Who is the most famous climber you have ever met? What circumstances?

Hmm....I saw Alan Kearney dressed as a tree at a halloween party...and one time I was climbing S. Face of Prusik along with Kennan Harvey....I think..

I've met the whole Cowboys on Everest crew. I knew Todd Skinner, he took some of us out climbing when we were like 10 and he spoke at my High School's graduation... Todd is my frickin hero. Bouldered with Sonnie Trotter.

Would love to met Dave Graham, Lynn Hill, and Chris Sharma.

Haha I have had the opportunity to meet a lot. Some of my favorites are Gram, Hill, Bacher, Hong, pedersen, and Chouinard.

Drew, yes that is the Chuck Tolton of Summit County, A-Basin, Copper Mountain, fame. I grew up 2 houses down from Chuck and he was the one that got me started climbing in the summer of 72. He also was the person that talked me into going to school at Wasted State which started me on my road to rock climbing ruin. I flunked out after my 3rd quarter (yes, it was quarters back then) because I was spending all of my time at Hartman's and Taylor Canyon (I had a grade point average of 0.7!, I did finally go back and graduate near the top of my class) Even though Chuck never became a big name in climbing circles, he was one of the smoothest climbers I've ever seen, and he introduced me to some of that eras big bad boys on the western slope.

Several years ago, I was sitting atop Stichter Quits in J-Tree with my friend Sally as she brought up my wife Susan. As we sat there, a craggy old guy popped up as he finished a nearby route. I elbowed Sally, and asked her if she knew who it was. “That’s Jim Bridwell,” I told her. He was there with a couple of clients.

Jim and his party set up their rap as we finished our climb. As we approached the rap station, Sally asked me “Is it okay if we use your rope to rap?” Thinking that Sally was talking to him, Jim replied “Sure”.

Sally often tells how she got to rap on Jim Bridwell’s rope, but I always chime in that not only did I get to rap on it; I got to coil Jim Bridwell’s rope.

What was really great about that encounter was that our friend Mick, who was battling cancer, was unable to make the trip with us. Sally ran back to her car and got a card she had for Mick, and got Jim to sign it for him. I think Mick really appreciated that gesture, and it brought home to me how truly down-to-earth a lot of our climbing heroes are.

One of a few: Bobbi Bensman after her boob job. I fondly called her Boobi Bensman after that and there isn't a shred of disrespect in her nickname. I can't believe I was the only climber who recognized her at this climbing-shoe workshop. She so rocks!

Met Ammon Mcneely after climbing on Manure Pile Buttress in the valley. I was the first one down off the route and raced back to the car for some water because I was ravenously thirsty. Sat down on a bench and smoked a cig, looked over and there is the man himself with a few buddies next to an old van. I walked over and introduced myself and shook hands. Real cool guy, not a bit of arrogance or elitist attitude whatsoever. Bullshitted until the other guys got back down and then bailed out for a night of boozing

A few years ago Heidi Wirtz came to the island I live on to relax... probably wasn't planning on climbing at all. She was with her mom, etc.

A friend of mine named Shamick, who comes here to rebolt every year, is apparently friends with Heidi. He was all like "my friend Heidi is coming, leave her alone, don't ask her for her autograph or anything stupid." I was like "dude, I don't even know who this person is so don't worry about it."

Well, Shamick convinced her to go out climbing with us one day. I could tell they just wanted to chill but they came with us anyways.

Anyways, Heidi and her b/f backed off of a route they were trying because of noticeably rusty bolts, just above a sharp coral reef. A broken bolt would have been ugly.

So this climb is one that I've wanted to do for a while. I get on it after them, not to show them up or anything, but just to do it. I one hang it (not a hard route but I was happy to do it). Then on the boat on the way back I'm all like "the grades here are soft anyways, you should have done it." Heidi says "yea, it's just not that important to me, tender finger, bad bolts, etc." I reply with some stupid shit like "come on you're in Thailand just climb and have fun, bla bla bla."

I don't remember exactly what I said... I just remember finding out who she was a few days later, and how strong of a climber she is, and feeling really stupid. It became pretty obvious why it wasn't important to her!

Anyways I'm not sure she cared at all what I said and probably doesn't even remember me but I still felt like a douche.

Other than that, I've met a lot of "famous" climbers but just randomly. Probably the one that had the most influence was Micah Dash. Just such an out going guy, loved to involve everyone in the conversation, make sure everyone was having fun and not getting too serious about whatever they were doing (and this was at the Red, where A LOT of people seem to get too serious).

Hope you're still climbing up there somewhere!

Had the honor to climb with Bob Kamps when he stopped by our area, we did several routes together. He got the second accent of a route of mine. Met Warren Harding in Estes giving a slide show, Todd Skinner stopped by our area as well.

I met Jack Marshal at a Donkey Show in Tijuana.

I met Lynn Hill at the spot in boulder. She showed me how much of a badass climber she is, and how much of a candyass I am. It was awesome.

Shared belay ledges with Chuck Pratt on Devil's Tower. Fred Beckey in Joshua Tree. He asked me for directions.

Kurt Smith came to our gym for a slide show and was drinking Michelob Ultra at the after party. James, our local smart ass asked "Why the hell are you drinking Michelob Ultra?!?!?". Kurt replied "To keep my weight down" to which James shot back "Michelob Ultra! It's what beer drinkers drink when they're not drinking beer!" Kurt was not amused.

Sharma, signing posters in Boulder. I told him he should come to Devils Lake to try the hard bouldering (half joking) to which he replied; "Whoa, cool man. Sounds sweet!". He never showed up :(

Michael Reardon in Boulder in a bar, I was too intoxicated to remember what the hell I said to him.

FAMOUS Winsonsinite (TM) Jay Knower! At DL, slept on his couch in NH, AND we both spent some time in the same internet bitch-fests ;)

I've met Russ Walling too. And, clearly, this gives me an advantage over other people.

I ran into Steve House at Smith Rock. He actually apologized to me as I walked by for having some of his gear scattered on the trail! He definitely didn't come off as another cocky sponsored athlete, even though he's a rock star here in Oregon. He seemed pretty chill.

Tom Hanson. He was cranking hard and solo on the juggy handle of a coffee pot on the west face of the break room at Agilent Technologies. He's taught me a lot since then - about coffee and climbing and spinning yarns. Yarns as imaginative as a Dali painting. Good thing he doesn't fish!

money order is in the mail

I've climbed with caughtinside, who is a legend in his own mind.

Ryan Kelly wrote:I met Jack Marshall at a Donkey Show in Tijuana.

Was he in the audience or involved in the show?

I had this smart-mouthed (but rather funny) Aussie in the back of the WFR class I taught in Moab a couple of years ago...he handed in his exam and it said Greg Child on the top of it...no, I was not worthy.