new easy/moderate crag on June Lake Loop

The Silver Lake crag has enough routes now I think to be worth considering a visit -- especially its right-hand sectors have a good concentration of "family" style routes (sector 7 + sector 8 + sector 9) -- with short access, convenient set-up for top-roping and easy leading, with a great view.

I had been discussing Silver Lake mostly on the MP Northern California forum because MountainProject region descriptions seem to say June Lake and Mammoth are "Northern". But (maybe because I'm a skier) I think of June and Mammoth as closed off from the North for almost half the year, so I'm rather interested to get input from Southern climbers.

Two kinds of input valuable soon:
* lots of rock there open for more routes (including multi-pitch), or for installation of supporting hardware.
* naming of its 10 sectors (since the current naming scheme doesn't work so well).

The plan is to name the sectors after Southern Califorrnia or Eastside Sierra persons who have contributed to southern Eastside climbing (or perhaps ski mountaineering), or to climbing generally.

Ken

names for sectors at Silver Lake?

The theme for naming (unless someone suggests another concept) is . . .
Southern Califorrnia or Eastside Sierra persons (who could be still living) who have contributed to southern Eastside climbing (or perhaps backcountry ski mountaineering) -- (especially around June Lake + Mammoth) -- or perhaps to climbing generally worldwide.

10 sectors is a lot of names to come up with - (and as an outsider I don't know who's made some valuable contributions) - so I'm definitely looking for more suggestions.

Ideas so far . . . starting with contributors to my own Eastside climbing + skiing:

. John Moynier -- His enthusiastic books turned me on to the southern Eastside, first to springtime backcountry skiing. My recent climbing has been energized by his several ideas for ridge traverses.

. Peter Croft -- Long-time Bishop resident, was my "grand-mentor" for long non-difficult solo routes -- because my soloing mentor Pat Timson (frequent visitor from Seattle) joined with Peter for some of that, then years later Pat got me started on Bear Creek Spire and Mt Conness.

. David Talsky -- Organized the real climbing / backcountry-skiing shop in Mammoth Lakes -- also the brilliant concept of the Monkey Bar gym. Made it way more convenient for Sharon + me to base our climbing and skiing at Mammoth (and keep my training going in cold weather). Recently supported and encouraged Sharon+my work, said the region could use a new top-roping area.

. Marty Lewis -- Guidebooks really matter to us outsiders, and they require lots of disciplined loving hard work.

Sharon suggests:

. Lynn Hill -- Sharon was inspired (and instructed) by watching her smart moves for climbing something easy. Lynn grew up in Fullerton, learned to climb at Big Rock by Lake Perris. Her first Eastside climb was one ot the famous aretes (Sun Ribbon?) on Temple Crag -- at age 15.

A kind of contribution which I could especially use more help with is, persons who encouraged and organized lots of other people getting out climbing on the southern Eastside.

. Norman Clyde -- Organizing lots of Eastside climbing visit trips three generations ago -- but I'd love to hear about more recent energy.

Contributions to climbing generally: 

. Yvon Chouinard -- So many kinds of creatively useful equipment for my own climbing. Learned to climb at Stoney Point, started making equipment in Ventura, expanded to the whole world. On the Eastside better known for ice routes.

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Eager to see more suggestions.

Ken

RJ Secor

You are aware that RJ Secor passed last week?

Galen Rowell! 

FrankPS wrote:

You are aware that RJ Secor passed last week?

of course

Austin Orville wrote:

Galen Rowell 

Sounds promising.

How did he help your climbing? or some other climbers you know?

kenr wrote:

Sounds promising.

How did he help your climbing? or some other climbers you know?

I read his book High and Wild when I was younger and would dream about the places he would travel to, including the Sierra. His pictures/stories of his winter traverse of the White Mountains and his ascent of Bear Creek Spire in the middle of winter stuck in my mind and inspired me to get into mountaineering and rock climbing.

Thanks -- First I heard of High + Wild book. Wonder if it's still available at some non-ridiculous price.

Seems like nowadays Galen Rowell is known only for photographs.

Ken

Thanks a real lot for those, Guy.

Some new names for me -- just what I wanted.
I'll check them out, might come back with some questions.

you wrote:
> Galen Rowell was one kick ass rockclimber..... and hot rodder.  

One disadvantage for him under the chosen "Southern" theme is that I thought Galen did his hot-rodding to the mountains coming from Berkeley.

Ken

Following up on those most helpful suggestions by Guy led me to more info and more persons.

Be glad for more perspective on these -- and yet more persons to consider.

Now it occurs to me that there are lots more new sectors than just 10 around June Lake which could get renamed with some of these.

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Starting with persons with a strong connection to southern Eastside climbing (or ski mountaineering): 

* John Bachar -- contributions locally to boulder problems around Mammoth and June (Deadman Summit), and early sport bolting (Owens River Gorge). And of course contributions to climbing generally, from someone rooted in southern California, then living by Mammoth.

* Dick Erb -- in addition to lots of friendly to support of climbers around Los Angeles + Tahquitz, and routes in Yosemite valley and Anaheim Disneyland, he's an enthusiastic ski patroller at June Mt (whose summit is visible from Silver Lake crag).

* Dean Rosnau -- has at least one FA on the Mammoth Crest, but his bigger contribution is to the Mono County Search and Rescue team -- (I just purchased his new book about that, but have not yet gotten chance to read it yet).

* Pete Schoerner -- enthusiastic climber and ski mountaineer, was highly-respected on the Mono County SAR team.

* or maybe one of the Silver Lake sectors should be named "Rescue Team" or "SAR" in honor of all the members
. . . with individual routes named after specific persons.

* Doug Robinson -- valuable contributions of so many kinds: ski mountaineering, climbing (Dark Star on Temple Crag), writing, developing new clean-climbing protection, and organizing and leading others in climbing and guiding. Big contribution to me was inspiration of his JMT ski traverse, and his single-day W->E ski traverse of the Sierra High Route.

* Urmas Franosch -- grew up in Fresno, long-time Mammoth Lakes resident, telemark ski instructor. New routes both remote multi-pitch (Mt Tyndall, the Pharaoh, Mt Watkins) and local Sport (Dike Wall, Gull Buttress).

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older generations . . .

* Glen Dawson -- grew up in Pasadena, key organizer of both the Rock Climbing section and the Ski Mountaineering section of the then "southern California" chapter of the Sierra Club. In addition to leading others, he also contributed important new routes, including both the East Face and East Buttress of Mt Whitney (mind-expanding achievements in their time), also Mechanic's Route at Tahquitz (one of the hardest climbs in USA at that time).

* Jules Eichorn -- did new routes with Glen Dawson, and with others. From San Francisco, and already has two Sierra peaks named after him.

* Francis Farquhar -- Not known for new routes, but a great organizer. Arguably his organizing and writing were a more important to more California climbers than Glen Dawson's. Key move was seeing that inviting Robert Underhill from the Tetons and Northeast would be a game-changer for California, and then publishing Underhill's techniques and knots for roped climbing in the Sierra Club magazine.

- - > be glad for suggestions of more recent contributors to leading/organizing other persons for climbing.

* Robert Underhill -- his introduction of new roped-climbing techniques to the Sierra, and applying them to the amazing first ascent of the East Face of Mt Whitney, were mega-important. But mainly he was a Tetons and NorthEast US and Europe climber.

* David Brower -- serious climber from Berkeley. Remarkable person with great contributions - ?but mostly toward things other than climbing?

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Looking forward to more and better perspectives on those persons -- and other names to consider for contributions to southern Eastside climbing, or by Eastside and southern Californians to climbing generally.

Ken

Name the chossy routes after people you don't like. ;-)

Dave Nettle

RIP John.