Who are these guys?

[Dane]

 

Anyone care to name these two? My partner and I have just given the dude in the yellow pants a shoulder to get over the shrund.

I have zero recall as to how we actually got over

I was just relieved they were heading off to the left, as we wanted to do a line on the right.

 

[DirtyHarry]

Sorry I can only remember as far back as 1980.

[Dane]

That is some weak shit dude ...photo is from May of '81.

[John Frieh]

That hint might be enough to tip off Westman or Puryear

[Dane]

The dude in the yellow bibs used a Curver axe and a Roosterhead for tools if that helps The guy below was politely bitching about the 300+ feet of 9mm he was to belay with as a single rope.

 

The "dude" told me once that it had been so cold in April that his head went numb on the summit bivy....laughing the whole time and swearing it was true! I tended to believe him

[Cobra_Commander]

I think I was enjoying a screening of E.T. when this was happening.

[Dane]

The guy in the yellow pants real name is Terry...but not likely that any of you will like know him by that. His buddy is Paul. But I bet ALL of you know who they are and the one climb they did together.

 

You guys are making me feel really OLD

[TrogdortheBurninator]

Mugs Stump, Paul Aubrey - Moonflower Buttress

[Dane]

Great call Trog!

[DirtyHarry]

Word is Mugs poached that route from some Washington boys. True?

[G-spotter]

Word is Mugs poached that route from some Washington boys. True?

 

If you consider bailing from, not even the summit, but not even the top of the ridge to be "poaching"? FA to the summit & therefore first successful ascent was Bibler/Klewin no?

[DirtyHarry]

Maybe I should have said poaching the name and getting the credit.

[G-spotter]

True dat

 

[Dane]

Had a similar discussion about that just the other day. It is true.

 

Not taking anything away from Mugs or Paul mind you. They, (Mugs) had the stones to actually pull it off. Realising now what they were dealing with and the gear used makes the climb all that more impressive to me.

 

But when they started rapping from the top of the butt all of us (lame asses) sitting @ the air strip on the glacier by that time were thinking a rescue was going to have to be mounted shortly ...and no one was excited about that. Made for a big party when they hit the glacier again under their own power.

 

Mugs may have poached the route and not "finished" the climb but they took the level of committment higher than any of us thought was possible or at least willing to try.

 

I remember a conversation that Mark Twight related to me that he had had with my partner from that trip...when Brad accused Mark of poaching "his" line by climbing Deprivation. Joking or not Mark wasn't all that pleased by the accusation and I could hardly blame him. Big difference between going on a climb with all the parties hopping the 'shrund on the same day and the difference of 13 years!

 

I didn't go back. (it was my second try at what was to become Twight/Backes' route, Deprivation, and it was obvious to me that we weren't up to the crux with lwt gear in '78 or '82) Below is a pic from one of the fun, 70 to 80 degree, lower ice strips that runs on and on. The red slashes near the ice on the climber are the red plastic bot plates on his Footfangs for a referenec as to how steep it is.

 

 

 

In '79 Doug Klewin, Pat McNerthney and Todd Bibler gave it a try. Then in '80 WPOD showed up for their second try, which was Doug Klewin, Pat and Dan McNerthney and Rob Newsom. They got to the base of the Shaft before being literally blown off the MTN in a storm. In '81 the foursome was back (as Back in Black) set to do some wall climbing. They had a portledge (they had ditched the Bibler I Tents) problem before the prow, went down to fix it and had to suffer through watching Mugs and Paul finish "their line".

 

I think it was Rob Newsom in his southern drawl who said to me..."sheet that is like having to watch some guy fuck your old lady". But it could have been said by any of us staring up at the butt those couple of days.

 

But Dougie aka Druggie, aka Doug Klewin and Todd Bibler came back the next year with much lighter gear (Bibler I Tents again) and completed the first complete ascent to the summit with the classic start. Newsom and Pat McNerthney came back and finished the line to the summit as well. Making the 1st and 2nd ascents of the entire line.

 

NW hard guys were poached, but they had the ultimate payback, just didn't get the glory Mugs was obviously a great climber and very nice guy but the BIB gang are the heros imo if for nothing else than determination. Others tried the route as well during that time frame, among them, Gary Bocarde, Dale Bard, Charlie Porter, Jim Bridwell, Brad Johnson, Kim Momb.

 

Muggs was the niciest guy and if any of us had asked him to wait I suspect he would have. BIB went up and came down with portaledge problems. Seemed fair...now Mugs got his chance and to almost everyone's surprise kept going to the top of the butt.

 

But the truth is, as good as the climbers involved were, Mugs just was mentally a whole lot stronger that particular month in '81. He was originally planning on soloing the route!