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donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
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Jan 19, 2011 - 09:38am PT
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With John, the words "care for" seem more appropriate than "idolize."
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Peter Haan
Trad climber
San Francisco, CA
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Jan 19, 2011 - 10:18am PT
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Disaster.......uh, we don’t idolize our friends, we love them in one way or another and fill up our days alongside. In fact I bet no one is idolizing Yabo but many are fascinated by the wildass doings of the man. Among many things, Yabo was a phenomenon, and we often have “phenomenon-type” climbers in our history. Tobin was another. Waterman another. Gary Hemmings in the sixties. The stories that came out of these characters really are legendary; they are accounts from the nearly superhuman. So some “idolize” but probably as I say, their own fascination with them is personalized. And in all these cases, Tobin and John, Gary and Waterman, they’re sadly dead which is what you (Disaster) are also dealing with here I think, dear bro. That which makes the idolization of Yabo even more likely for some is they are finding symbolic his life and undoing.
If nothing else climbing should never be forgotten to have stemmed from the Romantic Tradition, going back to Byron and others. And so idols seem to stand in our landscape and contain powerful value and meaning to some.
Here, Wikipedia says it well:
The Byronic hero presents an idealised, but flawed character whose attributes include: great talent; great passion; a distaste for society and social institutions; a lack of respect for rank and privilege (although they possess both); being thwarted in love by social constraint or death; rebellion; exile; an unsavory secret past; arrogance; overconfidence or lack of foresight; and, ultimately, a self-destructive manner.
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TYeary
Social climber
State of decay
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Jan 19, 2011 - 10:32am PT
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And now Peter has nailed it.
End of thread.
TY
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dee ee
Mountain climber
citizen of planet Earth
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Jan 19, 2011 - 11:20am PT
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Dingus, Peter AND Bullwinkle nailed it.
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Jaybro
Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
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Jan 19, 2011 - 11:21am PT
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Kevin defines it
Peter refines it
Dingus reminds us
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Branscomb
Trad climber
Lander, WY
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Jan 19, 2011 - 11:45am PT
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He was a great guy, really fine climber, and had a good heart. He had a lot of demons inside, but he remained a good man. That's the finest any of us can hope for in our own lives.
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Melissa
Gym climber
berkeley, ca
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Jan 19, 2011 - 12:48pm PT
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My comments are on my take on his legend, not the person, who I didn't know.
I've known a couple of people who were really fascinated by his legend. These seemed to me to be the aspects of his that they envied:
1. He climbed like he wasn't afraid of death.
2. He went through with it and was remembered well.
Although I've had way too many friends and acquaintances kill themselves and a few more who seemed close to the edge in the last few years, I think even happy, emotionally solid people are drawn to empathize with a way of feeling and being that is pretty far outside of our own.
Fearlessness, recklessness, whatever he had that most don't, had it's upsides. While hardly anyone would want his emotional pain, he was able to do some things that our careful/fearful ways keep us from achieving or experiencing.
His legend is of the sort of climber that most of us want to be and never want to be all rolled into one, so it gives us a lot to consider.
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hooblie
climber
from where the anecdotes roam
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Jan 19, 2011 - 12:48pm PT
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wow peter, you've got more than a knack for putting your finger on things and then getting the point across.
yabo laid himself so wide open to others one could see his gyro spin.
that alone was enough to make me care for him, but in a paternalistic way
that summoned some discomfort at being called upon to promote those pesky issues
surrounding prudent constraint of wild ambition.
it's a pleasure really, to see him mythologized beyond the grave.
that his life force should spin on in creative ways seems right,
and if i may presume, would spark that sly, redeeming grin ...
and scores as success
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Fat Dad
Trad climber
Los Angeles, CA
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Jan 19, 2011 - 01:25pm PT
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I grew in up OC and spent most of my weekends at Josh in the early 80s and suumers in the Valley/Meadows during the same period, so it was pretty much impossible not to see Yabo often. However, I and the guys I climbed with--Eric Held, Bob Cox, Andre Olibri, Bob Critchfield--were several years younger than that core crew of Sheepbuggers, et al., and so, for me at least, I never really got to know him.
From that perspective some of Yabo's behavior seemed a little off, especially since I didn't have that friend-type interaction with the guy to counter balance it. He wasn't a bad dude, he just seemed to occupy a different level than most.
I think the most unfortunate thing about him (apart from how he died) is that the overblown and often untrue legends that sprung up about him have defined him more than his friends warm recollections of him.
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klk
Trad climber
cali
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Jan 19, 2011 - 01:31pm PT
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I think the people who really knew John don't idolize him, seems the ones that do idolize him didn't know him.
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Mark Not-circlehead
climber
Martinez, CA
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Jan 19, 2011 - 02:36pm PT
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I knew Yabo....
Also, I would like to point out (as some poeple are suggesting he died while soloing...) that he committed suicide, and did noit die while climbing.
Truly a sad event for someone who was as full of life as anyone i've ever met.
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rich sims
Social climber
co
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Jan 19, 2011 - 04:01pm PT
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With John, the words "care for" seem more appropriate than "idolize."
Too true
I like him from the start even if he lost (or gave to someone else) my head lamp I loaned him for TD.
I only wish I had met him the time I set up my tent below a problem on Colombia Boulder. After I move my tent I may have ended up climbing a few years sooner.
I found many really great climbers open and generous with us noobs of the 70s. Can't say I ever loaned John money after the head lamp but I know we shared a lot of meals. I liked to cook John liked to eat (he was not alone Ha Ha)
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Heloise Pendergrast
Social climber
Tahoe City
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Jan 19, 2011 - 04:03pm PT
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because he's the only dude who actually ASKED to see my bare breasts. politely i might add. you got to hand it to the guy.
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mastadon
Trad climber
quaking has-been
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Jan 19, 2011 - 04:10pm PT
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Heloise Darling,
So did you??
Call me!!
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Disaster Master
Social climber
Born in So-Cal, left my soul in far Nor-Cal.
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 19, 2011 - 06:52pm PT
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Excellent! Smart posts about a very interesting person. People agreeing instead of flat out arguing....
Is this Supertopo?
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Rick A
climber
Boulder, Colorado
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Jan 19, 2011 - 08:17pm PT
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I knew John Yablonski and climbed with him some. I didn’t idolize him, but respected him. Camp 4 was a meritocracy and no matter how offbeat the personality, a person was respected if he or she could climb well. And of course, John could climb as well as almost anyone back then.
He could also be crazy and obsessive, as chronicled elsewhere. But I had times with him when he was a different person than the one usually talked about. He could be as earnest, kindhearted and eager to please as a child. I prefer to remember that side of John.
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Peter Haan
Trad climber
San Francisco, CA
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Jan 19, 2011 - 08:29pm PT
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Disaster, you might enjoy having Yabo's short climb, Soul Sacrifice, pointed out to you.
It is on Lower Cathedral Rock. Three distinct cruxes in a single 100ft lead, 5.11c. Quite a cool route and highly respected though not often climbed. Down at the toe of the North buttress route. It is in Donny Reid's guide for example.
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Disaster Master
Social climber
Born in So-Cal, left my soul in far Nor-Cal.
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 20, 2011 - 10:10am PT
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WOW.
Some of the responses to my question are well written, indeed.
I was thinking of John because I was just in J_Tree. And I always hear stories of him there. Oddly enough, options / end of life issues were also on my mind. So the two converged in my head.
I love a real conversation on this place, instead of a fight. It seems that thereare two responses here:
-the real John.
and
-the ledgend john.
I am glad we got a chance to hear more about the real John, instead of the "I can't believe it" fireside stories.
Extremely moving thoughts here.
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Ihateplastic
Trad climber
It ain't El Cap, Oregon
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Jan 20, 2011 - 01:15pm PT
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John was a ball of nervous energy. Strangely, he could be a voice of reason among a camp full of bloated egos.
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