Where Whillans Went

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Fritz

Trad climber

Hagerman, ID

Aug 25, 2009 - 11:27pm PT

Steve and Peter: Nice surreal mountains:----Such a thought----------- Whillams for evermore in "Tweezakoram in Funhawsastan"-----and the stream in the foreground flows Guinness Stout.

I had never thought past my impending retirement in the: "Old Climbers Home" in Emporia KS-----safely out of sight from dangerous mountains.

The good-looking nurses are trained to say: "Oh!! You climbed that!" at the nightly slideshows.

I got my Whillams stories secondhand from John Cleare and maybe even some from Donini.

The biography book "The Villain" was well worth the read.

SteveW

Trad climber

The state of confusion

Aug 25, 2009 - 11:32pm PT

BUMP!!!!1

Reilly

Mountain climber

Monrovia, CA

Aug 26, 2009 - 12:07am PT

I fear I won't read that book as I don't want my bubble burst of one of my heroes. I met Joe climbing at the Red Wall in Anglesey. That was the high point of my climbing career.

mark miller

Social climber

Reno

Aug 26, 2009 - 12:48am PT

P.H., Mikey I recommended and gave me that book and I'm only deep enough to have Whillians pulling plumbing carts through the streets. I grew up on Haston. etc. stories and Whillians was a gawd.....The book is a little desperate ( for lack of a better word...) I'll try to make it through it. I always wore a Whillians harness until I jugged and pulled 2 pigs up the Salathe to the block.....Now I wear something a little more "cadillac".

guido

Trad climber

Santa Cruz/New Zealand/South Pacific

Aug 26, 2009 - 03:21am PT

Fritz

Trad climber

Hagerman, ID

Aug 26, 2009 - 11:58pm PT

Guido: Re "Old Climbers Home" nurse photo you submitted------I thought your: now deleted by management, submission was "pure art."

The brochure and contract from the "The Old Climbers Home" show dozens of skilled attendants as good looking, but slightly more dressed up.

I should note that qualifications for admission are any of the following:
1. Demonstrated senility.
2. A recent history of prolific posting on climbing blog sites.
3. Proof of ownership of at least 1000 climbing slides, dating to 1980 or earlier.
4. A lot of money, and a reference from a fellow climber already in residence,(or Donini) as to your potential to give climbing slide shows.

I appreciate that 1 & 2 do tend to be the same qualification criteria.

See you soon in Emporia----if I recognize you.

You get to make "new climber friends, every day, in The Old Climbers Home."

guido

Trad climber

Santa Cruz/New Zealand/South Pacific

Aug 27, 2009 - 12:23am PT

"You climbed that"!

Sorry Clint but I have to post this again, even though Photobucket will pull it off and you will probably be upset.

The key question here, is what would Whillans say? Now, if you have never set and drank with the man, you can't have an idea laddie, what the hell his wee witty mind would conjure up but I can guarantee it would be profound.

A toast to the Don.

Hey Fritz, let's see if I can get this to work correctly:

Now, I guess the moraltiy police on the Photobucket team did not appreciate the photo of Pratt's Nurse so they dropped it into oblivion, or more likely forwarded it to their friends. However, what I find funny is right next to the Deleted image in my Album is this rather risque and sensual advertisement. Money talks mate.

I don't think Whillans would have any complaints having this Sheila serve up a couple pints!

Fritz

Trad climber

Hagerman, ID

Aug 27, 2009 - 12:49am PT

Guido: Here's one of the brochure nurses. I think she checks blood pressure 8 times a day.

couchmaster

climber

pdx

Aug 27, 2009 - 01:02am PT

Guido, post it on another climbing web site. They'll host it and you can post your pics here. Screw photobucket.

try www.cascadeclimbers.com
You can put anything there and they seem fine with it.

Love to see your post.

Retro edit for Studly: sorry buddy, I'm sworn to secrecy.....

DrDeeg

Mountain climber

Mammoth Lakes, CA

Aug 27, 2009 - 02:47pm PT

Whillans and a couple of other Brits, including Mike Kosterlitz, spent some time in the Valley in the summer of 1966. I had met them both in Chamonix the previous year and ended up doing some climbs here with them, and therefore remembering some good stories. Here are a couple:

Whillans had a keen wit about our free-climbing ethics. With Robbins, we did Coonyard to the Oasis one late afternoon. On the first pitch above Monday Morning Slab, Whillans just waltzed across the hard moves at the bottom, using both the inside and outside edges of his feet. When he got to the top bolt, he said, “Ah, here’s a good hold,” put his finger through it, and pulled up. Royal took it in good humor.

After climbing the Crack of Despair, Whillans was sitting shirtless at one of the Camp 4 tables, flanked by two babes, an arm around each. He was powerfully built, of course, with a bit of a paunch, and very little chest hair. Someone said, “Whillans, now that you have climbed Despair, you should do the Crack of Doom. It will put some hair on your chest.” To which Whillans replied, “Aye, it takes one ‘ell of a mon to keep the ‘air worn off his chest.”

Interestingly, when Whillans climbed the Crack of Doom soon after, he said he thought that Despair was harder.

At the end of their season, Whillans, Kosterlitz, and two others did the regular route on Half Dome. I believe this was the first British ascent of a Yosemite Grade VI.

Ghost

climber

A long way from where I started

Aug 27, 2009 - 03:12pm PT

Something's wrong here, DrDeeg. I thought every Whillans story was supposed to end with "So I 'it 'im."

DrDeeg

Mountain climber

Mammoth Lakes, CA

Aug 27, 2009 - 03:19pm PT

Maybe by 1966 he had mellowed. He didn't get into any fights here. In the old days, he and Joe Brown would sometimes fight with each other while waiting for the train.

TYeary

climber

Aug 27, 2009 - 04:54pm PT

Reilly, you can borrow my copy.
Great man, great climber. The book was, IMO, ok, but as a friend pointed out, Perrin's editor let him down. Way too hard a read. Too many footnotes braking the rythum of the book. Hard for someone who was not familiar Whillans to read through. Still, it's on my shelf.
Tony

Mighty Hiker

Social climber

Vancouver, B.C.

Aug 27, 2009 - 05:14pm PT

The Villain is a fine book, but never really explains why Whillans came to behave as he did in later life. Almost a caricature of himself. Perrin looked in detail at Whillans' supposed propensity for fighting, and concluded that it was much exaggerated in popular myth. A reputation for being outspoken and fearless got him a long way.

Studly

Trad climber

Aug 27, 2009 - 06:23pm PT

Ever walked the streets of Liverpool on a Friday night? Try it with a shirt on that says Manchester United and I guarantee you'll go a round with one of Joe Brown's cousins.
Whillans and Brown were just working class stiffs, rock climbing, pub crawling, brawling Blue collar brits, and also some of Englands finest. They should have been knighted.

scabang

climber

Aug 27, 2009 - 06:53pm PT

Interestingly the Villain was only released after Audrey (Don's wife) passed away. Perrin did that out of respect for her. Say what you like about "Jimmy 5-Bellies", he was the Lad.

guido

Trad climber

Santa Cruz/New Zealand/South Pacific

Aug 27, 2009 - 11:06pm PT

Just remembered, that the Beatles song at Frosts slide show accompanying the first slide was, "Here Comes the Sun".

Now here is an interesting scenario:

Robbins, Whillans and Dozier, are sitting around Camp 4 knocking down some suds after their ascent of Coonyard.

Bridwell walks up to the table and flippantly says, "gotta be careful Don, too much Apron climbing and your going to grow tits".

And the reaction from Whillans?