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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Topic Author's Original Post - Oct 6, 2010 - 12:04am PT
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A hearty ST welcome to Arizona climbing legend, Scott Baxter!
From Trono to the Black Canyon to every corner of my home state, Scott and the other members of the Syndicato Granitica absolutely set the mark on style and boldness for my generation! No chalk allowed in the north part of the state with those gents around! They are the real deal as climbers and one hell of a lot of fun and inspiration to be around!
Glad to have you here, maestro!
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Toker Villain
Big Wall climber
Toquerville, Utah
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OK.
What's the story on Thumb Butte?
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philo
Trad climber
Somewhere halfway over the rainbow
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Welcome Scott. Do you still see Rusty, David and Karl?
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drljefe
climber
Old Pueblo, AZ
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WORD!
Some fun routes up there on the Butte.....
and the Mountain, and the Dells, and the Forks, and the etc, etc, etc
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Acer
Big Wall climber
AZ
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Sweet. I bought my first ropes and gear from Scott and Mark at the Inner Basin shop.
Scott has done some great pioneering. Great magazine article years back.
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BooDawg
Social climber
Polynesian Paradise
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Welcome, Scott, to S.T.
No chalk, eh? Sounds like we have some ethics in common...
I look forward to some of your stories and perspectives.
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Jaybro
Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
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Holy molt! You don't remember me , but cheers And welcome Board!!
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hooblie
climber
from where the anecdotes roam
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morning mate! our common ground, besides the missing chalk bag: canon tajo, where you
and your crew made yourselves known to us even after you went away.
i made sure not to miss your slide show at the gym in flagstaff a few years ago.
i brought my date, who doesn't know a carabiner from a bowline, she of great grand children.
how did you know not to bore her with wankery?
your tales were so accessible, full of comradery and fun. of course you had all
the pierced and dreadlocked and the rest of us monkeys from the getgo,
but it really was a marvel how she left there stiff and sore, ready
for adventure, and way less suspicious of my past
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bob
climber
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Scott, welcome aboard! Last time I saw you I was walking into Mars Attacks and you came rollin up in one of those Pink Jeeps. I heard my name and then you introduced yourself. I don't know how in hell you remembered me, but ...........remember when my buddy and I borrowed 4 bucks in change from you and your buddies at upper sullies because we were too stupid to put gas in our rig? As I recall you guys got a real kick outta that when we came back down with our tales between our legs/heads down and begged for change. Oh the joy. circa 1995ish?
Cheers!
Bob Jensen
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treeman
climber
mule city
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welcome aboard scott! a true legend in the az climbing scene and an all around great man! tim maloney
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ontheedgeandscaredtodeath
Trad climber
San Francisco, Ca
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I bought some of my first climbing gear from Scott at the Inner Basin. Got lots of friendly advice too. A climbing icon and really nice guy! Definately not Born Under a Bad Sine!
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the albatross
Gym climber
Flagstaff
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From what I have learned, it could be said that Scott Baxter is one of the fathers of free climbing and clean ethics in northern Arizona. Throughout the 1970s he was considered "the man" around these parts whose exploits influenced generations of climbers. From the Syndicato Granitica, to young Grossman and Davidson, the Coats, and later the Banditos (and a bunch of others I am missing), folks who typically believed in boldness over bolts. Scott pioneered many of the major climbing areas in AZ with impeccable style and I'm sure great companionship. In respect for the natural environment, many of these people were Leave No Trace before it became mainstream. Our pioneers set the bar high back in the day. (It is discouraging to see that instead of rising to the challenge, many prominent local pioneers are now lowering the bar).
Scott is an awesome poet, too, check out his book "Imaginary Summits."
Thanks for everything, Scott.
Albert Newman
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pk_davidson
Trad climber
Albuquerque, NM
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Scotty:
Welcome to the world were we can live out our past climbs, rant and rave, spew and moan, praise and rip.
There is probably no single climber who has more fashioned the Northern Ariz climbing ethic than Scott. Probably no climber that comes close. Any influence later climbers might have had on ethics and style were almost certainly influenced by Scott (excluding those of the bolt ladder persuasions.) And almost certainly there is no NAz climber that has discovered and had a hand in finding and developing more awesome areas. Truly: Gnt Mountain, Trono, Sedona, Grand Canyon, The Forks, Winslow Wall, Parks Wall (:-), Painted Wall, XmasTree Pass, Hualapai Wall, Dream of White Whales, Hackberry, and of course all the little local areas, Elden, Overlook, Upper Oak Creek, Earth Angel, etc... and the beat goes on...
As mentioned above, Scott gives some of the best slide shows. They really hooked me way back when ! You knew you'd arrived when one day a pic of you popped up on the screen.
I love the fact you have guys talking about buying from Scott at the Inner Basin (his second shop). For me, it was The Alpineer in '75. Then you have folks running into Scott in 1995 and others have told me of recent crossings. It goes to show his influence across 4 decades of climbing in NAz.
But Scott's influence went far beyond climbing. In honor of the batch of late 70's climbers (after most of the original Syndicato had moved on) Scott had to form a new syndicte, Los Estupidos, whose purpose (I like to think, although now I recognize it was perhaps Scott's subtle way of telling us something about ourselves) was to attempt numerous "stunts." These included things like running Hump to Hole, Hole to Hump, West Fork, The High Dive into the Gold Pond, Onsight at Night etc... Scott lobbied heavily for going down to Prescott and doing some Bull Riding (I don't think that ever happened) and also for going down and jumping into the Colorado above Hermit Rapids and swimming the roller coaster waves of the rapids. That I have heard did eventually happen !
Scott has always been very selfless about passing on potential new areas and spires to other climbers. I recall him showing me pictures back around '79 of some huge limestone walls down in Mexico that had no climbs on them. If it wasn't El Portero (at least ten years prior to development), then you driven lads better find Scott and start begging for the keys to your fame.
And last, but not least, Scott was the originator of one very well known Az event and possibly a second. The Beanfest and the Phoenix Bouldering Contest. For years, El Syndicato Grantica held an annual Banquet, generally around Scott's birthday and often out in Parks at his place. He put a lot of effort into these with the caber toss, bottle walking, ammo box tug of war and the Parks Wall bouldering contest. I believe Larry Coats has posted images of some of this in the Az appreciation thread and over on MP. One year ('77?), the banquet was at Granite Basin and the great Jim Donnini showed up and rather than braving wet campfires, we were able to watch a fabulous slide show of Jim's recent exploits down in Patagonia by taking over a hall at Prescott College. Thank you David Lovejoy!
One year, Rich Thompson, from Tucson, took his young protege, Steve Grossman, up to the Banquet. Rich was so impressed and had such a good time that he went to Tucson and began a tradition of the Climbarama. After we lost Rich to a sad and freak accident on Where Eaglets Dare, a 5.6 route in the Reef of rock that Rich had put up with his wife, the Climbarama died out for a year or two until one wet and rainy night the sauced duo of Steiger and Ringle were inspired to declare there and then that the Climbarama should be reborn as The Beanfest. "Here here." Those crusty beans you find on your forehead in the morning ? You can thank John for that and just be glad you never had to be involved when he was the beanmaster !
Word of the Parks Wall Bouldering Contest I believe filtered down to Jim Waugh who I believe once told me it was part of his inspiration to create the PBC. Jim certainly took it to a new level.
So you see rock readers, Scott's influence in Arizona climbing is truly monumental and not only in the Flagstaff area but state wide. Oh yes, let's not forget, The Klondike Wall is another of Baxter's scores, and Scotts protoege, Ross Hardwick, scooped the FFA of Leviathan dome right out from under the Tucson lads. So stunning was that ascent that for years no one down south (with the exception of me and perhaps a dubious Grossman) would believe that Ross and Charley had come in and climbed it all free in a single day push from the car. No doubt there are many other areas I am forgetting about (or perhaps choosing to keep quiet.)
And of course, there was (is?) the Arizona Cup. A 30 km ski race first put on by the Alpineer. Scott led us all into X-C ski racing, thus keeping us from slugging out during the cold winters. I forget how many first place ribbons Scott has from that race. Scott was (is?) also an exception 10K runner, thus influencing young lads to up there aerobic capabilities for those long slogs into the Canyon.
Scott is a natural born leader, he leads by example and by fun. An active mind and a desire for the unusual physical challenge taught many a person to look for those blue klister skates across moonlit nights out on Garland Prarie or down on the frozen lakes. Or to attempt the incredible and most memorable North Rim Tour. Ski from Jacob's Lake to the North Rim and then hike across to the South. (Take an ice axe and crampons for the surprise down off the rim.)
Truly, can we find another climber in Arizona who has had such a broad influence on so many aspects of our outdoor sports ?
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Great big warm welcome to Scott Baxter !!!
Lord knows we are thirsty for new blood around these parts.
(Sacked out, rough 'n ready, & also-fully-played-cantankerous-bunch that we are ...)
Dust off your old slides, pretty please, then pull up a stump and warm your hands by this raucous campfire.
 And watch out for trolls.
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R.B.
Big Wall climber
Land of the Lahar
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A big warm former N.AZ climbing alumni welcome to Scott from R.Black
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philo
Trad climber
Somewhere halfway over the rainbow
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Hey Scott, this one's for you and the boys.
A very prideful route.
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scott baxter
Gym climber
sedona, arizona
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Philo, Wow, what a nice gift! If I ever decide to write a guidebook will you do the topos? Many Thanks, Scott
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philo
Trad climber
Somewhere halfway over the rainbow
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I would be delighted and honored Scott. Anytime.
It is great to see you joining in on the TacoLand cyber camp fire.
It is a strange and wondrous place.
I knew Rusty and David from years ago. I never met you or Karl but I always wanted to.
You were all held in the highest esteem by us GunniStoners.
Rusty actually saved my life with a masterful dynamic belay.
I pitched off the run out crux of some 5.stupid+ and my unprotected noggin missed the sharp edge of the roof I swung under by less than a foot. If Rusty had not been the trad master he was my typing would be more like this; alsirtt194t`3luuydgsvc11 *&#%Q&G O*&@Q. That is IF I would have lived. Cheers to you and yours and a shout out to the old days.
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wbw
climber
'cross the great divide
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Wow! A thread started by an authentic legend in climbing, welcoming an authentic legend in climbing. I've wandered around the southwest quite a bit, usually pretty intimidated by both of these guys' creations, and always awed by their skill and bold style, and the adventurous approach they seemed to have towards climbing.
Not too many places other than ST where this happens routinely.
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