Jim Bridwell

{{short description|American big wall rock climber and mountaineer}}

{{Infobox climber

| name = Jim Bridwell

| image = Jim Bridwell 2003 cropped.jpg

| caption = Bridwell in 2003

| birth_date = {{birth date|1944|07|29}}

| birth_place = San Antonio, Texas

| death_date = {{death date and age|2018|02|16|1944|07|29}}

| death_place = Palm Springs, California, U.S.

| knownfor = {{flatlist|

One-day ascent of The Nose (5.8 C2, 1975)
One of the first to climb at grade A5 at Yosemite
Inventor of copperhead and beak}}

| | typeofclimber = {{flatlist|

| firstascents = {{ubl|Pacific Ocean Wall (VI 5.9 A4, 1975) | Sea of Dreams (VI 5.9 A5, 1978) | Zenyatta Mondatta (VI 5.9 A5, 1981)}}

}}

Jim Bridwell (July 29, 1944 – February 16, 2018) was an American rock climber and mountaineer, active from 1965 in Yosemite Valley, but later in Patagonia and Alaska. He was noted for pushing the standards of both aid climbing and big wall climbing, and later alpine climbing. He wrote numerous articles on climbing and developed several important pieces of aid climbing equipment. Bridwell was an apprentice to Royal Robbins and Warren Harding,{{cite AV media |people=Peter Mortimer, Nick Rosen, Josh Lowell (Directors)|date=2014 |title=Valley Uprising |language=en |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3784160/ |access-date=May 6, 2019 |time= 35 minutes 30 seconds}} and later the unofficial leader of the Stonemasters.{{cite AV media |people=Peter Mortimer, Nick Rosen, Josh Lowell (Directors)|date=2014 |title=Valley Uprising |language=en |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3784160/ |access-date=May 6, 2019 |time= 35 minutes 20 seconds}}

Climbing career

File:Stone Masters in front of El Capitan.jpg, Jim Bridwell (center), and John Long after the first one-day ascent of the Nose in 1975]]

Bridwell is credited with over 100 first ascents (FA) in Yosemite Valley, in addition to conducting the first one-day ascent of The Nose on El Capitan on May 26, 1975, with John Long and Billy Westbay.{{cite book | last = Long | first = John | title = Long on Adventure | publisher = Falcon Publishing, Inc. | year = 2000 | pages = 83–91 | isbn =978-1560449850 }} He founded Yosemite National Park's Search and Rescue Team (YOSAR), spearheading many rescues. He was a leading force in the evolving techniques of aid climbing and an innovator and inventor of widely used and copied aid climbing equipment, including copperheads and bird-beaks.{{cite web | magazine=Alpinist | url=http://www.alpinist.com/doc/web18w/newswire-jim-bridwell-dies | title=Climbing legend Jim 'the Bird' Bridwell dies at age 73 | date=16 February 2018 | first=Derek | last=Franz}}

Personal life

File:Jim Bridwell, Salt Lake Trade show, about 1990.jpg

Bridwell resided in Palm Desert, California, until his death on February 16, 2018, from complications of hepatitis C,Raleigh, Duane, "Jim Bridwell, Founder of YOSAR and Big-Wall Godfather, Dead at 73," Rock & Ice, Carbondale, Colorado, published on February 16, 2018. [http://rockandice.com/climbing-news/jim-bridwell-founder-of-yosar-and-big-wall-godfather-dead-at-73/] which he had acquired while receiving a tattoo in Borneo during the 1980s.{{Cite web|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/legendary-climber-jim-bridwell-dies-73-n849111|title = Legendary climber Jim Bridwell dies at 73|website = NBC News}}

Notable ascents

1965 Entrance Exam (II 5.9), Arch Rock, Yosemite, California with Chuck Pratt, Chris Fredericks and Larry MarshikRoper (1971).
1966 Braille Book (III 5.8), Higher Cathedral Rock, Yosemite, California, with Chris Fredericks, Joe Faint and Brian Berry.
1967 East Face (VI 5.9 A4), Higher Cathedral Rock, Yosemite, California, with Chris FredericksRoper (1971), p. 244.
1967 South Central (V 5.10a A2), Washington Column, Yosemite, California, with Joe FaintReid (1993), p. 203.
1969 Triple Direct (VI 5.9 A2), El Capitan, Yosemite, California, with Kim SchmitzReid (1993), p. 202.
1971 Aquarian Wall (VI 5.9 A4), El Capitan, Yosemite, California, with Kim SchmitzReid (1993), p. 201.
1971 New Dimensions (5.11 A1), Arch Rock, Yosemite, California, with Mark KlemensRoper (1971), p. 44.
1971 Nabisco Wall, The Cookie, Yosemite, California,
1970 Vain Hope (V 5.7 A3), Ribbon Falls, Yosemite, California with Royal Robbins and Kim Schmitz
1973 Central Pillar of Frenzy, Middle Cathedral Rock, Yosemite, California, with Roger Breedlove and Ed Barry
1974 Freestone, Geek Towers, Yosemite Falls, Yosemite, California{{cite book | last = Kroese | first = Mark | title = Fifty Favorite Climbs: The Ultimate North American Tick List | publisher = The Mountaineers Books | year = 2001 | location = Seattle, Washington | isbn = 0898867282}}
1975 Wailing Wall, Tuolumne Meadows, California with Dale Bard and Rick Accomozo
1975 The Nose (5.13+ or 5.8 C2), El Capitan, Yosemite, California, with Billy Westbay, and John Long, first one-day ascent in 17:45
1975 Pacific Ocean Wall (VI 5.9 A4), El Capitan, Yosemite, California, with Bill Westbay, Jay Fiske and Fred East
1976 Gold Ribbon (VI 5.10 A3), Ribbon Falls, Yosemite, California with Mike Graham
1977 Bushido (VI 5.10 A4), Half Dome, Yosemite, California with Dale BardReid (1993), p. 205.
1978 Sea of Dreams (VI 5.9 A5), El Capitan, Yosemite, California with Dale Bard and Dave Diegelman
1978 Zenith (VI 5.9 A4), Half Dome, Yosemite, California with Kim Schmitz
1979 Southeast Ridge of Cerro Torre, Patagonia, Argentina with Steven Brewer (first alpine-style ascent of the peak){{cite book | last = Bridwell | first = Jim | title = The American Alpine Journal | publisher = American Alpine Club| year = 1979 | location = New York | isbn = 978-0930410766 }}
1979 Northwest Face, "The Ship Prow" Kichatna Spire, Alaska Range with Andy Embick
1981 Zenyatta Mondatta (VI 5.9 A5), El Capitan, Yosemite, California with Peter Mayfield and Charlie RowReid (1993).
1981 Dance of the Woo Li Masters, East Face of The Moose's Tooth, Ruth Gorge, Alaska (VI 5.9 WI4+ A4, 1520m) with Mugs Stump{{cite journal | last = Beckwith | first = Christian | title = Gods and Monsters | journal = Alpinist | issue = 8 | publisher = Alpinist Magazine | date = September 1, 2004 | url = http://www.alpinist.com/doc/ALP08/editors-note-monsters | access-date = 2009-05-29 }}
1982 South Face, "Sapphire Bullets of Pure Love" Pumori, Nepal with Jan Reynolds and Ned Gillette
1987 The Big Chill, Half Dome, Yosemite, California with Peter Mayfield, Sean Plunkett and Steve Bosque
1989 Shadows (VI 5.10 A5), Half Dome, Yosemite, California with Charles Row, Cito Kirkpatrick, William Westbay{{cite journal | last = Bridwell | first = Jim | title = Shadows – Half Dome | journal = American Alpine Journal | volume = 33 | issue = 65 | pages = 118–123 | publisher = American Alpine Club | location = New York | year = 1991 | isbn = 0930410467 }}
1991 North Face (repeat) The Eiger, Bernese Alps, Switzerland
1997 Wyoming Sheep Ranch (VI 5.9 A5), (repeat) El Capitan, Yosemite, California with Giovanni Groaz
1998 Heavy Metal and Tinker Toys (VI 5.9 A5), El Capitan, Yosemite, California with Boulos Ayad and Tyson Hausoeffer
1998 Plastic Surgery Disaster (VI 5.8 A5), (repeat) El Capitan, Yosemite, California with Mark Bowling and Giovanni Groaz
1999 The Useless Emotion (VII 5.9 WI4 A4), The Bear's Tooth, Ruth Glacier, Alaska with Terry Christensen, Glenn Dunmire, Brian Jonas and Brian McCray May 3–21, 1999{{cite journal | last = Bridwell | first = Jim | title = The Bear's Tooth: Teaching the new dogs old tricks | journal = American Alpine Journal | volume = 42 | issue = 74 | pages = 37–45 | publisher = American Alpine Club| location = New York| year = 2000 | isbn = 978-0930410872 }}
1999 Odyssey, Grand Capucin(VI 5.9 A5), Mont Blanc (French Alps), with Giovanni Groaz
1999 Dark Star (VI 5.10 A5), El Capitan, Yosemite, California with Giovanni Groaz
2001 The Beast Pillar, (V11 5.10b WI4+ A5) The Moose's Tooth, Buckskin Glacier, Alaska with Spencer Pfinsten{{cite web | last = Drozdz | first = Piotr | title = Climb and More dot com Climbers – Jim Bridwell | url = http://www.climbandmore.com/climbing,134,0,1,climbers.html | access-date = 2008-02-03 }}
2001 Welcome to Afghanistan (VI 5.9 A4), El Capitan, Yosemite, California with Giovanni Groaz
2002 Pointless Connection (VI 5.9 A4+), Yosemite Pointless, Yosemite, California with Giovanni Groaz
2004 Old Guides Variation (VI 5.8 A3), El Capitan, Yosemite, California with Jackson Marsten and Giovanni Groaz

Publications

{{cite journal | last = Bridwell | first = Jim | title = Brave New World | journal = Mountain | issue = 1973 | publisher = Ken Wilson | location = United Kingdom}}
{{cite book | last = Bridwell | first = Jim |author2=Michael Strassman | title = Climbing Big Walls | publisher = ICS Books | year = 1990 | location = Merrillville, IN | isbn = 0934802599 }}
{{cite book | last = Bridwell | first = Jim | author2 = Dougald MacDonald | title = Largo's Apprenticeship in The Best of Rock & Ice: An Anthology | publisher = The Mountaineers Books | year = 1999 | location = Seattle WA | pages = 102–105 | isbn = 0898866650 }}
{{cite book | last = Bridwell | first = Jim | title = Climbing Adventures: A Climber's Passion | publisher = ICS Books | year = 1992 | isbn = 978-0934802222 | url-access = registration | url = https://archive.org/details/climbingadventur00brid }}
{{cite journal | last = Bridwell | first = Jim | title = The Bear's Tooth: Teaching the new dogs old tricks | journal = American Alpine Journal | volume = 42 | issue = 74 | pages = 37–45 | publisher = American Alpine Club| location = New York | year = 2000 | isbn = 978-0930410872 }}
{{cite journal | last = Bridwell | first = Jim | title = Bird's Eye View | journal = Alpinist | volume = 18 | issue = Winter 2006–2007 | publisher = Alpinist Magazine | location = Jackson Wyoming | date = November 27, 2006 | url = http://www.alpinist.com/doc/ALP18/jim-bridwell-birds-eye-view

| access-date = 2008-02-09 }}

{{cite book | last = Bridwell | first = Jim | others =Translated by Michele Radici | title = The Bird | publisher = Versante Sud s. n. c. | year = 2008 | location = Milan, Italy | pages = 303 | isbn = 978-8887890761 | contribution = Giovanni Groaz }}