best of cc.com Random Climbing Partner(s) Stories

[wfinley]

Sobo posted a message today that made me realize that I had once joined him for an afternoon of ice climbing when he was up north about 10 years ago. I've climbed with a lot of random people over the years; most of whom I've forgotten and probably wouldn't recognize - however for some reason certain encounters stand out.

 

Climbing with sobo was memorable for 2 reason... We climbed well into the dark and upon topping out on the second climb (Ripple - a classic mellow ice route that forms fat and sticky every year from October - March) I turned around and saw the comet Hale-bop glowing on the horizon above the canyon wall. It was a beautiful sight -- the stars glowing bright and this huge burning comet right in front of me. I think of the comet everytime I climb Ripple (which is at least a few times / season)... and only many occasions I've sat at the belay anchors and described the sight to various climbing partners.

 

The second reason it was memorable was because sobo had a space blanket taped inside his helmet and when I asked him why he told me a long story about a forced bivy on some Cascade wall. I went home and taped my own space blanket inside my helmet and lo and behold a few years later found myself stuck on a route well after dark. It was cold as shit and after we dug a little ledge in the snow I pulled off my helmet and with pride showed my partner the space blanket that was still taped inside.

 

Apart from sobo I've experienced a couple other memorable climbs with random people - including a rather frightening experience where some random guy whom I had never met till that morning (I called a random number posted on a bulletin board) decided to solo an ice route. Half way up his pick broke and he hung on one tool freaking out and screaming obscenities for 15 minutes until he got up the nerve to downclimb to a ledge where he could replace his pick and finish his solo. All the while I was standing at the base mentally preparing myself to watch a guy fall 100' to his death.

 

Random climbing partners are kind of like one night stands... if the climbing or company was good then you'll have a clear recollection. Likewise if the climbing or company really sucked you'll remember the story for years!

 

Any good stories out there about random people you've met and climbed with???

[Weekend_Climberz]

Hey, where's that post about the dude sketching on Diedre that the poster met that morning. Someone should bump that, that was a funny random climbing partner story.

[G-spotter]

Do you mean Uncle Tricky + elmer, or kainsacad and rikrik?

[catbirdseat]

Do you mean Uncle Tricky + elmer, or kainsacad and rikrik?

I think he means Truth is Stranger than Friction

 

I had a partner long ago who was fond of chewing tobacco. He wasn't able to chew at work, but would partake on his way home.

 

We went together to climb Liberty Bell one Saturday and found it was raining when we pulled into Blue Lake Parking Lot. If the weather forecast was to be believed, it would clear by the afternoon, so we decided to chill in the car and try to wait it out.

 

I passed the time by napping, while my partner enjoyed his chew. Well, he was used to about an hour's worth of such enjoyment a day, but on this day, he'd already been at it 3 hours in the car on the way, plus another couple in the parking lot. By and by the clouds parted and we were off on the trail.

 

After a few minutes I noticed my partner was lagging behind a bit. I stopped to let him catch up. His face was literally GREEN. He'd made himself sick on tobacco. Fortunately, by the time we were ready to climb, he'd "composed" himself a bit, but he had me worried.

[Bug]

EYikes! I had forgotten about that one.

I once belayed a "buddy" on a 5.7 in JT.

It was one pitch. It took him four hours.

One side of me was sunburned and raw. The other side was chewed off by a pack of cayotes.

[Weekend_Climberz]

Do you mean Uncle Tricky + elmer, or kainsacad and rikrik?

I think he means Truth is Stranger than Friction

 

That's the one, now that is some classic CC.com shizzle. :tup:

[ivan]

my first trip to beacon i went w/ a stranger, who i thought knew the place - we ended up climbing above the picnic bench right on the ne corner - had to bail from 2 pitchs up in the land of eternal moss - 8-ball decided to rap off a million year old pin - i watched as he weighted it - it was a knifeblade, mabye 1/2 in the crack - it bent neatly in half as i screamed at him to get the fuck off the rope before he killed the tourists gawking up at us directly below

[kevbone]

Very random:

 

 

City of Rocks 1997. I climbed Columbian crack, was belaying the second up. Another climber popped up on Rye Crisp and started belaying his second up. We started shooting the shit. He told me he just got back from Pakistan. He was climbing in the Karakorum on the Nameless tower. I said “holy shit, my roommate just got back from there and was also climbing on the Nameless tower. He and three others put up the FFA on there route they called Midgart Serpent A4+, on the north face” He said also said “holy shit”, because the guy I started a conversation with was Warren Hollinger, one of the four team members on that trip. I told him I was living with Brad Jarrett one of his partners. What a small world. We randomly met on top of a rock in the middle of no where. Very nice guy, three years later he broke his back.

[Bug]

When I was living in the valley in 85 I was held down by a band of maurading bikers and forced to eat LSD.

Wanting nothing to do with crowds, I sprinted up the trail into Little Yosemite Valley past the water falls and well into the flats. I broke off the trail when everything started to blend. After about 30 minutes off the trail I was in the middle of nowhere standing at the edge of a small clearing. This was a solid two hours from the trailhead at a near jogging clip. On the other side of the clearing a person appeared. We saw each other at the same moment and both of us almost ducked but knew we were committed. So we wandered into the middle of the clearing and said "Hi."

The conversation faltered.

Finally, the other traveller said," I have to go. I am really high on acid." And he turned and dissappeared into the woods.

I never saw him again.

[wfinley]

When I was living in the valley in 85 I was held down by a band of maurading bikers and forced to eat LSD.

Held down by a band of maurading bikers... damn I wish I had thought of that story back in high-school.

 

[cs]

EYikes! I had forgotten about that one.

I once belayed a "buddy" on a 5.7 in JT.

It was one pitch. It took him four hours.

One side of me was sunburned and raw. The other side was chewed off by a pack of cayotes.

I would have thought that they would have picked the half cooked side.....

Edited March 1, 2007 by cs

[Blake]

Very random:

 

He and three others put up the FFA on there route they called Midgart Serpent A4+, on the north face”

 

 

If it was the First FREE Ascent, why did they give it an aid rating?

[Raindawg]

Very random:

 

 

City of Rocks 1997. I climbed Columbian crack, was belaying the second up. Another climber popped up on Rye Crisp and started belaying his second up. We started shooting the shit. He told me he just got back from Pakistan. He was climbing in the Karakorum on the Nameless tower. I said “holy shit, my roommate just got back from there and was also climbing on the Nameless tower. He and three others put up the FFA on there route they called Midgart Serpent A4+, on the north face” He said also said “holy shit”, because the guy I started a conversation with was Warren Hollinger, one of the four team members on that trip. I told him I was living with Brad Jarrett one of his partners. What a small world. We randomly met on top of a rock in the middle of no where. Very nice guy, three years later he broke his back.

 

Since we're doing some name-droppin':

 

Very random:

 

Tatoosh Range 1997. I climbed Pinnacle Peak, was belaying the second up. Another climber popped up on the east ridge and started belaying his second up. We started shooting the shite. (I use the latter word alot.) He told me he just got back from Mt. Baker. He was climbing in the Cascades on the Coleman Glacier. I said “holy shite, my roommate just got back from there and was also climbing on the Coleman. He and three others put up the FFA on there route they called the Snot Walk, on the Roman Nose” He said also said “holy shite”, because the guy I started a conversation with was Big Lou, one of the four team members on that trip. I told him I was living with one of his partners. What a small world. We randomly met on top of a peak in the middle of no where. Very nice guy, three years later Big Lou was still KING!

 

 

[Weekend_Climberz]

I met Big Lou the first time I climbed Rainier. He wasn't that big and at 15, I was an inch taller than him already.

[JayB]

Bronco had a great story about adding a random guy to his team at Camp Muir and the ensuing psycho-epic. Someone should dig this one out of the archives for sure.

[G-spotter]

Very random:

 

 

City of Rocks 1997. I climbed Columbian crack, was belaying the second up. Another climber popped up on Rye Crisp and started belaying his second up. We started shooting the shit. He told me he just got back from Pakistan. He was climbing in the Karakorum on the Nameless tower. I said “holy shit, my roommate just got back from there and was also climbing on the Nameless tower. He and three others put up the FFA on there route they called Midgart Serpent A4+, on the north face” He said also said “holy shit”, because the guy I started a conversation with was Warren Hollinger, one of the four team members on that trip. I told him I was living with Brad Jarrett one of his partners. What a small world. We randomly met on top of a rock in the middle of no where. Very nice guy, three years later he broke his back.

 

if you are gonna namedrop you should get your stories straight

the serpent is not on trango

hollinger did not climb serpent

[David Trippett]

the serpent is not on trango

 

....nor even the same continent

[Bug]

I spilled beer on John Long once.

[Bug]

I don't remember which continent it was on.

 

[DirtyHarry]

I had a climbing partner once, but I got fired for being drunk.

[jca]

I woke FRED up once by playing a John Phillips Souza march on the CD player. After that he liked me less.

[kevbone]

Very random:

 

 

City of Rocks 1997. I climbed Columbian crack, was belaying the second up. Another climber popped up on Rye Crisp and started belaying his second up. We started shooting the shit. He told me he just got back from Pakistan. He was climbing in the Karakorum on the Nameless tower. I said “holy shit, my roommate just got back from there and was also climbing on the Nameless tower. He and three others put up the FFA on there route they called Midgart Serpent A4+, on the north face” He said also said “holy shit”, because the guy I started a conversation with was Warren Hollinger, one of the four team members on that trip. I told him I was living with Brad Jarrett one of his partners. What a small world. We randomly met on top of a rock in the middle of no where. Very nice guy, three years later he broke his back.

 

if you are gonna namedrop you should get your stories straight

the serpent is not on trango

jarrett did not climb the trango route either

 

Hee hee....nice troll...glad to know you know what Brad has climbed and not climbed.

Edited March 2, 2007 by kevbone

[kevbone]

Very random:

 

He and three others put up the FFA on there route they called Midgart Serpent A4+, on the north face”

 

 

If it was the First FREE Ascent, why did they give it an aid rating?

 

 

My bad.....FA.

[ckiely]

I sat in a hut at 4:00am once and had the priveledge of listening to FRED snore away.

 

A highlight of my climbing careeer

[ivan]

i nearly threw up an entire west rib burger on jim bridwell's dog in a spastic opiatic stupor once