Early 70s UW climbing accidents

[slothrop]

While googling routes on Mt. Baker, I came across this bit of weirdness:

 

http://www.geocities.com/redmondrose/FlyingDutchman.htm

 

I had heard rumors of the UW having had formal climbing courses years back... anyone around here take part in them? The Coleman Headwall trip described in the above page sounds like a bad idea from start to finish.

[catbirdseat]

The author needs to see a good psychiatrist. He's got some serious reality issues.

[Mal_Con]

I took the UW Climbing course in 69 or 70. It was only offered summer quarter. At that time about the only other course available was the Mounties who were still using Manila ropes for the Basic climbs, the more expensive Goldline being reserved for the Intermediates. The UW course was based on the M's and used Freedom 2nd edition as a text. We also climbed Baker by that route. There were several prominant NW Climbers on the staff at that time.

It is a mistake to judge what happened then by current standards. This was not long after the Boy Scouts were leading troops of kids up Olympus with Pajama Bottoms for pants. You saw jeans quite often on alpine climbs but most people used surplus wool pants or old suit pants from GoodWill. When I was there boots were required along with crampons for glaciers. I rented some Lowas at the Alpine Hut at U Village and bad blisters for a month then bought some Rotandos at the down town REI for $25. Begining to sound like an old fart now.

Things were very different then if you were a guy then you were subject to the draft and 55K were killed in Nam. Students were being shot at Kent State and other places. There were large bombings on the UW campus, so something like jeans on a climb did not seem very signifigant. I left in the summer of 72 and moved to Australia and was out of the country when these incidents took place so do not really know the facts but it seems that the person with the web site has some issues, WTF does Bill Gates have to do with this?

[Freeman]

There was something called the "Alternate University" which allowed people to teach all sorts of things at the U - including a rock climbing class. These were in no way associated or approved by UW and went away after a few years, but were fun while they lasted. I also recall a U of W climbing club from my days there in the 70's. And there were the bolt ladders at Husky Stadium and the guide book to UW routes in the Library, and ....

 

I think I'm dating myself too

[Ade]

The author needs to see a good psychiatrist. He's got some serious reality issues.

She I think. Have you read the rest of the site?

[Gary_Yngve]

Post deleted by jon

[slothrop]

Thanks for the insight, Mal_Con. Standards of safety have certainly changed. The Coleman Headwall seems like a fairly serious route nowadays, not one I would think to lead fourteen relative newbies up in marginal weather. But I learned to climb in a very safety-conscious environment, so what do I know?

 

There's still a UW climbing club, but they are all hip to the latest in liability awareness, so no "official trips". Oh, and some guy named Captain Defecto recently put out a buildering guide to UW.

[sobo]

One word... "frooooooot-caaaaaaake"

 

This woman has some serious issues that should be dealt with professionally. Delete the "FlyingDutchman.htm" string to see just how messed up this woman really is. And Bill Gates should be on the lookout for a female stalker.

[MisterMo]

That is a really creepy site, what with the organ music and all. I won't be going back there.

 

Not to speak ill of the dead - Warren was a very competent and experienced climber and a casual friend - but even in the context of the time some large mistakes were made there. Beginner or not, heading up Baker in, I think, Levis and a sweatshirt, is just not a good route to longevity. Heading up the Coleman Glacier Headwall in a single long rope of however many there were is not such a hot idea either.

 

Still, like a lot of stuff in climbing, it boils down to luck. Many are the days that the above would not pose an issue at all.

 

Warren Bleser subsequently perished on the N Face of the Matterhorn later in the same decade.

[Mal_Con]

Warren Bleser subsequently perished on the N Face of the Matterhorn later in the same decade.

 

As did Neils Anderson President of the UWCC