The Banditos were a bunch of high school friends that became accomplished climbers by senior year. Bandito gang: Stan Mish, Dan Langmade, Glenn Rink, Jeff Bowman and Dave Hodson. They climbed heavily at the crags in the Phoenix AZ area, and in 1977 they started visiting the Navajo lands in Monument Valley and throughout the Southwest. The Banditos became known for their biker image, climbing while in costume, and their bolt hangers which had rude sayings stamped on them. Hangers were first created in 1978 stamped “BANDITO.” During the late 1970s another accomplished climber named Jim Waugh was sending all of the hard routes and was policing new bolting activity at the crags. The Banditos didn’t favor Jim’s authority and created a constant disturbance between the Bandito gang and Waugh. One night in 1978 the Banditos bolted the front door shut on Jim’s apartment. Jim for years denied the story but when he moved to Thailand mid 2000s, he stopped at my house first and donated the two Bandito front door hangers to the museum stating, “yes the story is true.”
The disturbance between the Banditos and Waugh could have started at the time Waugh started dating Mish’s girlfriend, or Waugh’s bolt chopping authority which the Banditos dubbed Waugh “Marshall Gud” and created the “NO GUD” Bandito hanger. I believe the NO GUD hanger is a warning for Waugh to not touch a Bandito route, and not because the bolt is bad. I state this because the hanger made for Waugh’s front door is stamped “M. GUD” not (M. GOOD).
For the full Bandito story : Rock & Ice magazine #89. “The Legend of Los Banditos” by Cameron M. Burns. Cameron writes: “As the gossip spread, the legend of the Banditos blossomed. They went from being a few directionless young men interested in climbing and motorcycles, to a pack of leather-clad heathens dragging their women around by their hair and hosting LSD-laden orgies under the desert moon.”
For history notes: Bandito hangers first made either 1978 or 1979. Two M. Gud hangers were holding Waugh’s front door shut. Front door of Waugh’s apartment, not his house.
..................................................................
From Steelmnkey (Supertopo) - If I remember correctly, Dan Langmade's family had a machine shop where the Bandito hangers were punched out and stamped (after hours?).
..................................................................
From rick d (Supertopo) - Hodson, Dee, Bill Vittel, Jaybro, Jay Schmidt, Jason Sands, Chris Pomeroy, and myself and a few others worked on the move of Desert Mountain Sports to 2824 Indian School after 16th street in 1987/88. Dave still had a harley then.
Jim's "front door" apartment I think was the only entrance. He had a big tree in front yard with bachar ladder and cup size (3 camalot) crack machine. It was near NW corner of papago park- thomas 40th street ish.
Langmade's dad had a sheet metal shop- I might have gone by the first time I met Dan.
We made a couple Al bandito hangers in '89 that were in the supes. Not bent well and kinda sub par all around.
and the Marshal thing originated because of things like chopping bolts on Rhythm and Blues as Jim believed you could just down climb the 5.6 chimney instead of leaving a hole. There were always bolts up there 1984 and later.
.................................................................
From Steve Grossman (Supertopo) - The "NO GUD" stamp was just humor and not any sort of territorial pissing marker. In order to become a BANDITO BITD you had to climb something illegal on the rez.
My darling wife was the only gal to make the cut by climbing the second ascent of Chinle Spire with Dan. They topped out to find no rappel anchors since Eric Bjornstad and Fred Beckey while trying to free their rappel ropes had bounced the drilled piton anchors out of their holes in the soft cap stone! Dan and Mimi had to sacrifice a new 9mm rope to wrap the summit block and escape.
Dee Hodson may have also become a BANDITA but I never heard the initiation story.
GUD TIMES!!!
..................................................................
Dave "Roscoe" Hodson, June 2021
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dan Langmade and Dave Hodson at the Phoenix Rock Gym 6/2021. Still loving climbing and are quite the characters. I talked to them more about the Marshall Gud story. They say they never had any anger toward Jim Waugh. However they really enjoyed picking on Jim throughout the years!
|
Dave Hodson, Jim Waugh, Dan Langmade - PRG 6/2021
|
Dan Langmade sporting Patagonia on the back cover of catalog Patagonia Software. c.1982
|
Dan Langmade (Spiderdan) standing at the base of Merrick Butte in Monument Valley AZ after their FA in early 1980s. Photo by Dave Hodson.
|
Gear from Dave Hodson's early climbing rack donated by Tyler Chellinor 9/2021. The lightening holes in the Chouinard Hexentric were home drilled by Dave in the early 1970s.
|
|
......................................................................................................
|
Dan Langmade gear donation 6/2023
Clog Ascenders (R&L) Salewa Alpine hammer Regent Rosin Bag (Bowling?) Unknown Gear Sling Forrest Daisy Chain Camp Gear Sling |
|
|
Chouinard Ice Screw (Broken tooth)
Salewa Ice Screw (Short) Unknown Bent Piton Langmade - Angle Piton Pierre Alain Carabiner Doug Black Ring Angle Piton Homemade Ice Axe Shaft Leash - (from Mary Nehlin, mfg ?) MSR orange Ice Axe Leash Stubai Ice Screw Short Stubai Ice Screw Long Langmade homemade RURP Layton Kor Bolt Hanger Bandito Bolt Hangers - Bent Production Item - Flat Production Item - Brenda Loves Dave - No Gud - No Gud Thin - No Gud broken bolt hole - Good Bolt - Bandito - Bandito Thin - Bandito - Bandito - Bandito - Bandito (broken) - Bad Bolt (broken) |
|
...................................................................................................
|
|
Bandito Baptism - Written by Dave Hodson
I got a call in July of 1982 from “Spider” Dan Langmade inviting me to join him for a climb up in Monument Valley.
We left town on Friday night and drove five hours to just outside of Kayenta on the Navajo Reservation and we slept on the ground just off the highway. We woke up and jumped back into Dan’s truck and half an hour later we were driving through Monument Valley. I had never been North of Kayenta. Everything was red. The soil and the amazing sandstone towers provided quite a sight. Vegetation is sparse. A few stunted Junipers are there but mostly the short grayish Sagebrush. As we drove by, Dan pointed out a 500-foot-tall spire called “Shangri-la”. This was our intended goal.
A few minutes later we turned off onto a dirt road. We drove a quarter mile until the truck bogged down in some soft sand. We were stuck and we were trespassing on Indian reservation, not a good combo. We tried but couldn’t free the truck putting us in an undesirable position. We flipped a coin to see who would go get help. I started walking back to the highway.
Standing on the side of the road that had very little traffic with my thumb out. A tan Chevy pulled over with two young Navajo rodeo cowboys up front. I hopped into the back next to a saddle. I thanked them for a ride but the Navajos aren’t much of conversationalist, especially with white hitchhikers. I felt a little uneasy being a trespasser on their land. We headed back south and they let me off in Kayenta, the only town in that area of the reservation.
It just so happened that I was a Project Manager for a new Middle School there although I was stationed in Phoenix but flew in once a month to confer with the Superintendent. It was Saturday but I walked over to the school and hoped that someone working might be able to help me out. To my amazement, there was a mechanical contractor on the job and I asked him to help out. He agreed but wanted to wait until his workday was done. Fair enough, so I waited in the shade of the building all day until the afternoon.
His workday finally ended and we hopped into his pickup truck and headed back North to the turnoff. We found Dan and the truck in the same place. Dan sacrificed his older rope for the worthwhile cause. The contractor took two minutes to pull the truck free thanks to four-wheel-drive. We thanked him and followed him out to the main highway.
We were hot, sweaty and dirty so we headed North on the highway to the town of Mexican Hat which was right on the San Juan River. The river was warm and muddy but it proved a good respite from the desert heat as we splashed around. We bought a couple of cold drinks and headed back South. We found a different dirt road in the same area and followed it back to the shady side of a big mesa where we camped for the night. I called this the Bandito Hideout as it was well out of sight tucked into the nearby mesa. Maybe we would be able to climb tomorrow.
We rose early and drove back to the highway and headed back South. After a mile or two, we turned off onto another dirt road that headed directly towards the base of the tower. We passed a Hogan shortly before we parked the truck but didn’t see anyone. We huffed and puffed our way up the 45-degree boulder strewn slope to the mesa we intended to climb. It was going to be another hot day but for now, we were in the shade. Dan knew where the route started and we put on harnesses, uncoiled ropes and sorted gear.
Dan took off on the first lead following a crack in the dark brown mud-like rock. He moved slowly and deliberately up the fragile stone, showering me with bits of mud and small rocks. After he anchored, I followed him up the line taking out the gear he had placed to protect him from a long fall. The pieces came out much to easy from that soft rock which concerned me about my upcoming lead.
As I geared up for my turn, I noticed that the rock above looked better. I entered a big dark chimney which allowed me to make steady progress. I felt good when I started finding lots good protection spots where I could slot nuts that I thought would hold a fall. I remained very careful about grabbing loose rock. I gingerly moved upward making steady progress and my confidence grew. At one point, a basketball size rock was dislodged by my foot and plummeted down the chimney. I watched as it pinballed against the chimney walls and broke into smaller pieces, all of which were deadly. I yelled “Rock!” as Dan ducked below a projection. The fragments showered around him but he was unscathed. That was close. I continued upward until I found a good blay ledge. I set up a secure anchor and called for Dan to come on up.
It was a pleasant little ledge that I stood on while I pulled in the rope as Dan followed. I had a great view off to the East and West. When he arrived, he quickly sorted the gear and caught his breath before heading up the next pitch. We were making good progress and the route above seemed clear, as we continued up the big chimney system.
Dan led upwards as I doled out the rope. He was climbing steadily and I was having a great time taking in the Mars-like landscape all around me from by eagle’s perch, high on this tower. I heard a bell and looked at the desert floor far below to try and find the source. It took a few minutes but I saw some sheep along with a boy and his dog. It was quite a view from way up here. I was looking west and my eyes were drawn to something that was moving towards me. It was a B-52 Bomber and was closing in me quickly. It blasted past me at my level! I was flabbergasted!
The B-52 has eight jet engines a length of 160 feet and a wingspan of 185 feet. It’s cruising speed is 500 miles per hour and it blasted past us in the blink of an eye. Not something that you see every day. These crews train to avoid radar detection by flying dangerously low. In a few months, I would read about a B-52 crashing in Monument Valley after it glanced off of one of the towers.
Dan finished his lead and I quickly followed him up to his stance where he had anchored. We were close to the summit now and quickly swapped the lead.
The final pitch continued up the chimney and I soon found myself on the summit with a fantastic 360-degree view. I anchored and brought up Dan. We took a few photos then set up our rappel with two ropes which would follow our line of ascent. A summertime monsoon storm was approaching and we didn’t want to get caught on our way down.
The rappels back down were straightforward as we rappelled our route. We paid close attention to loose rock to avoid any problem. This was a place where we didn’t want to have an injury or accidentally chop a rope with a loose block. We were all alone up here and possibility or rescue were minimal. The storm was booming off in the distant but was closing fast, There were no cell phones back in this time. The very real danger and commitment is what makes an adventure.
Everything worked in our favor as we carefully made our way back down to the ground. It was late afternoon and the storm was bearing down on us as we coiled ropes and hoisted our packs. The steep loose slope that we had struggled up that morning was easy going now that we were aided by gravity. We tossed our gear in the back of the truck just as the first torrents of the storm hit us. In a few minutes we were back on the highway and heading home.
I got a call in July of 1982 from “Spider” Dan Langmade inviting me to join him for a climb up in Monument Valley.
We left town on Friday night and drove five hours to just outside of Kayenta on the Navajo Reservation and we slept on the ground just off the highway. We woke up and jumped back into Dan’s truck and half an hour later we were driving through Monument Valley. I had never been North of Kayenta. Everything was red. The soil and the amazing sandstone towers provided quite a sight. Vegetation is sparse. A few stunted Junipers are there but mostly the short grayish Sagebrush. As we drove by, Dan pointed out a 500-foot-tall spire called “Shangri-la”. This was our intended goal.
A few minutes later we turned off onto a dirt road. We drove a quarter mile until the truck bogged down in some soft sand. We were stuck and we were trespassing on Indian reservation, not a good combo. We tried but couldn’t free the truck putting us in an undesirable position. We flipped a coin to see who would go get help. I started walking back to the highway.
Standing on the side of the road that had very little traffic with my thumb out. A tan Chevy pulled over with two young Navajo rodeo cowboys up front. I hopped into the back next to a saddle. I thanked them for a ride but the Navajos aren’t much of conversationalist, especially with white hitchhikers. I felt a little uneasy being a trespasser on their land. We headed back south and they let me off in Kayenta, the only town in that area of the reservation.
It just so happened that I was a Project Manager for a new Middle School there although I was stationed in Phoenix but flew in once a month to confer with the Superintendent. It was Saturday but I walked over to the school and hoped that someone working might be able to help me out. To my amazement, there was a mechanical contractor on the job and I asked him to help out. He agreed but wanted to wait until his workday was done. Fair enough, so I waited in the shade of the building all day until the afternoon.
His workday finally ended and we hopped into his pickup truck and headed back North to the turnoff. We found Dan and the truck in the same place. Dan sacrificed his older rope for the worthwhile cause. The contractor took two minutes to pull the truck free thanks to four-wheel-drive. We thanked him and followed him out to the main highway.
We were hot, sweaty and dirty so we headed North on the highway to the town of Mexican Hat which was right on the San Juan River. The river was warm and muddy but it proved a good respite from the desert heat as we splashed around. We bought a couple of cold drinks and headed back South. We found a different dirt road in the same area and followed it back to the shady side of a big mesa where we camped for the night. I called this the Bandito Hideout as it was well out of sight tucked into the nearby mesa. Maybe we would be able to climb tomorrow.
We rose early and drove back to the highway and headed back South. After a mile or two, we turned off onto another dirt road that headed directly towards the base of the tower. We passed a Hogan shortly before we parked the truck but didn’t see anyone. We huffed and puffed our way up the 45-degree boulder strewn slope to the mesa we intended to climb. It was going to be another hot day but for now, we were in the shade. Dan knew where the route started and we put on harnesses, uncoiled ropes and sorted gear.
Dan took off on the first lead following a crack in the dark brown mud-like rock. He moved slowly and deliberately up the fragile stone, showering me with bits of mud and small rocks. After he anchored, I followed him up the line taking out the gear he had placed to protect him from a long fall. The pieces came out much to easy from that soft rock which concerned me about my upcoming lead.
As I geared up for my turn, I noticed that the rock above looked better. I entered a big dark chimney which allowed me to make steady progress. I felt good when I started finding lots good protection spots where I could slot nuts that I thought would hold a fall. I remained very careful about grabbing loose rock. I gingerly moved upward making steady progress and my confidence grew. At one point, a basketball size rock was dislodged by my foot and plummeted down the chimney. I watched as it pinballed against the chimney walls and broke into smaller pieces, all of which were deadly. I yelled “Rock!” as Dan ducked below a projection. The fragments showered around him but he was unscathed. That was close. I continued upward until I found a good blay ledge. I set up a secure anchor and called for Dan to come on up.
It was a pleasant little ledge that I stood on while I pulled in the rope as Dan followed. I had a great view off to the East and West. When he arrived, he quickly sorted the gear and caught his breath before heading up the next pitch. We were making good progress and the route above seemed clear, as we continued up the big chimney system.
Dan led upwards as I doled out the rope. He was climbing steadily and I was having a great time taking in the Mars-like landscape all around me from by eagle’s perch, high on this tower. I heard a bell and looked at the desert floor far below to try and find the source. It took a few minutes but I saw some sheep along with a boy and his dog. It was quite a view from way up here. I was looking west and my eyes were drawn to something that was moving towards me. It was a B-52 Bomber and was closing in me quickly. It blasted past me at my level! I was flabbergasted!
The B-52 has eight jet engines a length of 160 feet and a wingspan of 185 feet. It’s cruising speed is 500 miles per hour and it blasted past us in the blink of an eye. Not something that you see every day. These crews train to avoid radar detection by flying dangerously low. In a few months, I would read about a B-52 crashing in Monument Valley after it glanced off of one of the towers.
Dan finished his lead and I quickly followed him up to his stance where he had anchored. We were close to the summit now and quickly swapped the lead.
The final pitch continued up the chimney and I soon found myself on the summit with a fantastic 360-degree view. I anchored and brought up Dan. We took a few photos then set up our rappel with two ropes which would follow our line of ascent. A summertime monsoon storm was approaching and we didn’t want to get caught on our way down.
The rappels back down were straightforward as we rappelled our route. We paid close attention to loose rock to avoid any problem. This was a place where we didn’t want to have an injury or accidentally chop a rope with a loose block. We were all alone up here and possibility or rescue were minimal. The storm was booming off in the distant but was closing fast, There were no cell phones back in this time. The very real danger and commitment is what makes an adventure.
Everything worked in our favor as we carefully made our way back down to the ground. It was late afternoon and the storm was bearing down on us as we coiled ropes and hoisted our packs. The steep loose slope that we had struggled up that morning was easy going now that we were aided by gravity. We tossed our gear in the back of the truck just as the first torrents of the storm hit us. In a few minutes we were back on the highway and heading home.
|
Dave Hodson donation 7/2023
|
Roscoe and Glenn Rink at Bob Millers 60th birthday in 2009
|
Stan Mish, Dief and Marty, 2023
|