Discussion Topic |
|
This thread has been locked |
Tamara Robbins
climber
not a climber, just related...
|
|
|
Topic Author's Original Post - May 11, 2017 - 03:01pm PT
|
Hello friends - I am hoping to gather some stories, photos, etc. of Dad for various purposes (mainly personal). They would be treated as your property and we would be sure to attain permission if used in any commercial form (articles etc). I've tried to scour through the various threads here, but it's time consumptive and tricky, so thought I'd just post this and ask you to post here or directly email to me at tamara@postpro.net.
Even the brief stories of encounters or impressions are appreciated by our family - and gratitude in advance for taking the time to repost or to send to my email.
We are also still searching for any video (or even audio) of his 40 Years presentation (or any of the variations he did at times).
Thank you so much, and as soon as memorial plan is settled upon it will be posted in Supertopo!
|
|
The Alpine
climber
The Sea
|
|
|
May 11, 2017 - 04:33pm PT
|
This is gonna be good!
|
|
BLUEBLOCR
Social climber
joshua tree
|
|
|
May 11, 2017 - 05:06pm PT
|
Yes! it sure should be.
There's some Goods" over on the other threads for sure. maybe they could be drug here?
i been hoping for something like this.
Thank You for firing up the kindling
😀
|
|
wayne w
Trad climber
the nw
|
|
|
May 11, 2017 - 07:33pm PT
|
After our mutual friend John Bachar passed away, Lynn from the Taco planned a memorial for John that was held in Camp 4. I had emailed back and forth with Royal prior to that time but had yet to meet him in person. When I let him know about the event, he replied immediately that he would be there, and spoke eloquently about his friendship and respect for John as a person, and a climber. I spoke to him about my appreciation of his legacy, the bold routes that he pioneered, and how much his little book Basic Rockcraft had meant in my own progress as an adaptive climber. He asked me which of his routes I had done, and I told him how powerful an experience having done the NA was for me. We talked about features like the Cyclops Eye, coming out of the Black Cave and getting that view of the High Country. When he asked me how many El Cap ascents I had done, at that time it was around 13, my reply amazed him. That was a very proud moment, perhaps even more so in retrospect. He continues to inspire and motivate me to no small degree, and I plan on building a prayer wheel on top of the Captain in his honor after my next ascent. It will be my 21st, Royal! Without his influence, I may never have had the belief in myself to have done one.
|
|
Fritz
Social climber
Choss Creek, ID
|
|
|
May 12, 2017 - 06:16pm PT
|
Tamara: My story on when Royal visited Moscow Idaho on his slide show circuit showing British Craging in 1974, is in the Mountain Paraphernalia thread on ST.
I did find a Royal Story in a 1972 issue of Summit Magazine. I'm not sure if that is what you are looking for, but here's the scans.
Best wishes,
If you want larger jpegs of these pages, I'll be glad to email them to you.
|
|
Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
|
|
|
May 13, 2017 - 08:09am PT
|
Fritz- Would you please post the Save South Crack article on the Nuts to You thread. I have been meaning to do that for a long time.
Thanks
|
|
Fritz
Social climber
Choss Creek, ID
|
|
|
May 13, 2017 - 08:10am PT
|
Steve! I'll get right on it.
|
|
Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
|
|
|
May 27, 2017 - 03:45pm PT
|
Royal's description of of watching the modern climber hang and bang his way on upward is truly classic. He was entirely right when he pointed out that we collectively couldn't go on like this without trashing the place.
|
|
jeff constine
Trad climber
Ao Namao
|
|
|
May 27, 2017 - 05:37pm PT
|
I found one give me a minute.
|
|
Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
|
|
|
May 27, 2017 - 09:30pm PT
|
I didn't really know Royal Robbins in any way, though I had met him relatively late in his life, and mine. But climbing in the 1970's it was hard not to know of his legacy, and the high bar he set in terms of climbing style.
But I have one story, and it is more about Liz than Royal. As a 17 year old in Yosemite Valley with high school friends, we had come to climb, on my second trip ever there, with an impossible list of climbs. We arrived to find Royal soloing on El Capitan, a new and severe first ascent of what I believe later became Tangerine Trip.
We had taken up bandit camping around the base of El Cap, and we'd were caught up in some of the interest in Royal's progress. One of my friends had setup a telescope and various climber types would come by... one was the very beautiful Liz.
I remember hanging around in the morning before heading off to a climb, and we were having a conversation, Liz was looking through the telescope, but suddenly stepped back and looked away. All our eyes looked up, we thought we'd see a plunging Royal, but there he was, not moving.
Our quizzical look back at Liz brought out the explanation for her dramatic action,
"he's peeing."
|
|
jeff constine
Trad climber
Ao Namao
|
|
|
May 28, 2017 - 07:03am PT
|
from Summit Mag June 1961
|
|
ec
climber
ca
|
|
|
May 28, 2017 - 09:26am PT
|
We were stuck, stuck in the Southern San Joaquin Valley without a 'real' climbing shop with depth. So, in the early '70's, we made the pilgrimages to Royal Robbin's shop in Modesto and in Fresno. To be fair, we also made the journey to West Ridge Mountaineering or GPIW in SoCal as well; West Ridge sold bolts & hangers. However, I was more than impressed by Robbin's shop for its extensive climbing book selection and resources. They didn't sell bolts & hangers there, but they never had any employees that interrogated us for our intentions or abilities like at West Ridge; at Robbin's they gave out inspiration.
In the mid '80's, I eventually worked for a climbing shop, Sunrise Mountaineering (aka Sunrise Mountain Sports) in Livermore, CA. Through my association with Sunrise I met Royal at the trade shows and also at our store event, hosting Royal's 'Triple Crown' Slide Show. It was there I was able to 'grill' him for information. Royal was very forthcoming and helpful on his experiences in the Sierra. He had not climbed for a time due to arthritis, however I could tell that he had not left behind the spirit of adventure.
Back then, Sunrise was in an old Victorian building on 1st Street that had been a hardware store, BITD. It was a rustic old place, creaky wood floors and all. It was there that many a climber visited on the way to their adventures and we tried to offer-up that same kind of inspiration like we had received at the Robbin's shop.
In the office, I answered the phone with the Sunrise greeting, "Sunrise Mountaineering, can I help you?"
"Hello. This is Royal Robbins."
"Hi, Royal, this is Ed."
Royal, "I remember you."
Well, it was not a social call, but a sad announcement; Royal was closing his shop. It was the end of an 'era' so to say. Royal wanted to clean house and allowed Sunrise to purchase his remaining climbing inventory for cents on the dollar. Royal and some employees delivered the goods in person. I could sense that it was a bittersweet moment. Royal remarked that he had chosen Sunrise, to best represent what his store had been. Wow...
During those 'early' years at Sunrise, I would take employees out climbing. On one occasion, we arrived early in the morning at the base of The Nutcracker, on Manure Pile Buttress in Yosemite Valley.
As we were gearing-up, one employee asked me, "Who did the 1st ascent of this?"
"Royal Robbins."
At that moment, no sh*t, Royal walked from behind the rock!
"As a matter of fact," I said, "here he is."
"Hey, Royal, how's it going?"
"Good morning."
I introduced Royal to an astonished bunch of newbies, like it was NBD (I was just rolling with it...).
After the intros, Royal asks, "Hey, have you seen Kauk around? I'm supposed to meet him here to climb."
Royal explained that after his long hiatus he was going to climb again. Ron Kauk did show, and they did the 5.9 finger start to the route, while we did (us, a much slower party) the 5.8. That whole day was great because of that encounter. The employee who asked who did the FA, eventually worked for Royal as a designer...
 ec
Originally Posted, Apr 9, 2017 - 01:49pm PT: http://www.supertopo.com/climbing/thread.php?topic_id=2956648&msg=2965704#msg2965704
|
|
Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
|
|
|
May 28, 2017 - 09:58pm PT
|
Nice find Jeff! That's digging deep.
|
|
steveA
Trad climber
Wolfeboro, NH
|
|
|
May 29, 2017 - 05:40am PT
|
Here is a very short story of Royal climbing in the Gunks, back in 1967-I think.
Royal was being hosted by Jim McCarthy, and Jim was taking him around to all the "test" pieces. They had been climbing all day, and at the end of the day, Jim finished up on Retribution, an old school 5.10.
There was a huge crowd watching at the base, and I'm sure Royal was under a lot of pressure to climb it well. McCarthy led the route and at the crux, there is a key hold, which McCarthy failed to mention to Royal.
I was amazed that Royal did the crux without even using that crucial hold, after climbing a full day on hard routes.
I can still picture the event some 50 years later. Royal was a remarkable climber!
|
|
jeff constine
Trad climber
Ao Namao
|
|
|
May 29, 2017 - 11:41am PT
|
got another one give me a few.
|
|
Dick Erb
climber
June Lake, CA
|
|
|
May 29, 2017 - 12:46pm PT
|
Once in Olmsted Canyon Royal and I were scouting for new short routes suitable as top rope climbs for students, soloing around comparing mental notes. At one point I looked over and saw Royal on what looked like a nice one so went over to give it a go. The last few moves were a continuous lie back but it didn't look that hard and I cranked it out to the top. As soon as I stepped off from the climb. Royal put his hand on my chest and held it there for a few seconds then said, "Oh good your heart is pounding too."
|
|
Tamara Robbins
climber
not a climber, just related...
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Jun 3, 2017 - 10:38pm PT
|
Love these! I've been off line for a few weeks, just checked in and am stoked to share your replies with the Lizard. Thanks guys.... ;)
|
|
Don Lauria
Trad climber
Bishop, CA
|
|
More to come, Tamara
|
|
Spider Savage
Mountain climber
The shaggy fringe of Los Angeles
|
|
I don't know but at the time of that photo it might have been the first time the two ever met.
Met your mom there too. Really cool person.
I learned to climb 40+ years ago by reading Basic Rockcraft and Advanced Rockcraft since there were no instructors or experienced climbers available where I lived.
30 years later I got to meet him in LA and have a beer with him and a good talk which was a lifetime highlight for me. What I learned in that conversation was mostly written in his biography books.
I was very impressed by his endorsement of the Boy Scouts and how they got him started in outdoor adventure.
He told me that one of his favorite places was Pacifico Rocks in the San Gabriel mountains. After giving a slide show at Griffith Park and having a few drinks at the local pub he was heading up there to camp before driving home to Modesto. This was around maybe 2002 or so I think.
Ran into him a few times after that. I sure wish he could have stayed longer. Great guy. I was looking forward to more of those biographies.
|
|
mouse from merced
Trad climber
The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.
|
|
|
Jan 20, 2018 - 05:29am PT
|
Bump.
For those who've registered for Royal Robbins' memorial in Modesto, the cat is out of the bag, so to speak, as we all likely have received via email Tamara's information on the date/time/place of the gig.
It's not my place to announce this information, as there is limited space, and I respect the family's right to do that. And so I'm going to leave it up to Tamara to post it, depending on her excellent judgement.
I have replied to the email but my attendance is pretty much dependent on a ride from Merced to the event. If any of you can squeeze me into your car, I would be in your debt.
Thanks from MFM for your kind consideration.
|
|
|
SuperTopo on the Web
|
Let us know!