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BrassNuts
Trad climber
Save your a_s, reach for the brass...
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Jan 19, 2012 - 09:39pm PT
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JR bump...
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happiegrrrl
Trad climber
www.climbaddictdesigns.com
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Jan 19, 2012 - 11:00pm PT
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I did not ever meet him, but seems he was a very important part of the lives of so many. Sorry to read about his passing, and send thoughts for those in mourning their difficult loss.
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Clyde
Mountain climber
Boulder
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Jan 20, 2012 - 12:25am PT
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Random memories:
I met Jack the first day or two that he moved to Boulder in the early 80s. It was a nice, midweek afternoon and I was in Boulder Canyon soloing up and down the ice. Jack showed up with the same intentions and we soon were playing around together. Ended up following him up the one runnel I had avoided before. When I heard he had just arrived in town and needed a place to stay, I mentioned my friends Cub, Mary Kay, and Jane needed a housemate. Of course, one of Jane's best friends is Pam so one thing led to another....
Heading in to All Mixed Up with Jack and Catherine Freer. A typical park day--cold, snowy, windy--as we hiked in and I had a bad feeling about some slopes we had to cross. None of us had shovels, beacons or any of that. We talked it over and decided to head back before even getting to the climb. Neither of them gave me grief, even though they were vastly more experienced than me... vibes matter. So sad to lose Catherine a couple years later; awesome woman.
After Jack and I had climbed the Ames Ice Hose, I pulled a gumby and traumatically dislocated my shoulder on the descent. Long hours of pain as we self evaced to the clinic in Telluride followed by a roadside bivy since we were too cheap for a hotel. Long rambling drug-induced conversation on the way home while I'm bumming we had to cut the trip short.
The first (or second? or third?) Ouray Ice Fest, Jack is with me and a few others as I'm driving my truck down Camp Bird Road. It was storming and I come up over a crest in the road and there's a cop car with it's flashing lights on half way down the hill. I touched my brakes ever so lightly and the truck starts sliding...all I can do is steer towards the ditch...front wheel grabs...we spin around in slow motion and the truck rolls onto the side and keeps sliding downhill, backwards. Turned out the cop was there because a couple other cars had gone off the road already; he saw the whole thing and wrote up I did everything possible to prevent the accident. Another long ride home, in a beat up truck, but we were all okay.
More recently, my wife, Cindy, has had a burning desire to climb Ham and Eggs on Moose's Tooth for years. I couldn't do it with her for a variety of reasons. But Jack was one person who I could totally trust to take her there and bring her back safely. They had a great trip, even though the conditions didn't cooperate, got high on the route and spent 5 days on the glacier with nobody else around.
One of the best memories was Pam's 50th birthday not long ago. Jack managed to pull off a total surprise with around forty of her close friends having a great celebration in a nearby park. She was truly blown away and we all had a blast. This spring would have been his 60th and you know we were going to go big!
The planning for the memorial is well under way. It's going to be a great party!
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bhilden
Trad climber
Mountain View, CA
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Jan 20, 2012 - 12:36am PT
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Jack and I were at a slide show at Neptune's years ago given by, I think, Klev Schoening who at the time was a rep for Moonstone. At the end of the slide show Klev had a trivia question to win a free Moonstone sleeping bag. So, Klev asks "what is the only 8000m peak that was first ascended by Americans?" Simultaneously, Jack and I yell out "Hidden Peak". Since it was basically a tie, Klev asks if we can name the two American climbers who did the first ascent. I named Andy Kaufmann and someone else. Jack couldn't come up with any names. I had one of the two correct and got the bag.
I have never slept a night in that bag. I think it is time to donate it to the next ASCA fundraiser in Jack's honor.
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Rick A
climber
Boulder, Colorado
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Jan 20, 2012 - 10:14am PT
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Just read again Tobin's story of the first winter ascent, with Jack, of the Grand Central Couloir on Mt. Kitchner, Canadian Rockies, in 1978. What a tale: 35 degrees below zero, their plans to climb in single push--without bivy gear-- foiled by failed headlamps, running in place through a long night on a hacked stance because they dare not sleep, literally crying together from the pain and the annihilating cold.
This is the sort of place where Jack thrived.
I met Jack at Tahquitz in the early 70's and we killed time together in Joshua Tree and Camp 4. In 1977, a number of Yosemite climbers made it to Chamonix. I have fond memories of a fun afternoon with Jack watching the Tour de France roll through town.
We climbed the North Face of Les Droites that summer on our second attempt, after a first attempt where we retreated in a storm.
After Chamonix, we met up again at "Bigil," legendary North Wales home of Al Harris, base camp for visiting Yanks, and notorious for debauchery of all kinds.
Jack returned to Chamonix regularly over the years and I was more than a bit envious when I would run into him at the supermarket in south Boulder and he would tell me about his latest visit.
Callie gets it exactly right: Jack had a twinkle in his eye and a Mona Lisa smile that convinced you that he was really enjoying talking to you. I always laughed when I got together with Jack, whether prompting each other's stories from the old days, or hearing of Jack's latest climbing or skiing adventure.
What can you say about Pam? Jack was a lucky man to marry her, a beauty with a spirit to match. Gerry and I will always remember their wedding on Pearl Street, soon after they moved to Boulder.
I have known Jack for almost 40 years and I was always impressed that he loved climbing so much that he never let up. At age 59, he was on the lead on one of the great ice climbs of Colorado and this time the tools didn't stick. We are all renting our time here and one tends to think that the ultimate goal is a longer lease. For a person who defines himself as a climber, though, while an end like this is shocking and tragic, in the back of the mind one cannot repress the thought, "not a bad way to go."
Jack, you are missed greatly by us and your many friends. Pam, we love you and we're thinking of you.
Rick Accomazzo
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Rit
Social climber
Washington DC
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Jan 20, 2012 - 12:34pm PT
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All -
I registered on SuperTopo simply to offer thanks on behalf of our family (I'm Jack's wife's Pam's brother) for everything that everyone has shared and said here, and for photos and memories that have helped to take us to the places Jack experienced. I'm not even a 'social climber'. I'm a valley person and a sea kayaker, but I have enjoyed Jack and Pam's stories and photos and notes from the vertical parts of the world that have run from Eldorado Canyon to the Fitzroys to the Karakoram. I admired Jack. He lived his passion, he was generous with his gifts and his spirit with others. Climbing for him was about challenge and achievement, yes. But it was also about joy and gratitude - two virtues that work whether one is hanging from a wall, or walking on your own two feet from the Metro to the office. A couple of times he had invited me to get out on rock, no doubt to his considerable amusement, but he was always gracious, patient, and encouraging. Relatively speaking, my own travels, solo or with my wife, have been hopelessly sedentary by the standards of this fellowship, but with Jack all that was required to launch a memorable evening of conversation was simple curiosity about the world - whether on the x or the y coordinate. Your memories shared here mean more to my sister, to Jack's sister and to the rest of us who loved him from ground level mean more than we can describe. I've posted my tribute to him that I put on Facebook here to share with you - as is only proper, since I plagiarized from "JohnHemlock" a statement that was so vintage Jack. Blessings. Richard Ranger
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Brunosafari
Boulder climber
OR
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Jan 20, 2012 - 12:42pm PT
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Jim Cameron, Greg's older brother, and myself, wound swamis at the base of Henley Quits, above Camp Four, when we spied Jack coming up the talus in the humid summer shade.
He seemed a little nervous to ask if he could join us, but we were fully stoked to have him since his resume, even at that time, was already lore to we Poway Climbers.
The Poway Climbers and the Genie Buffers, as we called them, often met at Tahquitz, reveled in our freedoms and bantered and sparred, on and on, as you might expect. I can remember the billowing of great expectations one night especially, the night we all crammed in their single wall tent and there was the flickering lighter and the passing of the spherical smoking stone and the Buffer's told us of Jack's early exploits on The Big Walls.
It was the first time I had used tape. I wrapped single bands of it across the nasty bloody divots above both forefinger knuckles and took off. Representing Poway was the highest calling and so I charged upward speedily and placed only a single nut below the crux, a steep off-sized hand crack. I imagined I was putting on an heroic exhibition, when the tape quickly rolled off my hand and I simultaneously dropped twenty feet or so.
I lowered and threw a childish fit, jumping up and down and decrying every injustice and dirty trick of the universe, and even Richard Nixon, and bitterly cussed out my tape. Nevertheless I yanked the tape, pulled the rope and fired it the second go.
But Jack was having an even worse day and could not overcome the blood, and oily sweat which now basted the crack, and lowered off. He sat quiet on the broken rocks in his torn and grubby clothes, breathing heavily.
Other's have mentioned the light in Jack's eyes and his great smile. Here it had dimmed, and I could see even more. There was no fit, no drama, no anger, no war. There was some mighty soul I could not comprehend.
That was the only summer I spent in the Valley and I lost contact info with Jack and did not see him again for five years. It was on my wedding day, when he traveled hours and showed up utterly by surprise, but slipped out and left quietly during the reception. I never saw him again.
Love, condolences, and and tears shed for Pam and to Jack's family and to the Santa Monica climbers and to each friend who brought purpose and meaning into Jack's incredible journey.
G. Bruce Adams
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bhilden
Trad climber
Mountain View, CA
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Jan 20, 2012 - 12:54pm PT
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Rick,
you and Jack got to witness something special when you watched the 1977 Tour de France. It was Eddy Merckx's, widely regarded as the best bike racer ever, last Tour de France. The photo of Jack watching a rider in the blue Fiat jersey being interviewed is great. The rider is Eddy Merckx, but you probably already knew that.
That's living life to the fullest, something Jack always did!
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Bob D'A
Trad climber
Taos, NM
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Jan 20, 2012 - 01:11pm PT
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As we all know Jack was special...the real deal when it came to climbing and even more so as a friend. I going to miss him dearly as our friendship wasn't based on climbing but a mutual respect and love. I'll miss our talks about traveling, politics, our wives, food and climbing. He was an exceptional friend with a heart as big as his climbing resume.
It is very hard to talk about Jack without talking about Pam...That is way I knew him/them. Two people but really almost one. They clicked and anyone who spend any time with them saw the spark in both their eyes when they looked at each other.
Here is a picture of Jack climbing near Taos a few years ago on one of his visit to the area. Always a kind word and always a pleasure to be around.
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dee ee
Mountain climber
citizen of planet Earth
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Jan 20, 2012 - 04:33pm PT
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I am really sad to hear of Jack's death.
I didn't know him well but did climb with him on an obscure FA at Josh once. It was he, Matt Cox, Tobin Sorenson and I.
When Rick Lynsky and I climbed the Mushroom in '88 we ran into Jack. We were hauling our fairly massive load up the fixed ropes to Mammoth after climbing the first 1/3 and he came rapping down. We were really struggling with the bags and Jack offered to help. He hung out and betwen the 3 of us the bags came right on up. We thanked him and he continued on down, he was obviously glad to help.
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who am i this time?
climber
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Jan 20, 2012 - 06:26pm PT
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knew Jack back when he was a struggling climber like the rest of us. Haven't seen him for close to 40 years. We probably climbed together but I couldn't now say what. Nothing big certainly. I remember him for heart. He put body and soul into his climbing; his tenaciousness when most would just say "give it up" surely fueled his obvious subsequent success. But thinking back about Jack, I remember best what was less obvious to me then. He had heart, but in the more important way that exuded warmth and gentleness--Jack was a guy who cared. He cared for climbing, obviously, but he cared for those around him. He never seemed mean-spirited or harsh. I am saddened for his premature death and wish his wife and family well. Judging by the posts, Jack aged well. Wish I had kept up with him. RIP
G Meyers
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neebee
Social climber
calif/texas
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Jan 20, 2012 - 09:23pm PT
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hey there, say, rit....
god bless you and your family at this very hard sad time...
thanks for stepping in to share, it means a lot to his buddies here...
prayers for you all...
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KevinC
Ice climber
Colorado
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Jan 21, 2012 - 02:14pm PT
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I first met Jack years ago when introduced by a mutual friend. We would usually run into each other a few times every year at a slideshow , gear swap, or wandering around RMNP looking for ice and, though I never was and never will be half the climber he was, he would always remember my name and listen with interest to what I had to say about the climbing I'd been doing. Finally, after years of being among the first every year to go looking for ice and exchanging information about finds and rumors, we got out together to climb Blind Assumption on Pikes Peak - a route that neither he (surprisingly) nor I had done before. Jack cruised the mixed crux with such ease that I was fooled into trying it this past season and ended up backing off due to lack of pro. He had an amazingly cool head for run-out climbing. He was also gracious, encouraging and cool when I struggled with some awkward moves during my leads on the route.
On the drive to and from the climb, we had some great discussions about climbing and climbers we both knew, about our plans for the future, and about our respective spouses. Jack always lit up when he talked about Pam, their lives and travels together.
The next year, out of the blue, Jack contacted me about training with him during the early ice season. I was flabbergasted that a legend like Jack would contact someone of my modest accomplishments to partner and train, but that seems to be how Jack was; as long as he was out climbing with a member of the tribe, he was a happy guy. We spent a day dry-tooling in Vail (from which I sadly only have a few pics of him as a small dot high on the rock) and a few days in the rock gym, but unfortunately after that, life, schedules and other issues intervened and we didn't get to climb together again. Still, every time since when we'd meet, he had the same heartfelt and easy smile and twinkle in his eye. So glad I got to see him and share a few words one more time only a few days before the accident.
RIP Jack, you were one of the good ones; you left us too soon. Wherever you are, may you have endless blue ice and alpine vistas. Heartfelt condolences to Pam; though we haven't met, you two obviously had a deep and special relationship.
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Toker Villain
Big Wall climber
Toquerville, Utah
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Jan 21, 2012 - 05:30pm PT
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Just back from a 4 day trip and saw how this thread has gone, and thought I would bump it back up because it is the best example of what makes me proud of the SuperTopo community.
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Decko
Trad climber
Colorado
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Jan 22, 2012 - 01:20am PT
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BUMP.......
Never forget.........
Never........
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Rick A
climber
Boulder, Colorado
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Jan 22, 2012 - 09:26am PT
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Regarding Jack's El Cap routes, here are a couple of news items from Mountain Magazine, which was, for climbers, the chronicle of record in the 1970's.
September 1974:"On El Capitan, two of the recent routes pioneered by Charlie Porter, The Shield and The Zodiac, both received second ascents by Jack Roberts and Hugh Burton. The pair took 4 1/2 days to climb the Shield and they found that Porter's notorious rurp pitches could be climbed by using knifeblades in many of the placements. The Zodiac, which turned out to be easier than expected, was climbed in five days during poor weather."
These routes had the reputation of being both hard and dangerous in the early seventies, thus the tone of myths being deflated a bit.
January 1977:"Interesting repeats on El Capitan include ...Jack Roberts and Rob Muir's seven day ascent of Cosmos. "
Anyone who has photos should post them to give Jack's family an idea of these spectacular climbs.
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rmuir
Social climber
From the Time Before the Rocks Cooled.
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Jan 22, 2012 - 11:12am PT
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This seems to be the only photo that I have of Cosmos... I think that Jack was carrying the camera. This is Jack's photo taken fairly low on the route, one pitch below the supposed crux.
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Dougald
climber
CO
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Jan 22, 2012 - 08:20pm PT
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Friends and family of Jack Roberts are invited to a memorial celebration starting at 5 pm on Sunday, January 29, at the American Mountaineering Center in Golden, Colorado. Please RSVP at jackrobertsclimbing.com if you plan to attend.
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Crimpergirl
Sport climber
Boulder, Colorado!
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Jan 22, 2012 - 08:28pm PT
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And aren't Hawaiian shirts the requested attire? That's the word we got.
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