The ol' Flagstaff address... I'm of a different generation of climbers, getting to Flag in the mid- 2000s. One day Eric Meudt told me that A5 once made gear down the street so I did what any true nerd would do and went to that old address, now a vet clinic. There, still stuck in the cement sidewalk Infront of the building, is the mold of some old cam lobes (WireBliss??) and a carabineer, conjuring memories that weren't even mine. Thanks for sharing all this rad information.
This actually helps me set the date for production portaledges. I started making portaledges in 1987 and 1988, but at first only made a few with experimental features (Mugs Stump was one of our major product testers for his Alaska routes). The first production A5 portaledges were made for the Fall, 1988 season, and sold quickly, as there was a lot of pent-up demand.
The ol' Flagstaff address... I'm of a different generation of climbers, getting to Flag in the mid- 2000s. One day Eric Meudt told me that A5 once made gear down the street so I did what any true nerd would do and went to that old address, now a vet clinic. There, still stuck in the cement sidewalk Infront of the building, is the mold of some old cam lobes (WireBliss??) and a carabineer, conjuring memories that weren't even mine. Thanks for sharing all this rad information.
This might be of interest:
https://www.blackdiamondequipment.com/en_US/stories/experience-story-gear-could-talk-piana/
I really spent a lot of time at Kinko's copy shop back then....
The route topo is: Half Dome, Zenith (5.9, A4) -- but missing a few upper pitches P11-17 to Tis-sa-ack. Cheers!
Great post John, also thanks for donating the domain to Ryan! I know he is SUPER stoked enough about it!
This actually helps me set the date for production portaledges. I started making portaledges in 1987 and 1988, but at first only made a few with experimental features (Mugs Stump was one of our major product testers for his Alaska routes). The first production A5 portaledges were made for the Fall, 1988 season, and sold quickly, as there was a lot of pent-up demand.