Ron Kauk (born 23 September 1957) is an American rock climber. Kauk is associated with
Camp 4 in
Yosemite Valley
Yosemite Valley ( ; ''Yosemite'', Miwok for "killer") is a U-shaped valley, glacial valley in Yosemite National Park in the western Sierra Nevada (U.S.), Sierra Nevada mountains of Central California. The valley is about long and deep, surroun ...
, where he lived for decades, now a resident of
El Portal, California
El Portal (Spanish for "The Gateway") is a census-designated place in Mariposa County, California, United States. It is located west-southwest of Yosemite Village, at an elevation of . The population was 372 at the 2020 census, down from 474 at ...
.
In 1975, he
made the first free ascent of the east face of
Washington Column
Washington Column is a roughly 1800-foot high rock formation, arising from Yosemite Valley. It is east of the Royal Arches, behind the Ahwahnee Hotel. North Dome
North Dome is a granite dome in Yosemite National Park, California. It is the ...
with
John Long and
John Bachar
John Bachar (March 23, 1957 – July 5, 2009) was an American rock climber. Noted for his skill at free soloing, he ultimately died during a free solo climb. A fitness fanatic, he was the creator of the climbing training device known as the Bac ...
. In 1978 he climbed the roof crack ''
Separate Reality,'' without
camming devices. The same year he put up ''
Midnight Lightning
''Midnight Lightning'' is a posthumous compilation album by American rock music, rock guitarist Jimi Hendrix. It was released in November 1975 by Reprise Records in the US and Polydor Records in the UK. It was the second to be produced by Alan Dou ...
.'' In 1979, along with
John Roskelley
John Roskelley (born December 1, 1948) is an American mountain climber and author from Spokane, Washington. He made first ascents and notable ascents of 7,000-meter (22,966 ft.) and 8,000-meter peaks (26,247 ft.) in Nepal, India, and Pakistan.
...
, Kim Schmitz, and Bill Forrest, he made the
first ascent
In mountaineering, a first ascent (abbreviated to FA in guide books) is the first successful, documented attainment of the top of a mountain or the first to follow a particular climbing route. First mountain ascents are notable because they en ...
of ''East Face'',
Uli Biaho, Pakistan. In 1990 he put up the rap-bolted ''Crossroads'' and in 1997 he climbed ''Magic Line'' on pre-placed gear, both in Yosemite.
Early life
Kauk was born and raised in
Redwood City, California
Redwood City is a city on the San Francisco Peninsula in Northern California's Bay Area, approximately south of San Francisco, and northwest of San Jose. Redwood City's history spans its earliest inhabitation by the Ohlone people to being a ...
.
Climbing
In 1975, he
made the first free ascent of the east face of
Washington Column
Washington Column is a roughly 1800-foot high rock formation, arising from Yosemite Valley. It is east of the Royal Arches, behind the Ahwahnee Hotel. North Dome
North Dome is a granite dome in Yosemite National Park, California. It is the ...
with
John Long and
John Bachar
John Bachar (March 23, 1957 – July 5, 2009) was an American rock climber. Noted for his skill at free soloing, he ultimately died during a free solo climb. A fitness fanatic, he was the creator of the climbing training device known as the Bac ...
, renaming the route ''Astroman'' (
5.11c).
''Astroman'' held title as the hardest long free route in Yosemite Valley for a year.
Also notable was ''
Separate Reality'' (5.12a), an intimidating roof crack which Kauk originally climbed in 1978 without
camming devices. The same year he put up ''
Midnight Lightning
''Midnight Lightning'' is a posthumous compilation album by American rock music, rock guitarist Jimi Hendrix. It was released in November 1975 by Reprise Records in the US and Polydor Records in the UK. It was the second to be produced by Alan Dou ...
'' (V8), one of America's best known
bouldering
Bouldering is a form of free climbing that is performed on small rock formations or artificial rock walls without the use of ropes or harnesses. While bouldering can be done without any equipment, most climbers use climbing shoes to help sec ...
problems because of its difficulty and convenient location in the
Camp 4 campground.
In the 1980s Kauk spent time in Europe visiting the
limestone
Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...
crags and competing in
sport climbing
Sport climbing (or Bolted climbing) is a form of rock climbing that relies on permanent anchors (or bolts), permanently fixed into the rock for climber protection, in which a rope that is attached to the climber is clipped into the anchors to ...
competitions. He saw how European techniques such as
red pointing and bolting on
rappel could lead to a higher level of climbing difficulty. However, these practices were frowned upon by some Yosemite regulars. According to one account, Bachar chopped the bolts on ''Punchline'' (5.12c) which Kauk installed in 1988, causing a fight between Bachar and Mark Chapman in the Camp 4 parking lot.
Kauk went on to put up the hardest routes in Yosemite, such as the rap-bolted ''Crossroads'' (5.13a) in 1990 and ''Magic Line'' (5.14c) which he climbed in 1997 on pre-placed gear. In
Tuolumne Meadows Tuolumne Meadows () is a gentle, granitic dome, dome-studded, sub-alpine meadow area along the Tuolumne River in the eastern section of Yosemite National Park in the United States. Its approximate location is . Its approximate elevation is . The ter ...
he rap-bolted a route that Bachar had started in a ground-up style, provocatively naming the route ''Peace'' (5.13c/d).
Many of Kauk's exploits have been caught on film. In 1989 he climbed a five pitch route called ''Backbone'' (5.13a) at
Smith Rock for
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...
Sportsworld, and he repeated his toughest
first ascents
In mountaineering, a first ascent (abbreviated to FA in guide books) is the first successful, documented attainment of the top of a mountain or the first to follow a particular climbing route
A climbing route is a path by which a climber rea ...
for Eric Perlman's ''Masters of Stone'' videos. In 1992, Kauk trained and doubled
Sylvester Stallone
Sylvester Enzio Stallone (; born Michael Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone, ) is an American actor and filmmaker. After his beginnings as a struggling actor for a number of years upon arriving to New York City in 1969 and later Hollywood in 1974, h ...
along with late climber
Wolfgang Güllich
Wolfgang Güllich (24 October 1960 – 31 August 1992) was a German rock climber, who is considered one of the greatest and most influential climbers in the history of the sport. Güllich dominated sport climbing for most of the decade after his ...
for
Cliffhanger
A cliffhanger or cliffhanger ending is a plot device in fiction which features a main character in a precarious or difficult dilemma or confronted with a shocking revelation at the end of an episode or a film of serialized fiction. A cliffhang ...
. He also doubled
Michael Rooker
Michael Rooker (born April 6, 1955) is an American actor known for his roles as Henry in '' Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer'' (1986), Chick Gandil in ''Eight Men Out'' (1988), Frank Baily in ''Mississippi Burning'' (1988), Terry Cruger in ''S ...
,
Leon
Leon, Léon (French) or León (Spanish) may refer to:
Places
Europe
* León, Spain, capital city of the Province of León
* Province of León, Spain
* Kingdom of León, an independent state in the Iberian Peninsula from 910 to 1230 and again fro ...
, and actress
Janine Turner
Janine Turner (born Janine Loraine Gauntt; December 6, 1962) is an American actress best known for her roles as Maggie O'Connell in the television series ''Northern Exposure'', as Jessie Deighan in the feature film ''Cliffhanger'', and as Katie ...
. In 1999 Kauk trained
Tom Cruise
Thomas Cruise Mapother IV (born July 3, 1962), known professionally as Tom Cruise, is an American actor and producer. One of the world's highest-paid actors, he has received various accolades, including an Honorary Palme d'Or and three Gol ...
for the climbing scenes in ''
Mission: Impossible 2''.
In 2000 Kauk produced ''Yosemite: Ascending Rhythms'', a climbing video highlighting the scenic splendor of his favorite crag.
Kauk named some of his first ascents (e.g. ''Astroman'', ''Midnight Lightning'') after
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as one of the most ...
songs. Books by
Carlos Castaneda
Carlos Castañeda (December 25, 1925 – April 27, 1998) was an American writer. Starting with '' The Teachings of Don Juan'' in 1968, Castaneda wrote a series of books that purport to describe training in shamanism that he received under the ...
are another source of names (e.g. ''Separate Reality'', ''Tales of Power'').
Notable ascents
* 1979 ''East Face'',
Uli Biaho,
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
.
First ascent
In mountaineering, a first ascent (abbreviated to FA in guide books) is the first successful, documented attainment of the top of a mountain or the first to follow a particular climbing route. First mountain ascents are notable because they en ...
(FA) of route and mountain with
John Roskelley
John Roskelley (born December 1, 1948) is an American mountain climber and author from Spokane, Washington. He made first ascents and notable ascents of 7,000-meter (22,966 ft.) and 8,000-meter peaks (26,247 ft.) in Nepal, India, and Pakistan.
...
, Kim Schmitz, and Bill Forrest. All four climbers reached the summit on July 3, 1979.
* 1975 ''Astroman'', 5.11c,
Yosemite
Yosemite National Park ( ) is an American national park in California, surrounded on the southeast by Sierra National Forest and on the northwest by Stanislaus National Forest. The park is managed by the National Park Service and covers an ar ...
, CA. First free ascent (FFA) of route with
John Bachar
John Bachar (March 23, 1957 – July 5, 2009) was an American rock climber. Noted for his skill at free soloing, he ultimately died during a free solo climb. A fitness fanatic, he was the creator of the climbing training device known as the Bac ...
,
John Long.
* 1978 ''Midnight Lighning'', V8,
Yosemite
Yosemite National Park ( ) is an American national park in California, surrounded on the southeast by Sierra National Forest and on the northwest by Stanislaus National Forest. The park is managed by the National Park Service and covers an ar ...
, CA. First ascent (FA). The most famous boulder problem in the world. A distinctive lightning bolt was drawn in chalk by John Bachar while the boulder was being attempted.
See also
*
History of rock climbing
In the history of rock climbing, the three main sub-disciplines: bouldering, single-pitch climbing, and big wall (or multi-pitch) climbing can trace their origins to late 19th-century Europe. Bouldering started in Fontainebleau, and was advan ...
*
List of first ascents (sport climbing)
In rock climbing, a first free ascent (FFA) is the first documented redpoint, onsight or flash of a single-pitch, big wall (multi-pitch), or boulder route that did not involve using aid equipment to help progression or resting; the ascent must ...
References
External links
* http://www.climbandmore.com/climbing,182,0,1,climbers.html
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kauk, Ron
American rock climbers
1957 births
Living people