Shiprock... a Closing Adventure

tShiprock I managed to climb Shiprock twice, and was there when it was shut down for climbing by the Navajos. I have been reminiscing about it all and so I thought I would pass some of this on. The first climb I did was in 1969. Bill Hackett and I drove up there, prepared to spend the night on the climb, just for the fun of it (and, it made it seem more adventurous). ....... My recollections of that experience are of the terrible black rock of the Black Bowl, even though it was only perhaps 5.4. Also, the 4 original (huge) eyebolts were still there from the 1930's first ascent. The rock was good, and the protection excellent. The standard route consisted of a rappel down a vertical gully (from the top of the Black Bowl, 90 feet or so, where a fixed line was left for the return. Then a long (5.6?) horizontal traverse for a ropelength. Also, the walk up the Great Ramp seemed more like a long hike than a climb. At the top, you reach the summit by stepping out around a corner onto the west Face, a vertical drop of over 1000 feet... very sobering after the unroped Great Ramp. The ledge that you stand on is perhaps 4" wide, with a tough move to reach the top of the horn, then a short climb to the summit. I led it, but didn't have the nerve to make the move in my 'Spider' climbing shoes, so Bill tossed a rope over the horn for me to hand over hand the move, just as the original party had done (they had worn sneakers). Went back with Mike Mcgoey, Chris O'Brien and John Parker to do the climb again, and this time I made the move without a Shillelagh. As I recall, it took us 3 hours to reach the top. My most enduring memory of the 1970 climb was the appalling oveuse of bolts... we just passed them all by, prefering to do it all clean, as the original party had done, in the late 30's. Later, Roper and Pratt chopped upwards of 30 bolts from the climb... 30! ....... In 1970, the Los Alamos club were doing a new route of the direct West Face, straight up to the Horn, led by Don Liska.(I took the photos below on that trip). My climbing buddy, Reed Cundiff and I were enlisted to climb the regular route and leave a fixed rope in the gully for the party to use on the return. Before starting the climb the next morning, we took the opportunity to climb up several pitches and see the L.A. group and watch. Reed actually led one pitch when it was offered. They told us that they had met some climbers that had started the standard route that morning, Jim Smith and Bill Bull, both from Boulder, and George Andrews from Menlo Park, NJ. That evening, we retreated to Reed's VW and went to sleep beside the car. In the morning, there was a few feet of snow! Actually, it was probably about 10", but it always grows in the retelling. We went to the base of the West Face and waited as the 4 of the L.A. team made it down, cold and frozen. First priority was to get to a phone and call the Los Alamos club and arrange a rescue... so the 6 of us piled into Reed's VW and headed to the town of Shiprock. The VW had a sunroof, so me and another fellow sat on the roof, with our legs down through the sunroof (Cold!), and we all drove into town. The VW was the only car that was there that would make it through the snow. ........ As we raced down the highway, a NM State Trooper passed us and whipped around to give chase (his name was Nick Saiz). We sunroof climbers got into the Trooper's car and as we headed to town I explained the situation to him and he was very sympathetic to the situation, and man, was that State Police car warm! (Turns out, he told me that he was the cop that had been shot in the chest during the famous raid on the courthouse in Tierra Amarilla!). We got to town, called the Los Alamos group, and Reed and I returned to the peak to retrieve our gear, followed by a tribal member in a 4 wheel vehicle to scout the situation. The Los Alamos group got there eventually and rescued the climbers from the impassable traverse, and all was well. Well, except that the Navajos were notified by the Trooper. The Indians had a huge group of personnel driving around in their 4-wheel trucks, but were of absolutely no assistance with the rescue, at all. The tribe was upset that they had spent so much money on logistics and ovetime during their 'rescue' of the climbers. Shortly after that, the tribe decided to close the peak to climbing. ........ I became a footnote in it all, for Don Liska wrote it up in the 1971 American Alpine Journal. He knew Reed well, but that was the only time I had ever met Don. He just couldn't remember my name. So, In the AAJ, we became "Reed Cundiff and partner". Reed has never let me forget that. I also shouldn't forget that my climbing buddy from Las Cruces, Bill Hackett, was one of the 4 West Face climbers. He stayed for the rescue and suffered very much from his soaked and frozen 'Robbins Boots'. Afterwards, he and the other members of the rescue team received Presidential citations (Nixon). Reed and I had bugged out for home because of lack of snow boots. ...... But, I can lay claim to having one of the last last 'legal' ascents of Shiprock, sadly, the stranded group never made the top, but happily, they all made it off alive, though injured. I should someday do the climb again, just to make sure Reed hasn't done it, and changed my cairn entry to 'Cundiff's Partner'. Lee Davis 

I managed to find these pictures of that trip. The first three are of Liska and two others up several pitches, on a large ledge. The group shot is in the town of Shiprock, with: Bill hackett(on the left), Reed Cundiff,a Navajo, the fellow with his back to the camera must be Don Liska, the Trooper, and finally Dave Beckstead. What surprises me is the lack of snow. The town is 15 miles or so from the peak, and it obviously didn't snow there.The L.A. Climbers got a motel room, while Reed and I returned to the peak. The photo below shows the West Face, on the right. The Black Bowl in in the center of the photo, and the jagged shadow roughly traces the route. At the top of the shadow can be seen the notch where the rappel down the other side takes place.The Horn can be seen at the top of the West face, just at the top of the small square of shadow. The West face line was directly up to the Horn, from the darker plug of rock at the base of the vertical part (on top of this plug was where the pictures were taken). The approach to the vertical part was up the canyon just to the left of the right side of the peak.

Great stories-- thanks

I get to see that monolith every so often in the distance when I go to towaoc for work. I've daydreamed about what it would be like to climb it. Thanks for the story, it gives my daydreams a little more clarity.

Great stories!

Did you ever meet my father George Bell, Sr.? I found his signature in the summit logbook, and found out there was some kind of "30th anniversary ascent". They took movies, but they seem to have become lost.

A page from the Shiprock summit register.

I know the name! I am trying to figure out if I met him, but it seems to me that I did. Where was he from? Lee

Lee Davis wrote:I know the name! I am trying to figure out if I met him, but it seems to me that I did. Where was he from? Lee

He was from Los Alamos (where I grew up), he and Don Liska were good friends. From the summit register, I was able to determine my Dad climbed Shiprock three times, in 1961, 1968 and 1969. He was on the team that did the 5th ascent in 1953, but he was sick and didn't summit. Sadly, he passed away in 2000.

I knew I remembered that name! I met him when he came down to Las Cruces to climb... as I recall we all went on a club climb, so I never roped up with him, myself. But, I remember kidding him about being a "yankee"... that is, a climber from the north. Lee Davis

Thanks Lee for this historic contribution on MntnProj. There are many of us here that really appreciate SW desert climbing history.

I hate to admit it but I still haven't summit-ed Ship Rock. And dang it I have been wanting to climb that thing since my toddler climbing days and seeing it in "The Book". (50 Classic Climbs of North America.) It's still on my ticklist though!

Wow, thanks for the stories and recollections. Really fun to read. Here's the Jan 1970 page:

First 1970 entries in Shiprock register

Shiprock (Moby Dike) Trip Report

Lee Davis wrote:Turns out, he told me that he was the cop that had been shot in the chest during the famous raid on the courthouse in Tierra Amarilla! Lee Davis

Great stories Lee, thanks for sharing.
Quite a bit of NM history there.
And if the LA Club was on a hard new route, I cannot imagine they would not have had Dr. George Bell (Sr.)along.

Thanks for sharing Lee. Shiprock is still on my list and now my sister lives in Farmington, NM. . . . . .

I added some of my father's photos of the summit area. They are already under Ship Rock Area, but I'm re-posting them here:

A view of the main summit from the south summit. Note the climbers on the horn pitch in the lower-left part of the photograph. Taken during the "Ship Rock 30th anniversary ascent" in 1969, just before the closure.

Detail of climbers on the horn pitch from the South summit. Taken during the "Ship Rock 30th anniversary ascent" in 1969, just before the closure.

WOW! Lee :o)... I can't wait to re-read everything I just tried to brief through; It's awesome!!! and I have the greatest respect for all who ever climbed Ship Rock that held "The Great Spirit" within their hearts.

God Bless You !!! ... and Thank You for your info :o)

May we all learn from the stories of our passing generations. I'm next in line at age 61... and I am humbled by your info.

Please keep in touch with us all!!!!!!!

Also,,, Did you ever meet FRED BECKEY ??? [ Now THAT would be a story!!! :o) ]

Great story! Thanks for sharing

Thanks... Yes, I had the pleasure of climbing with Fred... see:

mountainproject.com/v/choui…

Fred Beckey

Fred Beckey and Cliff Naveaux

From Jason's photos of the logbook on Shiprock it appears that the "illegal" nature of Shiprock has not slowed the climbing of the peak in the least. I found the figures very fascinating... In the first 20 years of the first ascent, there were about 2 1/2 ascents per year. In 1960-65, this jumped to about 10 climbs per year. By the late 60's, before the closing, this had slowed only slightly to about 9 times per year. The last "Legal" climb was #147.

......The peak was "Closed" in 1970, and there was only one climb a season for each of the following 3 years. In 1976-7, there was a jump to 9 times in the two years (4 1/2 times/year). The 1980's saw a spurt to perhaps the highest rate, at 14 ascents per year, and the 1990's it dropped to about 11 per year. As of Jason's ascent in 2010, there have been a total of 492 climbs.

Anyone know the story behind Bernard E. Topp? I believe he was killed in an accident on Shiprock in 1957.

Topp Memorial Plaque.

Google provides the answer in Accidents in North American Mountaineering

George Bell wrote:Google provides the answer in Accidents in North American Mountaineering

Thanks for the info George!!! A good reminder to always keep checking our knots!!!

Lee Davis wrote:Being Off Limits has not slowed down climbers with a desire to reach the top! I am wondering how many mountaineers have ever had run-ins with the tribe, or with locals? I would think that probably very few, if any have, but it would be interesting to hear some stories. I would not have the slightest hesitation in going there and repeating the climb, but I tend to follow the adage "It is easier to gain forgiveness than to obtain permission".

Untrue and a completely unfortunate attitude.