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Norton
Social climber
the Wastelands
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Topic Author's Original Post - Mar 14, 2009 - 05:32pm PT
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"My once-keen analytical mind has become so dulled by endless hours of baking in the hot sun, thrashing about in tight chimneys, pulling at impossibly heavy loads.... so that now my mental state is comparable to that of a Peruvian Indian, well stoked on coca leaves..." — Warren Harding (1925-2002), Reflections on a broken down climber.
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'Pass the Pitons' Pete
Big Wall climber
like Ontario, Canada, eh?
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Mar 14, 2009 - 05:37pm PT
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I'm drinking a glass [or two] of fine Australian shiraz - here's to Warren!
Cheers,
Pete
P.S. Sorry, it's knott Christian Bros....
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Norton
Social climber
the Wastelands
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 14, 2009 - 05:46pm PT
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A few more from others on the web:
"A climber's day always starts at the crux: getting out of bed."
"There are only 3 real sports: bull-fighting, car racing and mountain climbing. All the others are mere games." — Hemingway.
"I find that rock climbing is the finest, most healthiest sport in the whole world. It is much healthier than most; look at baseball, where 10 000 sit on their ass to watch a handful of players" — John Salathé, 1974.
"You climb for the hell of it." — Edmund Hillary.
"Writing about climbing is boring. I would rather go climbing." — Chuck Pratt.
"I don't want to write about climbing; I don't want talk about it; I don't want to photograph it; I don't want to think about it; all I want to do is do it." — Chuck Pratt.
"Leading something that is 50/50 is is not 'my limit'. It's off route." — Nathan Sweet.
"Where are the holds, Hector ?!?!" — Paulina.
"There were no holds so I had to use skill."
"What an odd sport we inhabit, where bits of obscure rock in remote locations are recognizeable." — Richard Pawlowicz.
"I think you love rocks so much that they've replaced your brain." — Rex Pieper.
"Getting out of this required a 5.11 Beached Whale move combined with a Bloody Scream, something they never teach in the gym." — Lord Slime.
"Sure, some people pack more crap than others, but going dumb and naked isn't what 'Fast and light' is about either." — Nate B.
"I love climbing because it feels so good when I stop..." — Karl 'we're all nuts' Baba.
"One day, Seb and I will do a route that isn't a '50 chimneying classic'." — Martin Carpenter.
"Climbers seem to forget that we said in our introduction that there were simply '50 classic routes', not 'the 50 classics'. We chose 50 from a list of about 120. Only a torturer will ever pry loose from our lips the names of those other 70 classics..." — Steve Roper.
"One method of getting loved ones to look more fondly on your climbing is to tell them that since you've started climbing you hardly do drugs anymore." — David Harris.
"It's all fun and oneness with nature until you realize you can't have diarrhea and vomit at the same time without an extra bucket." — Nate B.
"F*#king Layton Kor... God I hate Cameron Burns. I wonder how much it would hurt if I just jumped ? Why the hell would anyone climb this hunk of dirt anyway, or anything for that matter-pointless ? How long can you be dead and still be an organ donor ?" — Frank Stock's thoughts while on the Kor Route on Monster Tower.
"Just a reminder — a guidebook is no substitute for skill, experience, judgment and lots of tension." — Charlie Fowler.
"That was amazing ! Five lead changes to climb 40 feet of rock ! How can they say this route doesn't look good ? This was MORE than a route — this was an EXPERIENCE !" — Larry D.
"My definition of a desert towers is: 'Anything big enough that I just can't piss over it'. I've climbed 50 of those so far." — Brad B.
"The best climber in the world is the one who's having the most fun." — Alex Lowe.
"I've climbed with some of the best climbers in the world, more importantly, to me, they are some of the best people in the world. That's another reason why I climb." — Jim Wickwire.
"Climbing may be hard, but it's easier than growing up." — Ed Sklar.
"In France, a publicly accessible climbing area without bolted lines is viewed like a publicly accessible swimming pool with sharks in it." — David Kastrup.
"In most parts of France, they climb 'French Free'. In Chamonix they climb 'French Expensive'." — Tim.
> i'm going on holiday to france has anyone ever done any rock
> climbing there and can they suggest good climbs
"could you give us more information like where in france you're going and when and what kind of climbing you're looking for and and at what level whether you have done any research yourself or are just bugging us and anyway why should we take the time to help you when you can't be bothered to even use any punctuation or provide basic information much less actually do any leg work yourself so I am going to guess that you belong in a gym try murmur in paris but just boulder because i have friends there and i would rather you not belay them." — Frederick 'Fritz' Weihe.
"There is no difference between religion and politics. Both involve lies and fanatical beliefs that generaly defy logic... Just like rock climbing." — Dave Schuller.
"My mother used to rock me — and she used big rocks." — Rodney Dangerfield.
"Little primates known as Loris have been observed urinating on their hands and feet — it is thought that they do this to improve their grip while climbing."
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pip the dog
Mountain climber
planet dogboy
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Mar 14, 2009 - 05:51pm PT
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"So listen -- what was it? dogboy? ok, dogboy -- man you really gotta shut up and eat something and muscle up a bit... so, you got any more of that zinfandel?"
this as The Man absolutely incinerated a hot dog, just for me, long long ago.
ah, those precious random moments.
^,,^
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Chaz
Trad climber
Boss Angeles
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Mar 14, 2009 - 05:51pm PT
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"Because we're insane"
When asked the question that's supposed to be answered "because it's there".
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'Pass the Pitons' Pete
Big Wall climber
like Ontario, Canada, eh?
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Mar 14, 2009 - 05:56pm PT
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Oh, fer cryin' out loud....
WALLEYE! Don't leave us hangin'!
Did you do 'er, or knott???
DO TELL.
The day of the big Camp 4 schpiel, we topped out on Jolly Roger, and raced down the East Ledges to attend. We had heard it was up at Tamarack Flat, and ran up there. Nobody showed up til later. I was so disappointed to have missed meeting Warren.
I bought the video. It wasn't the same.
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HighGravity
Trad climber
Southern California
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Mar 14, 2009 - 06:05pm PT
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"As I hammered in the last bolt and staggered over the rim, it was not at all clear to me who was the conqueror and who was the conquered. I do recall that El Cap seemed to be in much better condition than I was." — Warren Harding (1925-2002).
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Mar 14, 2009 - 07:21pm PT
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The tail end of Reflections Of A Broken-down Climber from The Vertical World of Yosemite.
Pure and unadulterated Batso!!!
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ec
climber
ca
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Mar 14, 2009 - 10:15pm PT
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In a SF magazine article years ago, the author/friend (a climber) and Harding go climbing up near Tahoe. Harding is thrashing; getting nowhere and the author says, " Harding, you can't do anything."
Harding replies, "Yeah, but I can do it forever."
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Mar 14, 2009 - 10:25pm PT
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Nobody will ever dispute Warren's staying power. LOL
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TradIsGood
Chalkless climber
the Gunks end of the country
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Mar 14, 2009 - 11:13pm PT
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“I have no trouble with my enemies. I can take care of my enemies in a fight. But my friends, my goddamned friends, they're the ones who keep me walking the floor at nights!”
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Ghost
climber
A long way from where I started
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Mar 14, 2009 - 11:25pm PT
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Among Norton's quotes was:
"One method of getting loved ones to look more fondly on your climbing is to tell them that since you've started climbing you hardly do drugs anymore." — David Harris.
So am I officially famous now?
DH
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Reilly
Mountain climber
Monrovia, CA
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Mar 14, 2009 - 11:26pm PT
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I had the distinct honor of sharing innumerable pitchers with Warren and Bill Sumner after the Dawn Wall slide show in Seattle. I know he said a lot of memorable things that night. I wish to hell I could have remembered some of them.
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Jaybro
Social climber
wuz real!
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Mar 14, 2009 - 11:27pm PT
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" got a corkscrew Fish?"
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TradIsGood
Chalkless climber
the Gunks end of the country
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Mar 14, 2009 - 11:28pm PT
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Shared pitchers at a slide show!
Funny!
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Tom
Big Wall climber
San Luis Obispo CA
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Mar 14, 2009 - 11:30pm PT
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Chuck Pratt is a genius. He coulda been a nuclear engineer, or something.
-WH, Lodge Parking Lot, c. 1983
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WBraun
climber
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Mar 14, 2009 - 11:39pm PT
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We would never see him until about 4:00 in the afternoon when he'd step out from hibernation every evening that one winter.
He'd come over to where we were hanging in the C4 parking lot shootin the sh'it and his first words almost every time was; "The bar's open in a half hour" ......
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TradIsGood
Chalkless climber
the Gunks end of the country
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Mar 14, 2009 - 11:42pm PT
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Werner, I can understand the first time,...
But after that, he must'a thought ya were dummer 'n a rock.
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Tom
Big Wall climber
San Luis Obispo CA
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Mar 15, 2009 - 12:58am PT
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The tension, way back then, was Royal Robbins and the correct British Method, against Warren and the here-comes-the-future California degenerates.
Like clack-clack hoodlums suddenly racing down the streets on their skateboards from out of nowhere, the future was upon us, like it or not.
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Fletcher
Trad climber
here to eternity
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Mar 15, 2009 - 01:08am PT
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Great stuff, all. Extra great, Walleye!
Eric
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