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Peater
Trad climber
Salt Lake City Ut.
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Nov 21, 2016 - 06:43pm PT
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Remembering Ken McNutt
I didn't know that he passed until recently.
Used to boulder with him.
At the end of the evening session at Stoney Point he would bring back a box of beer and cocktails and we would point our car head lamps on Rock 1 and continue doing problems until whenever.
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LilaBiene
Trad climber
Technically...the spawning grounds of Yosemite
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Nov 22, 2016 - 09:49pm PT
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WOW! Cool stuff, Marty! Thanks so much for sharing. :)
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LilaBiene
Trad climber
Technically...the spawning grounds of Yosemite
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Hey Marty, just a note to say how much I appreciate you sharing -- it's wonderful to be able to read and learn more every time I return to this thread.
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Don Lauria
Trad climber
Bishop, CA
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 10, 2017 - 12:08pm PT
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A little late, but for what it's worth, yes, Dolt did produce those white holsters - I still have one. Also, the Dolt Company did not produce any hardware in any form after Bill's death. We did, however, resurrect some of his old unforged piton blanks into the "Nutcracker" chock removal tools.
To remind you: After Bill's intestate death his commercial estate was purchased at auction by West Ridge - my retail store in West LA. A few years later, West Ridge sold its rights to the Dolt name and logo to my ex-West Ridge partner, Tom Limp. He then began producing Dolt softgoods - rucksacks and duffels with a Dolt label of his own design. I later convinced him to use the label originated by Bill in all his late Summit advertising.
As to the mention of Ken McNutt, he died of cancer in 1995. A great friend, super mountaineer. He wrote a story of our 1970 ascent (the 5th of my 6 ascents) of the Leaning Tower that appears in some obscure thread. Look it up.
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McHale's Navy
Trad climber
From Panorama City, CA
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Jan 10, 2017 - 05:41pm PT
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Don, I remember Ken talking about doing the Tower with you. Your organizational abilities had a big influence on him. I don't remember if it was his term or yours, probably yours, but he called it 'housekeeping'. It was all about the importance of keeping the gear organized as you go. I have not forgotten! That may have also been when he told me of how you kept your hero loops stacked on top in each other in your knicker pocket for fast retrieval. Those were the days.
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karabin museum
Trad climber
phoenix, az
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Jan 11, 2017 - 04:30am PT
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Don - Thanks for getting back on the white Dolt holsters. So all of the advertisements for Dolt gear after his death was left over surplus. I came across another advertisement in 1977 time that showed Dolt hardware was still being sold. For a while there I was under the impression that you were creating the items and maybe using the Dolt stamps I have to stamp them (since the stamps were originally yours). Cool so Bill Dolt made all of the Dolt hardware, and only a few fabric items. A chalk bag, gear slings, and patch with the piton style dolt fabric patch.
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karabin museum
Trad climber
phoenix, az
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Just another causal day strolling through the eBay auction listings and suddenly BAM....there it was! I could not believe what I was seeing and I had to take a closer look at it. The auction did not finalize for another three days and I must have chewed off all of my fingernails awaiting my final attack of obtaining the auction lot. Even though I won the lot I continued to chew those fingernails until yesterday when the box was delivered to my house. As I opened the shipping box the room suddenly became brighter and harp music filled the air.....and there it was!
Never used near mint condition medium brown Dolt 1958 hammer holster. Yes the first hammer holster Dolt created which sports a very small piton leather stamp. It has two water marks on it and besides that, it is in perfect condition. The four rivets and washers on the back appear to be copper. I contacted the seller and he said the auction items came from a old house estate sale in Arcadia California. The seller knew the items were related to rock climbing but did not know anything about their history. Other climbing gear gems in the auction included many other mint condition pieces from the 1950s.
Other items in the auction all mint condition: 1958 Chouinard Alcoa carabiner first generation (no "Chouinard" word), Holubar 1950s hammer, Stubai 1950s ice axe, Fritsch & Cie 3/4" ring angle piton that is welded at the ring and at the tip, Stubai 1" ring angle piton, Three 1950s CCB pitons ( 1 spoon), webbing and the Dolt 1958 hammer holster.
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karabin museum
Trad climber
phoenix, az
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Feb 27, 2018 - 05:07pm PT
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A pair of Dolt Blue Boots with white shoe laces just came up on ebay.
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BooDawg
Social climber
Butterfly Town
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As I think I mentioned before, when Don Lauria and I did the 8th Ascent of the Nose, Dolt gave us prototypes of his new pitons to test out on that climb. After we finished the climb, we gave him our feedback on his design and the 4 four pitons that we had used on the climb. He gold-plated those four and gave one each to me and Don and kept two for himself. A few years ago, some of us went through Don's gear, and we could not find his gold-plated piton. Recently, mine reappeared during my recent move, so I've take a picture of it. The gold plating is flaking off (exfoliation?), but it's unique in all the world!
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dee ee
Mountain climber
Of THIS World (Planet Earth)
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I didn't realize I had a "Doltster" until I revisited this thread a few minutes ago and thought to check it! I just used it a couple of weeks ago on a FA out in the high desert of So. Cal. It is hard to see the logo and U.S. patent stamps but they are there.
I may have posted this photo before but....
Here (on the "wall of cool climbing gear") are various Dolt nuts and a highly polished keyhole hanger, a Royal Robbins RURP (found at the base of the W. Face of El Cap),2 Layton Kor pitons (found on one or more desert towers in the S.W.),a #2 Crack-n-up ( useful during the second or third clean ascent of the W. Face of the Sentinal), a Camp engraved Outdoor Retailer booty knifeblade (year 2000) and a Pat Nay belay device.
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Nice Dave! Definitely groovin' on the Gruvy Chock (above Pat's belay device) as it is my favorite Dolt nut.
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karabin museum
Trad climber
phoenix, az
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Steve - Further research shows that the nut with a post in the middle is called a Hipchock. The bottom of the Gruvychock looks like the letter "H" (or "I"). Gary Neptune shows a Gruvychock and a Hipchock.
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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That's interesting since I recall it being called a Gruvy Nut when I bought mine at the Summit Hut in the early 70s. Hip is kinda like Gruvy I guess.
My first one had a brushed finish and I have since acquired a second one with the polished finish that seems more typical. I bet Bill messed around with this particular style of nut much more than the others. The odd thing is that he didn't taper the largest face of the nut to get a third attitude as I recall. I wonder if he ever got around to it.
I carried mine for quite a while but fortunately it didn't get dinged up.
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mastadon
Trad climber
crack addict
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How did Dolt get his nickname? Jus curious.
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Don- read the third post on this thread.
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mastadon
Trad climber
crack addict
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Thanks Steve. I missed that the first time around.
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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There is a lot to ponder in this thread.
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karabin museum
Trad climber
phoenix, az
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May 28, 2018 - 11:59am PT
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I was looking through my Bridwell file yesterday, and a photo of Dolt pitons that the Yosemite Museum has, fell out of it. Looking closer at the photo I realized that the Paula Crenshaw Dolt piton is exact to what the Yosemite Museum has. The cuts are exactly the same even the teardrop droop cut under the piton eye is the same. I love this tiny piton!
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