Foops 

My brother Paul reminded me of an article in the short-lived North American Climber with a title something like, "Rezucha brothers swing through Foops." Apparently we were the first ascent where someone led Foops and the other followed. And, we were brothers (still are!). The usual way to do Foops is for someone to lead to above the lip and then drop off. Someone else in the party then attempts to do the same. The problem with following it is that if you fall you swing out into space and have to be lowered to the ground. If you fall leading you swing back to the wall and get another shot.

A week or so before our ascent I had gotten it pretty wired out to the lip. Paul had never been on it. We were living together in Albany, attending SUNY Albany. I talked him through the crux moves over and over, making the usual hand motions. I figured I had it so wired I would lead it, and he would (hopefully) follow. Well, on the designated day, once again I got to the lip and couldn't finish. Paul went up to give it a shot. I was talking to someone and looked away. When I looked back, he was over the lip! I thought, "Oh shit! Now I have to follow it." I was totally gripped following, but I suppose I convinced myself that I really did have it wired to the lip. And I did, and the courage of a top rope enabled me to pull through onto the wall above. The 5.9 to the top felt quite hard due to the stress and exhaustion.

See photo... That's Paul belaying and me swinging, in 75.

It was a long time ago but I still remember it like it was yesterday...

Looking down I could hear Ivan working the moves under the roof and heard a slap and saw a puff of chalk float out, then saw the fingers inching out and onto the horizontal. A big swing of the feet, desperation in the eyes, some real struggling, and he made it.

After Ivan got to the belay, he asked me if I gave him any tension. (I didn't as I knew he would want to do it clean).

I said "No".

He said, "You bastard!".

Don Morton, an astronomer at Princeton, followed the first free ascent on aid. We climbed the route around the third weekend in October of 67. It was so cold we had to wait under the ceiling till the rock had warmed up a bit. Not much sun there. As chance would have it Hallam Murray had been up for a hike to Skytop that morning and he had a camera. Nikon as I remember.