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Brokedownclimber
Trad climber
Douglas, WY
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Feb 18, 2018 - 03:33pm PT
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My deepest and most sincere condolences to his family and all the many others who loved the man! I felt privileged to hoist a couple beers with him at the Gordon Ranch a few years ago when we were all saying our farewells to Blitzo.
Ron-thanks for standing by him during his time of greatest need; he was blessed to have a friend like you.
Rodger
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ron gomez
Trad climber
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 18, 2018 - 03:55pm PT
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Peace Rodger. It's what we all do for our Brother's and Sister's! Hope we get to hoist a beer again soon!
Peace
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mastadon
Trad climber
crack addict
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Feb 18, 2018 - 04:39pm PT
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John Hansen-I was one of the scruffy looking dudes with Bridwell that day at 90 Foot Wall. Bridwell had those climbs brutally wired.
Jim was a true master of stone. He loved to get out whether it was epic long hard routes or just day cragging.
I remember many insightful things Jim said but one seems especially relevant now. We were talking how some people were obsessed with numbers. Jim said, “At the end, when you cross the brdge at the end of your life, it won’t matter how hard you climbed. What will matter is how you treated people along the way.”
The world just doesn’t seem the same today with Jim not in it.
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ron gomez
Trad climber
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 18, 2018 - 04:46pm PT
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That last line in the last paragraph! Nailed it. That's what Jim was about.
Peace
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matty
Trad climber
under the sea
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Feb 18, 2018 - 04:54pm PT
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Bird is rappin in the dead of night
Clip those tattered slings and lean away
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to arise
Bridwell leading on the granite cap
Sink those rusty pins and step on high
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to be you
Bridwell fly, bridwell fly
Into the light of the dark black night...
RIP
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Don Paul
Gym climber
Denver CO
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Feb 18, 2018 - 05:38pm PT
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Here's a nice obit by Duane Raleigh: Jim Bridwell, Founder of YOSAR and Big-Wall Godfather, Dead at 73 Inventor of the chalk-bag? I thought he invented copperheads. Maybe deserves more credit for his ascent of Cerro Torre considering Kelly Cordes' book. The NYT and Wash Post both did crummy google/wikipedia -based articles and had no idea who they were dealing with. I'd like to see John Long or someone like him put all these pieces together.
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jaysmith
Trad climber
Castle Valley, UT
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Feb 18, 2018 - 06:34pm PT
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So sorry Jim. That was to soon to leave us. You were an inspiration, a mentor and great partner. Just appreciative for the time I got to spend with you. You will be missed by many and equaled by none. We did bag in Patagonia. If it wasn't for you, I may have never gone there. Thanks for all buddy. May your next existance be just as rewarding. You showed the way for many.
My sincerest go out to Layton and Peggy.
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ron gomez
Trad climber
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 18, 2018 - 06:39pm PT
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Jay was so glad to be in Ouray with you guys. Jim had a blast and got to spend time with some of his close friends! Treasured moments fer sure.
Peace
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Roger Breedlove
climber
Cleveland Heights, Ohio
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Feb 18, 2018 - 07:36pm PT
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Jim was well known for inventing new techniques and inventing new equipment. So sometime around 1971 or so, Jim decided that we should make our own shoes to fit into thin cracks. I don't think that we had EBs at the time, probably still just RDs and PAs. Anyway, Jim knew someone who managed or owned a boot and shoe repair place in the Bay Area, so he called up, and off we drove out of the Valley to design and prototype new crack climbing shoes.
The idea was simplicity itself--the JB crack shoes. Make a thin mountain boot insole several sizes smaller than your foot. Stretch inner tube tire rubber over the last and glue it to the insole. Slit the front, poke holes in the inner tube rubber for laces and glue on a hard rubber smooth sole like an RD or PA. Oh, and make the toe come to an extreme point about 1 1/2 inches off the end of your feet--to stick into thin cracks.
After a few hours in the shoe repair place the guy working there took the rest of the day off to go fishing. We had the place to ourselves. We made three pairs--two for Jim and one for me.
It took about 20 minutes to get these suckers onto your feet and somehow located in the right spot and laced up. Then if you weighted the edges, they rolled and the twisted onto your feet, smoothly and effectively transferring 100% of your weight to your hands.
But the main idea was to make thin crack shoes, not edging shoes. And this this regard, the JB pointy toes slipped into the smallest of cracks, especially when inserted sideways. However, as the rubber deformed to the exact shape of the crack, it slowly slipped out, and smoothly and effectively transferred 100% of your weight to your hands.
Did I also mention that they hurt like hell?
Jim, an eternal optimist and never one to admit any touch of failure until he was damn good and ready, touting the benefits of these new shoes and how a few tweaks here and there would fix the problems. I agreed in part: work really hard on finger and and arm strength and leave the shoes on the ground.
Jim was often right, about many things--a skill I am sure he learned by knowing first hand how some good ideas are just down right doomed to failure.
I think that I weaseled out of my fair share of the cost of this adventure by claiming that since I got one pair and he got two, I should only pay 1/3 of the expenses.
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mouse from merced
Trad climber
The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.
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Feb 18, 2018 - 07:53pm PT
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From the Rock & Ice link:
Bridwell was devoted to the teachings in the Urantia Book.
The Urantia Book was another fundament. Said to have been written by celestial beings, The Urantia Book is a bible of sorts explaining the creations, God and the progression of beings including humans, angels and a paradise where God resides within a billion perfect worlds.
More El Cap pioneers favor the Urantia Book than one might think."I got the app and don't have to take the book, now!"
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H
Mountain climber
there and back again
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Feb 18, 2018 - 09:06pm PT
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Pioneer, legend, mentor, story teller, hero, brother, philosopher, sage, inventer.
I meet Jim the first time after his presentation at marmot mountain works in Marin years ago, then shortly after in Talkeetna where we shared a pizza and talked shop. Would see him often at Outdoor Retailer. I was honored to take him to town and get him some smokes one time. Talked politics and spirituality a number of times. He was witty and generous but mostly "one of a kind". Fond memories.
I cherish a number of goodies I got from him over the years. Even more so now. My heart goes out to those closest to him.
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F
climber
away from the ground
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Feb 18, 2018 - 09:43pm PT
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I think I met Jim the same summer that Mark Westman mentioned. Post climb.
What a guy.
Respect.
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MarkWestman
Trad climber
Talkeetna, Alaska
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Feb 19, 2018 - 12:13am PT
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Having only met Jim once or twice, I can't claim him as a friend. But I do feel the pain of those many who did, and who spent important eras of their life in his company.
I've lost way too many of my own friends, with whom I had naively expected to be one day in the distant future recounting old stories on our porches, long after our bodies had worn out.
This passage, melancholy as it may be, has put things into perspective for me, and it seems appropriate to share with everyone here. Condolences to all.
Nothing, in truth, can ever replace a lost companion. Old comrades cannot be manufactured. There is nothing that can equal the treasure of so many shared memories, so many bad times endured together, so many quarrels, reconciliations, heartfelt impulses. Friendships like that cannot be reconstructed. If you plant an oak, you will hope in vain to sit soon under its shade.
For such is life. We grow rich as we plant through the early years, but then come the years when time undoes our work and cuts down our trees. One by one our comrades deprive us of their shade, and within our mourning we always feel now the secret grief of growing old.
If I search among my memories for those whose taste is lasting, if I write the balance sheet of the moments that truly counted, I surely find those that no fortune could have bought me. You cannot buy the friendship of a companion bound to you forever by ordeals endured together.
-Antoine de St. Exupery, Wind Sand and Stars |
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ron gomez
Trad climber
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 19, 2018 - 07:41am PT
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Got it!
Peace
😍
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adikted
Boulder climber
Tahooooeeeee
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Feb 19, 2018 - 09:40am PT
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Although I never got to meet Bridwell, I have had a locking carabiner and a figure 8 that was part of his rack. Given to me by the late Blake Beeman in Tahoe City, it is one of my favorite possessions... Cheers to a legend..
Greg
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Feb 19, 2018 - 10:20am PT
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When I was 20 I was most fortunate to meet “The Bird” in camp 4. As a young climber just learning the ropes so to speak, Jim showed me the blueprint of how this climbing game worked. Party hard, get up early and go climb something that is challenge to your skills, do your best and don’t tell fibs, party hard and vow to do better tomorrow. Repeat this process every day and you will find the meaning of life and happiness.
A fine way to live.
Thank you for the encouragement you gave me.
I offer my sincere condolences to Layton and Peggy.
RIP
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Don Lauria
Trad climber
Bishop, CA
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Feb 19, 2018 - 11:47am PT
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I met Jim when he first wandered into Camp 4, he was barely 20, I was in my early 30s. Needless to say, he was never a mentor to me - I was too old to be taught anything. We never did climb together. I spent almost all of the 70s climbing with TM in Tuolumne and Jim was busy climbing in the Valley in those days. I think we considered ourselves friends over all these years, but never "really close" friends.
Reading through all these tributes to Jim makes me realize how much I didn't know about him. Last time we met was at an Oakdale gathering a few years back. Of course, now I wish we had spent more time reminiscing. There was so much of his past that I was unaware of. Truly a great personality in the climbing world.
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WBraun
climber
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Feb 19, 2018 - 12:04pm PT
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So one day Jim goes lets go up and scope out the route that became Bushido.
We drop the obligatory acid to to make sure we see all the "hidden features" one normally never sees :-)
The Jim starts verbally saying; "up this crack then maybe belay here and blah blah blah". LOL
Then he looks at me and asks what yah think?
I said; "what you said Jim don't make any sense".
Turns out I was looking at the what became eventually the "Zenith" climb thinking it was "Bushido".
Suddenly !!!! he sees what I'm looking at and it's a "Eureka" happening and he says OOoooohhh and that's mine too, lol.
And then says; "But you can come too" .... LMAO, way too funny.
There are thousands of "Bird" stories just like the man who said there's thousands of stories in LA in the "Dragnet" TV series ......
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ron gomez
Trad climber
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 19, 2018 - 12:48pm PT
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Been waiting Werner.... please keep em coming! I'll never forget bringingJim to the Valley that rainy spring for one of the Nose Reunions. We got there, I asked...so what's the first thing ya wanna do? No hesitation, "I wanna go see my old friend Werner." Went straight to the yard behind the Indian Village, he knew exactly where you'd be. That was a memorable trip.
Remember it?
We got booted from the Rescue Site trying to visit it, we were too old and with respect to them, we crossed over limit lines saying keep out. We got a good laugh at that!
Peace
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johnr9q
Sport climber
Sacramento, Ca
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Feb 19, 2018 - 01:13pm PT
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My buddy was getting ready to lead Band Saw in Joshua Tree and hadn't brought any draws so racked up with mine. Just as he was starting to climb, Jim asked him if he liked the draws he was using, he said "of course". Jim then told him "you better cause the're mine"
On another occasion we had climbed Central Pillar of Frenzy in Yosemite and as we came down, we set up a top rope on the excellent stemming climb, Bircheff-Williams. Jim came along and asked if he could toprope it and we, of course, told him we'd be honored. After he walked up the climb I mentioned that we had just done the great climb, Central Pillar of Frenzy. He told us "Yes, that climb was put up by some bad ass climbers".
What a legend he was
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