Discussion Topic |
|
This thread has been locked |
| Messages 1 - 11 of total 11 in this topic |
thekidcormier
Gym climber
squamish, b.c.
|
|
|
Topic Author's Original Post - Jun 1, 2012 - 10:54pm PT
|
Hey all! Starting an appreciation thread for my friend Hevy Duty with hopes that a few that post here will have some great stories to tell.
Currently Hevy is well known for his 'Digging', excavating, cleaning and equiping with hardware rock route of all abilities in the Squamish area.
From what I understand he was quite the prolific climber throughout the 80s and 90s all over western USA.
He's told me about multiple F.A.s in the Fisher Towers, lots of wide crack F.A.s in Indian Creek, and quite a few early ascents in Yosemite; including the fourth ascent of Sons of Yesterday, and attempting the 2nd ascent of Zenyatta Mondatta.
Apparently he's also done some notable climbing in the Black Canyon in Colorado.
Anybody here ever climb with him? Lets here some stories!
|
|
The Larry
climber
Moab, UT
|
|
I don't think I ever roped up with Heavy but definitely did some lurkin' and swillin' with him.
I remember one time while hanging in the Valley we decided to head back home. Some English girls that were leaving the states gave Heavy their clunker car. We started driving out of the valley and then the car stalled. We sat there a bit then tried to start it back up and it did. Off we went. Then it stalled again. Finally we realized that if we turned the ignition over right went it stalled it would start right up. So we did that all the way back to Telluride. We made it there, but the car stayed. It wouldn't start so Heavy gave it to some Mexicans. Good times.
Tell ol' Heavy Duty Lurkin' Larry says hi.
|
|
thekidcormier
Gym climber
squamish, b.c.
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Jun 2, 2012 - 01:48pm PT
|
THanks for the share lurking' Larry! I'll be sure to tell him you say hello.
Bump
|
|
fsck
climber
|
|
good to hear Alan The Brit is still kickin it large in Squamish.
did a few FAs with that dirty bastard, including the Cat feature above the cat wall in indian creek. i think the serrator is one of his routes. he also has a bunch of routes in the Fisher Towers and Mystery Towers he did with keith reynolds and some hoodoos he soloed.
did some serious d-bagging in the valley with him. he'd buy ramen and eat it raw. he once offered me his last dollar bill to get something to eat because he thought i was broke but i wasn't.
he loved to cook for everyone. he'd never wash his hands, though and you'd be watching him make the salad with his dirty, disgusting hands. he made indian food one night and nick and micah had some. the next day they went to do zodiac in a push and both of them got the squirts at about pitch four.
he was my partner on the moratorium, and we did snake hike with two hotties.
cheers to Heavy Duty. wish he'd make it back down to the desert some day.
|
|
BASE1361
climber
Yosemite Valley National Park
|
|
I lurked with HD back in IC when every Turkey Day he would cook a feast for about 80 people. Didn't matter if you climbed or just a hiker passing thu. He'd burry the turkeys in the ground and they were moist. Mashers, stuffing, garlic bread, pumpkin pie and vanilla ice cream.
His name is credited to a lot of FA's in the desert with Mr. Reynolds. The man has more energy than 17 climbers combined.
I asked him once how he got the nick name.....
Back in England he told me "When I was growing up and you got in a fight, once you knocked someone out you stopped"
Yeah.... I agreed
"So this one bloke who was a bully kept beating one of my friends and put him in the hospital. So I waited one night outside the pub where he was drinking in my pick-up truck. When the bloke came out I started up my truck and hit him with it sending him through a plate glass window. The cops never knew who did it cause the bloke was hated by everyone and he was hospitalized and never walked the same after."
I was like Jesus Alan....That's f*#k'n Heavy Duty. And he said... yeah. Thats why I got the nick name.
He's also a Hula Hoop master, especially if there's some roman candles on them
|
|
nature
climber
CO
|
|
On my way up to the Vampire Spires with a few other bros we stopped off in Squamish for the night. we needed "supplies".
well... thanks to Heavy we we're taken care of. more than enough veggies to keep us fed for the month in the sticks.
I doubt he remembers....
|
|
thekidcormier
Gym climber
squamish, b.c.
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Jun 19, 2012 - 12:51pm PT
|
Great stories base!
Larry I let him know you said hello, he mentioned that on the trip to telluride you guys detour to Utah to get dean potter to his wedding!
Here's a link to a gripped article feature HDhttp://gripped.com/2011/11/sections/articles/the-diggers/
For anyone who's interested.
Thanks for the inspiration heavy!
|
|
Johannsolo
climber
Soul Cal
|
|
|
Jun 21, 2012 - 09:33am PT
|
Alan is one of the few out there that are the "real deal". We first met in Boulder around 1994 when I was working my way thru the easier grades in Eldo and Boulder Canyon. He took me under his wing and opened my eyes to what traditional climbing was all about. His strong ethics and tenacity shaped where I am today as a climber. We climbed together for a few years around Boulder and Moab and always had great adventures. He would do brutal concrete work during the week and then make the six hour drive to the Fisher Towers for the weekend. Spend his two days off groveling up some obscure, unclimbed mud tower and then drive back Sunday night for another brutal week at work. His hands always looked horrible from the lye in the concrete and climbing.
A couple of stories are in order:
"If you're not hung over, it doesn't count"
Way up on a highball boulder problem, a couple of pad heads run up and throw their pads under Alan who turns and yells "get those fairy pads out of my way"
He would tell me that you only use tape if you had gobies, never for protecting your hands on crack climbs "what's wrong, you injured".
Jimmy Dunn nicknamed our crew the Gnarlies because of the horrible volcano looking gobies we got from climbing the Towers around Moab.
We climbed around Moab for close to two years, only doing Towers, Indian creek was for the sport weenies. Of course, we changed that and did start climbing there when Alan figured out all the FA possibilities.
We were first shown the now famous "crack house" by Lin Ottinger, who used to stop there on his tours for some shade, it was full of mud and needed serious cleaning.
He was/is a very bold and talanted climber that I am glad to have met and spent time with and will never forget.
Cheers to Heavy Duty!
Let him know I am keeping the flame alive down here in So Cal and pushing my limits up at Suicide.
John Weinberg
|
|
MisterE
Social climber
|
|
|
Jun 21, 2012 - 09:50am PT
|
get those fairy pads out of my way
Hahaha! That's classic.
|
|
crunch
Social climber
CO
|
|
|
Jun 21, 2012 - 12:10pm PT
|
Not sure I ever climbed with Alan; probably, but certainly spent some time with him around Boulder back in the day. He always has a formidable level of energy, the drive of a young, hungry climber and a heart of gold.
|
|
FrankZappa
Trad climber
80' from the Hankster
|
|
|
Jun 21, 2012 - 12:32pm PT
|
Interesting how he got the nickname.....
Seen and hung with Alan many times over the years. One of the funnier was walking the base of the Captain and seeing him sucking down beers at the base of Sea of Dreams. He had spent a considerable amount of time racking up, preparing, etc, only to bail when looking at his first potential nasty fall, which was only about 40 ft up the 1st pitch. He was bound and determined to drink all of his beer (quite a bit as I recall) before hiking his stuff down. He said something about bailing being lame, but hiking beer down from a cliff was much more lame.
|
|
| Messages 1 - 11 of total 11 in this topic |
|
SuperTopo on the Web
|
Let us know!