Tom Frost

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roy

Social climber

NZ -> SB,CA -> Zurich

Aug 26, 2018 - 12:16pm PT

By all accounts a remarkable man and a true gentleman.

My condolences to his family and many friends.

Cheers, Roy

Patrick Oliver

Boulder climber

Fruita, Colorado

Aug 26, 2018 - 05:10pm PT

I loved Tom. He called me his best friend for onward toward twenty years, until we drifted away into our own family lives and he moved back to California. But for a few letters, we saw little of each other after that. What we shared, though, is never to be forgotten. I have a mountain of letters he wrote me through the years. Here is a very short one, but one of my favorites. "Dear Patrick, Thanks for being a friend. I have realized that this journey through mortality would have been a difficult one if God hadn't blessed me with you as a friend. Very best wishes, Tom."

Fritz

Social climber

Choss Creek, ID

Aug 26, 2018 - 07:53pm PT

Steve! Thank you for sharing your Tom Frost memorial thoughts:

I just sent this memorial piece to Rock and Ice yesterday.
https://rockandice.com/climbing-news/tom-frost-yosemite-and-international-icon-for-the-ages-dies-at-81/

They are well worth reading.

F10

Trad climber

Bishop

Aug 26, 2018 - 08:04pm PT

RIP

Thanks for all the inspiration

Steve Grossman

Trad climber

Seattle, WA

Topic Author's Reply - Aug 27, 2018 - 08:26am PT

Come and join us in remembering Tom and Royal at the Oakdale Climbers Festival October 12-14, 2018.

http://www.supertopo.com/climbers-forum/3044785/Oakdale-Festival-Oct-2018-Yosemite-Big-Wall-Climbing-50s-60s

LilaBiene

Trad climber

Technically...the spawning grounds of Yosemite

Aug 30, 2018 - 08:22pm PT

Tom was one of the first few people I spoke with when I was trying to learn more about my birth dad. He was so incredibly thoughtful and kind. I'll never forget being handed a photo that Tom took of him at the base of El Cap prior to the 2nd ascent - I was completely overwhelmed - all of a sudden I was looking at the first reflection of myself in another person...indescribable, really, but I was also blown away by Tom's thoughtfulness and generosity. I feel so incredibly blessed to have had the chance to talk with him and be in his presence. I covet my set of Sentinal nuts - too beautiful and precious to use.

Sending my heartfelt thoughts, prayers and wishes to the Frost family, and to all mourning our collective loss as a community.

I'm grateful especially to Boodawg and Steve - without your great efforts and support and encouragement, I never would have ventured outside of my shell, nor had the great honor of meeting Tom. My heartfelt thanks.

Doubling down, jstan.

Banjo

Social climber

An edge...

Sep 1, 2018 - 12:20pm PT

Although I'm not a climber (except by association, being married to an old classic!), I was fortunate to have worked at Great Pacific Iron Works (now Patagonia) as the Mail Order Queen (their tongue-in-cheek title, 1974+) when Tom was still the company's co-owner with Chouinard. Tom may not have remembered me, a very young and lowly shipper from those long-ago days, but so many of the casual conversations with this kind, personable, approachable, genuinely interested and engaged boss have stuck with me for a lifetime (not to mention the fact that ever after, I still think of him whenever I sign my own correspondence with Tom's signature "cheers”—originally learned from him!). I was a Hobie Cat sailor then, and his enthusiasm for my new-found pursuit was always an inspiration: yet little did I know at the time that prior to his amazing and well-known climbing career, Tom had a previous life as one of the country's top-notch young sailors. He never mentioned it, and was so humble when speaking of sailing to this young newbie that one could never have guessed. Fast forward nearly 40 years, to the 50th Anniversary of the FA Salathé, and there was Tom, generously and without reservation, signing the Hex Patent t-shirt (the Frost/Chouinard patent on a t-shirt that we designed for our wee online family biz) for our daughter, about the same age as I was back in GPIW days with Tom. (He was such an enthusiastic supporter of the idea, he even sent us some of his own original gear drawings to use with his blessings!). Tom touched so many lives in so many worlds, both large and small… a life well-lived to be celebrated, and most certainly a man to be sorely missed and never forgotten. Forever cheers to that. My deepest condolences to his family... may this humble memory of the goodness of Tom help ease some of the pain of losing him. ~n

Excerpt from an article titled, Sailing: A Boom Year! (October 18, 1954 issue of Sports Illustrated):

WHIZ KID FROM CALIFORNIA
The largest class of all, the Snipe, which boasts over 10,000 boats throughout the world, holds its world championships only in odd-numbered years. The big one for Snipe sailors this year, therefore, was the National regatta at Mentor-on-the-Lake, Ohio. A sailing whiz kid, 19-year-old Tom Frost from Newport Beach, Calif., won it for the second year in a row. His record of two firsts, a second, a third, and a fourth against the country's top 24 Snipe sailors makes him a crown prince among small-boat skippers.

qigongclimber

climber

Sep 10, 2018 - 05:01pm PT

Tom was unique. His generosity was without peer. Do him a favor and he'd one up you. A great man has passed.

Steve - I hung out with Tom a couple of times, in Oakdale and in the Valley. I drove him to the Valley once to give his favorite talk at the Lodge. We walked up along the base of El Cap to the NA Wall when we got to the Valley. He stopped on the way to give some advice on what gear to take to some guys about to start up the nose. We tape recorded hours of conversation. Basically it was me asking questions and him talking about stuff: his philosophy of climbing, great pacific iron works, getting back into climbing again, saving camp four, the golden age of climbing in yosemite, the camp four celebration. Once he figured out how to use the tape recorder (hand held), he took over from there and just started recording his thoughts. You might already have the transcripts of the recordings that i gave to him. Regardless, I have the recordings and the transcripts. Let me know if they would be helpful for the book or movie. -tom

qigongclimber

climber

Sep 10, 2018 - 05:21pm PT

Old Man Don

Trad climber

Buhl, ID

Sep 10, 2018 - 05:29pm PT

Tom was/is a wonderful person. I was fortunate enough to have met him at Great Pacific Iron Works. I was 19 new to climbing but had been working at Frederick's Ski and Hike in La Jolla representing Chouinard Equipment. Mr. Chouinard invited me to climb and afterward gave us a tour of the GPIW and introduced Tom Frost. He talked to me like he had known me forever but was just getting the opportunity to share his passion for climbing and design for the first time. I was entralled. He showed us new nut and hex designs, rope designs, rurps, and shoes. He had designed a big wall shoe based on ice skate lasts. Needless to say, I bought a pair of those shoes and Tom ground the sole to better conform to the rand, explaining the design and why they were superior to anything on the market. I still have those shoes and occasionally still use them. I also have the 150 ft. rope I bought at the same time. The rope has been retired for decades and living in my basement. Presently, we've built and indoor climbing gym in Twin Falls, ID. Soon, the shoes and rope will be on display along with a lot of old climbing equipment. It is my hope we will someday be able to show the film about the life and times of one of the Gentlemen of Climbing -- Mr. Tom Frost. Mr. Frost, Joyce, and family, your husband and father helped provide me and my family a sport for all ages. Thank you and Thank you, Tom.

Robert GINN

Big Wall climber

Guadalupe

Sep 10, 2018 - 06:50pm PT

I climbed with TomF a couple of times and spent time sitting and talking and feel a real loss to us all - Tom was one of the real "good guys" and I hope we all remember him as such. Damn Damn Damn!

climber

Boulder, CO

Sep 12, 2018 - 11:39am PT

Tom Frost by all accounts was a class act, in every facet of life. I love that "one moving part" concept. In looking at the designs that came out of whatever company he was working for or with, there is a sense of refined simplicity, but instilled with an unmistakable extra subtle aesthetic that
raised the final item to a level of industrial artistry. Each item inspired confidence, imbued with some extra power channeled from the master. You climbed harder with his designs on your rack.
I remember when his son was at the University of Colorado and they were visiting the Boulder Rock Club, watching Tom being given the belay test, thinking to myself, gee, do they know who this man is? He politely accommodated, with a smile on his face, not a peep of protest. Class, all the way.

pennylaine

Social climber

Ventura, CA

Sep 13, 2018 - 10:17am PT

I was fortunate to know Tom for a just a minute really. I met him a year and a half ago after driving north with my Patagonia archive partner, Val Franco, to touch base with this man who was a legend to me – Yvon’s partner in the start of this incredible company I work for. I drove north in awe of what we would find and left a day later in awe of the connection I felt to a man I just met.

My connection, oddly enough, wasn’t based on my 31 years at Patagonia or any connection to climbing other than the photos I’ve seen over the years or the many climbers I’ve met; our connection was about rowing – a sport that I have participated in for the past 8 years and that Tom participated in at Stanford for 4 years. When he heard I was an “oarsman” there was an immediate bond based on the challenge, teamwork and passion that rowing inspires. “Eight hearts must beat as one or you don’t have a boat.” We talked about the book “The Boys in the Boat” that he and I had recently read.

After that we spoke often and I sent him many rowing books. The first one I sent off was “Ready All”, about the life of George Pocock who became a premiere boat builder, designer and rowing coach. Pocock reminded me of Frost as he was driven by quality and ethics and was eminently kind to those who he coached. There was something so authentic about him – I found that with Tom also. One of the thing he told his students was to pull their own weight as the boat goes better when you do. There is certainly a social implication here. Tom certainly pulled his own weight in anything he did and stayed true to his beliefs.
Over the next year I’d send him rowing books and he would devour them instantly and days later we’d be talking about them. The last book I sent him was “The Brendan Voyage”. I really wish he had had time to read it. Anyone with an appreciation for authentic, high quality, craft reproduction and nautical adventure may well enjoy this book. I knew Tom’s start was in sailing and he would have loved the design innovation and adventure this book spoke of. I thought I’d have many more years to share books with Tom but this was not to be. I am so grateful for our connection. He moved me deeply and I will miss our frequent talks.

SteveW

Trad climber

The state of confusion

Sep 13, 2018 - 04:30pm PT

Steve
Any date for the book release?

Steve Grossman

Trad climber

Seattle, WA

Topic Author's Reply - Sep 13, 2018 - 08:23pm PT

I am shooting for the end of the year but will have a Kickstarter going pretty soon to help with the expenses. I will certainly let folks know once that is in place. The Tome of Tom is magnificent!