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to CCC HomepageDefying Gravity: High Adventure on Yosemite's Walls
by Gary Arce, Wilderness Press, 1996
Quick Quiz:
1. Who first soloed Cathedral Peak and Mt. Ritter (and "was brought to dead stop with arms out-spread, clinging close to the face of the rock, unable to move hand or foot either up or down...")
2. Who did the first ascent of Higher Cathedral Spire? And what does it have to do with us?
3. How was the first ascent of Lost Arrow Spire accomplished?
4. Why is Thank God Ledge so called?
5. Why did rangers insist Warren Harding desist in the first ascent of The Nose during the period of Memorial Day to Labor Day?
6. Why did Royal Robbins want to chop the Wall of Early Morning Light and what did he end up doing?
7. Who is The Bird? Johnny Rock?
8. What happened at the top of the first free ascent of The Salathe Wall? What lesson should we learn from this?
9. Why was Mark Wellman's ascent of The Shield, 17 years after its first ascent, significant?
10. Who did the first free ascent of the Nose?
If you don't know the answers to these questions, then you really should read this book. If you do know the answers, you might want to read it anyhow. Gary Arce has succeeded in compiling into less than 200 pages most of the important events from the first discovery of Yosemite Valley, through the Golden Age, to the present state of Yosemite climbing. These include much detail and context for the obvious such as Warren Harding's first ascent of The Nose, and other less well known climbs such as Kamps and Higgins' ascent of Fairest of All on Fairview Dome in Tuolumne. To cover many accomplishments, Arce sometimes simply reports the numerous ascents. And while your mind might blur over them, they do serve to give breadth to the development of climbing that the bigger stories might obscure. While this work is not as ambitious as Chris Jones' Climbing in North America in that it does not attempt to cover the entire continent, it does effectively cover Yosemite history including recent events and controversies.
More than just relating the classic stories from each age, Arce attempts to put each into perspective in terms of its place in the development of climbing ethics and style, and its place in history. Arce does not interest himself in what might be the hardest climb at any particular time, though he does acknowledge them in passing. Rather, Arce is interested in how a particular route might be significant for its connection to the deep values derived from the long history of Yosemite climbing. For example, Arce discusses at length John Bachar's horribly runout route, the Bachar-Yerian on Medlicott Dome in Tuolumne. At 5.11c it was hardly the hardest route of its day. And while famous as a test-piece, it is a test of a leader's mental toughness, rather than his ability to do hard moves. Arce argues that Bachar's route was a testimony to his predecessors, including Muir and Salathe, and his respect for the rock. Bachar is quoted as saying, "It can be viewed as an art -- the art of admiring the mountain with the skillful use of bolts, and of respecting the rock by using as few as possible." And while Bachar's technique of hanging on hooks to place his few bolts was questionable in a free climb, Arce claims "(h)e felt that the uncertainty and adventure of the route were not being degraded." Whether one agrees with Arce's assessments or not, his attempt to describe Yosemite climbing history as more than a series of interesting stories or impressive accomplishments is a valuable contribution to the literature, even if not original.
If I were to note one quibble with the book, it would be with the illustrations. Certainly the use of classic photos is appropriate, maybe even obligatory. But the placement of other photos was quite odd and, to me, unexplainable. Why, for example, is a non-descript photo of the 3rd pitch of The Nose placed adjacent to a discussion of the later big wall classics of Zenyatta Mendatta and Aurora? And why place a black and white photo of alpenglow on Fairview in the book at all, let alone in the section discussing the arrest of Cosgrove, Smith and Epperson for using a Bosch on El Cap? The placement of large color plates together on a few pages was done no doubt to save printing costs. Many of them are very strong visual images, worthy of inclusion. Others seem to be included simply because they had a famous-name climber or climb.
Gary Arce's Defying Gravity: High Adventure on Yosemite's Walls is an interesting history of climbing in Yosemite that balances many intents, including entertainment and propaganda. I found it to be well written and provocative. I recommend it to anyone who wishes a survey of the history in an accessible form. It can serve either as a primer for those who haven't read many of the more thorough (yet limited) works, such as Roper's Camp 4 and Ament's Spirit of the Age, or as a thoughtful refresher for the well-read. It is worth its $24.95 price tag.
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