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Fluoride
Trad climber
Hollywood, CA
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Jun 15, 2007 - 01:56am PT
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Skip is a national treasure in my book.
I remember in '03 or so, I was on my October road trip to Moab. My car's trunk latch broke second day in so I was tying my trunk shut. I was hanging at a local friend's place and another friend came down from SLC and we decided to do something really obscure - Elvis' Hammer. But Joe needed coffee first so we headed over to Mondo to get some. As I'm standing in line I feel a tap on my shoulder and turn around and it's Skip! He's was driving back from a long summer in Squamish and was stopping by Moab on the way back to Boulder. He said he left me a message on my home machine that he'd be heading out there and we should climb. I never got it cause I was already there. Literally, the heavens just descend Skip on me just when I need him.
So I told him he should come climb with us. Skip gladly took us up on our climbing offer. Of course he was dressed in dress pants and a nice shirt (seriously, off the rock he's a snappy dresser. The man was raised well) so he went and changed and the four of us went up and did the Hammer.
But before we left Mondo, Skip managed to whip out some tools and fix my trunk lock on my car. Saved my trip! 2 weeks on the road with a broken trunk latch would have sucked. He really is tha man.
So my friend led the route. Skip went up next then my turn. I was having a nightmare trying to go from that big offwidth move to pull the roof at the top. Was just out of my ability range. He was belaying me and I kept taking falls at the roof. Then out of nowhere he reaches into his shorts pocket and pulls out a can of Budweiser and says "I'm gonna go ahead and crack this thing if you don't get up here". Two tries later I was atop sharing a beer with Skip. The man knows the power of motivation!! His shorts weren't exactly loose, I can't figure out how he climbed with that can of beer and I never noticed. The sign of a true pro! I have a killer summit shot of that day somewhere, I've gotta go through my discs and find it.
And don't even get me started on J-Tree Halloween '03, which he came out to after we did our Moab climbing. After a 15-20 year or so absence he could still find the Iron Door AND the Indian Caves - in the dark with no moon.
We were over at Big Moe, I'm belaying him. After FLOATING the thing, he lowers back down and says he wants a go of the 12 variation. He floats again. Gets to that horizontal where you normally go left but the 12 crux is straight up. He makes a move or two up, then downclimbs back. Does the same with another direction, then downclimbs. Some knucklehead at the base was like "oh what, like that guy is gonna get it?" and I just said "watch and learn buddy." Then Skip decided on the moves he liked and FIRED the crux. He's such an amazing climber to watch. So very fluid with his movement.
I learned the power of downclimbing if you don't like your moves from him. He goes for what feels right. If not he'll downclimb a move to position in to something else. Just so stylin.
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Oli
Trad climber
Fruita, Colorado
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Jun 15, 2007 - 03:28am PT
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Mission, I maybe forgot, but wasn't Silly Putty Bachar's route? I thought Mark repeated it, maybe with Skip, or something?
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Oli
Trad climber
Fruita, Colorado
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Jun 15, 2007 - 04:35am PT
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Skip and Sibley, if you are out there, remember me. My word, I can think of some good laughs with Sibley, and I think that smile of Skip's is permanently fixed to his face. Those are souls with a lot of light. It cheers my soul to think you are both thriving.
Pat
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426
Sport climber
Buzzard Point, TN
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Jun 17, 2007 - 12:46pm PT
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I never got "Over Your(my)self". In fact I can barely start...
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Jun 17, 2007 - 08:44pm PT
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Here's a shot of Skip doing the second ascent of Silly Putty from Glenn Randall's Vertigo Games 1983.
Stacking away on Peaches and Cream, also at the Twin Owls, Lumpy Ridge.
And a few of those crazy barefooting shots on the Wendego in Eldo.
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Raydog
Trad climber
Boulder Colorado
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Jun 17, 2007 - 09:47pm PT
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those are great ones Steve - really impressive - thanks
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mission
Social climber
boulder,co
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Jun 19, 2007 - 12:04am PT
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Oli- looks like you're right about Silly Putty. Does anyone know about Animal Magnetism?
I learned a great couch surfing technique from watching Skip couch surf at the House of Pain back in the late 1900's. He would pull the couch out about 14 inches from the wall and sleep behind it. Important: pull the coffee table out the same distance. Do not tip the bong over. When the locals start their waking and baking ritual they will just think that the TV has gotten larger....
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Jello
Social climber
No Ut
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Jun 19, 2007 - 01:51am PT
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Mission, I thinks Randy Leavitt climbed Animal Magnetism first. Amazing offwidth roof just north of Pat's old Split Rock stomping grounds.
-LeavitatingJello
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Fluoride
Trad climber
Hollywood, CA
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Jun 21, 2007 - 12:31am PT
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Here's Skip heading up Elvis' Hammer in Moab(see story upthread). Yes, I'm trying to figure out how to shrink these pics:
Here he is looking down on me while I climb. His beer taunt from above at the roof was a lifesaver:
Skip climbing the route on the north side of the formation (we did Black Elvis on the south side):
Skip rapping off the hammer at the end of the day (with a little bit of a fireman's from me):
The four of us ended up back at our cars at the end of the day and Skip cranked out this awesome dance mix from his van's stereo (some Cream Ibiza club mix). Beers in hand, dancing around the lonely Sand Flats Rd as the day turned into night. A day WELL spent.
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Barto
climber
Minneapolis, MN
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Jun 21, 2007 - 10:54am PT
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Tarts story: True, as I was there, but I didn't have the binoculars on to know where he fell.
Barefoot climbing: Interesting kind of evolutionary cul-de-dac, much like soloing, pushing a no-falls ethic/style as far as possible.
Love the photo in Josh! Really brings back the era.
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Bump for Skip, "Arty" (Arthur) Guerin.
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tetonhack
Social climber
jackson wy
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In about late May of 83 on a steamy hot afternoon Brooke and I were flinging ourselves at midnight lightning and along comes a barefoot guy on a beat old cruiser bike and floats his way to the bolt hold, matches, reaches for the lip and starts to pull over and slams to the ground (no pads back then) and just says it's f'n greasy and is gone. WE were just goin what the hell was that all about.
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Mike Bolte
Trad climber
Planet Earth
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Fluoride - fabulous shot of the rap off the hammer (and good stories)!
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Mimi
climber
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Awesome Caylor! Cheers to you, Skip!
Enjoyed ogling Skip barefoot bouldering in Heuco (way back). What he and Wilford did to that rental car was shameful. That poor jackrabbit...
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Watusi
Social climber
Newport, OR
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Love Skip for sure!! He inspired me in many ways...One being climbing barefoot, it actually was advantageous for this certain route I had been trying in Verdon...
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wbw
climber
'cross the great divide
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Derek H. always said that Skip was the most "sinfully talented" climber he ever saw, moreso than Moffat. He also said that Skip was most likely bouldering 5.15 moves decades ago.
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Rankin
Social climber
Greensboro, North Carolina
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Mar 27, 2014 - 11:59pm PT
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BUMP for great climbers in American history.
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Johannsolo
climber
Soul Cal
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Sep 13, 2014 - 08:28am PT
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Skip bump. My brother caught site of him a few months ago in Boulder with Strappo. Smoothest climber I've had the pleasure of seeing.
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Meaty
climber
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Sep 13, 2014 - 08:31am PT
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I'll never forget watching Skip climb Midnight Lighting barefoot (along with many other hard boulder problems and climbs during that era)....smooth as silk!!
One great climbing talent and a very humble pleasant person.
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Wade Icey
Trad climber
www.alohashirtrescue.com
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Sep 13, 2014 - 09:46am PT
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Skip played a huge role in the 'nothing' that happened during the 80's
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