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.
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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?).
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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.
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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!!!
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Dave Hodson, June 2021
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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!
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Dave Hodson, Jim Waugh, Dan Langmade - PRG 6/2021
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Dan Langmade sporting Patagonia on the back cover of catalog Patagonia Software. c.1982
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Dan Langmade (Spiderdan) standing at the base of Merrick Butte in Monument Valley AZ after their FA in early 1980s. Photo by Dave Hodson.
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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.
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