you are! Dorn Direct, Bob Locke Buttress. It's all so confusing.
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john hansen
climber
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I always thought , and have read ,that the "Golden Age" ended with Robbins and Lauria's second ascent of the Wall of Early Morning Light. When they chopped the bolts.
Somehow have always thought it began with Salathe and Stecks
Lost Arrow Chimney".. thou you could go back to Higher Cathedral in 33 or even Muirs, Cathedral Peak.
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Ihateplastic
Trad climber
Lake Oswego, Oregon
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The definitive bible on this is "Off The Wall: Death In Yosemite" by Michael Ghiglieri and Butch Farabee. In the back is a year-by-year account of all deaths from 1851 onward. Of course not all are climbing deaths (drowning, tourist, etc.) but if you want a reason to check your knots and anchors it's worth a read.
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Ihateplastic
Trad climber
Lake Oswego, Oregon
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A note on the Arrow incident; again with reference to "Death In Yosemite." In 1960, 17 year old Irving Smith became "the first modern-era climber to be killed in Yosemite Valley." He apparently rapped off the end of his rope and fell 600 feet into the Arrow Chimney. The body was discovered one year later by Steve Roper.
While there will always be more and newer Golden Ages, I believe most would agree the Robbins/Pratt/Frost/Chouinard/Roper/etc. era to be one of the finest and thus this 1960 accident seems an appropriate first entry.
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Chiloe
Trad climber
Lee, NH
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One reason for high survival rate among Golden Age pioneers could be the relatively stable nature of their Yosemite and Sierra medium, in terms of weather and things falling down. The big walls of Yosemite certainly have real dangers, but even so they must be about the safest big walls on earth.
Joe Simpson's book This Game of Ghosts well describes his own sense of loss regarding a whole generation of top British alpinists.
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ß Î Ø T Ç H
Boulder climber
the greasewood ghetto
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Apr 28, 2009 - 03:33am PT
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bump
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Turkey Princess
Gym climber
Redding, Ca
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Clint,
Thanks for posting. Charles Stanbrough was my Uncle and died when he was 19. In fact the day he died was the day that my parents got married in 1973. I never knew my Uncle Chuck but I heard a lot about him. I've always wanted to learn more about him. Anyways thanks for posting about him and the climbers.
Susan Stanbrough
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rgold
Trad climber
Poughkeepsie, NY
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Jerry, whatever "Golden Age" means, I don't think you can compare the American one to the European one, since Europe got such a big head start. Difficulties achieved in the Dolomites and Eastern Europe in the 1930's and before weren't seen in the US until the 1960's or later. The Euros were 30 to 50 years ahead, with corresponding increases in difficulty and riskiness.
Add to that the fact mentioned by Clint that the Yosemite environment, while not benign, is nowhere near as fraught with dangers as the Alps, most especially the huge rotten weather-catching walls like the Eigerwand.
I think it fair to say, without deprecating their achievements, that when it came to sheer risk (and so the probability of accidents), the Yosemite pioneers had it easy compared to the climbers attacking Europe's great north walls.
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Bushman
Social climber
Elk Grove, California
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It was the mid-70s when I made my first climbing trip to the Valley, and when I got settled into Camp Four I remember one of my partners had a dogeared, worn, and mimeographed copy of a document that was probably directly, if not indirectly, responsible for many of us who climbed back then being alive to post here today.
It was being passed around and read by each of us and was a list of the climbing accidents that had happened in Yosemite within the previous years. I don't remember if it was from the American Alpine Journal but it was quite descriptive and listed each accident in some detail, the investigations, and the causes for each accident, and the conclusions as to what might have prevented the accidents.
Many of the accidents described in this thread were listed there, and I remember that a majority of them were rappelling, descent hike, ascender, or single anchor failure accidents. I had my share of lead fall and bouldering mishaps during my climbing years but I always remembered that journal and the lessons I learned from it, and from the stories and lore about accidents I heard from climbers in the Valley.
Does anyone here remember it (the accident journal?) Painfully gruesome to read, it would be crucial for all who start out in the sport to have read a copy of it, or a more recent similar journal.
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ß Î Ø T Ç H
Boulder climber
ne'er–do–well
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Rik Reider also comes to mind, 1975-ish? P.O. Wall? He didn't die.(May 1975 FA PO wall) ... Rik Reider on an earlier attempt, with Mike Graham, Billy Westbay, and Bridwell, was hit on the head by a large rock while on the fifth pitch. Reider ends up with a severe skull fracture and has to have emergency brain surgery in Fresno. (source: chicken skinner) http://www.supertopo.com/climbers-forum/969891/Welcome-Rik-Rieder
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CF
climber
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Tim H and Dave, both good friends of mine. Dave worked in the 4 seasons as a waiter and lived across the way from at the annex. They were working on that route, jugging on 1 bolt
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BBA
Social climber
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We used pitons, single rope around the waist tied with a bowline, and hip belays. We had no guide to speak of as the red book didn't come out until 1964, and no real support in the event of an accident. No bolt rappel routes to get off in case of trouble. That combination makes one careful and may have been the reason for both the pace of development of climbing and the seemingly few accidents. The other reason for few accidents may have been the small number of climbers. Many times on spring and fall weekends the valley would be deserted, maybe a half dozen climbers around. During the weekdays no one was there.
I was in the valley when an accident happened in 1962 and wrote a letter to Guido about it. Excuse my youthful indiscretion. Even back then I was calling him a Guide.
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