Sean_Halling Posted August 18, 2001 Posted August 18, 2001 The legends post got me thinking....we should have a post where we can nominate a "legend" for being the "Famous ***hole of the month" I nominate Jimmy Wickwire. Quote
haireball Posted August 20, 2001 Posted August 20, 2001 having once met Wickwire in person, I can assure you that, face to face, in person, for pure egotistical rudeness, he can't hold a candle to Richard "Dick" Cilley. Allow me to elaborate. A generation ago, Paul Christiansen and Michael Crosswaite located a gem of a crag on the Icicle River with a private beach some twenty vertical feet above a deep quiet eddy. Christiansen took a machete and cut a trail through the brush from the road to the crag, leaving the ten feet of brush next to the road undisturbed. A private spot for cooling off when the canyon became too hot for climbing was thus born. Some thin cracks on the overhanging wall above the beach entertained us between dips. A year or so later, enter Mr. Cilley to the Leavenworth scene. Always prepared to show hospitality to furriners, we locals brought Mr. Cilley to the lovely spot. Though unimpressed with the aerial/aquatic resource, Mr. Cilley found the wall irresistable, and managed to tick off the easiest of the cracks, which had, up to that time, repulsed local luminaries including Yoder and Cunningham. That wasn't such a bad thing. We were happy to see anyone succeed on these problems. But several months later the jerk had the chutzpah to publish the location in Climbing Magazine, in an article that spared no insult to the locals who'd graciously shared that resource with him! I was disgusted that the so-called "editors" at Climbing would stoop to publishing such a piece! That deed firmly established Mr. Cilley as "Crazy Cock" among the long-time resident climbers of Leavenworth... and changed the name of "the swimmin' hole" to "Muscle Beach". uuurrrrpp!!! Quote
Matt Posted August 20, 2001 Posted August 20, 2001 Haireball, I totally agree. I've climbed with Dick Cilley and he is an egomaniac. [This message has been edited by Matt (edited 08-21-2001).] Quote
Peter_Puget Posted August 20, 2001 Posted August 20, 2001 Truely Dick could be abrasive sometimes but what use to really get me was when he said "The moment I crossed the state line I became the best climber in the state." Of course the worst part about that was that it was true! His more recent staterment equally true was "no one has ever doen a hard boulder problem in WA." Quote
Dru Posted August 20, 2001 Posted August 20, 2001 And of course he wasthe original Extreme TopRoper! Quote
Peter_Puget Posted August 20, 2001 Posted August 20, 2001 Dru so right and (all you Twight fans will like this one)and ideal for living! Quote
crazyjizzy Posted August 21, 2001 Posted August 21, 2001 Hey Peter Puget: I believe that you just slandered Dick Cilley. When I did the the same thing in May you got your panties in a bunch about how terrible it was to anonymously malign someone (5/02/2001 4:44pm). Yet you have done the same thing. I doubt your name is really Peter Puget. You are nothing but a two faced piece of shit. Quote
Chongo Posted August 21, 2001 Posted August 21, 2001 Dick spent the whole summer here. I climbed with him a few times, felt a little wierded out around the guy, but thought he was harmless. Maybe he's just guarded now because he got the rep, but he still climbs hard. Quote
Peter_Puget Posted August 21, 2001 Posted August 21, 2001 Hmmm I know Dick admits to being abrasive at times plus didn't I say he was the best climber in the state the moment he crossed the state line? Seems like a compliment to me. Now play nice! Quote
haireball Posted August 21, 2001 Posted August 21, 2001 in which state? the state of ignorance??? Quote
Peter_Puget Posted August 21, 2001 Posted August 21, 2001 Seems more like the state of WA a generation ago! Yikes! A 20' cliff, a 100 foot trail, a handful and mediocre routes and a generation passing - that littel ole cliff is near and dear to your heart. Maybe you should be thanking Dick for the memories! Quote
Matt Posted August 21, 2001 Posted August 21, 2001 I feel somewhat guilty for slandering Dick. He did one nice thing-- when we finished climbing he gave me a bunch of gear that we found while climbing in lieu of gas money. It was nice b/c I needed the gear and he didn't. He IS a good climber, I'll give him that. Quote
haireball Posted August 22, 2001 Posted August 22, 2001 I've watched the old geezer Donini flash problems that Dick thrashed on, and I witnessed guys like Tim Wilson and Pat Mcnerthney cruising stuff that Dick would not attempt because it could not be "led with a top-rope". I'll grant that Dick was a strong boulderer, and tenacious as hell, but "best" climber? Hell, even on stuff I could lead, I never saw him climb beyond waist high on his pro. Quote
Peter_Puget Posted August 22, 2001 Posted August 22, 2001 Well having climbed with Donini and Dick I can say that 999 times out of 1000 if one of the two was thrashing it would be Jim. True Dick was often timid on leads in days gone by but I have seen him make many a bold lead especially in more recent times. But one lead in particular (Yosemite early 80s) was amazing. He hadn't lead all summer, just bouldered, he was past the crux (wich was about 40 off the deck 11c)a tad bit over 100 feet out placed a piece andthought "I need more gear." He then down climbed the whole route including the crux to get more gear. The route until that point had several other hard sections as well. Truely inspiring! I have also climbed a few times with Tim years ago and agree he is an outstanding climber but at least for rock considering every style of climbing possible(ie offwidth, slab, fist crack and so on) and my money would be on Dick. Last time I talked with Dick we discussed this site and despite the insults thrown at him he had had good things to say about everyone as we tried to figure out who was who. Not sure I'd like to be judged by all my actions in the past esp. those that happened a "generation" ago! Quote
haireball Posted August 22, 2001 Posted August 22, 2001 fair enough, sir. I'd be the first to admit that folks can and do change and grow. I last saw Dick in 1986 in J-tree, and was thunderstruck to be treated so rudely by someone I had once had camp out on the floor of my home for the better part of a climbing season. If he has grown up in the meantime, I salute him. Quote
Chongo Posted August 22, 2001 Posted August 22, 2001 I witnessed Dick Cilley downclimb a section of 11a this summer so he could rest at a stance before attempting the crux. When I went up to try the same moves I found I could barely even climb up the moves he nonchalantly climbed down. He could barely remember freeing Iron Horse when I asked him about it. I could not name hardly a climb that he had not tried or knew of. I particularly thought his Euro influenced dewRag was a fine touch of the gypsy he seems to have inside him. I liked Richard Cilley although I blew him off on going to climb the elephants perch. Hope your doing well if you read this Dick. Quote
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