Mega PDX Pub Club/Show-Nov 6

[bunglehead]

Excellent show! Thanks to Wayne for showing his recent trip to Logan (Hairball!) and to MtGuide for the stories and letting me shack up at his place! Nice to meet some PDX folks!

[wayne]

Thanks you guys for showin and thanks to Jeff and Bob for hosting it. It was great to eat and party with you all.

[layton]

Wayne's show accoplished the two most important things in a slideshow:

 

1.made me sweat in my chair until I had to climb something then and there

2.wasn't boring

Thanks wayne, and have "fun" on shuksun.

 

Didn't recognize anyone there besides Lane and Wayne (party on ). Someone say hi to me next time, it was too dark and drunk out at smiff to remember anything or anyone from the luv fest.

[goatboy]

Thanks for putting on the show.

 

My review is mixed. The climbing was extraordinary, but some of the apparent attitude that went along with it left me wondering.

 

Some things I remember from the show:

 

1) boombox music made narration hard to hear, and the music didn't seem to contribute much to Wayne's storytelling style (someone stepped up and turned it down, eventually)...

 

2) Weird graphic flow chart showing all of the different ways that wayne classifies different types of climbing -- hard to read, impossible to digest in a single glance, seemed like a rhetorical move intended to impress the audience...

 

3) A beautiful panoramic slides of the Southern Picket Range (this photo had a copyright icon next to someone's name, apparently not taken by Wayne) . . .

 

4) A very cool slide showing peak names for all of the peaks pictured in the previously-mentioned slide . . .

 

5) A nice, though very random, smattering of slides from all over the place, including the himalaya, dragontail peak, alaska I think, all over the place . . . the triple couloirs shots and the photos of the N Buttress of Fury were excellent . . .

 

6) Moving into the heart of the show, the Southern Pickets, Wayne explained that he climbed it with Colin and "this other guy," who he referred to as "this other guy" for most of the evening... seems that Wayne didn't really care so much about his partner as doing the route itself.

 

7) The images of the lads summiting peak after peak, and holding up a corresponding number of fingers . . .

 

8) The Crucifixion Image of the three on top of a summit at sunset, re-enacting the Crucifixion via shadows on nearby rock wall . . . very creative and cool shot . . .

 

9) "These guys didn't know me very well because once I get my mind set on something, you better get out of my way."

 

10) Caching stuff in the Pickets, including food, when he wasn't sure if or when he was even going to go back to get it . . . also shooting fireworks off in the wilderness . . . seemed somewhat unconcerned about leaving no trace in what is one of the more pristine wilderness areas in the N Cascades . . .

 

I was incredibly impressed by the drive and determination of Wayne and his partners. I had a harder time with his emphasis on his own climbing skills and the importance of the route itself versus his respect for his partners and the importance of them. Mark Twight, among others, has stated that it's much less important what you climb than who you climb with. Alex Lowe claims that the best climber on the mountain is the one having the most fun. Wayne's show demonstrated phenomenal climbing accomplishments and determination, though it seemed to fundamentally prioritize the route itself and his own success over the relationship or respect for his partners themselves. In this sense, it didn't seem that his goal was to inspire others as much as to promote what he has done.

 

I don't know Wayne and may well be mis-interpreting, but that's the way his show came across to me and the other folks I went with.

[layton]

Shit, did you take notes?

 

I remember there was this big room and climbing pics with some dude talking, and I had a beer at one time in my hand, but not many hotties either, then I wanted to go climb real real bad then it got hot, and my hands started to itch and things were different and I can't remember shit but now my feet are sore and there's wet climbing gear all over the place and I've made way too many posts.

[rbw1966]

I thought the show was well done for the most part but was difficult for me to hear. The bachelorette party going on in the other room drowned Wayne out at times.

 

Overall a great show. The pics were fabulous and I really liked the crucifixion piece as well.

 

It made a horrible day for me a whole lot better.

[pat_o]

Constructive and informed criticism of a slide show we all payed good coin for is a healthy thing. Given Waynes climbing prowess I see many more shows in the future. I for one was there to be inspired and to support a friend and swill multiple beers. Yes Wayne, there were moments that I too cringed at what I heard as self aggrandizing on your part. I knew you would catch shit for it and for this you should be more self aware when lecturing or posting. We don't all know you!Having partnered with Wayne on a number of significant routes (to me), I can only attest to his sheer joy and compatability as a partner. I have excelled on climbs with him, where his enthusiasm & drive seemed to float us thru crux, crap and grind not to mention the stellar parts. As far as stashing gear in the wilderness i.e. Picketts, I'm pretty damn sure Wayne would have sent his mother up there by summers end if he couldn't extricate it himself. Twight on the otherhand,while loving his partners, dumped a stove, pot, empty fuel bottles etc. on his 60hr push on the Czec direct, never intending to see that shit again. That Sucks! In the end I guess I've made my first post to defend a friend and maybe create some awareness on his and all our parts. We're in this game together we need to inspire as well as be responsible members of this community. What kind of a soap box am I standing on?.....Sorry!

[ChrisT]

bravo!

[goatboy]

Hey Pat O,

 

Thanks for the observation -- While I did fault Wayne for dumping gear in the Pickets, my post leaned on Twight (of all people?) who is guilty of bragging about the same tactics on Denali, then denying it in a Patagonia catalog for sponsorship.

 

I appreciate your graceful way of pointing out the inconsistency in my message, and of stepping up to speak on behalf of your friend, with whom you have a whole lot experience than I do.

 

Self aggrandizing? Well put.

 

As for Wayne sending his mom up there to extricate the gear he stashed, he did state on the microphone that he left the gear there not sure if he would ever go back up there again to reclaim it -- whether or not that's what he meant to say, I don't know. I was posting my criticsm based on what he said.

 

Thanks for offering a more informed view on an accomplished climber. If one is willing to give a slide show to a paying audience, especially under the auspices of the American Alpine Club or any other national climbing entity, he would be wise to consider not only his climbing skills and prowess but how he is influencing those not as experienced or talented as he is in regard to impacting the wilderness, respecting one's partners, and the value of humility in a community full of ego.

 

I hope someday to climb as well, or as bravely, as Wayne, but more so, I aspire to be a respectful partner, a caretaker of the alpine, and to remember that there's many climbers out there that are better than myself.

 

I wish Wayne the best of luck in his future expeditions, and also wish him more awareness of how he's coming across to his audience.

 

- Steve Smith, PDX OR