Fred

[olyclimber]

Tomorrow (the 14th) is Fred Beckey's 100th birthday.  🎂

[JasonG]

What a run he had.....

[JasonG]

Back in 2015 I spent some time helping him with the Green update, and one time we met at the Porterhouse here in MV (photo above).  I really should have saved his VMs!  I still have his number in my home phone so I could screen his calls. 😅

What a character.

[olyclimber]

I know I should saved all those voicemails he left me! And I only climbed with him one time! But once he got your number or knew you had info or some connection…..

[KaskadskyjKozak]

He texted me a couple of times.  He wanted to go to Squamish to climb, and also was looking for info on the approach to the DC/Cool Glacier route on Glacier Peak.  I met him at a Pub Club once somewhere in Ballard I think.  I also saw him "in the wild" a couple of other times.  One time he was headed up to climb something in the Liberty Bell group and my climbing partner lent Fred his helmet (we were headed out) because Fred had forgotten his.  My favorite memories were him at the Bulger Party talking out loud during the presentations (he was hard of hearing and was speaking super loud).  Such a legend!

 

[bellows]

Legend. I got lucky enough to climb with him twice, once at Index up GNS and once at Leavenworth. It took him half an hour to limp up the five minute approach, but once on the rock he cruised a 5.7 like nothing:

 

[OlympicMtnBoy]

21 hours ago, olyclimber said:

I know I should saved all those voicemails he left me! And I only climbed with him one time! But once he got your number or knew you had info or some connection…..

I did save the note Fred left on my car once in classic scrawl on a napkin!  I was lucky enough to have a couple big adventures with him and even made it up a peak or two (with and without him in tow).  Happy Birthday Fred!  I hope you found some unclimbed peaks in the next life.

[stillcrankin]

Fred and I were strip-searched at the Canadian border in 1973 because of some suspicious looking powder he had in his car glove box. That was the first sign that the trip was headed off the rails. 

After watching Dirtbag, I realized that I wasn’t really a climber. I didn’t have the right to call myself a real climber even though I spent decades trying to be. Fred was a real deal climber. He sacrificed everything for climbing. He had the kind of focus that I could only admire. 

I saw this guy in Tahoe City a few years ago (after Fred had died). Made me wonder if he really was too tough to croak. 
 

“We never grow tired of each other, the mountains and I”, Li Po wrote 12 centuries ago.
 

there will never be another Fred Beckey. 
 

Edited January 21, 2023 by stillcrankin

[robertm]

Fred was always looking ahead for his next adventure.  He never wanted to re-hash his past accomplishments.   He was a true explorer that did immaculate research and sacrificed the comforts of modern life to advance knowledge of the mountains and live a purpose driven life.   I was lucky enough to call Fred a friend and see a side of him that was insightful, always curious about new technology and interested in what was going on in your life.   He is still missed.

[JasonG]

It's so true.  His "Range of Glaciers" is an impressive historical tome.  My anthropologist boss came to me some time ago and asked if I'd heard of this Fred Beckey guy.  She was very impressed with his historical research (this is her life's work) and knew how hard-won that book was. 

She had no idea of his climbing accomplishments. I told her he was the "Michael Jordan" of climbing and that all of us climbers knew of him and his many legendary exploits. 

"Yeah?  Well MJ didn't do groundbreaking historical work on the side."

Fred was truly a remarkable man.