Index Lower Town Wall - Tatoosh or Free At Last

[MrGecko]

Question for you Index types.

 

Smoot's old old WA State guide calls Free At Last a four pitch route that shares a start with Tatoosh.

 

However, Cummins guide has it the other way round.

 

Sky Valley Rock looks like it says the same thing as Smoot.

 

In another thread Peter Puget gives the impression he agrees with Cummins.

 

Does anyone know the facts?

[Otto]

Good question, I noticed the same thing years ago. A partner who showed me around Index called it Free at Last, this was in the mid-1980s. I hope you get an answer!

[rocketparrotlet]

I thought that Tatoosh was a 4-pitch wide crack/chimney 5.9 route and Free at Last was a 1-pitch fingercrack 10b variation? I'm not sure though...

 

-Mark

[summitchaserCJB]

Exactly Mark. I tend to agree with Cummins but I could be wrong.

[MrGecko]

Where is Peter Puget on this subject - I thought that guy would have some historical perspective to add.

[Rad]

ok

[Otto]

In my book collection I see:

 

1) Darrington & Index Rock Climbing Guide, Fred Beckey, 1976, The Mountaineers

The four-pitch route is named "Tatoosh".

 

2) Rock Climbing Leavenworth and Index, Rich Carlstad and Don Brooks, 1976

Doesn't include it! This is the first book I followed around to the classic routes when I was starting out. The section on the Lower Town Wall jumps from the Narrow Arrow to "Quarry Quack".

 

3) Index Town Walls, Jeff Smoot and Darryl Cramer, 1985, Sky Valley Publishing Co.

The four-pitch route is named "Tatoosh".

 

4) Washington Rock Climbs, 1989, Jeff Smoot, Chockstone Press

The four-pitch route is named "Free at Last".

 

5) Washington Rock, Don Brooks and David Whitelaw, 1982, The Mountaineers

The four-pitch route is named "Free at Last".

 

6) Index Town Wall Climbing Guide, Clint Cummins, 1993, compilation self published

The four-pitch route is named "Tatoosh".

 

7) Sky Valley Rock, Darryl Cramer, 2000, Sky Valley Press

The four-pitch route is named "Free at Last".

 

Here's what I think happened.

The four-pitch route was originally done with aid and called "Tatoosh". Fred got that in his 1976 book. Smoot used the information in his 1985 book. The line was freed by Mead Hargis and Jim Langdon and renamed "Free at Last", not sure exactly when. Smoot got the word and used it in 1989. Brooks and Whitelaw agreed and used it in 1982. Then Cummins muddied the waters and used the original name in 1993 - not a local, he must have missed the change. Cramer set it back to rights again in 2000 - "Free at Last" it is.

 

Of course, I will be happy if folks who've been paying attention to this stuff will chime in and correct me.

[MrGecko]

So you are suggesting that when the route was freed it got renamed but that really isn't typical unless a variation gets climbed is it? Even then it wouldn't it be Tatoosh with the Free At Last variation.

 

If it was originally called Tatoosh then perhaps Cummins has it right.

[stevetimetravlr]

Actually it is typical to get a new name IF the person who frees it so chooses. Perhaps the most famous example, East Face of Washington Column or as it is known today after Kauk, Bachar, and John Long freed it, Astroman.

[MrGecko]

Thanks for clearing that up...didn't know that was the case.

[DCramer]

Actually it is typical to get a new name IF the person who frees it so chooses. Perhaps the most famous example, East Face of Washington Column or as it is known today after Kauk, Bachar, and John Long freed it, Astroman.

 

Traditionally aid routes (or even routes with incidental aid) at the Town Walls are not renamed when free climbed.