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Chicken Skinner
Trad climber
Yosemite
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Topic Author's Original Post - Jul 3, 2006 - 06:29pm PT
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I remember drinking wine in the old Mountain Room Bar with Warren and a cocky climber came up to him and said "I just climbed the Nose clean". When Warren didn't answer he said " I didn't use any pitons". Warren set his wine down and looked up at him and replied "Well, did you use any of my bolts?" The cocky climber turned around and walked off with his tail between his legs.
Ken
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Dusty
Trad climber
up & down highway 99
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GREAT STUFF KEN!!! Got any more??....
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Yes Ken -
Fun Warren anecdote you related.
More please.
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ron gomez
Trad climber
fallbrook,ca
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nice butt on phylthee phylms, anyone know who it is? Chickenskinner I gotta say this is one of the best post ever put up here, PLEASE keep it coming, FINALLY something that worth checking out besides McClennehans.
Peace
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Chicken Skinner
Trad climber
Yosemite
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Topic Author's Reply - Jul 3, 2006 - 11:41pm PT
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Not so good to see you finally need bi-focals. Regarding your other posts.
I can't see or say without them (bifocals). It sucks getting old but it rocks because it is better than the alternative.
Ken
p.s. I might have something very incriminating. I will have to find out. Keep in touch.
p.p.s. Darn I am having to go through my shoe boxes (plenty of those) and look through the early binders when I was more impressed with my own climbing endeavors or scenic points I had never seen before. It may take awhile to find the important stuff.
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426
Sport climber
Buzzard Point, TN
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Who hasn't been "Downward Bound" at one time or another...
great stuff, I love anything to do with VCs...
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Chicken Skinner
Trad climber
Yosemite
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Topic Author's Reply - Jul 8, 2006 - 04:59am PT
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Hello,
The first time I met Harding was when I turned 16 and the day after I received my driver's license. I gave him a ride to his Mom's house in Sacramento after picking him up at Lovers Leap. I had been climbing during not so perfect weather and he had apparently been lurking and needed a ride. Scary looking fellow at the time. I was terrified at first ( because my parents told me not to pick up hitch-hikers! ) until he introduced himself and I immediately felt much better. My father knew who he was from the Wall of the Early Morning coverage and all I had to do was make a phone call and I got to eat dinner that night at his Mom's house, check out both corvettes, made climbing plans, got to meet his wonderful mother, and best of all got in no trouble at all with my parents for my first known infraction that my parents ever found out about.
Plenty more stories later if interested.
Ken
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More Air
Big Wall climber
S.L.C.
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Yes! Very interested.
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426
Sport climber
Buzzard Point, TN
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Me 3.
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Strider
Big Wall climber
Home of the Great Miwok Spirit...
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Just have to say Ken that your posts lately here have been the best thing to hit this board in a LONG time. Ten times more interesting that the rest of the sophmoric drivel that goes for "climbing discussion" around here. If you were the only person posting on this board right now I don't think a single person here would stop coming back to check your posts. Please, keep them coming.
-n
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Chicken Skinner
Trad climber
Yosemite
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Topic Author's Reply - Jul 11, 2006 - 05:57pm PT
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When Warren topped out on the Nose a reporter asked him how it felt to have conquered El Capitan. Warrens answer was "Well, El Capitan seems to be in a lot better shape than I am right now".
Ken
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Shano
Social climber
Pacific Beach, CA
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Jul 11, 2006 - 06:31pm PT
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a friend once told me about some footage he'd seen of WH on WEML topout. A reporter asked "Why do you do this?" or something equally inane.
Hardings deadpan response: "Because we're f*cking crazy."
I thot' that was about the funniest thing I'd ever heard.
Anybody else know of aforementioned dialog?
-s
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David Nelson
climber
San Francisco
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Jul 11, 2006 - 06:47pm PT
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Ken, let's hear and see more vintage stuff from the Yosemite Climbing Museum. How is it proceeding?
What have you been up lately? Been thinking about you, it is that time of the year (and then some).
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the Fet
climber
Earth
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Jul 11, 2006 - 06:56pm PT
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After Warren got knocked in the head by a loose block during the FA of Leaning Tower, the doctor at the clinic told him "I'm worried about brain damage". Warren and his partners got concerned. He then continued "but that's probably just because you climbers aren't right in the head to begin with."
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Chicken Skinner
Trad climber
Yosemite
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Topic Author's Reply - Jul 12, 2006 - 12:20pm PT
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Fet,
Warren was actually unconcious after getting hit in the head. His partner was concerned because he could see blood dripping by. When Warren came to and was able to get back to his partner he insisted on drinking a bottle of wine before retreating to go to the clinic and get stitched up.
Ken
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Chicken Skinner
Trad climber
Yosemite
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Topic Author's Reply - Jul 13, 2006 - 03:55pm PT
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Shortly after meeting Warren in 1975 we went climbing together at Phantom Spires? up on Highway 50. I was so excited because I wanted to try some harder climbing and I had a ropegun.
We hiked up a long and steep hillside from the highway. I carried the rack,water, and the rope. I didn't really know what he had in his pack, but assumed it was important because of his vast experience and I figured I was going to learn a lot from him.
It was hot that day and when we got up to the spires we looked at several of them and decided on one of them. A good portion of my water was already gone.
We racked up, tied in, and put our shoes on. I was climbing in some hand me down Robbins boots and Warren had some Pivettas that had seen so much wall action that the toes were missing and he had filled in the gaps with Epoxy coating the whole front of his shoes.
Warren started to lead and he kept sliding back to the ground because of his Epoxy coated toes. After several tries he handed me the rack and I ended up leading to the top of the spire and belayed him up.
We then went to another spire and started in the same fashion with the same results.
It was now getting close to dark and we were out of water. I mentioned that maybe we should head back down because I was really thirsty.
He suggested that we have a beer and start a campfire and cook up some hot dogs. He proceeded to empty his pack and pulled out the contents. He had 4 cans of beer, 2 wine glasses and a bottle of red wine, a package of hot dogs with coat hangers, a full loaf of bread, and a large jar of mustard.
We made a fire and ate and drank while watching the sunset. After our meal we stumbled back down the hillside in darkness and miracuously found my truck and I had sobered up enough to drive back to Sacramento.
This is a memory I will always cherish. So this was what climbing and companionship in the mountains was really about.
Ken
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the Fet
climber
The Milky Way
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Jul 13, 2006 - 05:27pm PT
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I wish I had got the chance to spend more time with Warren (and climb with him, you lucky bastard :-). He was so supportive, generous, and just plain fun to be around.
When I read Erik W's book "Touch the top of the world" and he tells the story of when he finished the first blind ascent of El Cap and comes down and Warren had driven down and is waiting for him at the Awahnee. Warren says "you son of a bitch". Then slaps him on the back and repeats it. And it takes Erik a while to figure out what he meant, that he was proud of him. Brought some serious tears to my eyes, still does.
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Wonder
climber
WA
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Jul 25, 2006 - 02:14am PT
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I missed this post first time around ( in Vegas, skateboard shootout - maybe you saw the happy birthday wonder thread )
But... this story is from 1990. My future wife and I were in the Valley and I was showing her the sights - like the Mountain Room. Warren was there and just hitting it off with Suzanne (my wife). She's a talker. So the bar closes and we wandered over to camp (well, the lot) to Warren's van. After we finished the drinks we snucked out of the bar Warren pipes up " I think I got another bottle back here. " He goes to the back of his van and starts throwing stuff around, digging deep. " Here it is, " he says. He comes out with a 5 gal bottle of red vino 3/4 full. My wife and I still talk about one of the best nites we ever had.
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Tom
Big Wall climber
San Luis Obispo CA
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Jul 25, 2006 - 02:45am PT
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I met WH in 1983, in the Valley, and he was amazing to meet in person. Like other "rock stars", he had none of the pretensions attributable to those at the top of other sports' pinnacles. He was like an uncle, or friend of a father, who was still attuned to youth and having a good time. And, yes, he was funny to talk to.
I was star-struck and didn' offer an invitation for a drink, or to hang out. Which he would have obliged, I'm sure.
Warren was THE MAN and his influence will be felt long into the future.
BTW: Rick Sylvester's ski==>basejump stunt for the James Bond movie (which one?) was one of the best.
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Karl Baba
Trad climber
Yosemite, Ca
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Jul 25, 2006 - 04:03am PT
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Warren was a great man and a great character too.
It was cool to meet him when he started coming back around the valley in the 80s, giving some slides shows and drinking in the employee dorms too!
It bears remembering that he wasn't universally appreciated during his heyday. If the supertopo forum was in existence back in that day, there would have been pages and pages of slander and controversy about Warren.
Which I only say to give perspective to our current slanders and controversies. Warren was priceless.
Peace
karl
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