Climbing movie on KCTS 9

[Alpine_Tom]

KCTS has a series called About Us, and on April 22 at 10:00, they'll be showing "In the Shadow of the Chief: The Baldwin and Cooper Story," about the first ascent of the Stawamus Chief.

I just got to watch it last night, and though there isn't a lot of footage of the actual climb (it took place in 1962) it's well worth seeing.

Watch it, and then call or email KCTS to tell them to show more of that sort of thing.

[gary_hehn]

I'm on it! Well, that is it is on my calendar. Thanks for the heads-up!

[Alpine_Tom]

bump -- And, another one.

May 13, Frontline is showing David Breashears' film, "Storm Over Everest" about the '96 tragedy. Not that the story hasn't already been done to death, but Breashears is a talented climber and filmmaker.

 

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/everest/

 

And then, again, call or email kcts9 and tell them to show more climbing and outdoors stuff.

Edited April 18, 2008 by Alpine_Tom

[Spencer]

Luv these shows, last one I watched lead to me pulling my gear out spreading it all over the living room floor ( inventory : ) until the wife cam home and gave me the "stink eye".

"Love you dear".....

[pindude]

Tom, thanks for the heads-up on the Cooper-Baldwin Chief flick. No KCTS in eastern WA, but I'll find it elsewhere. I previously didn't know about the story, nor much about Baldwin, but Ed Cooper's been a hero for quite awhile with his FA's all over the west, and his photography.

 

In my backyard, Ed Cooper and David Hiser put up in 1960 the first route on north Idaho Chimney Rock's east face. The climb, especially with the Canary Legs start, is one of the best around. While I'm mentioning it, it's probably second as far as "classic" status only to our own Dane's much more stout Free Friends-Illusions, which is just to the right of Cooper-Hiser on the same east face.

 

Here's a pic from Ed's website, him on Angel Crack in 1960:

 

Here's a shot of Chimney's stellar 450-foot-tall east face. Angle doesn't show it, but it's very vertical:

[Alpine_Tom]

KYVE, out of Yakima, carries it as well. Same bat-time (10:00 PM) same bat-station (KCTS owns KYVE)

[rbwen]

Anyone else watch it?

 

I thought it was pretty good. I've never climbed at Squamish so it gave me a cool perspective.

 

My thoughts:

 

- They put in a HUGE amount of bolts and pitons (or pittuns, as the Canuck called them), something close to 400.

- There was some recycled footage that they showed over and over again. But there was a cool Volvo or VW Type 3 that they kept showing, which made the recycled footage more bearable

- There were some cool shots of two locals climbing the wall along the same route that the pioneers had. Neat to see some hard climbing up close and what the route was like.

- The part where they were out of water and trying to drink water from the moss growing along the route was neat. Then they didn't even stick around at the top because they were so thirsty.

- Also interesting that it took them 40 days when nowadays it can be done in hours (I'm assuming). And they would come down each night and do interviews.

- Sad to hear that one of the dudes died in a rapelling accident only three years later...

 

Thanks for the heads up.

 

rbwen

[Hendershot]

Sorry, but it was a snoozer and put me to sleep.

The lame interviews were the worst. "Isn't that scary?"

[Dane]

Really nice thing to say Steve but in reference to Cooper and crew not in the same ball game. Guys like Bill Fix, Ron Niccol, Gordon Thompson, Jack Miller, Joe Hieb, Vin Hoeman, Leon Blumer and others climbed more than most of us ever will.

 

The original East Face line on Chimney is "the" obvious line on the face. Done in 1961 @ 5.8 A1...with wool and cotton clothing, tennis shoes, funky ropes and hardware and a really big set of balls. Dave Hiser and Ed Cooper had those.

 

Another line even harder than the 1961 East Face was Copper's and Don Bergman's climb of the NE Face...in 1959 @ 5.8 A2, which started on what is now the free line "Eye of the Tiger".

 

Bill Fix's comments on his ascent with Jack Miller's of the NE "ridge" also in '59 is a classic. And I would suspect Cooper's original line done the month before.

"10 hrs on the rock, 5.6 over all, with a bit of aid.

 

This in 200 vertical feet of Chimney that I have climbed all over and you'd be hard pressed to find a move under 5.8 and most of it much harder! Sandbaging and down grading in 1959? Who've thought

 

Sure there were a few points of aid on all these climbs "back in the day" but I suspect not as much as you might suspect given the ratty gear these guys worked with and their free climbing standards. I know many a modern day "hard guy" who has pulled through all three climbs at A1 in sticky rubber and a big rack of cams

 

Having repeated Boothe's 1935 solo from the lake in modern running shoes in '84 I can tell you it was harder physically/mentally than my solo of Illusions/Free Friends in '87. The NE face done in '59 puts the modern "technical" climbs into perspective for me.

 

Scary? Ya, pretty much

 

Haven't seen the programs but will make a point of it, thanks!

[Alpine_Tom]

Bump -

Tonight on KCTS9, at 9:00 PM, Frontline is showing David Breashears' film, "Storm Over Everest"

 

Just a reminder. And don't forget to email ViewerServices@kcts.org or call 206-728-6463 to tell them to show more of this sort of thing.

Edited May 13, 2008 by Alpine_Tom