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Scott Cole
Trad climber
Jackson, WY^
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Mar 20, 2006 - 01:05pm PT
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Walt was a sick puppy. One of the most brilliant climbers I've ever met. In 1987 Walt, Paul Gagner and I climbed the compressor rt. on Cerro Torre. Walt was an awsome partner who always got the job done. Walt stories are like Yabo stories, there are hundreds.
Listening to Walt describe some desperate lead, or solo, always left me with sweating palms and searching for the chalk bag. His ability to re-live a situation and not just remember it put you right there with him at the moment.
Scott Cole
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Mar 20, 2006 - 01:27pm PT
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Scott:
Walt's appreciation of detail was a particular facet of his character which I enjoyed.
Here he is on Tis Sa Ac, a year before his Solo.
Walt was like a Jekyl Hyde. On the ground, or free soloing, he was wild. On a wall, you couldn't have had a more thoughtful, attentive partner than with Walt.
That trip up the Torre you guys did, he remarked how much he liked the slim 10mm rope he brought "hey roy, that thing snaked all around and through things and avoided getting caught". He remarked how cool it was to do 5.10 edging in his plastic boots, fingers in thin cracks. Walt was very enthusiastic about the details of good living.
Winter '87/88 in Josh, Walt and I did a mess of new, sparsely bolted routes and a few crack lines. "Get the Boot", "Too Steep to Climb", "Automatic Tiger", "Weenie Roast". Of course all ground up.
At the same time that season, I was doing Rap Routes with The Fish. Walt, Billy and I were putting up 2 routes in the Hall of Horrors, I recall one on each side of Jessica's Crack. We used crude anchor materials, rawl 5 piece, with burly chain as the hangar, hence the route names "Chain Gang" and "Avant Cave" (a play on avant guard and cave, as in very crude). So here I am, standing atop the belay of a route I have just lead, ground up, and Walt comes up on the follow "See Roy, see what you can do ground up, if you just put your mind to it?".
Well I said, "Walt yer Preaching to the Choir, Bra. This is ground up Territory here. Those other things are much steeper and would require senseless bolt laddering. Hey, you don't even climb stuff like that, Walt". VOILA! THAT WAS THE KICKER. As The Fish later devined, I had just told Walt that he didn't climb hard enough to have an opinion!
There were some 20 people accross the way TR'ing the Exorcist. Walt, at the top of his lungs, berated me up, down, sideways at a very LOUD clip. I stood by, sipping off an Old E, taking it all in! The folks accross the way were totally appalled. This was a Shipley Fest at its finest.
Years Later, when Walt did a ton of sport climbing at that Sonora Limestone area, he was really excited to describe to me his Sport Climbing experiences, as if to say, he remembered that total screamfest and while finding no need to apologize, he was cool with it.
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Mar 20, 2006 - 02:15pm PT
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Dirty Dave,
Thanks for the reportage on Walt's Last Trip.
Not too short of that, I was at TPR with Walt and he was describing to me his latest boating challenge. He had the Salt and Pepper shakers set up as the obstacles and used his bread knife to show how he worked his way through a very tight passage. The manic and enthusiastic way in which Walt would portray his outlandish feats!
I'll have to read the earlier threads. His Free Solo of Keeler needle is a good Walt story and I know that's been told. He desribed to me with glee, how he stepped out of his approach shoes, left them side by side in the snow, and climbed up and away from the shoes, into a storm...
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Mar 20, 2006 - 04:36pm PT
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kevin Fosburg
Sport climber
park city,ut
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 20, 2006 - 10:23pm PT
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Hey Tardaddy,
Thanks for the resurrection of this thread. I remember the "brewhaha" when you told Walt he "wasn't good enough" to have an opinion re: rap bolting/sports climbing. Pencil in the mid-week of May 15-19 for the Black. It will be a party.
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Mar 21, 2006 - 01:24am PT
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Ya, Mid May?
I'm there.
Hey Muss Man.
Pop in some Walt Snaps.
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Wonder
climber
WA
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Mar 21, 2006 - 01:35am PT
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"Walt stories are like Yabo stories" yeah bring more of these back threads out.
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Russ Walling
Social climber
Same place as you, man...... (WB)
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Mar 21, 2006 - 01:49am PT
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Here are couple from the BUBS saga....
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Jobee
Social climber
El Portal
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Mar 21, 2006 - 01:10pm PT
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Emotions run high, the photographs were like a punch in the belly..my heart...thump,thump,thump, choked and thankful all at once. Hearts to everyone, had'nt seen this thread.
Walter was larger than life sometimes for me it's like he has'nt departed (when the door blows open we say "hey Walt") A friend will start a tale of him it just goes on for hrs.because there's so much to tell and he's just damn everywhere. He visits me in dreams occassionally and as Werner put it..he lives on in legend and truth! I am honored to have known him.
Walt had incredible hands, I used to look at them and think this a man who can do things. For all of you who knew Walt you know what i'm talkin about. He towered over me yet looked me squarely in the eyes and treated me with respect even when he was schooling me, which was often! I was'nt one of the boys (never wanted to be) but I was part of the mix perhaps, and it was PROUD!
I always called him (Bonatti) I think it kind of flattered and pissed him off at the same time. I'd say "Hey Bonatti whad'ya doing over there"? He'd kind of growl at me, smirk and squint like Clint Eastwood and answer "Yeah right Jo, F..off"!
He'd rip on me about all my boyfriends calling me a man eater, school me on my wildness with drink, berate me on my guiding technique, then give me shove and LOL cuz he knew I could take it!
Once in front of Yosemite Lodge I was standing/balancing on two bench's (the old bench's which were father apart from one another) so it was a kind of spread eagle thing. We'd all been drinkingthe guys had their challaces of malt liquor and I had had a number of Kamakazi's which was my tm.(Russ) Lord help me!
Hint..( for the record neither Walt nor I were known for our predictibility when on the sauce) so i'm tippsie see, yet steady cuz the drink makes it so, when out of the black comes this wild-animal and it SLAAAMMMS into me HARRDD knocking my breath out! It's Walt who has taken me out for no apparant reason in a full tackle! I jump up like a savage with fists waving and start swinging even though im numb and reeling from the impact, Walts completely ready and we almost come to blows but we're laughing and i'm yelling that i'm hurt but it's all okay cuz it was just standard proceedure! You see i'm lucky.."i've been tackled by Walter Shipley".
Another time and I hope i'm not boring ya..
..When I was new to the Guide School I had taught a RockII class yet had missed showing the students the back up prussik on a rapple. Unlucky fo me Walt had my clients for RockIII the next day. So i'm feeling pretty dialed and cocky as a Mt. Guide cuz i'd made the cut and all and I run into Walt...He says "did you teach Rock II yesterday"? I say "yes".
Two hrs. later I go back to my housing cell #5 at the train wreck and taped on the door is our RockII curriculum, highlighted is "back up prussik on rapple" then in Walts angry hand writting
JO READ THE F>>>>ING PROTOCOL. I was shaking in my panty-hose and you can bet I never missed that again or any thing else for that matter. The guy was an amazing teacher,mentor,guide and he did'nt coddle anyone.
The last time I saw Water (Bonnati) Shipley..(my heart is pounding right now).
We were chatting about boating, our sobriety, and the fact that he was once again tipping a few! I said "i'm not touching the stuff....UNTIL I DO" in a Walter menical voice! He LOL.
He was way into boating with Bill and fired up about his new boat. He also told me I should take up boating cuz I was a wild chic and would become addicted..I secrectly wished I had the (B...lls)cuz I missed being with the boys but knew better cuz I swim like a Rock.
I was to due to work with Walt in a few days so I said "have fun out there and i'll see ya when you get back"
He looked me square in the eyes and stated in that diabolical Shipley way.."YA NEVER KNOW"! Those three words.. with me ever since he departed. I'm sorry this is so wordy, I miss him so much, guess it all just had to come out.
jo whitford
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John Vawter
Social climber
San Diego
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Mar 21, 2006 - 02:39pm PT
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Not too wordy. Very poignant words. Thank you Jo.
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kevin Fosburg
Sport climber
park city,ut
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 21, 2006 - 02:53pm PT
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Thanks for taking the time to share those memories Jo. You have a gift for paying attention to the important things in life. You are an awesome individual and a true inspiration.
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Jobee
Social climber
El Portal
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Mar 22, 2006 - 12:11am PT
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...and it is you Kevin who has the gift of speaking highly of everyone and all!
Thank you John V. I almost hit the delete button for fear of offending someone.
jow
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snakefoot
climber
cali
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Mar 29, 2006 - 03:05pm PT
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I walked by walts' van the night before he went up on the zodiac with Muggs.....he offered some lentil soup and i eagerly accepted...just sat there in peace with two giants, both of whom i had the utmost respect for....always laugh at the thought of the deli art that proliferated with his presence
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jclimb
Trad climber
Durango, Co
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Apr 25, 2006 - 09:41pm PT
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I just read the Born Under a Bad Sign TR on Russ' website and thought I'd post a topic asking for Walt Shipley stories...glad I thought to search the post history first. I should have known there would be an abundance of stories and threads.
I never knew Walt but everything I have ever read or heard about him has been pretty inspirational. What a great human - in all our folly and wonder.
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Apr 25, 2006 - 09:51pm PT
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I just recalled this in a recent thread:
One of my favorite Walt Shipley lines concerning our 80's antics and his in particular: "Ya Roy, Our Lifestyles Are Like, Killing Boredom With a Sledgehammer!"
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'Pass the Pitons' Pete
Big Wall climber
like Oakville, Ontario, Canada, eh?
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Apr 25, 2006 - 10:34pm PT
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Never - EVER - was there a finer night for Walt than during Deuce's slide show at the Cliff Room in the fall of '96 - do you remember that JM? It was a real Who's Who of climbing that night. Warren Hollinger also gave his Polar Sun Spire show - brrrrrrr.
Walt and Bill Russell gave the most impressive show of Big Wall Heckling I have ever seen or heard. They were merciless and hilarious!
Does anybody else remember that night? Bill and Walt were the Yosemite version of Tatler and Waldorf.
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phil
climber
eastside
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Apr 26, 2006 - 01:51am PT
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Jo
I was hanging out one afternoon at the grill, resting, eyeing girls...not sure. Then I spotted Walt for the first and only time. He rode by on his bike and you called him over. you talked for a bit and I went to grab some food from the grill. Walt came in behind us, and I leaned over to my climbing partner and said in a wisper "hey, you know who that is?"
This was in August of 99. He was gone very soon after that.
Jo, you just brought back this little memory and how much the stories of his wild life encouraged me to climb and explore years ago.
Thanks
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BASE104
climber
An Oil Field
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Apr 26, 2006 - 10:56am PT
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Walt in Snell's field Chamonix, 1984. First one is the start of summer. Second is end of summer. It stormed a lot. So we drank a lot. He stayed a friend forever, and if we lost touch, we would somehow bump into each other again. I still have some hilarious letters that fill both sides of the page and then wind around the edges. He couldn't fit all of the words.
I met Russ and him on top of BUBS. They were totally whipped but their eyes were on FIRE.
He redlined life more than anyone I ever met.
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Apr 26, 2006 - 11:34am PT
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one day at our place in Josh, Walt was crawling around under his van, doing some work and ranting on about all that is unjust.
the mechanicals were giving him trouble "happiness is not with machines roy!"
then, he said, he loved his old bmw motorcycle and when swooping full speed through turns, he imagined its lateral cylinders as wings...
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BASE104
climber
An Oil Field
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Apr 26, 2006 - 11:41am PT
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Hah! I heard a story second hand about Walt's motorcycle, so I don't know if it has been embellished. It went something like:
Cop: "Mr. Shipley, why are you always in such a hurry?"
(I assume this was by no means the first time he had been caught speeding)
Walt: "No hurry. I just like to go fast."
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