Your Favorite Oldschool Legends

I'd love to know more about the halcyon days of climbing in the 60's-80's. Who are some of your favorite climbers of previous generations, and why?

In my limited experience and reading ...

- Layton Kor. A prolific pioneer with a larger-than-life personality. "Beyond the Vertical" was an inspiring read for me.  

- Pat Ament. An all-around Renaissance man / polymath. I had the pleasure of interviewing him in person a couple times and thoroughly enjoyed his stories and perspective on climbing as compared to his other disciplines (gymnastics, chess, writing and music).

- Peter Croft. The story about him soloing that wet slab using the knees of his long-johns totally did it for me. And supposedly the guy still works as a guide just because he loves it? Permastoke.

- Jim Newberry. If you're ever driving from Montrose to Gunny, stop at his gas station in Cimarron and look through his binder of newspaper clippings from the FA of H-Wall.

- Earl Wiggins. Wish I could have met him. I feel like we would've had a lot in common.

Lynn Hill. Wherever a climb seems reachy or too Powerful, just remind yourself of Little Lynny. It goes, boys.

Bonnie Prudden. She breaks her pelvis skiing, is told she’ll always walk with a limp, but gets into climbing with other noted BAs Fritz Weissner and Hans Kraus. Hans backs off a climb, hands the sharp end to Bonnie, and now it’s known as Bonnie’s Roof cuz of course she sent. 

All of them..because the were badass.

How about some good old "Hot Henry" Barber stories?

• There's a story of Henry Barber leading a roof crack in North Carolina (Looking Glass?) That had shut down the locals. He's swinging a hex at the crack trying to get pro. He finally gets the pro right as his jam slips out. Dangling one-handed from the hex, he clips the rope and casually continues climbing.
• Apparently, on the first ascent of Drop Die or Fly in the Adirondacks, Henry ran out of rope and his belayer tied a second rope on for him to finish. I've always been confused by that one.
• Did you know if you put a phonograph on Hot Henry's nipple it plays the Beach Boys Pet Sounds?

Conrad Kain. That guy was decades ahead of his time.

No one will ever be ahead of their time like Jim Bridwell.  Todd Skinner was one hell of a buckaroo.  

Reinhold Messner was  visionary.

In no particular order:  Hot Henry.  Dick Williams.  Hans und Fritz.  Verm.  JSTAN.  jogill.  Jello.  Joe Brown.  Andy Nisbet.  Tom Patey.  W.H. Murray.  JHB Bell.  Dougal Haston.

I would love to have shared a cup (that I dug out of the trash for free refills) of McDonald's coffee with Fred Beckey.

John Gill  

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_climbers_and_mountaineers  

A rather complete list to look through.  I have been fortunate to have met and had brief conversations with several of these.  If I had to pick one person who stands out - it would have to be Fred Beckey - for the shear number of ascents and decades being in the game. 

Hermann Buhl was The Man. Incredible soloing and first ascents from before our time. But he was before the 1960's.

Jim Erikson - notable story being when he ended his soloing career by falling off the crux of Death and Disfiguration, shattering both legs, and crawling back to the trail.  If you've hike to Green Mountain Pinnacle in the Flatirons, you can only imagine what kind of a descent that was like.

Derek Hersey for just being a humble dude who loves to climb without a rope. His nonchalant solos and free ascents are jaw dropping to me.

John Muir, despite not exactly fitting the mold of a climber's career

+1 for Lynn Hill, John Gill, John Long (read "The Only Blasphemy), and Bachar.

Sean Sullivan wrote: How about some good old "Hot Henry" Barber stories?

How about the time Hot Henry abandoned his injured partner- Nick Taylor- in a primitive aid station in Africa so HE could get back to a trade show on time. 

Detrick Snyder wrote: 
Derek Hersey 

Up Yellow Wall, down Casual, and then up Pervertical in a day? Pretty rowdy! 

not as storied as many of the names listed, but Charlie Fowler contributed immensely to the development got the southwest and seems like a real badass guy.

i’ll add John Turner for putting his stamp on the northeast before returning to the u.k. to pursue fox hunting. gamesmanship, and his leads at bon écho alone seem mindblowing for the time. there are photos of him with miles of rope under his feet, hard to imagine the way we are able to sew things up today.

interestingly, both of these heroes fall on the bookends of the timeline mentioned. 

Alex Handhold is my favorite oldschool legend.  Did you guys see that movie a couple years ago where he climbed without a rope? Legen...Dary

Tom Frost.

Read about him on a British expedition to the SE Face of Annapurna, losing a summit bid but contently eating wheat germ at 27,000.

Colin Kirkus.

Jordy Clements wrote: Bonnie Prudden. She breaks her pelvis skiing, is told she’ll always walk with a limp, but gets into climbing with other noted BAs Fritz Weissner and Hans Kraus. Hans backs off a climb, hands the sharp end to Bonnie, and now it’s known as Bonnie’s Roof cuz of course she sent. 

Yes, great climber and inspiration. She sent, but just for historical accuracy, it was an aid climb. FFA was by Williams and McCarthy.

Lynn Hill, Catherine Destivelle, Royal Robbins, Yvon Chouinard, Fred Beckey, Joe Simpson, John Gill, Vermin Sherman, Bridwell, Yabo, George Mallory. Shit the list could go on forever.