Yosemite Climbers Museum

[Wallstein]

A good friend of mine Ken Yager asked me to post this. Please read this and write a letter.

 

To Whom It May Concern:

 

About 12 years ago, Mike Corbett and I started gathering and accumulating many climbing artifacts pertinent to Yosemite’s climbing history with the intention of forming a climbing museum in Yosemite Valley. We ended up with thousands of items, many of them historically significant. Some of the most important items are:

 

- A George Anderson bolt from the 1877 route on Mt. Starr King

- The notebooks compiled by Richard M. Leonard during the first ascents of Lower and Higher Cathedral Spires in 1934

- John Salathe’s climbing gear from the 1940’s

- Raffi Bedayn’s carabiner collection from the 1930’s and 1940’s

- Pitons and other gear used on the first ascent of the Nose of El Capitan in1957 and 1958 including 2 Stoveleg pitons

- Royal Robbins gear including the rurp that Robbins fell onto during the first solo ascent of El Capitan when he did the Muir Wall

- Mark Wellmans jumar from the first paraplegic ascent of El Capitan and Half Dome

 

I am currently starting a non-profit organization that will be called the Yosemite Climbing Association. The primary goals of this organization will be to continue to expand this collection, to preserve and protect Yosemite’s climbing heritage, and to make it available for public viewing and interpretation. Y.C.A. is headed by Tom Frost, Ted Hansen, and myself, and is supported by many Honorary Board Members including Yvon Chouinard, Royal Robbins, Al Steck, Steve Roper, Glen Denny, Jim Bridwell, Ron Kauk, Lynn Hill, Steve Gerberding, and Dean Potter. Many other historically significant items have been pledged once we have a public display area.

 

For the last 4 months, Tom Frost and I have been negotiating with the National Park Service asking for space at Yosemite Lodge so that we can put these items on display. We asked a public lounge to be reestablished at the Lodge of similar proportions to the old lounge, which is currently the Mountain Room Bar and the Cliff Room. Our intention is to have a climbing museum around the perimeter of the new lounge with a manned booth offering up to date climbing information and services for climbers and non-climbers alike. N.P.S is in the planning process of the Yosemite Lodge Redevelopment Project as part of the Yosemite Valley Master Plan. Tom and I met with the architects that are working on this project and voiced our intentions. The Park Service is taking and reviewing public comments until mid October and then they will draw up the plans for the new Lodge.

 

In order for us to be included in the Yosemite Lodge Redevelopment Plan, the Park Service needs to hear public comments in support of this project. If you would like to see this happen, please write or email your own comments to the N.P.S. planners as soon as possible. If you know others that would be interested in seeing a climbing museum, feel free to pass this on. We need as much public support as we can generate in order to be successful. We can not do this without your help. Thank You.

 

Comments can be mailed to:

 

N.P.S. Planning

P.O. Box 577

Yosemite, California

95389

 

Or emailed to:

 

Yose_Planning@nps.gov

 

 

If you have any questions or suggestions, I can be reached in the evenings at:

 

(209) 379-2302 or reached by email at:

 

Yager@inreach.com

 

Sincerely yours,

 

Ken Yager

 

P.S. The official 30 day public comment period starts 9-21-02

 

Thank you for your support.

[Cpt.Caveman]

Is Raffi Bedayn's first snafflehound pelt going to be an exhibit

 

Oh yeah back to the subject. I am all for it.

 

[ 10-11-2002, 01:52 PM: Message edited by: Cpt.Caveman ]

[David_Parker]

I wonder if they'll have sheets of blotter to take us back in time!

[gapertimmy]

i might be mistaken, isn't there quite a bit of climbing memorabilia on display in the Awahne? Who owns that collection? NPS or the concesionaire?

[chelle]

My understanding is that Ken is setting up a non-profit who will own the gear he has collected. He told me he was concerned that ist would end up in some warehouse if given to the park service.

 

I think this is a good idea and will give the rock monkeys a place to see cool pieces of history and also restore a place to hang out.

 

There is some gear and photos at the Ahwahnee hotel but not very much compared to what I understand Ken has in the collection. The museum idea needs support. If you climb in Yosemite or like climbing history, send an email to help out.

[pindude]

quote:

---

Originally posted by gapertimmy:

i might be mistaken, isn't there quite a bit of climbing memorabilia on display in the Awahne? Who owns that collection? NPS or the concesionaire?

---

Placed there by Corbett more than 5 years ago. That would be part of the same collection that will be owned by the Yosemite Climbing Assoc. My understanding from talking to Corbett then is that this has been a long-standing dream of his, to have a Yosemite climbing museum. The start of it is that collection now in the Awhanee...he told me he really had to work with the NPS and hotel people to just get that placed there.

 

Because there are so many other items in the overall collection, because of the rich history of climbing in the Valley, and because of what climbing means to Valley the world over to both climbers and non-climbers, it's very appropriate to have a dedicated climbing museum vs. having some of the old gear in a small corner of the Awhanee lobby.

 

Mike Corbett, Ken Yager, and others have a great vision for it, and now is really the only time to push it while the NPS is drawing up their plans. So the deadline is now. As posted in Yager's message (thanks Wallstein), e-mail now your support to Yose_Planning@nps.gov for having a dedicated Yosemite Climbing Museum as envisioned by the Yosemite Climber's Association. Vote now, and vote often.

 

--Steve in Spokane