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pico23
May 16, 2003, 8:37 PM
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I was wondering what some peoples favorite pre 1950 rock routes were?? Does anyone have a favorite classic route put up pre 1950? There are several routes that I've been on that were put up in the 1940's and earlier that amaze me, I was wondering if anyone else has a similar appreciation for some old classics?
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dsafanda
May 16, 2003, 8:42 PM
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Royal Arches is one that comes to mind. It dates to 1936 I think.
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drkodos
May 16, 2003, 8:45 PM
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Horseman 5.5 Hans Kraus, Fritz Wiessner 1941
High Exposure 5.6+ Same team, same year
There are a lot of other great routes put up in that era, but many were put up as aid-climbs, then saw free ascents later. I believe that these above two were done as free routes on their first ascents. Amazing....and still fantastic today.
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brianinslc
May 16, 2003, 9:04 PM
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Goodro's Wall in Big Cottonwood Canyon (UT).
Steort's Ridge (Astronaut Arete)...same location as above...
O-S on the Grand (not bad for 1898)...
East Ridge of the Grand...(ok, some snow up high, but, mostly a rock route)...
Thin Air at Cathedral Ledge (pre 50 I think?)...
Lost Arrow Spire tip, Yos.
Cathedral Peak, Toulumne...
Brian in SLC
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dsafanda
May 16, 2003, 9:20 PM
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I forgot all about Cathedral Peak! That's better than Royal Arches IMHO.
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dingus
May 16, 2003, 10:21 PM
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Sierra-Centric to the Core... here are the favorites among those I have done:
Muir Route Cathedral Peak (John Muir solo, 1869)
North Face of Mt Ritter (Muir solo, 1872)
Cable Route on Half Dome (Anderson, 1875, reestablished after avalanche Phimister Proctor, 1884)
East Couloir Mt Mills (Clyde solo, '21)
U Notch Couloir North Palisade (Clyde, 1928)
East Face of Whitney (Clyde, Dawson, Eichorn, Underhill - star studded team! '31 - this was the trip where Underhill taught the Californians how to use a rope... and oh my, what they would do with those ropes!)
Eichorn Pinnacle, Cathedral Peak (Dawson, Eichorn '31)
NE Buttress of Bear Creek Spire (Clyde solo, '32)
East to west traverse of Mt Lyle (unknown)
Regular Route Higher Cathedral Spire (Eichorn, Robinson, Leanord, '34)
Regular Route Lower Cathederal Spire (Leanord, Eichorn, Robinson, '34)
North Couloir Mt Abbot (David Brower, Harvey Voge, Norman Clyde, '34)
NorthWest Arete Mt. Clark (Neil Ruge, Douglas Olds '34)
East Buttress of Whitney (Brinton, Dawson, Jones, Dawson, Koster '37)
Swiss Arete Mt. Sill (Austin, Ruth Dyar, Ingwersen, Jones, Momyer, 1938)
Southeast Face Cathedral Peak (Chuck Wilts, Spencer Austin, '45)
And finally...
Steck Salathe Sentinel Rock, Yosemite (John Salathe, Alan Steck, '50)
Yes, I know it says "pre" 1950. This was six months into the decade. But the equipment, techniques and mentalities of all the various partners and parties that contributed to this monumental and legendary first ascent belonged to the decade prior. This is the climb, in Yosemite anyway, along with the Lost Arrow Chimney, that launched the era of modern big wall climbing. Anyone who has climbed it can attest to the balls of steel these two men possess.
As I look back over this list I once again have to shake my head in admiration, as I did after each and every one of these climbs. Our forefathers in this tribe of ours... were made of very stern stuff.
DMT
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pico23
May 16, 2003, 10:34 PM
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In reply to: Horseman 5.5 Hans Kraus, Fritz Wiessner 1941 High Exposure 5.6+ Same team, same year There are a lot of other great routes put up in that era, but many were put up as aid-climbs, then saw free ascents later. I believe that these above two were done as free routes on their first ascents. Amazing....and still fantastic today.
Yep, those are amazing routes and put up by two of the best climbers of that era (at least in the east). What about Baby 5.6??? Was that put up free??? Boston was put up free as a 5.5 as well. I can't picture leading the cruxes of those two without cams (although people rarely have a big enough cam to protect boston anyway but I also don't see it led that often). Neither climb is amazingly hard by todays standards but I still hear people say they were tough for the grade especially on lead.
Off the top of my head some of my other favorites (that haven't been mentioned) that I've led or followed or both in the Gunks are:
3 Pines 5.3+ 1941
RMC 5.5 1948
Frogs Head 5.5 1941
Begginers Delight 5.3 1948
Minty 5.3 and Minty Overhang 5.5 1940's
Up Draft 5.5 1944
Laurel 5.7 (but I don't know if it was pre 1950)
The Case Route in the Daks is a cool route although it is only really a full pitch of 5th class climbing (5.3 800ft 1933) and the Wiessner Route on the summit of Noonmark which is a 5.8 crack climb although I'm not sure of the FA date but its location makes it one of my favorite climbs from around that era.
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vtposer
May 21, 2003, 12:11 AM
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High E
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fredbob
May 21, 2003, 12:48 AM
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In addition to many classic Sierra and Yosemite routes Dingus cited, Tahquitz had a few excellent routes done in the 1930s and 40s, including:
Fingertrip 5.7 (1946)
Traitor Horn 5.8 (FA:1938; FFA:1941)
The Open Book 5.9 (FA:1947; FFA:1952)
Mechanics Route 5.8 R (1937!)
...and that 3 star classic:
Left Ski Track 5.6 (1947)
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jgill
May 21, 2003, 2:20 AM
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The Emerson Route(1948) on the north face of Teewinot, in Grand Teton Park. There's a nice overhanging 5.8 crack leading out of a remarkable tunnel that cuts through the mountain to the SE face. High up on the dark wall, you can look through the greenish ice tunnel onto the sunlit expanse of Jackson Hole. 8)
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high
May 25, 2003, 6:13 AM
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shiprock
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yotrepo
May 29, 2003, 6:04 AM
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Whitney-Gilman Ridge on Cannon Cliff NH
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curt
May 29, 2003, 6:18 AM
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High Exposure in the Gunks for me. Quite possibly Fritz Weisner and Hans Krause's finest route. You only have to imagine what it would have been like to turn that roof to get onto the final pitch, with only some soft iron pitons and a hemp rope--and not knowing what difficulty lay ahead. This was a bold and visionary route for the time.
And, I have seen more than one 5.10 climber get gripped on that thing.
Curt
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ambler
May 29, 2003, 1:11 PM
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A few from Colorado:
Ellingwood Arete, Crestone Needle (1925)
Stetners' Ledges, Longs Peak (1927)
North Face, Maiden (1944)
Maybe not quite a "classic," but this still feels a little adventurous today, and must have been a breakthrough adventure for Tom Hornbein & co. with the gear and knowledge of the time:
Northwest Passage, 3rd Flatiorn (1949)
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brutusofwyde
May 29, 2003, 1:14 PM
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Regular Route, Castle Rock Spire, Sequoia National Park, California (1950)
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