Celebrating the Life of a Great Mountaineer and Friend

By Mary McMannes

Cuno H. Ranschau, March 16, 1930 - January 21, 2009

Cuno and Carol's anniversary PHOTO BY ELLEN LADY SCHUMACHER

It is with great sadness that I announce the passing of my good friend and mountain mentor, Cuno H. Ranschau, known to all as an incredibly strong and bold climber, plus an amazing punster and joke-teller.

When Cuno laughed in the mountains, his booming laugh bounced from peak to peak ringing throughout the wilderness. When Cuno laughed in restaurants, people ran out! One of his favorite corny jokes was: What is the favorite salad of newlyweds? Answer: Lettuce alone without dressing. Another time, he said he almost ran over a rabbit, but he missed it by a hare. Cuno must have had a repertoire of ten thousand jokes and puns. However, everyone's favorite was his remarkable retelling of the Cinderella story in spoonerisms where every two words have the letters transposed. The handsome prince was the ransome hince, and the admonition to not drop your slipper was, Don't slop your dripper. Cuno recited this hundreds of times and never missed a word. Campfires will never be as hilarious as they were when Cuno was present.

Cuno was known in the Golden Age of Climbing as being the fastest and strongest climber in the Sierras for nearly two decades, the 1970s and 1980s. He never met a peak he didn't like, and many he climbed over and over again. His true claim to fame was when he orchestrated finishing all three lists (Hundred Peaks, Sierra Peaks, and Desert Peaks), on the same day by saving three last peaks which were relatively close to one another. Doug Mantle, Don Sparks, and Cuno camped below Mt. Corcoran (SPS) at midnight and dashed for the summit in full moonlight.

Down, they went in the dark through boulder fields, reaching their cars and driving across the desert to bag New York Butte. It was getting dusk, so they returned to their cars, drove like crazy down Highway 395 to Red Mountain gaining that summit around 9:30 p.m. Cuno was a triple List Finisher before the dawn of a new day. Not only did he climb here in the U.S., but he did ascents in Mexico, South America, and Europe.

In the Sierra Club, Cuno was an E-rated leader, leading peaks in all sections and taught in B.M.T.C. (the earlier parent of WTC) for several years plus being editor of the Sierra Peaks Section newsletter, the Echo. He liked that venue, because he could publish more corny jokes.

When Cuno's knees finally gave out, he hung up his ice axe, and crampons in the garage rafters and re-invented himself as a power hitter home run king in Senior Softball. The L.A.Times once described him at 71 years old, running the bases like a wolf pursuing a lamb chop. Various surgeries and a pacemaker didn't stop this powerhouse. Our dear dear Cuno was the wildest, the boldest, the tenderest, the funniest mountain man to ever pass our way. He didn't simply pass through, but he roared through life with all engines at full throttle.

Even before people used the word awesome, it was Cuno's favorite expression as all of life was simply and utterly awesome. In the last few years, he liked nothing better than on his birthday to linger with fellow climbers over dinner and recount every detail of those perfect Sierra days. The world was a merrier and more ecstatic place when Cuno was present. Quid Clarius Astris, What is brighter than the stars? Definitely, Cuno, it was you during your sojourn here at earth. Cuno will be especially missed by his crew, Dougie, Sparkie, Gregie, Mary, and Bartelli and many more from the climbing and hiking community. Please send condolences for Carol Ranschau and family to the email address of Mary McMannes: marymuir@earthlink.net.