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bryceman
Boulder climber
Joshua Tree, California
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Topic Author's Original Post - Jul 3, 2007 - 03:22am PT
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Climbing Magazine has done an amazing interview with Pat Ament. It is published in part in the actual magazine, this issue, but they were so impressed with what he said they have published the full interview at their online site (www.climbing.com). The guy is so amazingly literate and insightful, believe me it's worth the read.
We may never know how far-reaching his influence has been, but I am hopeful that this forum on Topo and this recent interview, will provide an immediate window to this unique individual. I know my life is better for having known Pat for approaching three decades. His teachings, insight, philosophies, and humor stay with me and have helped me on my own ascent through life.
After reading the interview, what touches you the most about Pat Ament?
What do you think about his life, his achievements and his 40+years of influence on the climbing community?
The Bryceman....
Direct Link:
http://www.climbing.com/exclusive/features/patament/index.html
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jstan
climber
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Pat is still a young one. The story has only just started.
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Patrick Sawyer
climber
Originally California now Ireland
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Pat, if you are reading this thread, I am still working on getting you over here.
When I have something more concrete, I'll e-mail you. I also think a profile of you in Outsider magazine as suggested by its publisher would be a good idea.
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Wild Bill
climber
Ca
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Bump, for historical perspective.
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Oli
Trad climber
Fruita, Colorado
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I haven't seen the interview yet. I am afraid to look at the photo and how old and ugly I am now, or what I might have said, or what it might look edited down to size. Usually something is presented out of context, when I give an interview. I suppose one can go to the longer version at Climbing's website to see how long-winded I am... in the surreal place I live now in my mind. Thank you friends for thinking of me.
Pat
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Jaybro
Social climber
The West
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You should check it out, Oli. It worked for me and a lot of people.
I'm enormouslly self concious about reading my own stuff in print, but I don't think you'll feel let down.
Or, if you are, it will be about stuff that only you know.
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SuperSpud
Trad climber
Cayucos, CA
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I've never read a better climbing book than "How To Be A Master Climber In Six Easy Lessons".
Small book, but a giant amount of knowledge.
 Jeff Rininger
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dmalloy
Trad climber
eastside
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good to know that the full interview is online, thanks for pointing that out. Yes, Pat, the "out of context" is slightly apparent in the print version....but not too badly.
The picture, though, looks great.
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Hardly Visible
climber
Port Angeles
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Good interview I thought,too bad they didn't print the full version as it is much better reading than their usual snipets and newsflashes. Thanks for the link Bryceman. Pat, I hope you are doing well it is really great to have you on this forum.
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Jaybro
Social climber
The West
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Ya know, there is an earlier thread on this topic, maybe somebody remembers the coordinates?
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bachar
Trad climber
Mammoth Lakes, CA
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Killer interview, creative questions...more photos Pat!
Surely you've got some extra stuff never published?
More Kor stories too...
Cheers, JB
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Raydog
Trad climber
Boulder Colorado
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thanks for the link - love it
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hobo_dan
Social climber
Minnesota
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Pat: I thought it was a great interviewe- I enjoyed your reflections re: halucinogens. I sometimes wonder myself how much motivation I lost in Jr. High by smoking weed and how that affected my schooling.
R. Crumb had some interesting thoughts on LSD and how it shut down his ego for like six months but that it also freed up other areas for creativity.
Hard to say
murf
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Oli
Trad climber
Fruita, Colorado
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Ok, at City Market I got a glance at the magazine finally. I really didn't like any of the photos they took, but I settled on the one they used because it had a great view of the Monument in the background, and I was casting a big long shadow along the rock. No one would look at me at all, hopefully, rather at the Monument or that shadow. So what do they do? They put the print (interview) over the Monument and over the interesting shadow, and now all you see is my ugly mug, washed out, wrinkled, anguished, edgy, at the low point of my health problems. They also used a wide angle lens, so my face is about twice its normal width, making me look obviously too fat to be the real Pat Ament (I'm waiting for the slap downs). Oh well. But the worst is that (except for a few of the entries) they haphazardly grabbed probably the weakest most pointless of my comments, and without the original questions or the full answers a lot of them don't make any sense at all. John Gill wrote me and said he thought it was a nice interview, but he would do that. I felt rather as though people would read it and think I am unable to follow a logical thought or say anything at all that has any value or meaning in the universe. I guess ultimately I should only be appreciative they thought of me and included me at all... I hope people will read the longer online version, as I think I was ok there for the most part... but wow am I long winded.
Bachar, did I tell you the story about Kor ciphoning gas? I was about 15, and Layton did what he had to do, you know. The police caught him one night running down an alley with a gas can and a hose. What could he have been doing with those things?! My father simply handed me the police report in the newspaper, not saying a word... When Layton years later asked me to write something for his biography, I decided the more comical stuff was the best and so wrote a wondrous little series of stories, of course including the gas can and hose thing... which, to my surprise, were promptly rejected by Layton. He said he had cleaned up his life and wanted to forget all that. It says nothing of his current life that he was a wild man at one time, but I had to respect his wishes and so wrote the mundane story about our ascent of Overhang Dihedral (on Longs in the rain)... If you like this sort of stuff, I have about a thousand stories...
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Pat,
one by one to a thousand stories, yes.
from the beginning and please, take your time.
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bachar
Trad climber
Mammoth Lakes, CA
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I like the stories about when Kor was walking on the wild side...sorry Layton!
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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oh and,
Pat said:
"I felt rather as though people would read it and think I am unable to follow a logical thought or say anything at all that has any value or meaning in the universe."
Well, we all know editing does that to us Pat, but even so, Croft once said the meaningless stuff is the best stuff, or something like that, in regards to climbing as a worthwhile pursuit, when contrasted with many of humankind's activities.
And if even tho it may be regarded by some few as meaningless, I must say, you do it well and we are all ears!
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John Moosie
climber
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Boldly spoken Pat. Thank you.
For some reason unknown to me, I have faced mental illness for most of my life. Vast periods of deeply entangling depression have engulfed me and fought me to a standstill more then once. The thing that has helped me keep on keeping on is the beauty of the human spirit and the beauty of nature. There is much beauty in you Pat. Thank you for being who you are and showing the way.
This line cracked me up.
"Q: Ever climb with rock shoes and socks?
A: No, I have always worn clothes also"
You have a very funny and dry sense of humor. hahahaha...
Thanks
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Largo
Sport climber
Venice, Ca
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The sotry of Pat driving with Kor in the car with the bald tires is one of the great narrative stories we have in the literature.
JL
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Oli
Trad climber
Fruita, Colorado
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I sometimes say things I wish I hadn't. Years and years and decades ago, I was being interviewed by some girl reporter, about my new book High Over Boulder, which was actually written in 1962 or so but didn't come out until a few years later. So there was a lot of anticipation about its arrival. I was in the office of the Rocky Mountain Rescue Group, at that moment. I often had to do all their rescues for them, because most of them weren't serious climbers. That's a whole other story, about how they repeadtly would phone me or Layton, or how they would phone me and I'd call Rearick, and we would go to Eldorado and climb the route quickly in the dark and get the person down, while the rescue group tried to figure out which gully led to the top of the wall. They were all good blessed souls, for their effort, but they were very formal and would not actually let me join the group because I was too impatient and young and distracted and immature to pass the first aid course. Anyway I was always trying to measure up, in terms of getting them to respect me. I always tried to look and act right, but it was hopeless thing, since I was so naturally rough around the edges. But when the reporter asked, "Who is this book written for," I answered in front of several very sober men, "For those who want to get high over boulder." I didn't even quite realize what I'd said until some of the people outside the door started cracking up, but the rescue group guys were not amused, and the reporter didn't even get it... But of course she quoted me in the newspaper, which made a fine impression with Boulder's citizens.
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