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Utter the words “Mt. Shasta” and mountaineers the globe over will nod their heads. Yes, it is a classic climb, and the long line of climbers seen regularly on the mountain’s south side from May through August is a testament to that fact.
There is, however, another local mountain, located in the Castle Crags Wilderness, which has garnered a reputation of its own. The name of that peak is Mt. Hubris (AKA the Ogre), and its legendary route is called the Cosmic Wall. In fact, the highly regarded climbing guidebook publishing company Supertopo lists it as one of the top 100 classic rock climbs in the country.
The 1979 first ascent by Michael Zanger, Chris Bonnington and Andre Nowacki has become a part of local climbing lore. Not only did the efforts of these three climbers establish a high quality moderate rock climb, the story behind the first and second has assumed mythic (perhaps even cosmic) proportions.
The First Ascent
First of all, Chris Bonnington, for those who are not up on their mountaineering history, is regarded as one of the top alpinists of his generation, as well as the author of more than 15 books. His exploits include a groundbreaking first ascent of the Central Pillar of Freny (considered to be the hardest climb in the Alps at the time), as well as ascents of the South Face of Annapurna, and the South West Face of Mt. Everest, to name just a few. In short, the man is a living legend.
Nowacki’s story is an interesting one as well. “Andre (Nowacki) was one of the greatest Eastern European climbers of the late ’50s and ’60s,” said Zanger. Upon relocating from Poland, he moved to Dunsmuir where he worked as an electrician.
Throughout the late ’60s and ’70s, Zanger, Nowacki and a small cadre of other locals were making forays into the relatively unknown realm of the Castle Crags.
Nowacki’s notoriety as a leading European climber meant that he often had visitors from afar stopping by. “All big European climbers would visit Andre,” said Zanger. In the spring of 1979, it was Chris Bonnington who showed up for a visit. “He was on a book tour. I went climbing every day with him every day.”
Zanger said that during that visit they had completed some of the classic Castle Crags routes of the time, including the West Ridge of Castle Dome, as well as a variety of climbs on a prominent spire known as Six Toe Rock.
Utter the words “Mt. Shasta” and mountaineers the globe over will nod their heads. Yes, it is a classic climb, and the long line of climbers seen regularly on the mountain’s south side from May through August is a testament to that fact.
There is, however, another local mountain, located in the Castle Crags Wilderness, which has garnered a reputation of its own. The name of that peak is Mt. Hubris (AKA the Ogre), and its legendary route is called the Cosmic Wall. In fact, the highly regarded climbing guidebook publishing company Supertopo lists it as one of the top 100 classic rock climbs in the country.
The 1979 first ascent by Michael Zanger, Chris Bonnington and Andre Nowacki has become a part of local climbing lore. Not only did the efforts of these three climbers establish a high quality moderate rock climb, the story behind the first and second has assumed mythic (perhaps even cosmic) proportions.
The First Ascent
First of all, Chris Bonnington, for those who are not up on their mountaineering history, is regarded as one of the top alpinists of his generation, as well as the author of more than 15 books. His exploits include a groundbreaking first ascent of the Central Pillar of Freny (considered to be the hardest climb in the Alps at the time), as well as ascents of the South Face of Annapurna, and the South West Face of Mt. Everest, to name just a few. In short, the man is a living legend.
Nowacki’s story is an interesting one as well. “Andre (Nowacki) was one of the greatest Eastern European climbers of the late ’50s and ’60s,” said Zanger. Upon relocating from Poland, he moved to Dunsmuir where he worked as an electrician.
Throughout the late ’60s and ’70s, Zanger, Nowacki and a small cadre of other locals were making forays into the relatively unknown realm of the Castle Crags.
Nowacki’s notoriety as a leading European climber meant that he often had visitors from afar stopping by. “All big European climbers would visit Andre,” said Zanger. In the spring of 1979, it was Chris Bonnington who showed up for a visit. “He was on a book tour. I went climbing every day with him every day.”
Zanger said that during that visit they had completed some of the classic Castle Crags routes of the time, including the West Ridge of Castle Dome, as well as a variety of climbs on a prominent spire known as Six Toe Rock.
As they were scouting around for more climbs, Bonnington spotted a possible line on the eye-catching formation known as Mt. Hubris, just west of Castle Dome. “It’s pretty blank,” Zanger told Bonnington, meaning that, as far as he and other climbers could tell, the face that they were looking at was featureless to the point where climbing it was not feasible. Bonnington begged to differ, however. He spied a way up that, by his estimation, seemed promising.
After some more scouting, Zanger and Bonnington returned with Nowacki on April 7, and the three got to work. Contrary to the prevailing belief, the trio found good solid granite that, slowly but surely, led them to the summit. “It just kept going, pitch after pitch. And it was all pretty easy.” (The climb is rated 5.6, which by current standards is relatively easy but is definitely a technical climb, requiring ropes, gear and the necessary skills.)
Zanger said after that week in the Castle Crags, he went down to Yosemite with Bonnington. “He had never been there, and we went down and did some of the big climbs.” Surprisingly enough, Bonnington told Zanger that he liked the Castle Crags more than Yosemite because it was not crowded. “The long approaches weed people out,” explained Zanger, a fact that remains to this day.
Zanger is left with many memories of his time with Bonnington, but one that stands out the most is the encouragement he received to start Shasta Mountain Guides. “He convinced me to go for it,” said Zanger. It is a decision that he does not regret.
Shasta Mountain Guides was the first guide service to lead climbs on Mt. Shasta and, to this day, remains successful. In addition to climbing a variety of routes on the mountain, the company also offers guided ascents of the Cosmic Wall route.
“Wow, that’s cosmic”
It wasn’t until the second ascent that the climb received its name. This time, Zanger was climbing with longtime friend and Mt. Shasta local Coy Welborn.
Welborn said that on that ascent, he had fallen asleep on a ledge while Zanger was working above him to put a bolt in the rock. (He emphasized that they were both safely secured to the rock at the time). “I looked to my left and, to my surprise, saw another climber and the two of us started climbing up together,” said Welborn.
That other climber, however, was the stuff dreams are made of. When Welborn woke up, Zanger called down to him, saying that he was ready to belay him up to the ledge he had been working on. (Belaying means bringing up the rope while the other climber moves upward). “When I climbed up to Zanger and told him about my dream, he said, ‘Wow, that’s cosmic,’ and the rest is history,” said Welborn.
Welborn did note that, contrary to prevailing belief about the name, there were no drugs involved in the ascent. “Those were the days of mushrooms and mescaline and all that stuff,” noted Welborn. “But we were just two enlightened climbers.”
Welborn said that he climbed with Zanger starting in 1967 all the way through the ’80s, and the two shared hundreds of days of climbing together. He noted, however, that this particular climb does stand out. “If you could drive to this climb there would be crowds,” he said. But the three mile approach up the Castle Dome Trail, which gains approximately 2,200 feet in elevation, coupled with some bushwhacking, keeps the crowds out.
A Social Security ascent
This past October, Zanger and good friend Daan Eggenberger (along with this reporter) made a 30th anniversary ascent of the peak. (Of course, we were a year and a half past the actual 30th anniversary, but that was of little concern. The spirit was there).
For Zanger, it was his 59th time climbing the route. For Eggenberger, who lived in Mt. Shasta in the ’60s and ’70s, it was also one of many times he had been on the wall.
By mid-October, the climbing season in the Crags can be prime, a respite from the baking hot days of mid-summer that plague the lower elevation area. Last October 18 was a stellar day, clear blue and in the low 70s with just enough wind to keep things from overheating.
Sorting the necessary climbing gear in the parking lot in an effort to distribute the weight equitably, Eggenberger recoiled when he was given Zanger’s rock climbing shoes to carry. “Your shoes?” he said with mock incredulity. “I get to carry the master’s shoes?!” The playful banter between these two longtime friends kept up through the day, even when the late afternoon fatigue set in.
“This is the first all Social Security climb of the route,” joked Zanger. However, looking at the two “senior” climbers, it is clear that their lives spent outdoors have paid great dividends. Zanger attributes his graceful aging, among other things, to yoga. “Good older climbers owe a lot to yoga.” Eggenberger said that, among other things, he gets a good workout on his mountain bike every morning, weather permitting.
The climb is six pitches (rope lengths) long and takes most parties well over a half day to complete. Adding the hike in and out, it can be a full day endeavor. However, for the well-seasoned climber (especially one who knows their way around the often confusing topography of the Crags), it is a relatively leisurely outing.
On this particular day, there was plenty of time for casual banter, storytelling and soaking in the views on what was one of the last nice climbing days of the season. (The first snowstorm of this year arrived within a week of this ascent).
Upon reaching the peak of Hubris, the party spent time signing the summit register, taking photos and relaxing. After that, it was a quick rappel down to a gully on the north side of the peak and then a steep hike down to where the climb started.
During the descent, Zanger continued to reflect on some outstanding memories of the 1979 ascent. “Right there is where the world famous British climber fell on his (backside),” he joked.
As our party hiked back to the parking lot in the fading light of the day, both Eggenberger and Zanger reflected on what a perfect day it had been. From the way Zanger talked about the climb, one might think it was maybe his second or third time on the route, not his 59th.
“I just love this climb,” said Zanger. “It has a big wall atmosphere, and the views are simply fantastic. Who would have thought it would become such a classic?”
