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Patrick Sawyer
climber
Originally California now Ireland
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Oct 18, 2017 - 11:23am PT
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Surfing the Taco Stand, I came across this thread. I met Ken once, of all places, Harrison's Rocks, near Tunbridge Wells. Crap sandstone, sort of like Mt Diablo, hah hah. Nah, not that bad. And living and working in Dartford back then it was handy.
This book sits proudly on my book case.
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Don Lauria
Trad climber
Bishop, CA
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Oct 18, 2017 - 01:37pm PT
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Patrick, What year were you rushing "to buy the latest Mountain mag when it hit the shelves, usually at North Face in Berkeley."?
Wasn't North Face in San Francisco? Just asking.
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duncan
climber
London, UK
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Oct 18, 2017 - 01:55pm PT
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Hard Rock is the 50 Classic Climbs or Yosemite Climber of UK climbing, predating and surely influencing both. Here is a lovely film on the man, the book, and their impact.
[Click to View YouTube Video]
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mouse from merced
Trad climber
The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.
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Oct 18, 2017 - 02:05pm PT
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Hey there, Don. The North Face store in North Beach was the original.
There was one retail store on Telegraph at Stuart where I worked in the early seventies that had been there since I'm not sure when. My first visit there was in 1969 and it had been there at least one year, if not more.
At the same time, there was a shop in Palo Alto. The North Beach store was closed and moved to another location downtown, can't recall where. That was replaced in '74 by the new store in Stonestown Center out near Lake Merced.
There was a store added in Campbell in the South Bay, as well as one in Seattle, along with two Factory Outlets, one in Berkeley (my store for five years) and one in Palo Alto, neither of which sold Mountain Magazine.
I had a copy of Mountain #1 framed over the back wall at the register in my store.
Edit: I'm pretty sure Doug Tompkins was responsible for opening the Berkeley store in addition to the original in N Beach before he sold out to Hap Klopp & friends.
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mouse from merced
Trad climber
The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.
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Oct 18, 2017 - 02:36pm PT
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So right, Jim! Love the take on the "facile" versus "adventure" schools.
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AP
Trad climber
Calgary
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Oct 18, 2017 - 02:48pm PT
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I have a trailer on land near Skaha that I visit. Sort of a man cave. At night I reread my Mountain Magazine issues 56-115 or so. Still enjoyable after all these years.
They stand the test of time.
Ken set the bar very high
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Chris Jones
Social climber
Glen Ellen, CA
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Oct 18, 2017 - 05:27pm PT
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The video is a wonderful tribute to Ken, and furthermore the climbs on which and thru which he and his contemporaries discovered themselves. And a tribute also to the lovely crags of Britain.
The narrator suggests to Ken that his books, such as Hard Rock, are his legacy, and asks : "are you proud of them?" After a few moments of reflection, Ken replies: "could be next year's chip paper, couldn't it?"
We know better. The books are indeed a legacy, just as Mountain Magazine was a revelation.
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John Morton
climber
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Oct 19, 2017 - 08:59am PT
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What a marvelous film. It goes right to the heart of own my experience, and recalls beautifully the standing of Britain as the cradle of the sport as I knew it.
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Patrick Sawyer
climber
Originally California now Ireland
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Oct 19, 2017 - 09:50am PT
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I used to primarily buy Mountain at Ski Hut, North Face and Sierra Designs, I am sure of it. The North Face I went to was on the corner of Telegraph and ???, Mouse says Stuart, so I googled maps, and that is what I recall. And they did sell Mountain. Though, now that I think about it, Ski Hut was probably where I usually bought it, heck that was the early 1970s. I never gave it much thought until now.
My mom's office (dentist) was on the corner of Telegraph and Ashby, so when ever I went in to borrow money (kids do that you know) I'd usually pop into North Face down the street. And then probably Indian Rocks.
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AP
Trad climber
Calgary
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Oct 19, 2017 - 11:03am PT
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Funny thing I went to the Mountain Equipment Coop yesterday. They said they no longer carry magazines. Are the climbing mags being killed off by the Internet?
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Leo Hski
Social climber
Boston MA
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Oct 19, 2017 - 01:26pm PT
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AP wrote: "At night I reread my Mountain Magazine issues 56-115 or so. Still enjoyable after all these years.
They stand the test of time.
Ken set the bar very high"
Those covers! Each and every one an inspiration.
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Alan Rubin
climber
Amherst,MA.
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Oct 19, 2017 - 01:45pm PT
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Thanks for posting that film. I was one of Ken's correspondents for Mountain in the '70s, so got to know him a bit. Obviously his strong convictions didn't mellow with time and illness.
As a lover of 'tangible' writings--books and magazines, I, too, treasure my collection of Mountain and the inspiration those magazines provided to me over the years. I am also worried that such media are now on the endangered list. Similar to AP's experience, EMS has not carried magazines for several years now, nor many books, so I now rarely patronize their stores.
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mouse from merced
Trad climber
The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.
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Oct 19, 2017 - 02:50pm PT
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Patrick--
I lived upstairs (3rd floor) from the shop at Telly & Stuart in the Casa de Manana Apartments, next door to that wonderful Mexican restaurant of that name in 1974.
There were a couple of pages in Mountain in the advertising section which listed specialty shops from all over by region.
I think they were all shops from which readers could purchase the magazine.
--MFM
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Oct 19, 2017 - 04:27pm PT
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Thanks for posting that wonderful video Duncan!
Brings tears to the eyes.
The young woman with blonde dreadlocks climbing on grit has nice arms.
I have MOUNTAIN issues #1-#102.
Posted up #1 in its entirety, here:
http://www.supertopo.com/climbers-forum/2958309/Ken-Wilsons-MOUNTAIN-Magazine-1-the-whole-enchilada
(the photographs may not survive by the end of next year, so save that thread to your hard drive now)
Hard to see a man, seemingly so young, grappling with dementia instead of the stone.
But as Ken said, all good things come to an end. Ain't that the truth.
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Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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Oct 19, 2017 - 09:01pm PT
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it was wonderful, thanks Duncan, and thanks to Ken
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WBraun
climber
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Oct 19, 2017 - 09:06pm PT
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all good things come to an end
No ... all good things actually last forever and only st00pid sh!t ultimately comes to an end.
You, gross materialists, have everything backward .....
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