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rmuir
Social climber
From the Time Before the Rocks Cooled.
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I, too, absolutely loved Indian Rock in that era. Fantastic images of Borsen! When I moved down to Riverside to go to school, Ben followed me 6 months later to do some post-graduate work at UCR. We lived across the court in the same apartment complex and rode our bikes to and from Rubidoux. Bouldered there often as regulars. You guys might be interested to know that Mt. Robidoux has a feature still known as Borsen's Wall.
Yep, Peter, you were huge and blond--at least compared to some of us skinny kids. It was frightening, the day you arrived at IR completely shaved and bald. All I could think of was Aleister Crowley.
I was still climbing in Cortinas in '68, when I asked Vandaver if I could try his PAs. He shut me down completely.
Eventually, I came back to IR after a year or two of hard cranking on SoCal stone. My proudest day was doing Left/Far Left Watercourse one-handed, either hand. I think that was an FA.
Seeing Luke's photo brings back so many memories.
Taken not too long ago driving through Berkeley... Not a soul was there.
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JEleazarian
Trad climber
Fresno CA
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Taken not too long ago driving through Berkeley... Not a soul was there.
I had the same experience, Rob. Frankly, it wsa just as well, as I couldn't do almost anything any more.
Charlie, you're right. Cliff was who I was thinking of. I remember his stunt of doing the Great Overhand semi-blindfolded. In fact, he used to tell me he wanted to be a stunt man then.
John
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Peter Haan
Trad climber
San Francisco, CA
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Some of you are mentioning Cliff Coleman. I am still in touch with Cliff. We grew up together up on Del Mar in the Berkeley Hills. He is a couple years younger than I am. We were best friends as children for years and went through endless amounts of fun up there in our hilly neighborhood and on the grassy slopes near the cyclotron. We shared most interests.
Today he lives in Oakland, has had a family, survived the passing of his wife and has grownup kids. He did do some climbing beyond Indian Rock. He came to the Valley for about a week in 1971 and hung out with me. He had no roped experience up to this point. Because I could not change my professional climbing plans one bit once he arrived, I taught him how to jumar and the next day we did Twilight Zone. I think this was maybe the second climb we did on his trip. It was crazy of course and he had to jumar most of it but the main thing was achieved, that of doing the fourth onsight ascent for me and he got a super-priveleged ring-side seat to upper level routes of that time.
Since then he became a world champion long skateboarder and actually, yo-yoer! He has filled a whole life doing this, going around the world doing clinics and showing up at events. Still a great energetic fit guy who has done quite well, he pretty much has life in a bag!
Here is a youtube of him:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFHWZ1IJ5F8
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Jan
Mountain climber
Okinawa, Japan
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Wonderful thread. So much fun to see guys younger than me having nostalgic moments and remembering the past. I can see that Indian Rock got much more serious than when we played around on it.
These kinds of threads that bring old friends together represent the best of ST.
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Ricardo Cabeza
climber
All Over.
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I wish I came of age in the mid-sixties.
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hoipolloi
climber
A friends backyard with the neighbors wifi
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Classic photos. Thanks for sharing them.
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FredC
Boulder climber
Santa Cruz, CA
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I bumped into Cliff one day in the 1990's and we talked for a while about the old days and he was impressed that I was still bouldering. He happened to have his board with him and he said he had been riding a lot and offered to show me "something" up on Indian Rock Ave.
We went up the stairs and I stood in front of the Ape's Traverse Boulder and watched. Cliff jogged up the street about a block then he turned and accelerated straight toward me down that hill. I was getting edgy and wondering if I could mantle out of his way before we were both mashed into the boulder when he spun the board sideways like a snowboard and slid into the curb where he stepped lightly off onto the sidewalk like it was the most normal thing in the world.
I saw Cliff a couple of years ago at Peet's (where all old boulderers seem to end up).
Fred (who happens to be in the Valley ski-skating today!)
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klk
Trad climber
cali
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I wish I came of age in the mid-sixties.
Indeed.
Then you, too, could've been drafted and chucked out into the jungle of SE Asia to get fragged by the peckerwoods once you'd worked yr. way up to sargeant.
I wasn't old enough to face the draft, but I have zero desire for it to be 1966 again.
But yeah, if you avoided the Civil Rights Movement, the race wars, the assassinations, the draft, the riots, addiction, and the near-collapse of the Constitution, it was the best time ever.
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Maysho
climber
Soda Springs, CA
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Cliff is cool, about 10 years ago, he came by the rock and talked me into being the driver for one of his Berkeley Hills skateboard slider descents. He had urethane blocks glued onto gloves, and slid around the corners in a "controlled" skid, it was awesome to watch from the safety of my car!
Fred, keep those hips forward, say hi to Glacier Point for me, heading out to skate ski myself.
Peter
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Darwin
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 20, 2011 - 03:01pm PT
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I love it that this thread has some legs. I had been meaning to migrate the photos to the the Supertop photo bin so they show up on the first post, and it looks like I can still edit the page first posting. Is that ok, i.e. within the conventions of the accepted Supertopo usage? I'll keep the link to my site, too. I think this was only my second thread on Supertopo, and in retrospect I might have separated the Valley photos from the Indian Rock ones. Probably not though, there was too much overlap.
Hey if anyone has contact information for Vandiver or Tom Fukya, can you pass them on to me? I understand Vandiver lives near me over on Bainbridge Island. Anyone remember Justice Drake?
Fred C, it's nice to see your name here. You were, and I'm sure are, the coolist! I can't look at the stairs overhang behind Amy and Mike without thinking of you.
Darwin
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Vegasclimber
Trad climber
Las Vegas, NV.
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Oct 31, 2014 - 09:25am PT
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Might be shameless but it's a great thread. Thanks for bringing it back, I hope this new trend of bumping these classics continues. Enjoying the stories a lot.
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LilaBiene
Trad climber
Technically...the spawning grounds of Yosemite
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Oct 31, 2014 - 12:10pm PT
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So glad you bumped! Thoroughly enjoyed the banter and stories and excitement in renewing connections...and the pictures!
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marty(r)
climber
beneath the valley of ultravegans
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Oct 31, 2014 - 01:48pm PT
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Darwin,
Man it's neat to see those shots, especially Borsen! When Robs introduced me to Roubidoux the Borsen Wall was always a reference point. It wasn't for another decade before I got to Indian Rock and made the connection. The link between oral history and stone is so rich, and thankfully alive, in some places at least.
Mike was around Roubidoux a bit back then (88/89 or so) and Amy was living in Santa Cruz, at least ten years ago.
So here's one. What's the real story behind 'Lickman's Lick'? I remember a tall guy (Burt?) pantomiming the pull-up tongue-play years ago. It was fun, but probably what he was referencing was probably hilarious. What's the skinny?
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chappy
Social climber
ventura
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Oct 31, 2014 - 04:59pm PT
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Great stuff Darwin. Loved Matt, Bruce and Luke. Great memories. Thanks. Hope you are well.
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Oct 31, 2014 - 05:09pm PT
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Very cool....
ST needs a IR thread just like the Stoney Point one.
or is that place all nice and quiet now?
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