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guido
Trad climber
Santa Cruz
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Topic Author's Original Post - Oct 31, 2008 - 08:09pm PT
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This is one of my favorite articles from the 60s; the 15th and first British ascent of the Nose on El Cap, in July 1968. Rob Wood and Mick Burke were part of the initial migration from the British Isles that hit the climbing scene in North America during that era. Most of the “lads” emigrated to British Columbia, settling anywhere from the BC Coast to Calgary. Rob Wood, Brian Greenwood, Ray Gillis, Stevie Smith, Bugs McKeith and a host of others were to forever change the climbing scene.
With their love of music, drinking and bold climbing endeavors, things got to be more fun and certainly more interesting. Occasional visits from Doug Scott, Dougal Haston and Don Whillans contributed to the British influence on style and technique.
Rob lives on Maurelle Island on the coast of BC. With his wife Laurie and quick access by the family “car”(sailboat) to Butte, Knight and other deep fiords that penetrate the coastal range, they have spent years exploring and pioneering new routes in this beautiful area. He has written a wonderful book, “Towards the Unknown Mountains”about a lifetime of climbing in Britian, Yosemite, Canada, and Baffin Island.
Mick Burke tragically disappeared near the South Summit of Everest in 1975 as a member of the South West Face expedition.
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Mighty Hiker
Social climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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This must have been thought a fairly significant climb at the time, although I believe that a French (?) party was the first foreign team to climb the Nose. And of course Jim Baldwin was the first 'foreigner' to climb El Cap. The Brits who visited the Valley in the 1960s - Whillans, Haston, Burke and then Scott - all wrote of their trips. It would be interesting to hear what the locals thought of their visitors.
Mick Burke was on the south face of Annapurna trip in 1970, and was climbing partner of Tom Frost, aka father of Yo.
Another on that trip was Nick Estcourt, who was in the Valley in autumn 1976. He did a fair number of climbs with Richard Harrison, if I remember rightly - the Brits were camped across from the Canadians that year, and we did some climbing together. Anyway, Richard and Nick did the Lost Arrow Chimney, the Steck-Salathe, and other classics, plus Nick and Blob Wyvill did the Salathe after Blob and I were defeated. During his three weeks there, it was Nick's birthday one day. He was then in his mid-30s (ancient!), with thinning hair, a salt and pepper beard, and mountaineer's weathering. When he went to the store for food and beer that day, someone had the bright idea of getting ahead of him in the lineup, and tipping off the (cute) cashier. Who then made a fuss about insisting on seeing his ID. "Sir, may I see your ID please. You must be 21 in California to buy beer." Made Nick's day.
Sadly, Nick died in an avalanche on K2 two years later.
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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"Three shillings and nine pence" Mountain Magazine!
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Largo
Sport climber
Venice, Ca
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Richard Harison and I grew up together in Upland, California and he was my first climbing partner, along with Rick Acomazzo, also from Upland. We knew all about Nic Escourt's epic climbs so when we first met him in Camp 4 we were super impressed he was actually there. Nic and Richard were natural partners and they climbed a ton of great stuff together, including El Cap and other walls. Richard was one of the first Stonemasters to begin the tradition of always climbing with the best of the visiting climbers, something we all did all the time. My first time up El Cap in '73 was with British ace, Ron Fawcett.
Nick was one of the really grat guys to ever visit the Valley, and he will always be remembered warmly.
JL
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Don Lauria
Trad climber
Bishop, CA
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Yes, the French team did the 7th ascent of the Nose just prior to Ken Boche and me in March 1967.
Guido supplied me with the complete listing of ascents through 1967 and I haven't got a clue where I stuck the list. This is the best I can do from memory:
1- 1958 Harding, Merry, & Whitmore
2- 1960 Robbins, Fitschen, Pratt, & Frost
3- Roper, Kor, Denny
4- Colliver, & ?
5- 1966 Williams, & ?
6- 1966 Rowell & Fender
7- 1966 2 man French Team
8- 1967 Boche & Lauria
Anybody want to update this?
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steelmnkey
climber
Vision man...ya gotta have vision...
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Don - I would love to see that list if you can dig it up.
Until then...
1- 1958 Harding, Merry, & Whitmore, 45 days over a year and a half.
2- 1960 Robbins, Fitschen, Pratt, & Frost, seven days
3- 1963 Roper, Kor, Denny, three and a quarter days.
4- 1965 Gary Colliver, Richard McCracken, & John Evans
5- 1966 Dick Williams & Ants Leemets
6- 1966 Galen Rowell & Tom Fender
7- April 30th, 1966 Jacques Dupont & Andre Gaunt, 6 days
8- 1967 Boche & Lauria
Summit magazine, July/August 1966 has a report by Royal Robbins where he says:
"... two French alpinists Jacques Dupont and Andre Gaunt, made the first foreign ascent of the 3,000-foot South Buttress of El Capitan. Both are guides in Chamanoix, and both were ski instructors as Yosemite's Badger Pass last winter. ... This was the sixth ascent, and after six days of thirsty climbing (they had lost part of their water on the first day), they reached the summit on April 30, 1966"
also...
"This route was also climbed by two American parties this spring. One was composed of Galen Rowell of California and Tom Fender of Colorado. Dave Dornan, of Colorado, and two New Yorkers, Richard Williams and A. Leemets, made up the other party."
The article also adds that Steve Roper and Jeff Foote made the first one-day ascent of Half Dome.
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TomKimbrough
Social climber
Salt Lake City
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I think Colliver's partner was John Evans
TK
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steelmnkey
climber
Vision man...ya gotta have vision...
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4th ascent of the Nose appears to have been done by Gary Colliver, Richard McCracken, and John Evans in 1965
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survival
Big Wall climber
A Token of My Extreme
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Bump for Guido, my favorite old/new taco slinger.
One of the greatest things about hanging out in Yosemite was the number of international climbers we always met.
I climbed with people from many different countries because of the magnet called Yosemite. It helped me shape my world view by learning from these people and realizing that they almost always knew more about the states than we knew about their country.
It was always important and fun to show them that many of us in the states were not as narrow or ignorant as they thought Americans were. Truly one of the great joys of my life.
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James Doty
Trad climber
Idyllwild, Ca.
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BUMPSH!!!
Edit: The letter linked is a crack up.
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BooDawg
Social climber
Paradise Island
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The Dec., ’67 “Summit” has an article by Robbins, P. 26-27, “Happenings in the Valley” that documents three Nose ascents that year. Then in the Oct., ’68 issue of Summit Robbins adds five more ascents. So the list up to then looks like this:
1- 1958 Warren Harding, Wayne Merry, & George Whitmore
2- 1960 Royal Robbins, Joe Fitschen, Chuck Pratt, & Tom Frost, seven days
3- 1963 Steve Roper, Layton Kor, & Glen Denny, three and a quarter days.
4- 1965 Gary Colliver, Richard McCracken, & John Evans
5- 1966 Dave Dornan, Dick Williams & Ants Leemets
6- 1966 Galen Rowell & Tom Fender
7- 1966 Jacques Dupont & Andre Gaunt, 6 days
8- 1967 Ken Boche & Don Lauria, 7 days
9- 1967 Jim Madsen & Kim Schmitz, 3 days
10- 1967 Dennis Hennek and Yvon Chouinard, 3 Days
11- 1967 Pat Ament & Tom Ruitch,
12- 1967 Don McPherson & Ron Burgner
13- 1968 Jim Logan & Wayne Goss
14- 1968 Jose Luis Fonrouge (Argentina) & Rick Sylvester
15- 1968 Jim Bridwell & Bill Stanton
16- 1968 Mick Burke & Rob Wood
17- 1968 Jim Madsen (again) & Mike Covington
In his summary of Oct., ’68, Robbins also summarizes the other ascents of other routes on El Cap. More later, I’m sure.
One of the most enjoyable aspects of having the Brits in C4 was that they brought a new thread of humor and music to the campfires. At the time, I knew a few limericks, but they had a melody for them followed by their musical refrain which encouraged others to sing their own limericks:
“That was a very good song;
Sing us another one
Just like the other one;
Sing us another one do.”
Bugs McKeith was also a wonderful musician and he brought may good songs to the C4 scene, the most memorable to me, because it seemed to resonate with the climbing lifestyle, was "The Wild Rover."
I've been a wild rover for many a year
And I spent all my money on whiskey and beer,
And now I'm returning with gold in great store
And I never will play the wild rover no more.
chorus: And it's no, nay, never,
No nay never no more,
Will I play the wild rover
No never no more.
I went to an ale-house I used to frequent
And I told the landlady my money was spent.
I asked her for credit, she answered me "nay
Such a custom as yours I could have any day."
chorus
I took from my pocket ten sovereigns bright
And the landlady's eyes opened wide with delight.
She said "I have whiskey and wines of the best
And the words that I spoke sure were only in jest."
chorus
I'll go home to my parents, confess what I've done
And I'll ask them to pardon their prodigal son.
And if they caress (forgive) me as ofttimes before
I never will play the wild rover no more.
chorus
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SteveW
Trad climber
The state of confusion
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Bump for a great historical CLIMBING post!!!!
(Like where's Mr. Grossman been lately--WE NEED YOUR
ARTICLES, STEVE)!!!!!!
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Jul 23, 2010 - 09:52pm PT
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Right here for a bump! Great post!
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Barry Bates
Boulder climber
Smith River CA
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Jul 24, 2010 - 10:23pm PT
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I'm not positive but I think the Bridwell Stanton ascent #15 may have been the FFA of the stove legs something that paved the way for the future.
Barry
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Fuzzywuzzy
climber
suspendedhappynation
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Jul 25, 2010 - 12:28am PT
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Excellent post Guido
Thanks to all contributors!!
TC
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Jul 25, 2010 - 12:41am PT
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This issue of Mountain was the introduction of Yosemite climbing to a British and continental audience. All the luminaries, even Boodawg, weigh in!
Beginning with the photo that accompanies the OP.
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Wayno
Big Wall climber
Seattle, WA
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Jul 25, 2010 - 03:52am PT
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Sweet thread! I love this stuff.
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DrDeeg
Mountain climber
Mammoth Lakes, CA
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Jul 25, 2010 - 10:58am PT
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Great memories. The real British Invasion (following the Beatles in 1964) into Yosemite began in 1966, when climbers like Don Whillans and Mike Kosterlitz came. Royal Robbins had been in Europe the year before, where he and Liz along with John and Marilyn Harlin taught at the Leysin American School. In 1966 Royal started using nuts on some of the Yosemite climbs, and in the following year he and Liz put up Nutcracker Suite on Manure Pile Buttress.
Because there were many fewer climbers back then, those of modest ability, like me, got to climb with legends. That summer, I did a bunch with Chuck Pratt and Don Whillans. Although they had just met that summer, Pratt and Whillans got along really well. They both had an irreverent, somewhat cynical but good-natured view of the human condition. As documented elsewhere on SuperTopo, Pratt was always genuinely helpful with newcomers, he was completely non-competitive, and he never tried to sandbag anyone. I’m sure Whillans had seen his share of sandbag attempts. After he said how much he enjoyed something we did in the Cookie area, Pratt replied, “Well Donald. I am starting to figure out what you like.”
Whillans was helpful to me, “Jeffrey my lad, I’m worried about you. You're out a ways. Put in one of them boing-boings.”
There are some other stories on the thread Where Whillans Went. At the end of the summer of 1966, Whillans and Kosterlitz and two others did the Regular Route on Half Dome, perhaps the first British ascent of a Yosemite Grade VI.
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Jul 25, 2010 - 11:22am PT
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Boing Boings!!! Gotta love that!
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Rick A
climber
Boulder, Colorado
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Jul 25, 2010 - 11:31am PT
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BooDawg's list is fascinating for a number of reasons.
One of the most surprising names on the list is Jim Logan, who is apparently ageless. After the Nose in 1968, he went on to become one of the most accomplished US climbers,with groundbreaking routes such as the FFA of the Diamond and FA of Robson's Emperor Face to his credit.
But here is the surprising part: he is still a very active climber (leads 5.12). Incredible.
Rick
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Jul 25, 2010 - 11:34am PT
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Jim Logan is a quiet giant!
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Jul 25, 2010 - 07:39pm PT
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Jim's Logan hooks have gotten me through some wild places and saved a lot of holes since I don't frig placements. Ground down to form a set of five widths, these tools have provided me with the thrills of a lifetime and several hundred feet of fine granite bodysurfing!!! LOL
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DrDeeg
Mountain climber
Mammoth Lakes, CA
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Jul 26, 2010 - 12:13am PT
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More about Whillans, but it relates to the El Cap thread.
One day in 1966 he asked Pratt and me, “Is Eric Beck considered sane?”
Pratt hesitated only a second and said, “Yes. In general, yes.”
Whillans said, “Well, I’m just trying to get a feel for your standards. He seems like a sensible lad, but this talk of soloing the Salathé has me worried.”
Eric soloed Half Dome the following summer. The Salathé would have to wait for Peter Haan in the following decade.
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Largo
Sport climber
The Big Wide Open Face
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Jul 26, 2010 - 02:06am PT
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What's amazing is that now that I'm older I have a sense of the history of those routes and ascents and while we always felt like upstarts, when I first got up on El Cap in 1972, it was still somewhat of a newish deal.
I wish I knew the history (list of early ascents) of all the Yosemite gems.
Those really were some charmed times, and so fantastically real compared to so many other parts of my life that have seemed like hallucinations.
JL
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Jul 26, 2010 - 10:57am PT
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THE LIST for Yosemite will have to include the first ten repeats on Grade V and VI's. Amazing what folks can remember around this campfire!
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guido
Trad climber
Santa Cruz/New Zealand/South Pacific
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Topic Author's Reply - Jul 26, 2010 - 03:48pm PT
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To quote Donald Desbrow Whilllians:
"The climb isn't the main thing, it's only half of it. The rest is being in the mountains and the company that I'm in. For the most part of my climbing life, not the early years of course, but most of it, there's always been a pint and seeing other climbers in the pub and a few stories-that's the real climbing scene that's kept me so long in it."
Lakeland Rock-Classic Climbs with Chris Bonington
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John Morton
climber
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Jul 27, 2010 - 11:25pm PT
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For another British perspective, here are the explanatory pages from Dave Nicol's "Rock Climbs In Yosemite", a looseleaf pile of topos for consumption by visiting Brits, dated 1974.
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Sep 19, 2010 - 06:08pm PT
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Sorcerer's Bump!
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Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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Oct 24, 2010 - 10:06pm PT
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bump
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PhilG
Trad climber
The Circuit, Tonasket WA
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Oct 24, 2010 - 10:54pm PT
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Here's I appreciate the history: bump.
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Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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does anyone have contact information for Rob Wood?
you can send me email if you don't want to reply
I'd like to get in touch with him for a little project
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Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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thanks Bruce,
I found his business contact (I believe), I was wondering if anyone knew him and was in recent contact with him...
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guido
Trad climber
Santa Cruz/New Zealand/South Pacific
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Topic Author's Reply - May 7, 2012 - 11:14am PT
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Yo Ed I am in constant contact with him, will send you info later.
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Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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thanks guido,
just established contact!
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Patrick Oliver
Boulder climber
Fruita, Colorado
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Jul 12, 2012 - 12:29pm PT
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I did a big post, and it vanished.I have no idea
what goes with this site sometimes... Short version:
The list of Nose ascents, posted upthread, has a few problems
with it. Roper sent me a list he and Pratt kept, and I will
have to dig a bit to find it.
Anyway, Roper and I were uncertain whether or not Tom Ruwitch and I
made the 9th or 10 ascent. For sure, when we did the Nose,
in the second week of June, '67, the fastest ascent to that date
was Kor, Roper, and Denny's at three and a half
days (not three and a quarter, as posted). In horrid June heat
we bettered that time by about a quarter day, but not because
it was our desire. We simply used that time frame to gauge how
long we might take and what water to bring. Up to then, there were
no nuts in use, and we did not use any nuts (although the nut
revolution began mainly with Royal's return from England with
Whillans, in '66. They visited me in Eldorado and tried to get me
to use nuts on Supremacy. I wasn't confident enough yet). Anyway,
Madsen and Schmitz definitely did their ascent after us, probably
in the fall or late summer..., fully armed with the time saving nuts.
They took off some time.
The list says Chouinard did the Nose in 3 days. I don't know
about that, but either he did it after us or it was more than
three days. Pratt told us of all the ascents and their times,
back then in '67. There are a few other problems with the
list posted, but I will wait til I find the list Roper sent me. The
initial part of the list as posted from above....
1- 1958 Warren Harding, Wayne Merry, & George Whitmore
2- 1960 Royal Robbins, Joe Fitschen, Chuck Pratt, & Tom Frost, seven days
3- 1963 Steve Roper, Layton Kor, & Glen Denny, three and a quarter days.
4- 1965 Gary Colliver, Richard McCracken, & John Evans
5- 1966 Dave Dornan, Dick Williams & Ants Leemets
6- 1966 Galen Rowell & Tom Fender
7- 1966 Jacques Dupont & Andre Gaunt, 6 days
8- 1967 Ken Boche & Don Lauria, 7 days
9- 1967 Jim Madsen & Kim Schmitz, 3 days
10- 1967 Dennis Hennek and Yvon Chouinard, 3 Days
11- 1967 Pat Ament & Tom Ruitch,
12- 1967 Don McPherson & Ron Burgner
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Dennis Hennek
climber
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Jul 12, 2012 - 01:41pm PT
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Yvon and I spent our first night on El Cap Tower with Texas Flake fixed. Our second night was at Camp 5, with a fixed pitch above. On our first day, while in the Stovelegs, we could see the ropes of Kim and Jim blowing in the wind as they cleared the summit overhangs. We planned since spring for a fast ascent with a minimum of bivouacs and gear. We took two gallons of water, used two 9mm ropes for climbing and hauling, and a 7mm rope to follow the pendulums. We took and used nuts, threaded on runners. They were new at the time and we hadn't had much experience using them. Kim and Jim stared on June 18th and topped out on the 20th. We started on the 20th an summited on the afternoon of June 22.
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Patrick Oliver
Boulder climber
Fruita, Colorado
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Jul 12, 2012 - 02:56pm PT
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Great info, Dennis. Thanks so much. That shows that Kim
and Jim did it after I did,
and then Yvon and Dennis. I just very clearly remembered hearing
of Kim and Jim's ascent. Back then we seemed to hear of a lot
of the climbs.
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Clint Cummins
Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
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Jul 12, 2012 - 08:12pm PT
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Nice info on June 1967 to straighten out the order.
Pretty cool that you guys remember the dates from 45 years back, or recorded them and can find them!
So I have the updated list as:
FA: (multiple stages) Warren Harding, et al, July 1957 - November 1958
Stage12 (reached top): Warren Harding, Wayne Merry, George Whitmore, Rich Calderwood (reached Camp 6, did not summit), Wally Reed (did not summit), November 1-12, 1958
2A: Royal Robbins, Tom Frost, Joe Fitschen, Chuck Pratt, (7 days) 9/1960
3A: Layton Kor, Steve Roper, Glen Denny, (3.5 days) 5/1963
4A: Gary Colliver, Richard McCracken, John Evans, 1965
5A: Dave Dornan, Dick Williams, Ants Leemets, 1966
6A: Galen Rowell, Tom Fender, 1966
7A: Jacques Dupont, Andre Gaunt, (6 days) 1966
8A: Ken Boche, Don Lauria, (7 days, rainy) 3/1967
9A: Pat Ament, Tom Ruwitch, (3.25 days) 6/14/1967
10A: Jim Madsen, Kim Schmitz, (3 days) 6/20/1967
11A: Dennis Hennek, Yvon Chouinard, (3 days) 6/22/1967
12A: Don McPherson, Ron Burgner, 1967
13A: Jim Logan, Wayne Goss, 1968
14A: Jose Luis Fonrouge, Rick Sylvester, 1968
15A: Jim Bridwell, Bill Stanton, 1968
16A: Mick Burke, Rob Wood, 1968
17A: Jim Madsen, Mike Covington, 1968
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Patrick Oliver
Boulder climber
Fruita, Colorado
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Jul 12, 2012 - 10:27pm PT
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When I find my Roper/Pratt list I think there will be a few
more changes, or additions (times, etc.). It must be in my pile
of history for Wizards.... I shall keep looking.
Hard to believe three and a quarter days were considered
a fast time, at one point in time. When nuts came in, better
rope, etc. etc. things radically changed. It was so much smoother
and less exhausting to simply place nuts and remove them.
Now also there are lots and lots of fixed pitons.... and
the bolts don't take a special mental transcendence to hope they will
stay in!
Pat
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Patrick Oliver
Boulder climber
Fruita, Colorado
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Jul 14, 2012 - 04:17am PT
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Clint, not sure where you get the "14" in the date
of my ascent. I know it was the second week of July
but could have been early in the second week, such as
from the 8th to the 10th or 11th, who knows? Almost
no one was in the Valley at the time, because of the
heat, and those few who were there strongly recommended we wait
until a cooler period. So it surprises me still to
think two parties went up not long after us.... When
you want to climb, you just go and do it I guess....
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Jul 14, 2012 - 12:16pm PT
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Anyone ever take a look at the summit register from the 1960s?
I wounder if it made it to the Bancroft intact.
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Patrick Oliver
Boulder climber
Fruita, Colorado
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Jul 14, 2012 - 03:16pm PT
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If there was a summit register, I didn't know about it.
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River.Rider
Trad climber
Campbell River
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Dec 27, 2013 - 02:15am PT
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While at Christmas dinner last night, discussing my latest climbing adventures with family friend Stevie Smith, he mentioned the first article in this thread. Thanks for putting it up Guido, by the sound of it, his copy is starting to disintegrate.
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