The First Portaledge On El Cap-Who,Where And When Exactly?

Search
Go

Discussion Topic

Return to Forum List
This thread has been locked
Messages 101 - 120 of total 140 in this topic << First  |  < Previous  |  Show All  |  Next >  |  Last >>
Steve Grossman

Trad climber
Seattle, WA
Topic Author's Reply - May 6, 2011 - 11:48pm PT
PortaBump!
D.Eubanks

climber
May 7, 2011 - 12:36am PT
1979, Zappa Dave Austin, Charlie Kable and Bill Lawrence took a double ledge up on South Seas. Does anyone know who might of made this double ledge BITD?

Edit: It was Dave Austins ledge.

Ian Gill

Big Wall climber
Redding, CA
May 7, 2011 - 01:09am PT
We used these "Cocoons", designed and sewn by Richard Leversee, around '78-'80. Had a tape deck with an "extension speaker" that would reach from one Cocoon to the other. These things actually weren't bad, AND kept most of the rain out!
WBraun

climber
May 7, 2011 - 01:24am PT
I slept there also in the same damn cocoon type. ^^^^

Woke up in the morning and could barely move my shoulders.

Those things suck big time.

I did the route in my free climbing Eb's because we thought we were gonna cut loose and free climb up there.

My toes were bleeding by the time we got to the top.

What an idiot ......
Steve Grossman

Trad climber
Seattle, WA
Topic Author's Reply - May 7, 2011 - 01:30am PT
Hooooooooooooooooo Man! Ouch!

I feel your pain...on all levels! LOL

Who set you up on that one?
Ian Gill

Big Wall climber
Redding, CA
May 7, 2011 - 01:40am PT
Yeah, they could be real shoulder crankers, no lie!

So we had spreader bars built in that kinda worked.

At any rate, was better than the night I spent sitting on a triangular ledge barely big enough for 2 asses to fit, leaning over forward with my head in a buttbag trying to catch some zzzzzzzzzzz's.
TomCochrane

Trad climber
Santa Cruz Mountains and Monterey Bay
May 7, 2011 - 02:16am PT
In 1964 Royal and Liz made two prototype nylon belay seat slings (dark green) and gave me one of them to test. I liked it much better than standing in slings with a swami belt. Then they made two nylon hammocks (bright red) and gave me one of them to test. I used it for solo attempts on El Cap. Royal used the other ones. These did prove to work better than standing in slings and I still have them. They also proved there should be a better way. Then in the early 1980s Fish gave me one of his prototype portaledges to test on El Cap; and I still have that one also.
D.Eubanks

climber
May 7, 2011 - 06:25am PT
Total misery...thank god for portaledges.
Big Mike

Trad climber
BC
Nov 5, 2012 - 09:26pm PT
Bump
RP3

Big Wall climber
El Portal/Chapel Hill
Nov 5, 2012 - 09:36pm PT
What an amazing thread! This is why I love Supertopo!
nutjob

Gym climber
Berkeley, CA
Nov 5, 2012 - 10:09pm PT
I never saw this one before, and it's one of the more interesting ones I've seen in a while now. Thanks for all who contributed!
Jim Pettigrew

Social climber
Crowley Lake, CA
Nov 5, 2012 - 10:50pm PT
Bruce Hawkins brought that bunk in from an army surplus store in Seattle (I think). I borrowed it for the Tangerine Trip with Mike White and Ed Berry. After topping out, we launched it off to Westbay and Snively starting the Zodiac. 1976 or 1977:)
Steve Grossman

Trad climber
Seattle, WA
Topic Author's Reply - Feb 18, 2013 - 12:12pm PT
Bump for a bunk in the sky...
donini

Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
Feb 18, 2013 - 12:25pm PT
Another, futuristic question....when will there be the last portaledge on El Cap?
Surely, someday climbing will have advanced to the point where all of the routes on El Cap will be considered day climbs.
Snowmassguy

Trad climber
Calirado
Feb 18, 2013 - 12:52pm PT
I am going to rap it with a ledge...just in case. Maybe take the full junk show and complete the first multi day descent of El Cap.


Awesome thread by the way. One of the reasons why ST is pretty cool
Vegasclimber

Trad climber
Las Vegas, NV.
Feb 18, 2013 - 03:32pm PT
Just don't Gugglimucci it when you do, Snow.
Steve Grossman

Trad climber
Seattle, WA
Topic Author's Reply - Feb 18, 2013 - 05:11pm PT
Jim- I hope that the simple pleasure of hanging in a portaledge in the middle of absurdity will be there for everyone.

That being said, grabbing a couple of Tiger Milk bars and some water and heading up El Cap solo like Tucker Tech stokes my imagination much more. Pure Muir style.
Batrock

Trad climber
Burbank
May 25, 2013 - 03:09pm PT
I just picked up a never been used red Gramicci ledge. It's been sitting in a closet for years and should probably have stayed there but I couldnt resist. I plan on breaking it in on New Dawn this fall.
McHale's Navy

Trad climber
Panorama City, California & living in Seattle
May 25, 2013 - 06:50pm PT
Jim- I hope that the simple pleasure of hanging in a portaledge in the middle of absurdity will be there for everyone.

My feeling exactly. I bought a Navy bunk in 1977 to solo Tangerine but it never saw any action. I bought a more modern portaledge once and traded it back for some orange plastic ice boots. Can't remember what I had in mind for it! Went up on the Muir Wall in 1990 with Bat Hammocks! Got to use em at the end of the big arching section but then had to come down after dropping one of the bags. I think it hit somebody in the side of the head too!
Batrock

Trad climber
Burbank
May 25, 2013 - 07:25pm PT
When I was a kid my dad bought an old surplus navy raft that we ended up using to run Hells Canyon on the Snake River. The boat came with two of the above mentioned navy beds that we used as seats in the raft. Had I known what they could have been used for at the time I would have kept them. After several years of use my dad sold the raft to a couple of long haired, hippy, commie pinko, wierdos, my dads exact words. They took the raft and the beds and ran the length of the Yukon River with it. I still keep an eye out for those old navy beds, I would use one on a wall in a heartbeat.
Messages 101 - 120 of total 140 in this topic << First  |  < Previous  |  Show All  |  Next >  |  Last >>
Return to Forum List
 
Our Guidebooks
spacerCheck 'em out!
SuperTopo Guidebooks

guidebook icon
Try a free sample topo!

 
SuperTopo on the Web

Recent Route Beta