Chris' Lead

Chris' Lead was first climbed by Chris Scoredos, Don Jacobs, and Roy Britton on May 31, 1942, which was done (Up Rope Vol. 11, No. 4, September 1954 and Appalachian No. 97, June 1944). But where is Chris’ Lead?

From Up Rope Vol. 11, No. 4, September 1954:

“Chris's Lead has never been described, but it lies somewhere near the western corner of the South End. It was climbed by Chris Scoredos, Roy Britton and Don Jacobs on May 31, 1942. It was on this climb that Chris had led high above his nearest piton when a foothold broke, and he was saved from what would probably have been a fatal fall only by a miraculous recovery. The route has never been climbed since, so far as I know.”

From Appalachian No. 97, June 1944:

“On May 31, 1942, Chris Scoredos, Roy Britton, and Don Jacobs made an ascent of the South Face of the rock. Chris had grossly over-led above his piton and a broken foothold sent him hurtling down the face. His recovery was that of a powerful, skilled rock climber determined to live. However, editor Price of the Pocahontas News, who happened to be watching, was not overly enthusiastic, remarking editorially that a rock climber is ‘one part monkey and nine parts vacuum in the head.’”

From Robinson (Seneca 1971):

“36. CHRIS’ LEAD A.1

This is recorded for completeness of the account. Its true location has never been established, but it lies "somewhere near the western corner of the South End" and is described by the first party as being near the centre of the part of the south face to the left of the cave.”

Despite it never being described, Robinson cites Up Rope Vol. 11, No. 4, September 1954 as the source for Ecstasy Junior variation 34b with a FA date of May 31, 1942 and the only place Chris Scoredos is mentioned in this Up Rope is in describing Chris’ Lead. (Note that the Up Rope issue postdates the climb by 12 years; in 1942 (2 years before the first Up Rope) there was no regular periodical for the Washington Rock Climbers to record their feats and most of the information was passed on by word of mouth – the fact that Robinson was able to get any information at all is incredible!)

Based on Robinson's text, he clearly had more information than what was provided in the Up Rope and the only other reference describing it (Appalachian No. 97, June 1944). For example, the final text in his description of the route: “and is described by the first party as being near the centre of the part of the south face to the left of the cave” – a description not found in either of those texts as you can see above. Supporting the presumption that he had more information than he referenced for the trio of Chris, Roy, and Don in May 1942 is his description and drawing for Ecstasy Junior 34b variant, which is detailed enough for someone to follow the route. The fact that Robinson had more information than what is provided in the references is not surprising, since Chris Scoredos was still an active member of the club in 1971 and the club had input on the guide including Chris' Lead (for example, see Up Rope Vol. 34, No. 9, September 1969, page 3).

Chris Scoredos was one of the strongest, most accomplished mountaineers in the club. So, the circumstances of the fall raise an important interpretive question. Was it so hard there was no place to put additional gear so that his fall was nearly disastrous? Or was it so easy he didn’t see the need to place more gear (oops, a rock broke). If you favor the first scenario, then it is possible that the start of Chris’ Lead corresponds to Sixth Sense or modern-day Southern Exposure (which had been climbed in 1971) or simply an unknown route. However, how many of us would climb so far above our protection on a >= 5.9 climb (while wearing sneakers or boots) that a fall might be dangerous? Given Chris’ vast experience and competence, this doesn’t seem likely – especially when the protection relied on a manila rope tied around his waist!

As for second scenario, if it was an easy climb that would rule out pretty much anything on the South Face between Ecstasy and the Cave. Then referring back to the fact that Robinson cites identical references for both Chris' Lead and the Ecstasy Junior 34b variation and that those references describe only a single climb, this hints at the possibility that the Ecstasy Junior 34b variation is Chris’ Lead. But, you might ask, how can that be since their descriptions are so different, especially with their starts being 30-40 feet apart? First, the Chris’ Lead description might still be accurate, given that the term “south face” from someone who climbed in 1942 might be different Robinson's more precise 1971 nomenclature nearly three decades later. And, second, editorial errors do happen when consolidating information from multiple independent sources under deadline pressure – and there are errors in this guidebook.¹ It may be that the information listed under Chris’ Lead was from preliminary communications (hence possible confusion about the definition of “south face”) and later, when Robinson got complete information, he realized Chris’ Lead was actually variation of Ecstasy Junior – and then failed to update the Chris’ Lead entry before publication. If this is true, the Ecstasy Junior would actually be a variation of Chris' Lead.

And there are other scenarios… this is a puzzle that may never be solved.

¹I am not being critical of Robinson, if anything I am commiserating. For much of my career, I ran large teams requiring regular reporting - I understand the horrors of trying to coalesce information from multiple independent personal sources where my looming deadline is of little concern to those who are trying to get their jobs done (please read as “herding the cats”) and that means mistakes do happen.