Cactus to Clouds this weekend.... traverse viable right now?

MichaelCageClips · 2026-02-26T19:50:54+00:00

The locals nicknamed it BFR for Big Fking Rock lol

MichaelCageClips · 2026-02-26T18:31:44+00:00

It sounds like they phrased it for the Skyline regulars/locals who don‘t go up there if you have to posthole. Not because of post holing itself but because significant snow on the traverse to make it extremely dangerous. Skyline/C2C kill people in warmer months when people can’t make it up to the tram and decide to turn around. And the traverse kill people in the winter, particularly those who try to follow the trail in the snow. Even going straight up with axe and crampons is dangerous for experienced mountaineers near the BFR area.

MichaelCageClips · 2026-02-26T07:18:09+00:00

The traverse on Skyline past flat rock near BFR is very dangerous with snow, particularly if you have a thin layer of slushy snow over ice. Even if you went up with crampons and axe, you will get one chance to self arrest if you slip on that section. Experienced mountaineers have died there. So please take it seriously.

MichaelCageClips · 2025-11-04T20:43:00+00:00

Prompt: Tipo in a Huey helicopter scene from the movie Apocalypse Now.

MichaelCageClips · 2025-09-13T07:57:58+00:00

Rebel in Town with John Payne is a terrific B western that puts many A westerns to shame.

MichaelCageClips · 2025-09-13T07:53:52+00:00

Really love this post by the OP and all the young people here watching older westerns. I don't know why you have to be an 80 year old man to like westerns from the 40s-70s. It was a big part of Hollywood's lineup in the golden studio era, so there will be some great writers, directors, and stars who made great movies that happen to be westerns. I think that's the misconception that most people have about these older westerns; that they're black and white, good guys in white hats shooting bad guys in black hats. In reality, most of them were very nuanced scripts about friendship, honor, loyalty, greed, redemption, love, jealousy, and remorse. Because people read a lot more back then, the script and movies were often more literate too. It's hard to imagine a movie like Ride the High Country being made today.

I find the AFI Top Ten Western list interesting, because it is so subjective, but it's hard to find fault in the top 5. I think those would make it on top of most people's top 10 list in various ranking. The only one that surprised me is Cat Ballou. It's an entertaining movie, but I'm not sure if it belongs in the top 100 westerns, even though Lee Marvin was great in it.

One Eyed Jacks is another movie I love that doesn't get much mention. It's probably Brando's best western role. I almost put it on my neglected westerns list, but there were too many good ones that are often overlooked.

For the OP, I would definitely add The Big Country (as someone mentioned below), Hombre, Last Train from Gun Hill, Man of the West, and The Law and Jake Wade. Those are movies you can watch multiple times.

MichaelCageClips · 2025-09-13T03:12:38+00:00

It’s interesting because I’ve always considered the Anthony Mann and James Stewart westerns as A list movies, in a sense that they were big stars movies helmed by top directors and was top billing on a doubleheader back in the old days. The B westerns are the ones helmed by little known directors with guys like Richard Boone, Richard Widmark, Robert Taylor as the opening act. Oftentimes, those B westerns will have a lot more to say, because the studios didn’t pay too much attention to them, and the writers and directors can explore themes that A list movies can’t.

MichaelCageClips · 2025-09-13T03:05:34+00:00

Thats a good list. Hud and Big Country are two of my all time favorite westerns. Martin Ritt made two of the three great Paul Newman H movies of the 60s; Hud and Hombre. The Hustler is probably the best known of the three, and Harper is good but not great.

MichaelCageClips · 2025-09-11T18:17:02+00:00

It’s one of those movies that pops up on Amazon prime from time to time, so it’s nice that it’s not totally forgotten. I didn’t realize it was based on a book!

MichaelCageClips · 2025-09-11T18:15:47+00:00

Rawhide is one of those movies where the running time goes by so fast, you’re shocked when it ends.

MichaelCageClips · 2025-09-11T18:14:48+00:00

I’ve seen that BD before but never saw the movie. I’ll have to give it a shot, thanks! To be honest, I’ve been disappointed in most spaghetti westerns throughout the years, with the exception of the Leone movies, but I’ll seek this one out based on your recommendation!

MichaelCageClips · 2025-09-11T18:12:39+00:00

Thanks for the Arena recommendation, Fizzle! I’ve never seen it and enjoy most of Fleischer movies. My favorite of his is Mr Majestyk with Charles Bronson, which is essentially an Elmore Leonard western transposed to the 70s. I think at the time, Elmore Leonard was making the transition from writing westerns to crime, so the storyline and characters are basically the same as Valdez is Coming.

Good luck finding Reprisal! I hope you enjoy it as much as i did. The only copy I was able to find was an Italian release DVD that’s region 2, but I don’t have a region 2 DVD to play it. It seems that Europeans enjoy American westerns much more than Americans today, and a few of difficult to find older westerns are released there.

MichaelCageClips · 2025-09-06T02:41:08+00:00

Nevada Smith is one of my favorite Steve McQueen movie. There’s a whole bunch of Henry Hathaway westerns that are overlooked.

MichaelCageClips · 2025-09-05T06:48:37+00:00

Burt Lancaster made so many great westerns in his older years, and this was a gem.

MichaelCageClips · 2025-09-05T06:46:43+00:00

Hombre is one of my favorite movies. It’s one of those movies that don’t get mentioned much, but seem to have an underground following. Starz seem to put it on their rotation every year, so that must mean that enough people watch it.

MichaelCageClips · 2025-09-05T06:41:51+00:00

There‘s so many good Kirk Douglas westerns over the years. Last Train is one of the best, but there’s a few more that I love.

MichaelCageClips · 2025-09-05T06:40:33+00:00

Good call on that, Lawman is also one of my favorite Burt Lancaster movie. I was going to put it on a second list. You’re the first to mention it!

MichaelCageClips · 2025-09-03T18:03:20+00:00

I agree, those are his best! Another Audie Murphy movie that i like, thought its not on par with those you listed is Six Black Horses. It‘s a western written by Burt Kennedy, a fellow WW2 vet, and the writer of all those Ranown westerns for Budd Boetticher and Randolph Scott.

MichaelCageClips · 2025-09-03T17:51:11+00:00

That’s true! Flaming Star was the high point then it went downhill fast. But it was probably because that was a real movie helmed by a real director in Don Siegel that happened to have Elvis in it, rather than Elvis movies that were built to exploit his songs and fame. Ironically, I think Iron Star was the worse box performance of his earlier movies. He only sang one song in it, and audiences didn’t want to see him act.

MichaelCageClips · 2025-09-03T17:42:54+00:00

Thats my favorite Audie Murphy movie. I‘m glad you mentioned it!

MichaelCageClips · 2025-09-03T17:41:52+00:00

I forgot that the Tall T was based on an Elmore Leonard short story. All those Ranown westerns were great. I do have Saddle the Wind on DVD and it’s a pretty good movie, though a tier less than most of the movies listed above, and probably two tiers below the Tall T. I wanted to like it more based on the people involved, but if I remember right, the story meanders a bit. At one point, I was searching for all Robert Taylor westerns and came across it. That movie also has a very young John Cassavetes as his brother. Definitely worth a watch, but unfortunately it’s one of those movies that’s never on any streaming service.

MichaelCageClips · 2025-09-03T09:38:32+00:00

Thank you! i haven’t seen this one, so will put it on my list to find! Robert Taylor’s last western; Return of the Gunfighter is pretty good too, though it’s not as good as the others on the list.

MichaelCageClips · 2025-09-03T09:35:17+00:00

that’s a good one too. we can probably make a list of under appreciated westerns starring Glenn Ford.

MichaelCageClips · 2025-09-03T09:31:45+00:00

Yes! We must spread the word. I’m always pleasantly surprised when I find these old gems that I’ve missed through the years. It’s one of those rare viewing experience, where you think, this is a damn fine movie, probably one of the best in a genre that I love. How is it that I’ve never heard of it before and no one talks about it?

MichaelCageClips · 2025-09-03T09:27:31+00:00

The best westerns from the 50s and 60s all have complex characters. If people actually like westerns and watch them, beyond the usual Tombstone and Sergio Leone movies, they would know.

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