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Photos: 1969-1978

 
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Pinnacle Gully: Mt. Washington 1974<br /><br />Chouinard ice tools and rigid crampons had recently transformed this New England test-piece into a trade route.

Pinnacle Gully: Mt. Washington 1974

Chouinard ice...

Skyladder: Mt. Andromeda 1974<br /><br />Our Salewa screws wouldn't bite in the porous ice so we ran out every pitch "anchored" by boot axe belays or warthogs hammered into shale. Patey's definition of a roped party as "several men falling simultaneously" came to mind. Often.

Skyladder: Mt. Andromeda 1974

Our Salewa screws w...

SW Ridge of Symmetry Spire: Tetons 1978<br /><br />When white painter's pants were still the height of fashion among the climbing hoi polloi.

SW Ridge of Symmetry Spire: Tetons 1978

When whit...

Bugaboo Spire: 1974<br /><br />Bob Dodds and Wendy Weiss third-classing the Kain Route.

Bugaboo Spire: 1974

Bob Dodds and Wendy Weiss thi...

Middle Teton: 1975<br /><br />Wendy Weiss on the North Ridge. Exum's old quonset hut on the Lower Saddle is visible at the top of the photo.

Middle Teton: 1975

Wendy Weiss on the North Ridge...

Baxter State Park, Maine: 1969<br /><br />Slathering on zinc oxide ointment before my first climb -- an ascent of the Chimney Route, a 1,000', 5.5 or 5.6 rock and snow gully on Mt. Kathadin. The friend who led the technical pitches had a little experience, real mountain boots, 120' of goldline, an ice axe, and a few pins. His ducklings had no experience, floppy Dunham work boots, and rented axes. But by the time we returned to camp, I was addicted to climbing.

Baxter State Park, Maine: 1969

Slathering on zinc...

Cinnamon Slab: Smith Rock 1973<br /><br />Smith Rock before (most) bolts. Stan Thomas rapping down Cinnamon Slab.

Cinnamon Slab: Smith Rock 1973

Smith Rock before ...

Three Birches: Cathedral Ledge 1974<br /><br />If you were laybacking up a granite slab in brand spanking new PAs, you'd want a smoke too.

Three Birches: Cathedral Ledge 1974

If you were l...

Double Crack: Gunks 1974<br /><br />Doug Fosdick leading Double Crack on a beautiful autumn day.

Double Crack: Gunks 1974

Doug Fosdick leading Dou...

Standard Route: Cathedral Ledge January 1975<br /><br />Ice is nice; verglas isn't. Doug Fosdick and I each had a go at leading the ice-choked crack to the right of the tree but the verglas was too thin for crampons and the rock was too icy for vibram. We bailed after several attempts and returned to North Conway in disgrace.

Standard Route: Cathedral Ledge January 1975

Ice ...

Quincy Quarries: Qunicy, MA ca. 1970<br /><br />An old school climbing gym 30 minutes from Boston. Because of the compact granite, most of the climbs were top-roped. I soon learned that leading 5.6 at Cathedral was a lot harder than TR'ing 5.9 at Qunicy.

Quincy Quarries: Qunicy, MA ca. 1970

An old schoo...

Pear Buttress: The Book, Lumpy Ridge 1978<br /><br />Wendy Weiss leading a pitch on the Pear Buttress

Pear Buttress: The Book, Lumpy Ridge 1978

Wendy W...

Standard Route: Frankenstein Cliff NH 1975<br /><br />Bob Dodds leading the second pitch.

Standard Route: Frankenstein Cliff NH 1975

Bob Do...

Rewritten: Eldorado Canyon 1978<br /><br />Beginning the handcrack on the 4th pitch. One of the best moderates in the Canyon.

Rewritten: Eldorado Canyon 1978

Beginning the han...

Pegasus: Frankenstein Cliff NH 1975<br /><br />Jeff Darde climbing a WI3+ classic established two years earlier by Rick Wilcox and John Bragg

Pegasus: Frankenstein Cliff NH 1975

Jeff Darde cl...

Mt. Lincoln Ice: Colorado 1978<br /><br />Topping out on a moderate route on Mt. Lincoln.

Mt. Lincoln Ice: Colorado 1978

Topping out on a m...