John Long (climber)
Encyclopedia
John Long is an acclaimed American rock climber and author whose stories, ranging from adventure yarns to literary fiction, have been translated into many languages. He has more than forty titles and two million books in print. A 1974 graduate of Upland High School in Upland, California
, Long studied humanities at the University of LaVerne (graduating with departmental honors), Claremont Graduate School and Claremont School of Theology
.
Long joined then unknown teenage climbers John Bachar
, Rick Accomazzo, Richard Harrison
, Tobin Sorenson
, Robs Muir, Gib Lewis, Jim Wilson, and Mike Graham as founding members of an elite group known as the "Stonemasters," who redefined world rock climbing standards and adventuring at large. As the result of the groups countless exploits, from the French Alps to the North Pole, combined with Long’s popular writings in books and magazines, the Stonemaster ethos was central in birthing the “extreme” adventure sports culture that quickly spread through surfing, skating, skiing and eventually, most every outdoor pursuit. Twenty years later, companies such as Patagonia, Levi's and many more were recruiting Long’s narratives and Stonemaster photos as retro branding agents for their catalogues and print ads, media that also ended up in countless art books and journals.
While Long and the Stonemasters branched out into diverse disciplines including caving
, river running and first descents, extreme skiing
, big wave surfing
, trans-continental traverses, BASE jumping
and Himalaya alpine climbing, the original renown sprang from establishing scores of daring new rock climbs – throughout the 1970s and 80s - in Southern California and Northern Mexico, most notably at Tahquitz
and Suicide Rock
in Idyllwild, Joshua Tree National Park
, and Yosemite Valley
, all in California, and El Gran Trono Blanco, in Baja, Mexico.
, on Memorial Day, 1975, with Jim Bridwell
and Billy Westbay. The following year, partnered with Dale Bard, Long made the 2nd one-day ascent of El Cap via the West Face, in the remarkable time of five hours. He followed this with blitz ascents of Leaning Tower
, Washington Column, Half Dome
and Ribbon Falls
, precipitating the modern speed climbing movement so popular today, both in Yosemite Valley and beyond.
A skilled free climber, Long popularized “free soloing” (climbing with no rope) during his high school days out at Joshua Tree National Park
, first introducing John Bachar to the practice in 1974 with their now fêted ascent of Double Cross, at Joshua Tree. Bachar would soon establish himself as the world’s leading solo rock climber. In 1977, Long and Bachar toured the Western States, repeating most of John Gill’s notorious boulder problems at Horse Tooth Reservoir, Ft. Collins, Split Rocks, Estes Park, the Badlands, Pueblo
(all in Colorado), and at the Needles of South Dakota. Long’s two seminal photo articles, “Pumping Sandstone,” in 1976, and “Pumping Granite,” in 1977, both featured in Climbing Magazine
, inspired an entire generation of free climbers throughout the US and Western Europe, and helped establish bouldering
in general, and “High Balling” (high bouldering sans rope) in particular, as a valid and extreme expression of traditional climbing.
Long’s 1973 ascent of Paisano Overhang (5.12c) at Suicide Rock
in Southern California, help firmly establish the 5.12 grade and was then likely the most technically difficult free climb in the world. His 1978 ascent of Hangover (5.13b), at nearby Tahquitz Rock, was arguably the first climb achieved at that grade.
In 1975, along with Ron Kauk
and John Bachar
, Long became first to free climb a legitimate big wall with the first free ascent of the East Face of Washington Column, in Yosemite Valley, later dubbed Astro Man, for two decades widely considered “The World’s Greatest Free Climb.” The following year, also in Yosemite, and with British climber Pete Livesy, Long free climbed the second big wall in history - the 1,700 foot Chouinard/Herbert route on Sentinel Rock
. On June 15, 2011, Alex Honnold
free soloed the Chouinard/Herbert for CBS News, with Long hosting alongside 60 Minutes correspondent, Lara Logan
.
Starting in 1980, with a kayaking expedition to Baja California
, Long transitioned into international exploration. Many notable expeditions followed, including the first coast-to-coast traverse of Borneo
, transcontinental traverse of Irian Jaya, discovery and exploration of the world’s largest river cave, Gulf Province
, Papua New Guinea
, First Descent, Angel Falls, Venezuela, First Descent of the Kayan River
, Kalimantan, Indonesia, as well as expeditions to the Troll Wall
, Norway, Hand of Fatima, Mali, West Africa, Mt. Asgard
, Baffin Islands, Elsmere Island and the North Pole.
, their highest honor, rarely bestowed. In the Aug/Sep 2009 issue of Rock & Ice Magazine, Long was recognized as “the most influential adventurer in the world” over the last twenty–five years, principally owing to his writing. He has had literary best sellers in Polish (Long on Adventure) and Spain (Rogue’s Babylon).
His large format book, The Stonemasters: California Climbing in the 1970s, was released in October, 2009, and in Nov. 4, 2010, won the Grand Prize at the Banff Film and Book Festival, widely considered the most prestigious outdoor-oriented literary award in the world. Yosemite: The Vertical Evolution, another large format book on modern free climbing in Yosemite, is due out in July, 2011. The Big Juice, companion to The Big Drop, Long’s seminal big wave surfing book of 2000, is due out in August, 2011. Stone Nudes, a hardback, black and white art photo book (photography by seminal fashion shooter, Dean Fidelman) with essays, was released to international critical acclaim in Oct. 2010. Long’s work with other photographers include Sand in my Hair: Beach Culture so Help me God, with Dane Peterson, Glam Utopia, on high fashion models, with photographer Jim Herrington, and One Night Stand, 3,000 Days, 50 Nights, with Pulitzer Prize winning AP shooter, “Hank,” who is remaining anonymous for this large format project.
(winner of National Outdoor Book Award
(Works of Significance, 1999))
Upland, California
Upland is a city in San Bernardino County, California, located at an elevation of 1,242 feet . As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 73,732, up from 68,393 at the 2000 census. It was incorporated on May 15, 1906, after previously being named North Ontario.-History and culture:Upland...
, Long studied humanities at the University of LaVerne (graduating with departmental honors), Claremont Graduate School and Claremont School of Theology
Claremont School of Theology
Claremont School of Theology is a graduate school located in Claremont, California, offering Master of Art, Masters of Divinity, Doctorate of Ministry and Ph.D...
.
Long joined then unknown teenage climbers John Bachar
John Bachar
John Bachar was an American rock climber noted for his skill at free soloing. A fitness fanatic, he is the father of the climbing training device known as the Bachar ladder.- Biography :...
, Rick Accomazzo, Richard Harrison
Richard Harrison
-Politicians:*Richard Harrison , British Quartermaster-General to the Forces and Inspector-General of Fortifications*Richard Harrison , former Speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives...
, Tobin Sorenson
Tobin Sorenson
Tobin Sorenson was an American rock climber famed for establishing bold first ascents on Yosemite big walls, in the Alps, Canadian Rockies, and New Zealand.. A California native, Sorenson honed his climbing skills in Tahquitz, Joshua Tree National Park, and Yosemite Valley.Sorenson is considered...
, Robs Muir, Gib Lewis, Jim Wilson, and Mike Graham as founding members of an elite group known as the "Stonemasters," who redefined world rock climbing standards and adventuring at large. As the result of the groups countless exploits, from the French Alps to the North Pole, combined with Long’s popular writings in books and magazines, the Stonemaster ethos was central in birthing the “extreme” adventure sports culture that quickly spread through surfing, skating, skiing and eventually, most every outdoor pursuit. Twenty years later, companies such as Patagonia, Levi's and many more were recruiting Long’s narratives and Stonemaster photos as retro branding agents for their catalogues and print ads, media that also ended up in countless art books and journals.
While Long and the Stonemasters branched out into diverse disciplines including caving
Caving
Caving—also occasionally known as spelunking in the United States and potholing in the United Kingdom—is the recreational pastime of exploring wild cave systems...
, river running and first descents, extreme skiing
Extreme skiing
Extreme skiing is skiing performed on long, steep slopes in dangerous terrain. The sport is performed off-piste.The French coined the term 'Le Ski Extreme' in the 1970s...
, big wave surfing
Big wave surfing
Big wave surfing is a discipline within surfing in which experienced surfers paddle into or are towed onto waves which are at least 20 feet high, on surf boards known as "guns" or "rhino chasers". Sizes of the board needed to successfully surf these waves vary by the size of the wave as well as...
, trans-continental traverses, BASE jumping
BASE jumping
BASE jumping, also sometimes written as B.A.S.E jumping, is an activity that employs an initially packed parachute to jump from fixed objects...
and Himalaya alpine climbing, the original renown sprang from establishing scores of daring new rock climbs – throughout the 1970s and 80s - in Southern California and Northern Mexico, most notably at Tahquitz
Tahquitz
Tahquitz is a granite rock formation located on the high western slope of the San Jacinto mountain range in Riverside County, Southern California, United States, above the mountain town of Idyllwild...
and Suicide Rock
Suicide Rock
Suicide Rock, once Suicide Peak, is a well-known granite outcrop in Idyllwild, southern California, which is popular with rock climbers. Over three hundred climbing routes have been described...
in Idyllwild, Joshua Tree National Park
Joshua Tree National Park
Joshua Tree National Park is located in southeastern California. Declared a U.S. National Park in 1994 when the U.S. Congress passed the California Desert Protection Act , it had previously been a U.S. National Monument since 1936. It is named for the Joshua tree forests native to the park...
, and Yosemite Valley
Yosemite Valley
Yosemite Valley is a glacial valley in Yosemite National Park in the western Sierra Nevada mountains of California, carved out by the Merced River. The valley is about long and up to a mile deep, surrounded by high granite summits such as Half Dome and El Capitan, and densely forested with pines...
, all in California, and El Gran Trono Blanco, in Baja, Mexico.
Noted climbs
Long's many climbing feats include the first one-day ascent of the most sought after rock climb in the world, the 3,000 foot Nose route on El CapitanEl Capitan
El Capitan is a vertical rock formation in Yosemite National Park, located on the north side of Yosemite Valley, near its western end. The granite monolith extends about from base to summit along its tallest face, and is one of the world's favorite challenges for rock climbers.The formation was...
, on Memorial Day, 1975, with Jim Bridwell
Jim Bridwell
Jim Bridwell is a noted American rock climber and mountaineer, active since 1965 especially in Yosemite Valley, but also in Patagonia and Alaska. He is noted for pushing the standards of both free-climbing and big-wall climbing, and later alpine climbing...
and Billy Westbay. The following year, partnered with Dale Bard, Long made the 2nd one-day ascent of El Cap via the West Face, in the remarkable time of five hours. He followed this with blitz ascents of Leaning Tower
Leaning Tower, Yosemite
The Leaning Tower in Yosemite National Park is a popular destination for rock climbers. It is located west of, and adjacent to Bridalveil Fall, on the south side of the Merced River in Yosemite Valley. The rock is considered to be a strenuous climb, requiring approximately three days to climb to...
, Washington Column, Half Dome
Half Dome
Half Dome is a granite dome in Yosemite National Park, located in northeastern Mariposa County, California, at the eastern end of Yosemite Valley — possibly Yosemite's most familiar rock formation. The granite crest rises more than above the valley floor....
and Ribbon Falls
Ribbon Falls
Ribbon Fall, located in Yosemite National Park in California, flows off a cliff on the west side of El Capitan, and is the largest single-drop waterfall in North America. The fall is fed by melting winter snow; while therefore dry for much of the year, the fall is a spectacular 1,612 feet in the...
, precipitating the modern speed climbing movement so popular today, both in Yosemite Valley and beyond.
A skilled free climber, Long popularized “free soloing” (climbing with no rope) during his high school days out at Joshua Tree National Park
Joshua Tree National Park
Joshua Tree National Park is located in southeastern California. Declared a U.S. National Park in 1994 when the U.S. Congress passed the California Desert Protection Act , it had previously been a U.S. National Monument since 1936. It is named for the Joshua tree forests native to the park...
, first introducing John Bachar to the practice in 1974 with their now fêted ascent of Double Cross, at Joshua Tree. Bachar would soon establish himself as the world’s leading solo rock climber. In 1977, Long and Bachar toured the Western States, repeating most of John Gill’s notorious boulder problems at Horse Tooth Reservoir, Ft. Collins, Split Rocks, Estes Park, the Badlands, Pueblo
Pueblo, Colorado
Pueblo is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of Pueblo County, Colorado, United States. The population was 106,595 in 2010 census, making it the 246th most populous city in the United States....
(all in Colorado), and at the Needles of South Dakota. Long’s two seminal photo articles, “Pumping Sandstone,” in 1976, and “Pumping Granite,” in 1977, both featured in Climbing Magazine
Climbing Magazine
Climbing Magazine is a major US-based rock climbing magazine first published in 1970. In 2007, it was bought by Skram Media, the publisher of Urban Climber Magazine....
, inspired an entire generation of free climbers throughout the US and Western Europe, and helped establish bouldering
Bouldering
Bouldering is a style of rock climbing undertaken without a rope and normally limited to very short climbs over a crash pad so that a fall will not result in serious injury. It is typically practiced on large natural boulders or artificial boulders in gyms and outdoor urban areas...
in general, and “High Balling” (high bouldering sans rope) in particular, as a valid and extreme expression of traditional climbing.
Long’s 1973 ascent of Paisano Overhang (5.12c) at Suicide Rock
Suicide Rock
Suicide Rock, once Suicide Peak, is a well-known granite outcrop in Idyllwild, southern California, which is popular with rock climbers. Over three hundred climbing routes have been described...
in Southern California, help firmly establish the 5.12 grade and was then likely the most technically difficult free climb in the world. His 1978 ascent of Hangover (5.13b), at nearby Tahquitz Rock, was arguably the first climb achieved at that grade.
In 1975, along with Ron Kauk
Ron Kauk
Ron Kauk is an American rock climber and Yosemite Camp 4 regular.Kauk began spending summers in Yosemite in 1974. In 1975, he made the first free ascent of the east face of Washington Column with John Long and John Bachar, renaming the route Astroman...
and John Bachar
John Bachar
John Bachar was an American rock climber noted for his skill at free soloing. A fitness fanatic, he is the father of the climbing training device known as the Bachar ladder.- Biography :...
, Long became first to free climb a legitimate big wall with the first free ascent of the East Face of Washington Column, in Yosemite Valley, later dubbed Astro Man, for two decades widely considered “The World’s Greatest Free Climb.” The following year, also in Yosemite, and with British climber Pete Livesy, Long free climbed the second big wall in history - the 1,700 foot Chouinard/Herbert route on Sentinel Rock
Sentinel Rock
For the granite dome near Glacier Point, Yosemite National Park, see Sentinel Dome.Sentinel Rock is a granitic peak in Yosemite National Park, California, United States. It towers over Yosemite Valley, opposite from Yosemite Falls....
. On June 15, 2011, Alex Honnold
Alex Honnold
Alex Honnold is an American big wall free solo climber. He has broken a number of speed records, including a free climb of Salathé Wall, and a 5h49m aid solo ascent of the Nose of El Capitan, a route normally demanding two to four days. Honnold was born in Sacramento, California, graduating from...
free soloed the Chouinard/Herbert for CBS News, with Long hosting alongside 60 Minutes correspondent, Lara Logan
Lara Logan
Lara Logan is a South African television and radio journalist, and war correspondent. She is the chief foreign affairs correspondent for CBS News, and a correspondent for CBS's 60 Minutes.-Personal life:...
.
Starting in 1980, with a kayaking expedition to Baja California
Baja California
Baja California officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is both the northernmost and westernmost state of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1953, the area was known as the North...
, Long transitioned into international exploration. Many notable expeditions followed, including the first coast-to-coast traverse of Borneo
Borneo
Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located north of Java Island, Indonesia, at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia....
, transcontinental traverse of Irian Jaya, discovery and exploration of the world’s largest river cave, Gulf Province
Gulf Province
Gulf Province is a province of Papua New Guinea located on the southern coast. The provincial capital is Kerema. The 34,500 km² province is dominated by mountains, lowland river deltas, and grassland flood plains, the Kikori, Turama, Purari and Vailala rivers all meet the sea known as the...
, Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...
, First Descent, Angel Falls, Venezuela, First Descent of the Kayan River
Kayan River
Kayan River is a river of Borneo, Indonesia.Tributaries include the Bahau River.-References:...
, Kalimantan, Indonesia, as well as expeditions to the Troll Wall
Troll Wall
The Troll Wall is part of the mountain massif Trolltindene in the Romsdalen valley, near Åndalsnes and Molde, on the Norwegian west coast. Trollveggen is part of the Reinheimen National Park in the municipality of Rauma in Møre og Romsdal county. The Troll Wall is the tallest vertical rock face...
, Norway, Hand of Fatima, Mali, West Africa, Mt. Asgard
Mount Asgard
Mount Asgard is a twin peaked mountain with two flat-topped cylindrical rock towers, separated by a saddle. It is located in Auyuittuq National Park, on the Cumberland Peninsula of Baffin Island, Nunavut, Canada. The peak is named after Asgard, the realm of the gods in Norse mythology...
, Baffin Islands, Elsmere Island and the North Pole.
Film and Television
Starting in 1980, Long began working for David Frost Productions, writing and producing ABC and BBC specials, including the International Guinness Book of World Records, which also became a long-running syndicated series. Moving into feature films in the 1990s, Long worked on the second unit for dozens of motion pictures, including the Rambo series. His novella. Rogue’s Babylon, was the basis for Sylvester Stallone’s hit movie, Cliffhanger. During this time Long also worked for Bennett Productions, in Santa Monica, writing and producing action sport shows for TBS, NBC, CBS, FOX, HDTV, RUSH and others. Highlights include the Emmy nominated Red Bull Cliff Diving World Championships in La’nai, Hawaii, and the International Monitor Award (International Emmy) Winning show, Hawaiian Waterman (big wave surfing), for Asahi (Japanese HD TV). Later work with New Wave Entertainment involved writing and producing long form shows for Discovery, History Channel, Showtime, A&E, Lifetime, and HBO. His 2008 documentary (for Code Black Entertainment and Ebony Magazine), Why We Laugh: The History of African American Humor, was a featured documentary (Spectrum Series) at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival. His most recent (2010) DVD, “Who You Callin’ Crazy?” featured comedian Katt Williams.Books
Long has over forty titles varying from Pale Moon: American Indian Folklore and Legends, to short-form literary fiction anthologies, to photos/narrative books on beach culture and big wave surfing. His how-to books on adventure sports have been industry leaders for twenty years. His Advanced Rock Climbing won the Banff Film Festival Award for Mountain Exposition, and he is the 2006 recipient of the Literary Award from the American Alpine ClubAmerican Alpine Club
The American Alpine Club, or AAC, was founded in 1902 by Charles Ernest Fay, and is the leading national organization in the United States devoted to mountaineering, climbing, and the multitude of issues facing climbers...
, their highest honor, rarely bestowed. In the Aug/Sep 2009 issue of Rock & Ice Magazine, Long was recognized as “the most influential adventurer in the world” over the last twenty–five years, principally owing to his writing. He has had literary best sellers in Polish (Long on Adventure) and Spain (Rogue’s Babylon).
His large format book, The Stonemasters: California Climbing in the 1970s, was released in October, 2009, and in Nov. 4, 2010, won the Grand Prize at the Banff Film and Book Festival, widely considered the most prestigious outdoor-oriented literary award in the world. Yosemite: The Vertical Evolution, another large format book on modern free climbing in Yosemite, is due out in July, 2011. The Big Juice, companion to The Big Drop, Long’s seminal big wave surfing book of 2000, is due out in August, 2011. Stone Nudes, a hardback, black and white art photo book (photography by seminal fashion shooter, Dean Fidelman) with essays, was released to international critical acclaim in Oct. 2010. Long’s work with other photographers include Sand in my Hair: Beach Culture so Help me God, with Dane Peterson, Glam Utopia, on high fashion models, with photographer Jim Herrington, and One Night Stand, 3,000 Days, 50 Nights, with Pulitzer Prize winning AP shooter, “Hank,” who is remaining anonymous for this large format project.
(winner of National Outdoor Book Award
National Outdoor Book Award
The National Outdoor Book Award was formed in 1997 as a US-based non-profit program which each year honors the best in outdoor writing and publishing. It is housed at Idaho State University and chaired by Ron Watters. Awards are presented in ten categories. The award is announced in early November...
(Works of Significance, 1999))
Film
- John Long wrote a screenplay from which the screenplay for CliffhangerCliffhanger (film)Cliffhanger is a 1993 American action film directed by Renny Harlin and starring Sylvester Stallone and John Lithgow. Stallone plays a mountain climber, who becomes embroiled in a failed heist set in a U.S. Treasury plane flying through the Rocky Mountains...
was based. He received a credit of "premise by" Long.
External links
- Reviews of Long's books
- http://rockandice.com/articles/epics/article/298-bizarre-summits-john-long
- http://rockandice.com/articles/epics/article/125-John-Long-and-the-Stonemasters-climb-at-Pirates-Cove