Bomber!

Found this yesterday on top of an unknown crag in San Francisco.
A few weeks ago I spotted a cliff near the Sun Set District. Curious, because I had never seen it in any guide books we zig zagged through cross streets and made it to the base of the crag. Looks climbable so I hiked to the top to check how to set up a top rope and found this. No I didn't use it, but it sparked my interest. So I was wondering if anyone had any history to share about this type of gear. Or possibly climbed an area near 10thAve and Noriaga in San Francisco and know the name of this area.
Thanks,
bman3000.

That poop looks just like a piton and a ring!

(Sorry I think that's the jet lag speaking but I still think it's funny)

Wow, thanks I hadn't figured that out. This was no modern piton it looks pretty old. I know the Sierra Club use to practice around San Fran in the 30's. I've seen ruminants like this at other local crags but none in this good shape.

Brian Snider wrote:I've seen ruminants like this at other local crags but none in this good shape.

You mean like these:

LOL...Ooops. No not quite like those. Stupid spell check. BTW thank your parents for an excellent sample photo.

Those rings are all over the West. They are pre-Columbian. The Anasazi used them for mooring extra-terrestrial spacecraft.

I've clipped worse....

soft iron piton from WWII era? looks somewhat like the kind at seneca

NO WAY! How'd you find that?

It's Frank Morris on his way to better days!!

You will find this type of piton(peg & ring) all over Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Believe it or not many are still in use, and are actually "bomber".

arm-jammer wrote:soft iron piton from WWII era? looks somewhat like the kind at seneca

Thanks, this is the kinda info I was looking for. It wont have surprised me had it been Yosmite or somthing, but this was just a random rock in the middle of SF. By the looks I wouldnt hang clothes on it to dry.

Mark Nelson wrote:NO WAY! How'd you find that? It's Frank Morris on his way to better days!!

I saw a big rock and climbed on top of it. Frank Morris?

England wrote:You will find this type of piton(peg & ring) all over Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Believe it or not many are still in use, and are actually "bomber".

All over Colorado National Monument as well, which is actually the first time I saw a rusty piton hammered into a rusty pipe hammered into the stone.Interesting clipping for protection.

A climbing partner of mine whom weighs in at better that 200lbs took a pendulum fall on a rusty ring piton in the flatirons last year. The piton was only in half way. The thing didn't even budge a millimeter!

That piton may just be bomber. It is sunk in pretty good and I bet freeze/thaw cycles are not a big issue in the Bay.

I always clip that old stuff even if I don't solely depend on it I feel connected to the past.

Thanks for posting that!

Andrew C wrote: All over Colorado National Monument as well, which is actually the first time I saw a rusty piton hammered into a rusty pipe hammered into the stone.Interesting clipping for protection.

Otto's route?

off topic... but in the profile photo it kind of looks like a ladies... umm.... and her pierced... umm... button

Jesse Davidson wrote:off topic... but in the profile photo it kind of looks like a ladies... umm.... and her pierced... umm... button

Damn! Who's hu hu you been looking at? Thats one crusty hu hu.

Jesse Davidson wrote:off topic... but in the profile photo it kind of looks like a ladies... umm.... and her pierced... umm... button

Oh yeah, it kind of does.

Saw one of these out here in the southeast at Linville Gorge on Table Rock as I repelled off a route. It was way off route and surrounded by lichen. Table Rock saw lots of early Special Forces climbing around, so there's lots of gear like this scattered about.

Bobby Hanson wrote:Those rings are all over the West. They are pre-Columbian. The Anasazi used them for mooring extra-terrestrial spacecraft.

You are 100% on the money with this evaluation. Those pesky saucers just seem to float off if not moored down.

Brian Snider wrote: Thanks, this is the kinda info I was looking for. It wont have surprised me had it been Yosmite or somthing, but this was just a random rock in the middle of SF. By the looks I wouldnt hang clothes on it to dry.

alright I did a little more research, probably not WWII era, the 10th Mountain which was the division that trained at Seneca were deployed to Italy after their training in WV. There is a chance that its from the Mountain Warfare Training Center Student, which is the equivilent to the 10th Mountain for the Marine Corps. Now the center was founded in 1951, so theres a chance that your piton is from the Korean War era, as there was a better chance of soldiers getting trained for climbing for the Korean war than the Vietnam. What im thinking happened is that someone was bored before their deployment out of SF, went out and found a rock, and popped that sucker in there. Hell i would clip it just for nastalgia's sake.