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mdavid
Big Wall climber
CA, CO, TX
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Mar 21, 2009 - 03:09am PT
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Very sad, full life though, hope i will be as active at his age
How about his cats? If we can collectively ensure they don't end up at the pound i bet he'd appreciate that.
Are his family or close friends taking them in?
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ninjakait
Trad climber
a place where friction routes have velcro
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Mar 21, 2009 - 03:16am PT
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"How about his cats? If we can collectively ensure they don't end up at the pound i bet he'd appreciate that."
We're taking care of the cats...
It's called the Peruvian exercise program in which the high mountain air will cause them to lose about ten pounds each....
But in seriousness, not to worry, they're going to loving homes.
-Tia
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Ropeburn
Trad climber
Riverside, CA
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Mar 21, 2009 - 03:39am PT
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Tia,
I'm sure they are in good hands, but if there is any need, Sue and I will take them with no problems. Remember, we're just a few miles down the road and Matty, (the Haralson cat) would be able to tolerate them and take them in with open paws.
Wendell,
Regarding the table at the CK: Last year, when I brought my grandson Riley to climb with us we sat at that table - not that there was other choices available. Riley scoped out the photos of the Woodman doing DD and asked "Pepa,...is Woody famous?" I think my answer was "kinda".
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bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, Ca.
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Mar 21, 2009 - 04:49am PT
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you guys are awesome...
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Bigjim
Trad climber
La Verne, Ca
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Mar 21, 2009 - 01:38pm PT
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I climbed with Woody at the beginning in the 1960s. He was not only a great climber. He was a great friend who would do anything to help a friend in need. I had a stroke in 1994 and after I returned home from rehab, Woody drove 40 miles to visit me at least once a week for over a year just to chat and have lunch together.
He will be missed by all who knew him, not just the climbers.
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TGT
Social climber
So Cal
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Mar 21, 2009 - 01:54pm PT
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Big Jim Foote is the one on the Left then Woody and Dick Webster
He sent me this photo yesterday.
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climberShane
Trad climber
Simi Valley, CA
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Mar 21, 2009 - 02:17pm PT
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My deepest sympathies to Woody's friends and family. While I never met him face to face, I exchanged a few posts with him (who didn't??).
Escaping corporate hell and heading to JTree on weekends, there's something very reassuring about the "regular" things out there: Nomads, the crowds at Corral on cold days, and the thought that old-schoolers like Woody are in the park somewhere, still cranking hard.
One comment on the media: I work in Marketing and PR, and I've come to accept one irrefutable fact about the press -- they ALWAYS screw up the story. To hell with 'em.
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Clint Cummins
Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
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Mar 21, 2009 - 05:04pm PT
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Bigjim / TGT - great photo! So nice to see the team in their heyday. It reminds me of my dad in the early 60s!
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Redwreck
Social climber
Los Angeles, CA
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Mar 21, 2009 - 05:26pm PT
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It's hard, maybe impossible, to get the full measure of another human being. But reading the tributes here by those who knew Woody gives me a pretty good idea of what he was all about. I'm grateful to get to "know" him a little better while at the same time being terribly sad about the circumstances.
For sure, though, he made his mark through a life well lived, and will live on in the hearts and souls of those that knew him, and in the routes he pioneered. One really can't ask for much more than that.
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MH2
climber
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Mar 21, 2009 - 06:40pm PT
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Thanks to everyone for providing an idea of the man. He sounds like a straight-ahead guy. The "trying to lieback everything" says a lot, and his nerves and general demeanor seem to have been a bit like Pete Cleveland's.
A few lines from a wonderful sketch of a unique person:
He was out climbing whenever he could, and not just repeating the same old fluff. In recent times, he pioneered new routes at Josh, pushed his own limits and standards, and pulled off some pretty impressive leads.
we formed a cohesive group that worked well, particularly in mountaineering where it's essential.
Hell, it can't last forever.
Watching him lead out past a fuking little 2k knifeblade on what we figured must have been at least 10c, then taking a fall on it, somehow it stayed put, and right the fuk back up he went and he bagged it...
I could only top him on opera
I would have to say that his greatest accomplishment was raising two kids that did not end up in prison.
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aldude
climber
Monument Manor
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Mar 21, 2009 - 07:18pm PT
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As per the thread name - WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?????
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aldude
climber
Monument Manor
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Mar 21, 2009 - 07:35pm PT
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Do tell.... it's time.
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TGT
Social climber
So Cal
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Mar 21, 2009 - 07:43pm PT
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Sorry guys, but I've been a little preoccupied with helping everyone pick up the pieces, do my part to keep a small buisiness afloat in desperate times, and dealing with it myself. The ripples of this have gone farther across the pond of life than our own little circle. They are just now reflecting back.
This was not a complicated accident on a purely physical level. Ones like it happen all the time in every type of endeavor.
Expressing it so everyone learns something and doesn't blow it off as, " couldn't happen to me" isn't easy.
The offical version I've heard will be out in a couple of weeks.
I should finish up tomorrow and next week after Tia, Woody Jr. and Al have had a chance to see it, I'll post.
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Domingo
Trad climber
El Portal, CA
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Mar 21, 2009 - 09:14pm PT
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TGT: It seems like if there was immediate and pressing danger to the climbing community (bolt failure rendering the climb in question unclimbable, a huge rock failure in J-Tree, etc.), you would have let us know.
Take time to pick up the pieces and work through your grief a little.
Probably doesn't matter that much if we hear it today or if we hear it next week.
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Domingo
Trad climber
El Portal, CA
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Mar 21, 2009 - 09:20pm PT
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Oh yeah, to clarify, I guess I would hope that if the climb in question no longer had any bolts at all, someone would have communicated this.
I don't think it's a particularly well-done climb, but getting caught on it if the bolts have been ripped might not be the best...
I'm taking Locker's quotation to mean this ISN'T the case so the hounds barking for details can back off a bit.
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TGT
Social climber
So Cal
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Mar 21, 2009 - 09:24pm PT
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This was a common collective human failing, not a hardware issue.
There's still an important lesson for all of us. Effectively expressing it so there's a benificial result is not as simple as just describing how something broke.
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Domingo
Trad climber
El Portal, CA
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Mar 21, 2009 - 09:26pm PT
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Sounds like it. Trying to send love to J-Tree.
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atchafalaya
climber
Babylon
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Mar 21, 2009 - 10:00pm PT
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I'm fine never seeing the report. Mistakes happen. Be careful. I never met Woody, but really sorry to hear he's gone. Cosmic, Locker... doods, sorry man. RIP Woody.
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S.Powers
Social climber
Jtree, now in Alaska
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Mar 21, 2009 - 10:18pm PT
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I echo the above statement.
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TYeary
climber
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Mar 21, 2009 - 11:43pm PT
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There were only two people at the belay and only one who can talk about what went wrong. When he's ready, I'm sure Al will field all questions with honesty, humility, and tact. Al has injuries, physical and emotional. He needs our support in rendering a forthwright and accurate recounting of the events. I'm quite sure, he will spend the rest of his life processing this life changing experience, something that ,thankfully, most of us will never have to do. Those of us who have been through this, know exactly what I'm talking about. When the details are made public, there should be no recriminations, no second guessing, and no backlash against anyone. The lesson will be that we never climb alone. We are always a part of a team. Even when we solo, our "team" awaits at home. We never take anything for granted. We second and triple check, we never settle for second best. Nothing can ever be "routine".
Respectfully,
Tony
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