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tom woods
Gym climber
Bishop, CA
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I just got me a copy. I'll post up when I'm done.
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Mungeclimber
Trad climber
sorry, just posting out loud.
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vol 2?
please do
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survival
Big Wall climber
A Token of My Extreme
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One of the coolest threads ever.
All of the heavies are here.......
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tom woods
Gym climber
Bishop, CA
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Okay- I finished volume one. It was great. You pretty much have to be a climber to pick this book up, but if you do, you'll like it. What's today, Tuesday? I started this thing Sunday night I think. It's a fast read.
A childhood, a description of a different time, woven around a story of his solo climb on leaning tower. It's a story of a misfit kid, who had a rough childhood, but was able to find his calling.
I was a scout, still am in spirit, I loved his stories from the scouting years. Royal, if you are out there reading the reviews of the book, I got a good laugh at your retrospective look back at how your scoutmasters must have viewed your climbing. The Mt. San Jacinto escapade comes to mind.
They must have thought the same thing about me back in the day. I'm now a parent so I'm starting to appreciate the heart attacks that the kids bring.
The leaning Tower story brings back memories of my trip up the climb. It was a big deal for me too, not in a cutting edge sort of way like for Royal, but because we had to finish despite everything going wrong. We climbed into the night after some big wingers, behind schedule each day. I even flew off into the darkness one or two moves from the summit, but we kept going. That was a huge lesson, keep going, you'll make it if you keep going.
As a person who is struggling to find his way in the "real world" I look forward to the coming chapters on transitioning from full time climbing into running a business.
Keep it coming Royal.
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jvnn
Trad climber
Fort Collins, Co
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Mar 28, 2010 - 02:43pm PT
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I stumbled here in the process of searching for a copy of the film Sentinel: The West face which I saw in high school.
When I saw it I was duly impressed but swore nobody would ever catch me dangling from a rope off a cliff.
Since then, I learned climbing in Albuquerque and enjoyed RR's books basic and advanced rockcraft.
Anyways, cheers to you RR, good to hear you are still kicking around.
And if anyone knows how to lay hands on that film...
-Joel
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crunch
Social climber
CO
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Just finished my copy of the first volume. Excellent writing that draws the reader in. Stinkeye (upthread) calls Robbins' early life "ordinary, even boring" but I think stinkeye is missing the point. Somehow, out of these mundane, dysfunctional beginnings, Robbins blossomed into the best climber of his generation, still the single most influential climber of the last fifty years.
How did that happen?
On the surface is the clear description of the two disappointing father figures. A careful read reveals hints of the intelligence, creativity and drive that were so keenly in need of direction, and so poorly served by these role models.
As the author himself suggested up-thread, he is trying to be be honest, and here, I think, is real honesty. The young Robbins could have so easily fallen into a cycle of bad parental role models--even domestic violence, the whole, ugly cycle of children brought up to violence and in turn becoming violent adults--yet the teenage Robbins escaped this fate by latching on to very different role models in the scouts. They propelled him in a new direction, the world of rock climbing, where, in order to survive, one learns a very different approach to dealing with problems. An approach that, ahem, he seems to have mastered quite well over the years....
The best books, like the best climbs, go in unexpected directions in order to go from A to B. Somewhere along that journey one understands that the whole point never actually was to go from A to B.
I'm looking forward to reading the next installment.
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Toker Villain
Big Wall climber
Toquerville, Utah
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Jox, you are out of line to condemn somebody for the number of their pages rather than their content.
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Mighty Hiker
climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 9, 2011 - 12:30pm PT
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Yes, grumblings from RJ about the volume of the contents, or the content of the volumes, seem a trifle strained.
(Doesn't RR like word plays?)
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Elcapinyoazz
Social climber
Joshua Tree
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I started to buy a copy of Vol 1, then flipped it over and saw the price. Did the math, MSRP x 6 Vols...I don't think so. Maybe the library will get copies, because I'd love to read it...just not $150 worth of lovin.
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Toker Villain
Big Wall climber
Toquerville, Utah
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How much did you spend the last time you climbed your namesake azz?
How much more would it have cost you had not Royal pried open the door for you?
Largo and MH have each read a book or two and they say you get what you pay for.
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Elcapinyoazz
Social climber
Joshua Tree
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Feel free to buy me a copy and send it over Ron, and when I'm done I'll dontate it to San Bernardino Co library system, Joshua Tree branch. My climbing book allowance was spent on a signed Desert Towers book for Kor benefit, THAT was worth my money....this, not so much. Not really sure why my opinion and choice of where I spend MY money makes you feel the need to argue about it, but hey, whatever...
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Toker Villain
Big Wall climber
Toquerville, Utah
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Apparently I was not informed about this benefit.
No problemo, but if you have a book allowance how does that compare to your climbing allowance?
I was intrigued by what MH said about the absent father figures, in light of the Roberts book on expedition hoaxes (NTM my own experience with a father that was on tour much of my early years).
Maybe its not the gripping existential heroics that you seek in your literature Eazz, but underlying motivations can be far more enlightening.
Still, I'll keep my powder dry until I've read more.
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skadder
Big Wall climber
Rio Oso
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Apr 13, 2011 - 06:59pm PT
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Most of you are young-in's when it comes to Rock Climbing. I started when Harding, Frost, Chinourd, and the always Big Ego, Robbins was forging ahead and nailing the walls of Yosemeti. As for Robbins, he was and remains full of himself, but one hell of a climber. 1st solo of El Cap, etc. My Royal Robbins climbing boots, (Blue) took me to the top of many a rocks in my day, El Cap, Heart Route, Sentinal, Washington Column, Royal Arches, Lost Arrow, Sunny Benches. Devils Tower, Mt. Whitney, Lovers Leap, etc. My last line in the sand was bolting up the Smoke Stack of the old Sacramento City Incinerator to honor the Irainian hostages of 1981. I was looking at the new climbing shoes. My oh my how the equipment has changed. From my RR boots, and my Gold Line, pitons, rurps, cliff hanger, etc. But the one thing that never changes is that rush, those moments when nothing is in between your brain, no thoughts of anything, just you and the rope. Keep it going, "on belay" brothers.
Bill
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TomCochrane
Trad climber
Santa Cruz Mountains and Monterey Bay
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Apr 13, 2011 - 07:35pm PT
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making fun of Royal is a fool's mission
i was much younger than him, but BITD i shared a rope with him on many climbs, shared a campsite in Camp 4 and the Tetons, and shared many discussions about possibilities for the sport
my friends Mark and Warren and Layton and Chuck and Tom and Yvon and Frank and Bob and others were all great climbers
we were all playing catch-up to him
i think they would all agree that this sport would not have progressed nearly so far and so fast without Royal's vision and drive and inspiration
Edit: Royal has always been a very thoughtful individual and has become very mellow and modest in his old age. he has absolutely no need to defend his accomplishments. any of the old controversies are long since water under the bridge. i think he feels a duty to the sport to write his memoirs in detail; and i certainly agree that is true. i am also very supportive of others such as Layton and Jello who are doing similarly. their climbs were absolutely amazing for the era in which they were accomplished
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Johnny K.
climber
Southern,California
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Apr 13, 2011 - 07:39pm PT
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Bill with all due respect,the majority of SuperTopo climbers are individuals who grew up climbing in the era you talk about and beyond.Even some continue to climb just as hard to this very day....
Personally I respect every individual for that,being individual.
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Peter Haan
Trad climber
San Francisco, CA
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Apr 13, 2011 - 09:47pm PT
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If nothing else, Royal loves to write, always has. It has never come easily for him, especially when he is working on something more creative. He taught himself, basically, and valued this area of his endeavors a whole lot, would think about stuff he was working on, all day long even, while toiling away on something unrelated, or if we were driving somewhere.
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