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Simmeron
Trad climber
Tahoe
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Sep 15, 2009 - 12:14pm PT
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Well said. Makes me think of a little poem I saw where a butterfly flies out of a box and a butterfly still inside the box asks why he would do such a thing because they have all they need in the box. He replies something like, "You may be safe in the box, but out here I am free."
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guido
Trad climber
Santa Cruz/New Zealand/South Pacific
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Sep 16, 2009 - 09:15pm PT
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My my, sometimes the campfire does heat up.
Another Grossman move at stirring the pot or kicking the hornets’ nest out of the tree.
(Wouldn’t poor Ismelda Marcos be so jealous…?)
Royal, if you are out there lurking, come a little closer to the fire, grab a cup of Teton Tea and join in. I’m sure you would have an interesting perspective on this. (Rarely does anyone really bite or throw punches here in these more controversial postings). Think about it: the nerve of working as a ski instructor in the winter.
No slack given here, as you can see in all the eloquent and interesting contributions from some of our more respected members. Ray-J, DR, BBA, Haanster, Largo, Mighty Hiker, Donini and Ed. My own response would be a cut and paste job on parts of each of these, with an emphasis on the tongue-in-cheek mood that often prevails in The Gospel According to YC.
Man, how YC can rant sometimes. I guess short people just need to rage a little more than the rest of us. Sorry DR, perhaps I have watched the “Time Bandits” too many times. :-)
Myself, I look back to the simplicity of the early days in Camp 4 when YC would arrive in his old Woodie with a stash of recently forged pins, sell them off quickly and go climbing.
Alas, “You Can’t Go Home Again.”
Well, just remember—when everybody gets just a little too serious and philosophical about all this—that “You Can Pet Your Pussy But You Can’t Pat Your Gonia”.
I said that (in all seriousness).
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BBA
Social climber
West Linn OR
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Sep 16, 2009 - 09:23pm PT
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to Simmeron with all due respect, Harding was doing what Anderson did in 1875, merely showing perserverence by over engineering his way up El Cap in 1958. Any other reading of this indicates that we may be from other planets. Add in a big dash of ego and there you are. One may look at Yosemite climbing and perhaps see three or four true pioneers, Anderson, Salathe, Sacherer and Bachar, if I read things right. The rest of us were merely redundant - but we enojoyed the rock, had a good time and maybe were the midgets on whose shoulders the others stood.
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Simmeron
Trad climber
Tahoe
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Sep 22, 2009 - 04:31pm PT
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Thanks for that little tidbit on Valley history, BBA. My limited scope of Valley history unfortunately did not go back that far. And like you say, I think enjoying the rock is key. Perhaps YV could add to his article that if us Americans want to re-make a name for ourselves, perhaps we should stop trying to pigeon hole each other and just have fun.
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Jul 1, 2010 - 06:47pm PT
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The original Coonyard Mouths Off and Lito Tejada-Flores' companion essay from Ascent 1972.
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Jul 9, 2010 - 09:12pm PT
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YC & Lito Bump!
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Captain...or Skully
Big Wall climber
Transporter Room 2
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Folks can say what they want, but I like Chouinard.
That guy kicks azz.
Thanks Steve.
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Rick A
climber
Boulder, Colorado
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Jul 10, 2010 - 11:47am PT
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Peter,
I have met YC several times, but can't say we are acquainted, so like most of us, I know him mainly from his climbing adventures (Fitzroy, his climbs in the Bugaboos and Canadian Rockies, and the NA wall stand out), his writings, and his phenomenal business success.
I think you're too hard on YC and I agree with Largo and DR's view. YC has lived an amazing life and his philanthropy alone should be enough for us to tolerate his foibles. Climbing itself is an absurd passion, and we all deal with the cognitive dissonance of enhancing the quality of our lives by risking them. It is easy to poke fun at his companies' inconsistencies over the years. For example Patagonia using "living simply" as its slogan, but at the same time asking us to buy $125 faux Hawaiian shirts.
But I do have some personal knowledge about some of the good his philanthropy has done. I was on the original board of directors of the Access Fund when it started 20 years ago. The Access Fund is an activist organization, and its mission is to keep climbing areas open. As an advocacy group, it has taken positions that are controversial and generated criticism. For example, in its early years, many considered it to be too tolerant of fixed anchors , i.e., bolts, YC among them. But after 20 years, the organization has a long list of climbing areas, from tiny, local bouldering spots, to world famous climbing areas, where it has prevented closures and government restrictions, and permitted climbers to continue to have adventures on real rock.
What allowed the Access Fund to get started in 1991 was an annual contribution of $10,000 from YC. That was real money back then and it made all the difference to the fledgling organization. As Largo points out, if you are an activist like YC, you draw flack. Chouinard may not be entirely consistent, but he has done great work for climbers and wild places, and his role in getting the Access Fund started is just one small example.
Rick
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Jul 10, 2010 - 11:47am PT
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I have always been interested in his perspective.
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Apr 9, 2013 - 10:17pm PT
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Yvon and Tom together in spirit before parting company in business. From the 1975 Chouinard Equipment catalog.
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jabbas
Trad climber
phx AZ
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Apr 11, 2013 - 09:18pm PT
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Clean bump !!
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 23, 2016 - 12:14pm PT
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That last essay did it for me and I left the chalk bag behind until I bought my second block of chalk from Dave Haavik in Seattle more than a decade later. I told him that when I made the purchase and he couldn't believe it. "I can go through a block on one route!"
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jgill
Boulder climber
The high prairie of southern Colorado
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Jan 24, 2016 - 09:16pm PT
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I have to smile. When I introduced Chouinard to chalk back in the 1950s he politely refused to indulge. A few years ago I think I saw a photo of Yvon on some recent climb in Canada wearing what strongly resembled a chalk bag.
;>)
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Michael Hjorth
Trad climber
Copenhagen, Denmark
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Jan 25, 2016 - 03:04pm PT
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Nice comment. A reason more for not leaving ST fireside for too long...!
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labrat
Trad climber
Erik O. Auburn, CA
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Sep 14, 2016 - 04:29pm PT
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Bump for Coonyard.....
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Jun 25, 2017 - 10:16am PT
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I harassed folks about using chalk for decades so I naturally get a raftload whenever they see me wearing a little bag of courage these days. Steve Quinlan saw my bag at Indian Creek and scolded me. "I have never used chalk climbing here" he said so I followed suit again then and there...only.
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mouse from merced
Trad climber
The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.
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Jun 25, 2017 - 05:47pm PT
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I'm glad the little fellow didn't fart because there is enough gas around here as 'tis.
Thanks for posting these older climbers' articles, Steve.
Good way to keep our perspectives.
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 18, 2018 - 01:47pm PT
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Yvon has certainly held to his perspective along the way.
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aspendougy
Trad climber
Los Angeles, CA
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Nov 18, 2018 - 08:43pm PT
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His posted net worth as of 2018 is $1.5 billion. Correct me if I'm wrong, but don't think anyone else has come remotely close to becoming a billionaire via climbing. I find that a remarkable accomplishment in itself, especially since he probably didn't start out with that in mind.
He appears to remain a very down-to-earth plain spoken man who is passionate about the environment. I find the simplicity and purity of his trout fishing ethics inspiring, considering his wealth.
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