Fish Hook Arete Mt. Russell FA Cleare Colliver 1975

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Messages 1 - 37 of total 37 in this topic
Steve Grossman

Trad climber
Seattle, WA
Topic Author's Original Post - Jan 1, 2009 - 02:34pm PT
I recently unearthed my copy of Mountains by John Cleare, 1975. A wonderful book with lots of hidden gems like this one. Happy New Year!










It was great to see Gary and Reva Colliver at the Nose 50th. Great route to bag in June of 1974!

Edit: The route should be spelled "Fish-hook" Arete in the banner.
Captain...or Skully

Trad climber
North of the Owyhees
Jan 1, 2009 - 04:16pm PT
Awesome story, too!

Woohoo!
east side underground

Trad climber
Hilton crk,ca
Jan 1, 2009 - 04:53pm PT
Done Russell 3 times, but have YET TO DO THE FISH HOOK!!I have got to get it together. Got aced out the route one time by the late stressmurry and camera murry those bastards!
Thorgon

Big Wall climber
Sedro Woolley, WA
Jan 1, 2009 - 05:04pm PT
Great scan, Steve! Keep digging around, Man!


Thor
Steve Grossman

Trad climber
Seattle, WA
Topic Author's Reply - Jan 1, 2009 - 09:28pm PT
Murrys, never let em get ahead. All you'll get is a rock on the noggin, I tell ya!
dee ee

Mountain climber
citizen of planet Earth
Jan 4, 2009 - 08:23pm PT
I saw a slideshow by John Cleare at the pre-fire "Ski Mart", Newport Beach circa 1975. He had shots of the classic FA of "The Fishhook Arete."
I dreamed of climbing the route for MANY years and after many other trips up there to Russell etc. finally did it with Todd Battey and Jim Angione in (?) 1995 (on the second attempt).
It was worth waiting for. At least by then we knew the descent.
Steve Grossman

Trad climber
Seattle, WA
Topic Author's Reply - Feb 6, 2009 - 12:28am PT
Sierra Bump!
Reilly

Mountain climber
Monrovia, CA
Feb 6, 2009 - 12:53am PT
It is the most beautiful line around....

adam d

climber
CA
Feb 6, 2009 - 01:16am PT
I've just done the Mithral and Western Front...Fishhook looks like a fun line for sure though. I love aretes and ridges like that. Russell is the bomb.




Dirka

Trad climber
SF
Feb 6, 2009 - 01:29am PT
A route of the finest caliber.
le_bruce

climber
Oakland: what's not to love?
Feb 6, 2009 - 01:45am PT

Adam d - what did you think of Western Front?

Anyone who's familiar, which do you pick for your one trip to Russel during the season, assuming you've done none of them: Star Trekkin', Western Front, Mithral, or Fish Hook?

adam d

climber
CA
Feb 6, 2009 - 02:50am PT
If I was headed back up to Russell, I'd want to do Fishhook and Startrekkin' (sweet position out there L of mithral, and in the sun WAY earlier than the shivering you can do on Mithral with the sun just feet away). Western Front is worth doing...I think it gets called Grade IV ? but it's not really...no longer than the others.

partner following the sweet corner near the top of the business on Western Front

after this pitch it's a long one of cruiser and fun 5.9 with great stances then 4th to the top.
le_bruce

climber
Oakland: what's not to love?
Feb 6, 2009 - 06:48pm PT

Thanks for the input, del cross and Adam d.
Jerry Dodrill

climber
Sebastopol, CA
Feb 6, 2009 - 07:11pm PT
Jerry Dodrill

climber
Sebastopol, CA
Feb 6, 2009 - 07:20pm PT
Not so bad. Its IS the High Sierra though.
adam d

climber
CA
Feb 6, 2009 - 07:27pm PT
Beautiful light Jerry...
Ghost

climber
A long way from where I started
Feb 6, 2009 - 07:31pm PT
Gorgeous photo Jerry. And what a beautiful-looking place.
Jerry Dodrill

climber
Sebastopol, CA
Feb 6, 2009 - 09:24pm PT
That was Sunrise on Y2K. Millennium Dawn.

Here's a vertical
Steve Grossman

Trad climber
Seattle, WA
Topic Author's Reply - Feb 7, 2009 - 12:23am PT
Beautyous Maximus!!!
Inner City

Trad climber
East Bay
Feb 7, 2009 - 12:49am PT
Wow Jerry, wonderful pictures! thanks!
Steve Grossman

Trad climber
Seattle, WA
Topic Author's Reply - Jun 27, 2009 - 12:38pm PT
On a Cleare day...bump!
BlueGuy84

Trad climber
Bakersfield, CA
Jun 30, 2009 - 03:48am PT
Can't wait to do it! Bump
Steve Grossman

Trad climber
Seattle, WA
Topic Author's Reply - Jul 2, 2010 - 05:32pm PT
To go along with the excellent TR for this classic!
neebee

Social climber
calif/texas
Jul 3, 2010 - 03:37am PT
hey there say, steve... thanks for the really great bump here...

will have to come tomorrow and read it though...
am off to sleep now... just wanted to rebump it
and say thanks...
:)
Steve Grossman

Trad climber
Seattle, WA
Topic Author's Reply - Jun 12, 2011 - 04:34pm PT
Catch and release...bump!

http://www.supertopo.com/climbers-forum/388797/Mt-Russell-Fishook-Arete
Steve Grossman

Trad climber
Seattle, WA
Topic Author's Reply - Feb 11, 2012 - 09:41pm PT
Classic Sierra Bump...
Nohea

Trad climber
Living Outside the Statist Quo
Feb 11, 2012 - 10:52pm PT
Fish hook has always been a desired climb. Thanks for sharing the great story and fotos.

Gotta suck it up and send!

Aloha,
Will
Steve Grossman

Trad climber
Seattle, WA
Topic Author's Reply - Feb 17, 2012 - 10:16pm PT
Catch and release Bump...
docsavage

Trad climber
Albuquerque, NM
Jun 29, 2012 - 03:45pm PT
I have the Cleare book! Have had it since it was published 30-odd years ago - i.e., as long as Fish-hook has been on my tick list. I always wondered when the route would get credit as the Cleare-Colliver....
Steve Grossman

Trad climber
Seattle, WA
Topic Author's Reply - May 25, 2015 - 09:24am PT
On a another Cleare day...
BeeHay

Trad climber
San Diego CA
May 25, 2015 - 05:22pm PT
Did it with Kelly, late 70's. As you can tell, he was pleased…

crankster

Trad climber
May 25, 2015 - 05:55pm PT
One of my favorite High Sierra climbs.
Steve Grossman

Trad climber
Seattle, WA
Topic Author's Reply - Jun 5, 2016 - 01:38pm PT
Sierra Bump...
Don Lauria

Trad climber
Bishop, CA
Jun 9, 2016 - 11:47am PT
What do you do, Steve, bump this once a year?

Three month's after Colliver/Cleare did the arete, in September 1974, Gary talked TM Herbert and me into doing another route he scouted on the arete trip:

Mt. Russell, Southwest Buttress. On September 1, Gary Colliver, TM Herbert, and I climbed a steep crack in the south-facing western-most buttress of Mt. Russell. Two horrifying cracks are apparent when the buttress is viewed from the western side of Whitney-Russell Col. We chose the less horrifying left-hand crack and found the climbing steep but surprisingly easy. The first pitch is loose and requires caution if one is desirous of company on the summit. There were four pitches of F7 and F8 climbing, one of which TM described as "the most enjoyable crack I've ever led". He did this with only minimal Herbertian whimpering. Easier climbing led to the summit.

-excerpted from the AAJ #49

Steve Grossman

Trad climber
Seattle, WA
Topic Author's Reply - Jul 3, 2016 - 04:30pm PT
This is one of those threads that I bump on a regular basis in hopes that it might catch on and get a story from one of you guys. Thanks for biting.
Steve Grossman

Trad climber
Seattle, WA
Topic Author's Reply - Dec 16, 2018 - 11:30am PT
Ask not for whom the Fish Hook lurks...
Bargainhunter

climber
Dec 16, 2018 - 03:15pm PT
Thanks for bumping it Steve. That's a great area. Upper Boy Scout is only ~3.5 hours from the trailhead and even in the middle of prime summer season, it's ignored by the hoards heading up the main Whitney Trail. It's a beautiful spot and nice basecamp for a few days to hit multiple routes on Russel.

I loved the pic of Whitney's northern flanks from Russel's summit, and without the context of the book chapter, I wouldn't have recognized it.
Messages 1 - 37 of total 37 in this topic
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