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slabbo
Trad climber
fort garland, colo
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Jun 13, 2010 - 10:09pm PT
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i heard a similar salamander story from BASE that took place in josh.
I met james in the valley one time and he was off to meet the "old bro's" Steve sutton etal for some drinkin'
next day- where's jimm? IN THE VAN with the bike and the aftereffects of ALL the tequila.
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Toker Villain
Big Wall climber
Toquerville, Utah
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Jun 13, 2010 - 10:29pm PT
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Rumor was; Jimmy was the wheelman when Bouchard, while riding shotgun in his Porsche, nailed a string of roadsigns with a Browning BDA .380 that he had traded a couple of packs for.
Nice little 14 shot pistol (actually made for Browning by Beretta and uses the same clip as their .380).
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Mighty Hiker
climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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Jun 13, 2010 - 11:04pm PT
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Amazing stories. Although shooting highway signs seems a bit redneck/moron for any climber.
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Toker Villain
Big Wall climber
Toquerville, Utah
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Jun 13, 2010 - 11:49pm PT
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When Jimmy is at the wheel of a Porsche then even being able to hit a sign flying by is a feat of marksmanship far beyond that which a mere mortal redneck is capable of.
One actually travels back in time.
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Kalimon
Trad climber
Ridgway, CO
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Jun 14, 2010 - 01:00am PT
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Hiking boot on left, rock shoe on right . . . barefoot . . . Jimmy is the sh*t. When your fave Black route is Stoned Oven you Yos boyz betta step aside and see what it is all about.
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Kalimon
Trad climber
Ridgway, CO
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Jun 14, 2010 - 01:11am PT
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The Valley Krew (Stonedmasterz era) was never too kind to anyone.
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steveA
Trad climber
bedford,massachusetts
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Topic Author's Reply - Jun 14, 2010 - 05:42am PT
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bump
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Edge
Trad climber
New Durham, NH
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Jun 14, 2010 - 10:20am PT
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Jim was already an iconic figure when I started climbing at Cathedral/Whitehorse in the late 70's. And yet he would gladly offer belays, advice, or just pleasant conversation. I particularly remember one rainy day where we were all congregated under the Cathedral roof, working on Molsons and Grandmothers Challenge. I never got either, but with Jim's coaching and encouragement I made several personal advances that day that I took forward to all my future climbs.
A few weeks later I was hanging out across from the kiosk when Jim came running up to me and asked me to hold down his Samoyed (Camber?) while he plucked a handful of porcupine quills out of her nose. It took my full body weight to hold the poor dog down.
As a Junior in High School I went to Dunn slideshow at EMS and watched in awe the slides of Yosemite, the Black Canyon, etc. Again, I was blown away by the shots and encouraged to push myself that much harder. I approached him after the show and asked about one of the songs he had played as a soundtrack. It was "Welcome to the Machine," my first exposure to Pink Floyd. Of course that inspired a whole different arc to my life...
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ydpl8s
Trad climber
Santa Monica, California
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Jun 14, 2010 - 11:01am PT
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He was one of those guys that could come to a new crag, and in a very short time, put up FA's that would become testpieces in the area for years to come. Colorado and Utah are full of them.
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hobo_dan
Social climber
Minnesota
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Jun 14, 2010 - 11:31am PT
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I'm loving these stories- total old west. The cool stranger walked into town, sizing it up in a quick glance and then he did what he came to do- the only thing he left behind was a string of broken hearts...
From Jimmy Dunn to Todd Skinner.
Where have all papa's heroes gone?
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ARoberts
Trad climber
boulder, colorado
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Jun 14, 2010 - 11:51am PT
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In the late 90's I caught a glimpse of a super thin tower off Onion Creek rd. After a long wondering hike I finally got underneath it only to see fresh anchors on top. Back in Moab I found Eric Bjornstad at his usual spot on the Pasta Jays patio drinking their cheap red wine. When I described the random hard to find tower, he informed me that it was Dunn just the week before.
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Alan Rubin
climber
Amherst,MA.
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Jun 14, 2010 - 01:34pm PT
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Before launching into a couple of Dunn anecdotes, I want to say that Jim is one of the most unique, genuine, and generous individuals I've ever had the pleasure of meeting and climbing with. Two examples of his compulsiveness come quickly to mind. Jim has told me on a number of occasions (though these were over a decade ago now) that he had NEVER waited on line in traffic, that if he saw a back-up he'd turn around and go a different route, even if that meant many hours of additional driving. Even with a bit of hyperbole it didn't surprise me at all given Jim's total lack of patience for most things other than his various climbing and non-climbing projects. A further example occurred sometime in the mid-70s when a travelling fair came to North Conway (probably July 4 weekend). One of the "attractions" was a very low-angle, 3 or 4 rung ladder attached to a rotating "ball" at either end.The idea was to climb the ladder to ring a bell at the top---simple!!! The problem was that as one moved higher the ladder would spin dumping the climber unceremoniously in the dirt. Success was apparantly a matter of balance and correct body-weight distribution, and we did see one person succeed(he was rumored to operate a similar ride in a rival fair), but the entire North Conway climbing community and numerous visiting climbers were shut down completely. For most of us, this meant 1 or 2 dirt landings before giving up. Not Jim, though. He went for attempt after attempt, quickly going through a fair amount of his limited funds to no avail. He finally, and very reluctantly, admitted defeat after failing on more attempts than he'd made (20 some-odd)on his hardest route to that time--Possessed on Cathedral. Surprisingly, given the money the operator must have made off the climbing community that year, I never saw that "attraction" in subsequent Conway fairs. I've always wondered if Jim ever found a similar "ride" and tried again.
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Jack Burns
climber
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Jun 14, 2010 - 03:20pm PT
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Met JD a few times. An ex of mine is good friends with him with a mutual love of gems. Once he called her up to chat and she handed me the phone. He had never met me or even knew who I was but he talked with me for almost an hour, raving about how good the climbing is on Pike's Peak and quoting his car-to-car speed records of all the routes there. Absolutely the most psyched and motivated climber I've met.
I've also heard a story or two from others about doing routes in the Black with him. Mostly entailing how they let Jimmy lead the whole route because he brings the rack and it's usually something like three cams and a set of stoppers, all vintage of course. He told me once that his record for the Scenic Cruise is two and a half hours!
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steveA
Trad climber
bedford,massachusetts
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Topic Author's Reply - Jun 14, 2010 - 07:31pm PT
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I remember climbing with him in the Springs and to this day; I've never seen a rope in worst shape. In multiple places, the white core was sticking way out beyond the sheath. I commented on it and he didn't seem to worry. None of us had much money back then.
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okay,whatever
Trad climber
Charlottesville, VA
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Jun 15, 2010 - 01:13am PT
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I like the picture on page 101 of the second "Climb" edition, with Billy and Jim, circa 1971. Too small to scan and expand, otherwise I would post it....
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Captain...or Skully
Social climber
Seriously, Man, I didn't know she was Your sister.
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Jun 15, 2010 - 01:17am PT
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He went back up on Cosmos with Deucey, did a "Direct Finish".
Nice.
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SteveW
Trad climber
The state of confusion
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Jun 15, 2010 - 01:53am PT
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I'm kinda suprized philo hasn't chimed in on this one. . .
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England
Mountain climber
Colorado
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Jun 16, 2010 - 02:00pm PT
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I noticed some posts speaking of Jimmy as if he was dead. Please stop this(bad karma). He is alive, and well. I just got off the phone with him.
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'Pass the Pitons' Pete
Big Wall climber
like Ontario, Canada, eh?
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Jun 16, 2010 - 02:34pm PT
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Well, tell him to chime in then, eh?
I've never met Jimmy, but I certainly enjoyed climbing Cosmos a few years ago. Tom and I replaced a bunch of original anchor bolts with some new 3/8-inchers, so the route is good to go. Even so, I don't believe I've seen it climbed since we were on it, which is a shame.
There is a superb "ABC" ledge just right of the second belay, a great place to hang out the first few nights while schlepping, hauling and fixing.
We also trundled an enormous tower of rock weighing several tons from the fifth pitch. Someone had retreated from that point leaving behind a big Camalot in the crack that they were too afraid to retrieve. They drilled a 3/8" bolt in the middle of the pitch, then bailed. The McTopo said "no cams on pitch", so we were surprised to see a giant crack there. Anyway, the block is gone, and there looks to be a nailable thin crack in behind where it used to be.
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chill
climber
between the flat part and the blue wobbly thing
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Jun 16, 2010 - 02:40pm PT
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I didn't know him well, he had mostly moved on from Colorado Springs before I started climbing. The first time I met him he pulled up at the climbing shop where I worked in a bright red, full length leather motorcycle suit. He had just driven non-stop across the country on a Motoguzzi motorcycle. His hand was frozen in a curl from holding onto the throttle.
I used to run into him from time to time while bouldering around the area. He was always very friendly, very easy to talk to.
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