While not literally true, it's not an exaggeration to say that in the early 70s the climbing community was small and everyone was at least acquainted with each other. The meeting place besides the cliffs were the two climbing shops in North Conway : EMS and IME. Franconia climbers had their own scene at Skimeister's in North Woodstock. Additionally there was a group of AMC employees/climbers who were partial to Limmer's in Intervale - who at the time also sold some European climbing gear. This enviornment was about as different as you can imagine from today's climbing community. North Conway in 1972 had one fast food joint - Micky D's ... that's it. EBs, which would change everything, had just arrived on the scene. Pitons were still king, but some ex-pats from the UK were working at Outward Bound in ME and brought with them machine nuts - the sort of precursor to hexcentrics that Chouinard Equipment would introduce shortly. We were on the cusp of 'clean climbing'. If you were into aid climbing RR's were the boot to wear. They were stiff and not at all sticky, but some of the local talent was climbing 9 and 10s with them. It's fair to say that the Gunks were more well known than Mt Washington Valley in those 'halcyon days'.
MYSELF, CHIP COLE AND RICK WILCOX, WHITEHORSE PARKING LOT
RICK WILCOX ROPING SORTING THRU HIS MODERN RACK AT THE BASE OF 'STD' ON WHITEHORSE
PETER COLE, CHIP COLE AND RICK WILCOX ROPING UP FOR THE STANDARD ROUTE AT CATHEDRAL LEDGE, WHITE MTS, NH
A.J. LAFLUER AT A BELAY ON 'OLD CANNON' AT CANNON CLIFF FRANCONIA NOTCH, WHITE MTS, NH
RICK WILCOX AND A.J. LAFLUER AT THE EDGE OF PROFILE LAKE AFTER A CLIMB ON CANNON CLIFF FRANCONIA NOTCH, WHITE MTS, NH
A.J. LAFLUER BELAYING AT THE TOP OF THE BEAST ROOF AT CATHEDRAL LEDGE
JOHN BRAGG LEADING ON A WINTER ASCENT OF WIESSNER'S BUTTRESS FRANCONIA NOTCH, NH
JEFF PHEASANT LEADING 'BONGO FLAKE VARIATION' ON CATHEDRAL LEDGE WHITE MTS, NH
JEFF PHEASANT AND TOM COLE AT THE BASE OF CANNON AFTER AN ABORTED ATTEMPT TO EVEN GET STARTED ON A BIG WALL, WINTER 1974
TOM & PETER COLE AND JEFF PHEASANT BACK AT RT 3 PARKING LOT, WINTER 1974
JEFF PHEASANT JUGGING ON 'SOLITUDE CRACK' ON CATHEDRAL LEDGE WHITE MTS, NH
JEFF PHEASANT JUGGING ON 'THE PROW' ON CATHEDRAL LEDGE, NH
JEFF PHEASANT LEADING PITCH 1 ON 'THE MORDOR WALL', CATHEDRAL LEDGE WHITE MTS, NEW HAMPSHIRE
JEFF PHEASANT ON PITCH 5 OF THE 'LABYRINTH WALL', CANNON CLIFF, FRANCONIA NOTCH, NEW HAMPSHIRE
JEFF PHEASANT AT A BIVY ON THE THEN UNFINISHED 'LABYRINTH WALL', CANNON CLIFF WHITE MTS, NEW HAMPSHIRE
RICK WILCOX CLEANING PITCH 3 ON THE FA OF THE 'FRUIT CUP WALL' AT CANNON CLIFF WHITE MTS, NEW HAMPSHIRE
RICK WILCOX CLEANING PITCH 5 ON THE FA OF THE 'FRUIT CUP WALL' AT CANNON CLIFF WHITE MTS, NEW HAMPSHIRE
JEFF PHEASANT LEADING THE SHORT BUT INTERESTING FAT CRACK AT THE FRANKENSTEIN TRESTLE, CRAWFORD NOTCH, WHITE MTS, NH
RAINSFORD ROUNER AND MARK HUDON AT THE BASE OF THE 'FRUIT CUP WALL', CANNON CLIFF WHITE MTS, NEW HAMPSHIRE
MARK HUDON LEADING PITCH 3 ON THE 'FRUIT CUP WALL' DIRECT, CANNON CLIFF WHITE MTS, NEW HAMPSHIRE
MARK HUDON HAULING PITCH 3 ON THE 'FRUIT CUP WALL' DIRECT, CANNON CLIFF WHITE MTS, NEW HAMPSHIRE
RAINSFORD ROUNER, MARK HUDON AND PETER COLE AT THE 'FRUIT CUP WALL' BIVY, CANNON CLIFF WHITE MTS, NEW HAMPSHIRE
RAINSFORD ROUNER AND MARK HUDON AT THE BELAY BELOW THE 'GUILLOTINE' PITCH ON THE FIRST COMPLETE ASCENT OF THE 'LABYRINTH WALL', CANNON CLIFF, NH
RAINSFORD ROUNER LEADING THE 'GUILLOTINE' PITCH ON THE FIRST COMPLETE ASCENT OF THE 'LABYRINTH WALL', CANNON CLIFF, NH
RAINSFORD ROUNER AT THE BELAY ABOVE THE GUILLOTINE PITCH ON THE FIRST COMPLETE ASCENT OF THE 'LABYRINTH WALL', CANNON CLIFF, NH
RAINS AND HUD AT THE BIVY LEDGE ON THE 'LABYRINTH WALL', CANNON CLIFF FRANCONIA NOTCH, WHITE MTS, NH
RAINSFORD ROUNER AT A HANGING BELAY MIDWAY THRU THE CRUX OVERLAPS ON THE 'LABYRINTH WALL', CANNON CLIFF, FRANCONIA NOTCH, WHITE MTS, NH
RAINSFORD ROUNER CLEANING IN THE UPPER OVERLAPS ON DAY 2, 'LABYRINTH WALL', CANNON CLIFF, NH
RAINSFORD ROUNER CLEANING IN THE UPPER OVERLAPS ON DAY 2, 'LABYRINTH WALL', CANNON CLIFF, NH
RAINSFORD ROUNER CLEANING THE CRUX PITCH ON THE 2ND ASCENT OF THE 'WARLOCK' CATHEDRAL LEDGE,
RICK WILCOX CLEANING THE 1ST PICTH OF 'ACROSS THE GREAT DIVIDE', CANNON CLIFF
MARK RICHEY JUGGING TO THE TOP OF THE 1ST PITCH ON DAY 2 ON THE FA OF 'ACROSS THE GREAT DIVIDE', CANNON CLIFF, NH
MARK RICHEY CLEANING THE 2ND PITCH ON DAY 2 ON THE FA OF 'ACROSS THE GREAT DIVIDE', CANNON CLIFF, NH
RICK WILCOX CLEANING THE CRUX 3RD PITCH ON D3, 'ACROSS THE GREAT DIVIDE'
MARK RICHEY ON THE 3RD PITCH OF 'THE FRUIT CUP WALL' CANNON CLIFF
MARK RICHEY AND DAVE LINDON REGROUPING AFTER THE SURPRISE STORM
HOT CURL GETTING GEARED UP TO CLEAN THE FIXED ROPE ON PTICH 5, 'FRUIT CUP WALL' CANNON CLIFF,
RICK WILCOX CLIMBING THE CRUX CHIMNEY PITCH ON REMISSION AT CATHEDRAL LEDGE
JEFF PHEASANT, MARY ERDEI AND DAVE TIBBETS HELPING SAM SARGENT WHO IS STUCK IN THE WIDE CRACK ON THE WHITNEY GILMAN, CANNON CLIFF
MARK WHITON CLIMBING THE CRUX CORNER ON 'MOONSHADOW', CANNON CLIFF FRANCONIA NOTCH, WHITE MTS, NH
MARK WHITON LEADING THE ARCH ON PITCH 2 OF 'ONE DROP OF WATER', CANNON CLIFF
MARK WHITON AT A HANGING BELAY ON 'ONE DROP OF WATER', CANNON CLIFF
MARK WHITON PULLING OVER THE FINAL HEADWALL ON 'ONE DROP OF WATER', CANNON CLIFF
MARK WHITON CLIMBING IN WINDY, SNOWY CONDITIONS ON A WINTER ATTEMPT OF 'DUET' CANNON CLIFF
MARK WHITON AND THE HAUL BAG ARRIVING AT THE TOP OF THE 'DUET' BUTTRESS ON CANNON CLIFF, WINTER 1977
ROGER MARTIN CLIMBING ON 'PSYCHE DIKE' CANNON CLIFF
MARY ERDEI AND ALAIN COMEAU CLIMBING ON VERTIGO AT CANNOT CLIFF, SPRING 1979
GUSTAVO BRILLEMBOURG AND RAINSFORD ROUNER AT THE OLD CLIMBERS PARKING LOT FRANCONIA NOTCH
GUSTAVO CLIMBING ON THE 'YMC DIKE' CANNON CLIFF
RAINSFORD ROUNDER CLIMBING ON THE 'YMC DIKE' CANNON CLIFF