Shiprock Climbing History

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Messages 81 - 100 of total 147 in this topic << First  |  < Previous  |  Show All  |  Next >  |  Last >>
Steve Grossman

Trad climber
Seattle, WA
Topic Author's Reply - Dec 10, 2010 - 05:36pm PT
Desert Classic Bump!
corniss chopper

Mountain climber
san jose, ca
Dec 10, 2010 - 06:57pm PT
Shiprock Via Ferata!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Via_ferrata
Steve Grossman

Trad climber
Seattle, WA
Topic Author's Reply - Jan 21, 2012 - 12:37pm PT
Bump for the glorious plug...
Q75

Trad climber
Shiprock, NM
Jan 23, 2012 - 11:49am PT
Anyone wanting to climb Ship Rock or on Navajolands should join the 'Dine' (Navajo) Rock Climbers Coatlition' on Facebook or feel free to contact me @ qetutt@yahoo.com. I am a tribal member and also a climber as well that enjoy having visitors and as for the 'No Climbing' rule, it still applies but if you're out and about along with a tribal member, you're most likely to get away with just a warning but go 'without a tribal member' you will get your gear confiscated.
Steve Grossman

Trad climber
Seattle, WA
Topic Author's Reply - Feb 12, 2012 - 02:26pm PT
Q75- You clearly have a unique position and perspective.

Beyond some uneven enforcement (LOL) could you describe the tribe's position on continued closure. Are certain summits still closed for spiritual reasons? Or is responsible and respectful resource use the sticking point?
Sierra Ledge Rat

Social climber
Retired to Appalachia
Feb 12, 2012 - 02:38pm PT
Closing peaks for religious and spiritual reasons, while within their rights, is a big crock of sh#t.

I was invited to climb a "sacred" Navajo peak once, on the reservation in northern New Mexico. We never even got close to the summit because we spent the entire day picking up garbage.

This "sacred" peak was littered with thousands of empty beer cans, strewn all over the approach trail to the peak. These cans were thrown there from the Navajo themselves.

We spent the entire day filling large garbage bags with empty beer cans, and trying to clean up after those drunks.

Maybe something is lost in the translation, but "sacred" to me means something different than dumping your garbage all over the place.
Q75

Trad climber
Shiprock, NM
Feb 21, 2012 - 03:23pm PT
As far as I know, the only ones that are strictly prohibited and enforced are the spires and buttes located in Monument Valley and also Spider Rock, which is in Canyon de Chelly, which is also a National Park.

As far as I can say, all others are GAME just so you're with a tribal member. I climb on the reservation and will continue to do so til I'm either caught, chased away or imprisoned but I think the latter is highly unlikely.

What can I say, coming to the reservation just to climb is an adventure and will always be an adventure.
Reilly

Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
Feb 21, 2012 - 05:56pm PT
I wonder what the market would bear in terms of 'peak fees'. I would prolly
pay $250-300 for Shiprock. I'd prolly go $500 for Spider. You couldn't
pay me to climb Totem Pole. It'd fall over for sure if I got on it.
Same reason I feely uneasy going into those cathedrals in Europe.
TKingsbury

Trad climber
MT
Feb 21, 2012 - 06:00pm PT
interesting, thanks for posting Q75.

For those having trouble finding the FB link:
http://www.facebook.com/groups/136258816435327/
Q75

Trad climber
Shiprock, NM
Feb 23, 2012 - 07:21am PT
Here's a video that was put together by the last guests I had accompanied. The spires climbed in this video are Cleopatra's Needle, Venus Needle, Chinle Spire, Angel's Wing Spire and Ship Rock. The one that wasn't captured was the Navajo Spire, in which the photographer/videographer was climbing that day. Enjoy!

http://vimeo.com/22749387
justthemaid

climber
Jim Henson's Basement
Feb 23, 2012 - 10:10am PT
Nice video.

That string of vintage bolt shots starting at the 2:46 mark is pretty wild. Need to link that to the Wayback-Bolt thread.
TKingsbury

Trad climber
MT
Feb 23, 2012 - 10:51am PT
Very cool vid!
TwistedCrank

climber
Ideeho-dee-do-dah-day boom-chicka-boom-chicka-boom
Feb 23, 2012 - 10:52am PT
Bandito bolts. Lots of 'em no less.
crunch

Social climber
CO
Feb 23, 2012 - 12:00pm PT
Shiprock, last weekend. With its own summit plume.

Rcklzrd

Trad climber
San Juan Capistrano
Feb 23, 2012 - 04:58pm PT
Flying up from Phoenix to Durango on Mesa Airlines Turbo Prop you can see it pretty good, even on a cloudy day.
AKTrad

Mountain climber
AK
Feb 24, 2012 - 12:40am PT
Spring break, March 18-20, 1962 (or was it 1961? I'm getting old) my friends Milt Hokanson,Dave Wood and I loaded my little Jeep and drove from Salt Lake City to Shiprock, NM. I had read Jack Kerouac's "On the Road", and road trips were in my blood. We checked in with the Navajo Tribal Police in Shiprock and left our names and contact information. They were kind and helpful, wished us well, and we headed to the base of the rock in the dark. A few hundred yards short of the campsite I dropped the Jeep into a steep ditch onto its side. With the gas leaking out, we three lifted it back upright and continued on. I don't know how we did it, but I remember it was a super pain, with lots of digging and lots of pushing. I must have been stronger then; and we had Wood, nicknamed "The Logger" with us.

Early the next morning we climbed up in the dark and surmounted the initial overhang in the cave at the start of the climb. I did much of the leading, and I remember being appalled by the quality of the rock after the great quartzite and granite at home. We had the description on a postcard and made good time.



The climbing was fairly vertical, but blocky, so there were a lot of holds and the climbing was fast. We climbed over a notch and found a type of rhyolite, rather than the basalt-like choss we had been climbing

We carried an extra Goldline rope to fix the two 80' rappels; we left it hanging so we could climbing the overhanging water gully on the return trip. This left us two more ropes between the three of us for the summit.

After rappelling down Dave led across the traverse out of the gullies which had a couple of 1/4" bolts for protection. It was winter, but here in the east bowl, the sun warmed us, so we had lunch.


Milt was as strong as an ox, and he did a lot of the belaying. I'm glad I got a photo of him; it may be the only one I have of the hundreds of climbs we did together as kids.


Steve Roper had climbed the peak the previous fall, and we knew he had done the Horn Pitch free. I remember leading the Horn Pitch to the summit in a strong wind as the sun was sinking.


At the summit there was a little register, we saw the first ascent party's names: David Brower, Raffi Bedayn, John Dyer, and Bestor Robinson. Fred Becky had been bolting a direct route the previous year. We knew Becky from his trips through Salt Lake, but I'm sure we hadn't asked him anything about the climb. He was an old guy then...maybe 38 years old. We were 18 or 19.


During the descent we had to climb up the hanging ropes; I led hand-over-hand, because we didn't have much to tie a prussik with. I remember using parachute cord around little horns for rappel anchors; we knew it would hold 550 lbs, so it should be good. We rappelled most of the climb in the dark, completing the climb in under 18 hours or so. The little white jeep eaded back to Salt Lake in the morning. It was awesome! Dave wood went to medical school and became a psychiatrist, but unfortunately passed away many years ago. Milt Hokanson, the guy I started my climbing career with at age 14 lives in St. George. I count him as one of the most influential people in my life, and likely among the toughest sons of bitches I've ever known. Together we explored the West, floated the Glen Canyon in tiny rafts in 1956, learned to climb and made our first ascent of Lone Peak in 1957, and made our first ascent of the Grand Teton in 1959. It is sheer luck we are still alive.





adrian korosec

climber
Tucson
Apr 30, 2012 - 07:09pm PT

I've got many more but not sure if anyone is interested.
crunch

Social climber
CO
Apr 30, 2012 - 08:40pm PT

Great photos!

Rappel Gully Anchor #1. Pretty sure the small bolts in upper left corner are some the first placed in the USA. Not sure though.

I recall that reading that one the first ascent, that rappel was anchored by pitons--no bolts. The FA party placed just four bolts, one at base of the Double Overhang pitch (which is not done these days) one midway up that pitch, one atop that pitch, and one atop the Horn pitch at that belay. All others were added later.

Great pics of the route and the hardware found up there. Interesting, that pic of the modern shiny bolt; evidently folks are retrobolting to this day. Nice colorful pic of Ormes Rib.

WhiskeyToast

Social climber
Hawaii
Apr 30, 2012 - 09:07pm PT
Great shots. Keep them coming.
klk

Trad climber
cali
Apr 30, 2012 - 09:09pm PT
Pretty sure the small bolts in upper left corner are some the first placed in the USA. Not sure though

yeah, big moment.

they likely practiced on i-rock first.
Messages 81 - 100 of total 147 in this topic << First  |  < Previous  |  Show All  |  Next >  |  Last >>
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