West Side Story Sierra Domes Donaldson Ascent 1973

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Steve Grossman

Trad climber
Seattle, WA
Topic Author's Original Post - Aug 22, 2009 - 06:47pm PT
A classic early survey of Sierra formations by Greg Donaldson. Lots of great climbing and history at the lesser known destinations. Pleny of STers have done something remotely remote, I bet. LOL










So much granite...so little time!!!
hooblie

climber
Aug 22, 2009 - 07:39pm PT
yowsaa

"one must be prepared to give up audiences for the quiet of fresh campsites...without the motivation of glory,
the threshold of necessary effort will still buffer the more isolated climbs"

where is this man greg donaldson, and what would he like to drink?
Iron Mtn.

Trad climber
Corona, Ca.
Aug 22, 2009 - 08:04pm PT
MMMMM Domes!

Nate D

climber
San Francisco
Aug 22, 2009 - 11:15pm PT
Thanks for posting this fine article! What a teaser for it's day.
Peter Haan

Trad climber
San Francisco, CA
Aug 22, 2009 - 11:46pm PT
Christ. Sigh. Yah, for sure, so little time. What incredibly wonderful rock. Thanks, Stevie. Great work on your part, there. Where is this article from?? Did I miss the attribution?

best, p.
Steve Grossman

Trad climber
Seattle, WA
Topic Author's Reply - Aug 23, 2009 - 11:45am PT
It is the 73 Ascent with Maestri's popsicle on the cover!
Steve Grossman

Trad climber
Seattle, WA
Topic Author's Reply - Sep 4, 2009 - 08:47pm PT
Tasty bumps of granite!
Steve Grossman

Trad climber
Seattle, WA
Topic Author's Reply - Oct 28, 2009 - 11:56pm PT
And Angel Wings!
Nate D

climber
San Francisco
Oct 29, 2009 - 11:56pm PT
"An article such as this can open the door for a few iconoclasts to venture from the womb but, hopefully, it will not bring an avalanche of new desecration."

Funny. So that got me to thinking - in subsequent years, who was potentially inspired by this article to go and do firsts on the few significant domes described? A quick look at the guidebooks and reported ascents in the handful of years after this article revealed the following:

Calaveras Dome:
Jay Smith, Jeff Altenburg & several other partners were active in the late 70s, establishing quite a few FAs, and were known to have said the article inspired their explorations.
Donaldson (the author) participated in 2 FAs in '72, including the classic Gemini Cracks on Hammer Dome.

Fresno Dome:
The Rockcraft Climbing School guides were all very active here in the mid 70s.
Dick Erb, Royal Robbins, Roger Breedlove, J. Copeland, M. Sorensen, R. Baum, Barney Neilson, Max Gammon and probably a few I missed established dozens of lines. It is doubtful the article inspired these guys initially, as they were seemingly active in these parts prior.
Mark Tuttle & Paul Loughton, as well as C. Vandiver, M. Knehr, & M. Potter also got in on the action.
In the late 70s, Tom Higgins and Ruprecht Kammerlander passed thru to establish 2 routes.

Balloon Dome:
Dave & Jim Black and Mike Graber partnered up in '74 to establish 3 significant ascents.

Fuller Buttes:
Most of the activity here was in this time frame (late 70s), by the likes of Steve McCabe, John Stoddard, Gerri Dayharsh, Don Reid & Alan Bartlett, Mike Graber & Dave Black, and Fremont Brainbridge, Conrad VanBruggen, Gordon Rhodes, Mark Blanchard, and Simon King.

Kerkhoff Dome:
Kenny Rose and a host of partners from about '76 on into the 80s dominated activity here with many new climbs.
And I noted Donaldson (the author) participated in an FA in '73

Charlotte Dome:
Bart O'Brian & Dave Harden established Charlotte's Web in '76
Alan Bartlett, Allan Peitrasanta did E.B. White in '79
(Alan also ventured out to the Obelisk in this time frame)

Angel Wings:
Fred Becky, Bill Lahr, Alan Neiffel, and Craig Martinson established Wings Over Sequoia in '77

Tehipite Dome & Castle Rock Spire:
Nothing recorded in the 70s after the article.

Many here know far more firsthand of the article's impact, but these are just my observations. Did Ascent have wide readership among Sierra climbers in the day? Certainly, many other semi-remote and obscure formations not mentioned were first climbed in the 70s.

Obviously, the amount of activity (or "desecration") back then and to this day, almost directly corresponds to the formations' proximity to the road.


Thanks, once again, for posting this, Steve.
Mungeclimber

Trad climber
sorry, just posting out loud.
Oct 30, 2009 - 12:42am PT
Hooblie said it man!
ec

climber
ca
Nov 3, 2009 - 09:12pm PT
"who was potentially inspired by this article to go and do firsts on the few significant domes described?"

The article helped, however I was already on the critical path to loneliness...

 ec
guyman

Trad climber
Moorpark, CA.
Nov 4, 2009 - 12:51pm PT
That article, got me going.

I always wondered who this "Greg" person was/is whenever I see his name in a register.

His Castle Rock Spire tale inspired me to get crackin, it took 20 years of "Dreaming" before I got on it. Finding the old sardine cans, where he bivied in a storm, made my day.
Nate D

climber
San Francisco
Nov 4, 2009 - 02:45pm PT
Thanks for responding guys!
Fat Dad

Trad climber
Los Angeles, CA
Nov 4, 2009 - 06:39pm PT
Drool!
neebee

Social climber
calif/texas
Nov 29, 2009 - 09:53am PT
hey there say, thanks for the neat shares... :)
Steve Grossman

Trad climber
Seattle, WA
Topic Author's Reply - May 12, 2010 - 12:34pm PT
Bumps covered with Spring runoff!
Loomis

climber
*_*
May 12, 2010 - 01:33pm PT
Not many people have what it takes to hike to these area's
Just say no to roadside crags!
Steve Grossman

Trad climber
Seattle, WA
Topic Author's Reply - Oct 7, 2010 - 11:09pm PT
Big rounded bump!
mooch

Trad climber
Old Climbers' Home (Adopted)
Oct 7, 2010 - 11:37pm PT
Finding the old sardine cans, where he bivied in a storm, made my day.

Guyzo....its still at the notch! Munge and I found it after we rapped off of 'Spiked Hairdo'. Almost missed it since we were blinded by "water fever". Dirty snow never tasted sooooooo good!

Anyway, we left it as it was. Also, we found an old Band-aid container (I mean, OLD!!) on top of the south gendarme with a small strip of paper. Couldn't really read the names (George Sessions could have been one of 'em) but it showed the date of when the gendarme was FA'd....Oct 1949.
Mungeclimber

Trad climber
sorry, just posting out loud.
Oct 9, 2010 - 11:23pm PT
thx Steve for the bump.

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