The greatest climber on the planet

I’ve been climbing now for thirty-five years.
On many occasions over the years, I have witnessed some absolutely amazing performances from many different, “unknown” climbers.
Who is the greatest climber on the planet?
It’s not who you might think.
The greatest climber in the world right now is some guy that no one has ever heard of.
He/She is from somewhere in Idaho, Rhode Island, Istanbul, etc.
You have never heard of them because they have funds to support themselves and don’t need to rely on sponsorship to afford to travel and climb.
They don’t publish articles about their exploits because they spend all of their time climbing.
As any great climber can tell you, any individual is only as good as their last climb.
For example, It takes a great climber having a great day (i.e: peak experience) to pull off a unique accomplishment.
Film and magazines focus on one percent of the talent out there. The one percent they focus on are the people who publish, or have someone else publish, articles about their achievements.
The greatest climber in the world right now is definitely someone you have never heard of, and likely never will.

Actually, it's me.

I agree with you Tom!

oh, from Rhode Island; then it's me! ; )

Well from what the records say Bin Laden is an extremely skilled climber. Maybe its him and that's why our country can't find him...

I recently was lucky enough to go to a presentation about a few American climbers who back in the seventies embarked upon their first Himilayan peak the highest peak in Afghanistan Nowshak. A few years later they retuned and did the highest peak in Pakistan Nanga Parbat. This same area is where they suspect Osama to be hiding and from the slides that this climber had taken it looked like some of the coolest rock I've seen, hopefully some day things can be resolved and some of us can go back and see what amazing routes are there and perhaps climb with some of the skilled climbs that are definitely way off the radar screen within the world we live in. This is assuming we leave any rock when its all said and done.

I can vouch for Patty, she is the greatest climber from Rhode Island that I have ever met!

I thought it was YOUR MOM.

The greatest climber would have to be whoever could actually climb onto YOUR mom.

Look, Lordokol, whoever you are, do you know what your MOM and the Garden of the Gods have in common? 1000 visitors daily.

Lee Smith wrote:I can vouch for Patty, she is the greatest climber from Rhode Island that I have ever met!

Thanks for the vote Lee... : )

Have you heard of this elite climber from South America that people often look up to? I’ve been fortunate to have watched him in action, during my travels. He is truly amazing, despite his strange demeanor. Here are a few reasons why I think he may be “The greatest climber on the planet.”

• Although he climbs slowly, his movements are deliberate, and he can hang upside for long periods of time. Pro Boulderers,"Look out!"
• He climbs with no chalk!
• He has no problem climbing at night without a headlamp. Talk about Old School!
• He only comes down to the ground about once a week to defecate or to climb something else. What a dedicated climber!
• He’ll only urinate when it is raining; believes in “Leave No Trace.”
• He camouflages himself with algae to remain a low key climber, and if hungry he’ll eat the algae he carries on his body; great survival skills. Vegans are something else!
• If threatened, he can make lightning fast slashes to his victim, even while climbing. A great partner to have, especially when someone’s trying to intrude on your line!
• He can eat, sleep, and have sex upside down. Time to get jealous Big Wall Climbers! I even heard he prefers to have slow sex for 3 days straight. Hardcore!
• He can drink lots of beer! (Wait a minute,that’s most climbers, sorry)

They say his family is just like him! The apple doesn't fall far from the tree!

When in Peru,I snapped a picture of him, when he was caught off guard by a big crazy dude that came up to him from behind. The man grabbed him, rambling on about how sponsorship, and accepting Jesus can save him. CLICK HERE!

Gigette,
Your rain forest climber has a lot in common with Roland Thompson, a local legend around these parts.
Roland is climbing a full zone above the likes of Sharma, Caldwell, Kinder, and the Eurostars.
Roland is in his late fifties, never uses a rope or chalk, and avoids the limelight.
Roland disappears as soon as he sees anyone approach, but a lucky few have glimpsed his genius when he was unaware of their presence.
If Roland's lines were to be graded, they would turn out to be somewhere around 5.20x, V19x, WI9X M18X, etc.