John Bachar's Visionary Highball - Slashface

One of the all-time best. 

We stand on the shoulders of giants.

Thank you, John Bachar.  

Slashface is great fun, and Bachar was a great visionary climber. However, Slashface is far from a visionary highball. It's a one move wonder with a safe 5.11 move that any decent climber should be able to on-sight in good conditions, and after the 4th move it's a cruise to the top.

It looks like ya'll had a great time out there, and that's what matters... 

I didn't think the term "visionary" meant difficult.

I was using the word more to describe how cool it is that back when Bachar was climbing things, he was one (of a small group of people) who would see a large boulder face like this one and think "damn, I need to climb that". He probably even thought "Damn, that looks fun and easy". But it was before highball bouldering was just a common thing. 

Sure, nowadays it seems obvious, but there was a time not long ago when climbing a boulder like this wasn't a popular thing to do. Ahead of his time? Visionary? 

Maybe I'm using the word improperly.

Semantics debate here we come!

No need to argue semantics. Kyle's right. I was just looking at it in the context of what Bachar did in the bigger picture. I can't say what the year was when he found the Slashface, but in the late 1980's it was not uncommon to see him solo a circuit around Hidden Valley Campground that might have included Left Ski Track, Bearded Cabbage, Spider Line, Hot Rocks, Wet T-Shirt Night, Leave it to Beaver, Big Moe...  Word is he soloed Baby Apes, but I didn't see that with my own eyes. Anyway, for those of us who were out there a lot then, and took our climbing pretty seriously, that was the visionary John Bachar. And the real beauty of it was that his movement was so perfect, he was so solid, that it wasn't the least bit nerve wracking to watch.

I got a kick out of your video. It reminded me of this day in about 1992...

Photo's by Lynn Bowering

When I think of Bachar and being visionary, I think most of the level of training he did as being ahead of its time, the solos and highballs followed. I think he was unique in that he came from a baseball/competitive background, whereas most climbers in the early 70’s came from an outdoors/adventure background. That factor combined with early interactions with John Gill, influenced John to approach climbing like a competitive athlete approaches training and winning. That set him apart from most of the cavemen.

His Bachar Ladder was a good example of his regimen, but it went far beyond that. Other climbers in that era, Ron Kauk, John Long, Dale Bard, and others trained in makeshift outdoor gyms, but Bachar was the most fanatic. It showed in his climbing and his attitude. He was, in a way, one of the first gym climbers.

I’d say his importing of Fires to the US was visionary also, on a business level. 

Kristian Solem wrote:

No need to argue semantics. Kyle's right. I was just looking at it in the context of what Bachar did in the bigger picture. I can't say what the year was when he found the Slashface, but in the late 1980's it was not uncommon to see him solo a circuit around Hidden Valley Campground that might have included Left Ski Track, Bearded Cabbage, Spider Line, Hot Rocks, Wet T-Shirt Night, Leave it to Beaver, Big Moe...  Word is he soloed Baby Apes, but I didn't see that with my own eyes. Anyway, for those of us who were out there a lot then, and took our climbing pretty seriously, that was the visionary John Bachar. And the real beauty of it was that his movement was so perfect, he was so solid, that it wasn't the least bit nerve wracking to watch.

I got a kick out of your video. It reminded me of this day in about 1992...

Photo's by Lynn Bowering

I agree, B was “visionary”, while Slashface really wasn’t.

Regardless, probably THE highball to do in JT. Rasta has claimed far to many lives and is shrouded in controversy.

Stevie Wonder could see that Slashface is one to do, so no on the visionary part.  Nice vid, but I have to admit, I'm thinking that one dude is wearing a fake stache.  At least I hope so...