Discussion Topic |
|
This thread has been locked |
Oli
Trad climber
Fruita, Colorado
|
|
|
Oct 23, 2007 - 05:24pm PT
|
|
|
Oli
Trad climber
Fruita, Colorado
|
|
|
Oct 23, 2007 - 05:25pm PT
|
|
|
Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
|
|
|
Oct 23, 2007 - 05:50pm PT
|
Cool shots Pat, Thanks!
You are wearing the brown RD's in that color photo?
I used to play tennis in those Tretorn court shoes. I found the Addidas cross country, white leather uppers with 3 green stripes, & gum colored soles, to be better for climbing and they edged well too. (...Then came Scats)
FYI:
I always do my longer posts in a word document first, then copy & paste in the forum window, as I've lost some big posts too...
|
|
Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
|
|
|
Oct 23, 2007 - 07:38pm PT
|
Cool shots Oli. What's in a number, a crack at any other grade would still be as stout as Bill would have said. I always wondered about your route up the edge near Chingando as it always looked pretty bold from the ground. Any pro at all up there?
|
|
scuffy b
climber
The deck above the 5
|
|
|
Oct 23, 2007 - 08:05pm PT
|
A question for Mastadon and Tarbuster:
which way do you face on Ahab?
I've heard of people doing it either way,
and my crude gathering of data suggests
a more even split than I would expect.
I know what Werner would say, I just want
to keep folks talking.
|
|
Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
|
|
|
Oct 23, 2007 - 08:28pm PT
|
Which way do you face on Ahab?
I can't remember that stuff; whichever way keeps one's carcass from spilling out of the thing.
I'd guess left side in, but I swear, there are climbs I can't remember whether I followed, lead, or on-site solo'd them first time around.
(And don't listen to Lois, it's not from the hippie lettuce).
But because, in general: "I Chose to Climb" and "everything else is just waiting".
And in the end, it is the lifestyle that gets you.
|
|
Mighty Hiker
Social climber
Vancouver, B.C.
|
|
|
Oct 23, 2007 - 08:29pm PT
|
The famous picture of Robbins soloing it is left side in.
|
|
Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
|
|
|
Oct 23, 2007 - 08:34pm PT
|
Bridwell by Sheridan, for Royal:
|
|
Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
|
|
|
Oct 23, 2007 - 08:37pm PT
|
oh my oh my Oli, the picture of you leading The Tooth with Higgins belaying down below... one bolt away up high is all I see for pro these days... my hat's off... bold
|
|
Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
|
|
|
Oct 23, 2007 - 08:43pm PT
|
Sacherer on the FFA of Ahab
|
|
mastadon
Trad climber
Tahoe
|
|
|
Oct 23, 2007 - 10:35pm PT
|
Mr Hartouni Sir,
Incredible shot of Sacherer on Ahab!! Where on earth did you come up with that?
Ahab?? Definitely left side in. I always used to wear Robbins shoes on that ghastly piece of work. Large feet are a dashed convenience, also. I've got some old pictures of that somewhere that I'll see if I can find.
---
|
|
spyork
Social climber
A prison of my own creation
|
|
|
Oct 23, 2007 - 11:41pm PT
|
Great thread! Thanks for the photos and back stories.
|
|
Oli
Trad climber
Fruita, Colorado
|
|
|
Oct 24, 2007 - 02:06am PT
|
What some call "the tooth" was named "Do Not Touch" by us, just in case someone cares. I don't think it was too difficult, surprisingly. It looks pretty elegant, though. It's hard to see in the photo, but maybe seven feet below me (rough visual estimate) is a sling around a horn, probably right at or near the edge. I found a way to place a bolt high up, at the crux move, by hooking a foot on some small horn or something. This held me in to let go with both hands. Up at the top one could bail, I think, easy enough by going left and getting into a chimney or stem, in that crack, and thus the name "Do Not Touch" (do not go over to the left stuff beyond the arete). I suppose it's kind of a contrived route. A much harder route I did earlier was Limbo Ledge, with some dicey face moves with groundfall potential (if my memory serves me well). Has anyone done the West Face of Rixon's? Not too hard, but I did the first free ascent of that one too, circa 1970 (I'd have to check the guide or my journal, for sure on the date). There's a nice crack on the fifth pitch. That's a fun, aesthetic climb.
Roy, I can't tell by the photo if those are RDs or Spiders. I was using both during those days, probably RDs, as you astutely note. I've got another shot of me finishing this boulder problem, with right hand reaching to the top. That might show more, but I haven't got that one into the computer yet. I think I have it on disk...
Ahab. Definitely left side in. The general rule was that if the rock slanted less than vertical, you wanted your backside resting on the slant, for maximum friction, rather than trying to lie on your stomach on the slant. A good example is East Chimney of Rixon's. You need to be right side in, with back on the main wall, as opposed to left side in with stomach against the wall. I did this latter route (Rixon's East Chimney, Yosemite's first 5.10) about 6 times, always difficult. On one of those was where my friend Higgins was beginning to cut his teeth on off-width (on East Rixon's with me), and he soon became a master of off-widths right along with his mastery of face climbing. Every memory of climbing with Tom is a good one. He always makes you laugh.
|
|
Oli
Trad climber
Fruita, Colorado
|
|
|
Oct 24, 2007 - 02:21am PT
|
Yes, that's a good insight for Ahab, Kevin. I remember having my left leg up high, nearly level with my left shoulder, at times on that first chimney, though I also remember as you get higher you bring the leg back down again and focus on heel-toe. Can a person put a big Friend in there now? I remember having no pro at all until the crack pinched down.
|
|
Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
|
|
|
Oct 24, 2007 - 02:36am PT
|
Not my picture, but one of the two that I know of him climbing, both are in Chris Jones' history from which I scanned it...that photo by Tony Qamar
|
|
Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
|
|
|
Oct 24, 2007 - 02:37am PT
|
I don't remember getting a big cam for the meat of the first portion of Ahab. I think it was too wide; isn't it like 10 inches? I think we just had to keep it together until it necked down.
There might have been something pretty low down and out of range, but enough to get you going and give you a feeling that if you didn't like what was happening up in it, one might be able to slither back down into the safe zone.
Definitely some pretty serious commitment regardless and you are for sure hung out during the interesting stuff.
'Only did it once 20 years back, I don't even remember a second wide section, you guys really have the details down, which is pretty fun.
Pat, that is an excellent verbal description of how to play a wide crack when it leans (post #100). I was going to attempt to say something similar, but you got all the descriptive mechanics just right.
|
|
mastadon
Trad climber
Tahoe
|
|
|
Oct 24, 2007 - 09:58am PT
|
Don't know if this picture will work-it's from a different site then I normally use.
Cathy (yes, she was Cathy before she became “Catherine”) Freer starting up Capt Ahab in 1972. Note the shoes-RD’s (good God!), hammer (for pounding in pitons that she didn’t have and wouldn’t have worked where she needed them anyway), and creative way she’s tied into the rope. Old School.
She was belayed by Del Young. Don’t know if anyone remembers him-originally a Washingtonian as was Cathy.
http://www.cascadeclimbers.com/plab/data/517/medium/Catherine-_Ahab.jpg
Guess the picture didn't work.....
---
|
|
Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
|
|
|
Oct 24, 2007 - 01:29pm PT
|
I got your back mastadon,
You're really pulling out some gems here:
Kevin, that was an interesting description of getting all sideways in the thing.
I recall doing the foot stacks, at least for the initial portion, kept my orientation more vertical.
|
|
Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
|
|
|
Oct 24, 2007 - 02:01pm PT
|
Ole Captain Ahab was mighty popular with the ladies. Bev Johnson used to love that route and would say that if she could get half her ass in there then she was rock solid. Power from the waist down no doubt! That shot of Catherine is priceless. Both those gals were good in the wide stuff and outstanding climbers.
As I recall, there was a fixed bong sideways up in the narrowing section up high for a while in the early 70's but those goodies were pretty transient even freshly placed. I sure never trusted them to hold squat.
|
|
mastadon
Trad climber
Tahoe
|
|
|
Oct 24, 2007 - 02:01pm PT
|
Thank you Mr Tarbaby Sir. How did you fix that??
You ain't seen nothin' yet. I have literally thousands of pictures and slides that I took in the 70's and 80's. You seem to be fond of posting up that one I took at Tenaya of you and the rest of the crew in drag....
----
|
|
|
SuperTopo on the Web
|
Let us know!