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Mimi
climber
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Jul 12, 2009 - 12:42pm PT
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I agree with you HDJ. I wasn't going to go into it but Steve was almost finished with an excellent story for the NYT when their version came out. He took the time to get all the details about family, life facts, etc. One major criticism we have is that they didn't go very far in any direction to flesh out their stories about John. As I recall, ABC didn't even mention his roped climbing except for El Cap! And the bolt comment was ridiculous. Like someone said, we need to move on from this one.
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Jeremy Handren
climber
NV
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Jul 12, 2009 - 01:00pm PT
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Wow, I guess I'm alone in thinking that that piece was absolutely atrocious. My guess is that John would be cringing if he could have seen it.
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scabang
climber
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Jul 12, 2009 - 01:06pm PT
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JUST GET OUT AND CLIMB!
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Hardman Knott
Gym climber
Muir Woods National Monument, Mill Valley, Ca
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Jul 12, 2009 - 01:29pm PT
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Here's the iPod-formatted clip Grant e-mailed me (320 X 240, H264 encoded),
which can be played in Quicktime, iTunes, or the multi-platform VLC Media Player:
http://files.me.com/oceandave/kyxmog.mov (12 MB download)
Thanks again to Grant for capturing, encoding, and e-mailing this clip!
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Porkchop_express
Trad climber
the base of the Shawangunk Ridge
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Jul 12, 2009 - 04:41pm PT
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The truth is that the majority of people don't "get" climbing. Even folks who are involved in hiking and skiing and other sometimes over-lapping pursuits frequently shake their head and are overheard saying 'whatever flips your skirt, I guess, but not me...'
Bearing this in mind why would we expect a report geared for such people to be done otherwise? The world worships Michael Jacksons and researches and glorifies them. The John Bachars of the world rarely enter their radar and it is more of a testament to what he means to all of the folks here that it is that way. Sometimes the world as a whole is cruel to beautiful things.
Maybe I'm completely wrong, but I am just trying to look on the bright side.
Steve
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JoeSimo
Trad climber
New York
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Jul 12, 2009 - 10:15pm PT
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Its always the same thing. If someone dies climbing everyone turns, points there fingers and says "See I told you so!"
But lets be real here. If someone dies of heat stroke playing football no one blames the sport of football for their death. They simply say it was a tragedy and could have been avoided.
I think climbing has always gotten bad press because it exists in that dangerous realm. I doubt any news story would take a climbers side. Sometimes I find myself saying to people "You don't understand, and there is no point in me trying to explain it to you"
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Lynne Leichtfuss
Social climber
valley center, ca
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Jul 12, 2009 - 10:47pm PT
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Jeremy, doubt John would cringe....pro just blow it off. jmo, lynne
Edit: It's not just climbing. I can remember being interviewed and then reading the articles for a variety of things over the years. I thought a quote was, well, a quote. Little did I know...
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Largo
Sport climber
Venice, Ca
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Jul 12, 2009 - 11:06pm PT
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Itīs not fair to hurried and unknowing journalists to deliver a knowing obit. If you need a good one, read this- http://www.mountainsandwater.com/
JL
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Fluoride
Trad climber
Hollywood, CA
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Jul 12, 2009 - 11:35pm PT
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Point is....the people who are assigned to writing about climbing deaths have no awareness of climbing or the sport itself.
I thought the NYT guy who knew nothing and was assigned to write Bachar's memorial did as good a job as possible.
One of the hardest things I've had to do in a long career in broadcast journalism was Michael Reardon's obit for my station's newscast.
Everyone in my newsroom knew I was bummed, Michael was likely dead. Some days later, the the LA Times planned to do a big obit on him and my station wanted to do a similar obit. I got called at home around 10a that day and requested I come in to field produce his story. WTF!!? I'm supposed to put his amazing life into a minute thirty pkg?? I had to do my friend's obit??
I was told interviews were set up at BoulderDash where he trained. I got there and no one wanted to go on cam. It wasn't until I had them pull out all the pics of him soloing that people wanted to start talking about him and how inspirational he was. I talked to 2 young boulderers who were really broken up yet were so inspired by Michael.
I wrote the script for his obit on the drive from TO back to Hollywood. The reporter who voiced it never met him or could remotely conceive of his lifestyle, but in the end I made sure that Michael's obit...at least on my channel...was as proud and true. I owed him that much.
I sat in during the entire edit session to make sure the piece was as remarkable as the person I was reporting on.
So cut climbing reporting a break. It's done by people who get an assignment on their desk. If they actually know anything about climbing, that's a rarity.
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reddirt
climber
Elevation 285 ft
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Jul 12, 2009 - 11:46pm PT
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NYT climbing articles are usually pretty decent or better. The publisher is actually a climber.
FWIW/OTish, stealing whatever thunder there may be from the free solo vs roped leading debate: this past weekend someone back east here took a leader fall at Seneca, his rope got cut completely through by a sharp flake, and he fell to the ground. I don't know much more other than that it too was a fatality.
Condolences to his family & friends.
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WBraun
climber
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Jul 13, 2009 - 12:44am PT
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The wheel has come full circle as if situated on a ferris wheel which sometimes goes up and sometimes comes down.
Only to begin again in the next birth entangled once more in the wheel of births and deaths, drawn on by the inextinguishable desire for sensual engagement.
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Lynne Leichtfuss
Social climber
valley center, ca
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Jul 13, 2009 - 12:54am PT
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To me we are given one life. It is our challenge and the Gift of Life to live it to the utmost.
Loving God and Loving our Neighbor as Ourself is the objective. Everything else is just gravy on the mashed potatoes....
Smiles once again and Cheers to someone who taught me that word. Lynne ....Peace, Dude.
EDIT: Thanks So Very Grant !
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Mighty Hiker
Social climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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Jul 13, 2009 - 11:37am PT
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Monday morning place-holding bump, to be removed later.
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paul roehl
Boulder climber
california
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Jul 13, 2009 - 06:29pm PT
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Would be a good thing if everybody on this site posted something positive on the abc comments for this story. A lot of crap on there.
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martygarrison
Trad climber
The Great North these days......
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Jul 13, 2009 - 06:32pm PT
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Largo, the Peter Beal tribute really captured my feelings. John and I were never best friends or anything but his passing had a profound impact on me. I think it was the passing of the invincible, the end of an era of which he was so important in my life. My time in the Valley in the seventies and eighties shaped my approach to my life. John to me in the mid seventies was an arrogant son of a gun. In the last few years via this site, he showed himself to be a sensitive and wondorefull father and person. JB, you have no idea how many lives you touched.
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Unforgiven
Mountain climber
Dirt
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Jul 14, 2009 - 09:50am PT
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F U ABC news and all the little turds that claim JB was selfish, irresponsible, reckless etc...
Then the same goes with NYC firefighters that went into WTC building during 911, when it was about to collapse. Not 1 person dreamed of calling NYC firefighters selfish, irresponsible, reckless. get a clue abc
ABC I hope you get a Big Bag of D!cks!
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nick farley
climber
bishop
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Topic Author's Reply - Jul 18, 2009 - 12:51am PT
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The sadness, from my perspective, is not how ABC news treated or mistreated the story of the passing of John Bachar.
Simply, the sadness is the news of John Bachar's passing.
Can we imagine the routes that he is sending now?
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