Rope Solo – Landmark Event #7 – 1989 – Silent Partner Patent – Mark Blanchard
Mark Blanchard is a full-time luthier based out of California and the inventor of the Silent Partner! You can find his website and contact here.
John Middendorf writes in a private email: “Around 1987, Walt Shipley and I became obsessed with a better lead rope solo system, and made a bunch of prototypes. Rock Exotica was also working with me on this. I climbed the first solo of Standing Rock in Canyonlands with his prototype SoloAid design with my curved cam interface, made by Rock. Then Blanchard came out with the Silent Partner. We felt it was game over. I soloed Moonlight Buttress with a prototype Silent Partner Blanchard lent me, and we agreed it was the fastest and safest solo solution.
I sent Mark an email as I’d like to ask him a few questions, but still wait for a reply… I would love to have his take on what happened exactly with this! Someone can help me get in touch? If I manage to get his answers, I will add them here…
Patent can be found here.
You will see below that this device was used in many significant rope solo feats. One of the more recent ones being the All Free in a Day Solo of Freerider on El Capitan by Pete Whittaker in 2016.
Rope Solo – Landmark Event #8 – 1989 – Steve Schneider LRS The Nose in 21:22
Steve Schneider talked to the 2021 Enormocast #229 here. Chris Kalous writes: “Though Steve’s resume is longer than almost any previous guest on the show, he seems to fly in the nether regions of the global climbing consciousness. Steve became a YOSAR member and Valley denizen in the early 80s and never looked back. Under the tutelage of John Bachar, Steve racked up hard free pitches all over Yosemite, El Cap, and Tuolumne Meadows including what was likely the first 5.14 in Tuolumne. Then he turned his sights in Patagonia with audacious routes and solos in the Paine region. Also a pioneer speed climber, Steve did the first one day solo of El Cap and was the first to do three El Cap routes in a day with Hans Florine. Not done yet, Steve continues to seek out new-for-him ground on El Cap whenever he can. In his 60s, he’s still the most psyched and restless climber around.”
Steve Schneider was a friend of Mark Blanchard and therefore got a Silent Partner! He went for it on the Nose and got the speed record!! Previous solos of the Nose included Tom Bauman in 1969 (first solo, wikipedia), and Doug Englekirk close to 1989 in around 26h (speedclimb.com)… Steve Schneider got the first NIAD solo (Nose In A Day solo, speedclimb.com)!! Steve recounts one failed attempt a few years earlier (~37h climb) and his successful attempt at the NSIAD in Hans Florine’s book “Speed Climbing”. He states “everything worked great, especially the Silent Partner”.
Picture of Steve Schneider with Hans Florine:
Rope Solo – Landmark Event #9 – 1990 – Silent Partner Production by RE
Rock Thompson (founder) recalls: “In the earlier days of Rock Exotica I worked on products that were interesting to me without much regard to the financial side of things. Rent was cheap, employee bonuses might be a six-pack, there was always time for climbing and life was simple. Those were very fun times and the Silent Partner was a great product.” (Climbing Article)
I personally bought a Silent Partner (SP) around 1997 or 1998. I had used the Soloist a year or two prior to that and had my systems dialed. I was hoping that the SP would be better from the get go… Not so! Rope soloing is never that simple and I had to face a new learning curve with a totally different device! Note that I was pretty much a noob at the time since yes I was an avid climber but have only started climbing in 1995 at the age of 18 yrs old… Also I am not a gifted climber, only gifted with a great motivation! (Picture is me with 3 Silent Partners I had circa 2017, was a lot of work / almost impossible to find one cheap!!)
Find more old web info on the Silent Partner here / but from Wren Industries in 2007.
Rope Solo – Landmark Event #10 – 1992 – Steve Schneider LRS Salathe Wall IAD
Very little details I know on this historical ascent. He likely used the Silent Partner. This ascent was futuristic as it took 21 years for someone to repeat the feat!! I will try to send him questions for a later blog post 🙂 I climbed the Salathe solo in 4.5 days and all I can say is it is a huge endeavour!
The Salathe Wall solo in a day list is scace and goes around these lines:
- 1992 – Steve Schneider First Solo of Salathe Wall in a Day (23:20, Climbing Magazine)
- 2013 – Cheyne Lempe (20:06, Climbing Magazine)
- 2021 – Aaron Livingston (22:34, Mountain Project) Note that Aaron died September 5, 2023 in a free solo accident. RIP Aaron and my condolences to family and friends. Makes me reflect on this timeline I am making about rope soloing because people might want to mix free solo and rope solo to go faster. I urge to to make the right decision for you and urge you to use ropes. I made this new video out soon to the public.
Pretty big deal at the time!!
Rope Solo – Landmark Event #11 – 1993 – Hans Florine LRS the Nose in 14:10
Time taken from speedclimb.com. I think we can say Steve Schneider was devastated that his record was beat by more than 7 hours!! Then Hans cheered him up by telling him something along the lines: “we are the only 2 in the world to have done it”! Can you believe that Hans had his Silent Partner loaded wrong and that created a TON of drag and he almost threw the towel but went on to climb the whole Nose? Or maybe that happened on a “test run” LOL.
Hans Florine is known to have speed climbed breaking many speed records through the years.
You can find his “old” Speed Climbing website here. With a LOT of information on speed climb records in Yosemite. His book “On the Nose” can be found here.
His “new” website here. Including a great audio version of his “How to Speed Climb” you can buy here!!. I have both a paper copy and the audio and enjoy them a lot!!
Story goes that I met Hans for the first time in 2019 at El Cap Bridge. I see him and prepare to ask for a selfie with him. But then HANS askes me for a selfie with me FIRST!!! I was kind of star struck right there LOL. Then I met with Haley Briscoe and Erik Griffith and we got some awesome time with my friend Guillaume… I don’t know where that selfie went. Can’t find it!! Hans was (one of) the most enthusiastic person in the world about my “Bliss Climbing – Rope Solo and Big Walls Master”.
Now that Silent Partner is not manufactured since 2008, do you think it has a future?
If you’re interested in Top Rope Solo or Lead Rope Solo climbing, I encourage you to explore my online courses, which offer the most comprehensive information on the subject. (link below)
This is one of the articles about the 44 Rope Solo Landmark Events. I should unveil the full Timeline July 2024. These articles will be only available to my paying Patreons (any tier) or online course buyers for now.
Give yourself more freedom and purchase and explore my online courses here: https://blissclimbing.com/en/online-courses/
Encourage us through Patreon, buy any tier level on https://www.patreon.com/blissclimbing and receive articles, links, documents, etc. directly in your mailbox!!
Here is the version of the Rope Solo timeline for now. You will get an update with each new story as I unveil them 🙂 ENJOY!
