were used by climbers before portaledges were developed.
1950–1960 Rock climber
Warren Harding slept on natural ledges during his first ascent of
El Capitan in Yosemite in 1958.
1970–1980 During the early 1970s, climbers
Billy Westbay and
Bruce Hawkins created the first portaledges by re-appropriating steel and canvas cots stolen from park lodges in Yosemite. These were a vast improvement from single-point hammocks with regard to comfort, but they were not collapsible and weighed up to thirty kilograms (almost three times the weight of today's models). During this period climbers also used Submarine Ledges, made from U.S. Navy aluminum tube cots that had been purchased from army surplus stores. These heavy cots were used on multi-day climbs on granite monoliths like
El Capitan, and then sometimes tossed off the summit for later retrieval. Mike Graham is credited with the first collapsible portaledge models available for retail purchase under the name of his company, Gramicci Products based in Ventura, California. The Gramicci Portaledge appeared in the very early 1980s and revolutionized multi-day big wall comfort. There were a few minor manufacturers that also dabbled in portaledge design in the early 1980s but could not get any traction in this niche market and soon faded from sight. In 1985 a small California-based company called Fish Products, founded by Russ Walling, started to manufacture one-person single portaledges. Other early Portaledge manufacturers were Fig, Frog (Ray Olsen), Lowe (never commercially available), and C&S Engineering.
1986–1998 In 1986,
John Middendorf, a
Stanford-trained mechanical engineer, founded A5 Adventures. Previously, Middendorf and his companions Steve Bosque and Mike Corbett had nearly died due to portaledge failure during a three-day storm on the 2000-foot south face of
Half Dome, prompting Middendorf to redesign the modern portaledge. A5 portaledges were constructed of highly weatherproof fabrics and engineered to be structurally stable and strong. The company produced three models: the Single, the Alpine Double, and the Cliff Cabana. The A5 portaledges were the first that could withstand the severe weather conditions in remote areas such as the
Himalayas and the
Karakoram, enabling climbers to expand their horizons to the largest rock faces in the world. Middendorf himself used A5 portaledges on some of the hardest and remote big walls of the world, including during the first ascent of The Grand Voyage on the
Great Trango Tower in 1992, the longest vertical big wall (1350m) in the world. The A5 Portaledge was sold worldwide.
1998–2016 The North Face (TNF) acquired the assets of A5 Adventures, including the A5 portaledge design, in 1998. Middendorf continued to steer the product for an additional two years at TNF before moving on to other pursuits outside of the climbing industry. The A5 portaledge designs were subsequently transferred to
Black Diamond Equipment of
Salt Lake City,
Utah, who continue to produce the A5 designs with many added features. As of 2016, there were four major commercial suppliers of portaledges, making the following popular models: • Black Diamond Single (81" × 31.5", 21.7 pounds with fly, modified clone of the A5 Single). • Black Diamond Double (84" × 51", 28.4 pounds with fly and spreader bar, modified clone of the A5 Cliff Cabana). • Runout Customs Double (75" × 42.25", 15 pounds with fly and haulsack, clone of the A5 Alpine Double). • Metolius Single (84" × 30", 18.5 pounds with fly, haulsack, similar to the A5 block corner design.). • Metolius Double (84" × 45", 21.5 pounds with fly, haulsack and spreader bar, similar to A5 design). • Fish Single/Double (77" × 42", 13/16 pounds with fly; rigid corner ledge design, steel frame).
2017 In 2017,
John Middendorf introduced a new portaledge design, called the D4 Portaledge (82" × 47", 16.5 pounds with haulsack, fly, and flypole). Instead of block corners, which has been the de facto standard since they were first introduced, the new D4 Portaledge has rounded curved tubing corners, which offer more rigidity and are lighter than the traditional block corners. The D4 portaledge brings many more innovations, including a newly engineered hybrid diameter tube design, which provides strength and rigidity without the need for a spreader bar, a new integrated haulsack/deployment system, and a completely simple but new concept for the stormfly—a single vertical zipped opening which enables the quickest deployment while also allowing full opening between storms. Also around this time, Middendorf introduces the D4 "bullet-joiner" which is a simple yet effective way to create a joint with overlapping tube strength, and rounded nose for quick self-assembling joints. The D4 has been produced in several sizes and besides being lighter and stronger, pack smaller (29" × 10" for the full size D4) than previous designs of portaledges.
2020 In 2020, Middendorf developed the "Delta2p" portaledge, a cantilevered design. Named for its delta shape and 2-person design, this design solved many longstanding issues with portaledges, including improved ergonomics and increased stability. The rigid six-piece frame design with curved corners and "D4 bullet-joiners" enables quick assembly, and folds compactly. Six prototypes which were sent to Yosemite and the Himalaya for testing, and an additional 42 Delta2p's were crafted in Tasmania in 2020/2021 and distributed worldwide; these weighed 6.5kg. with haulsack and stormfly. Photos and open-source design notes available online: See also: == Other uses ==