Overated Heroes of Climbing History

JCM wrote:

More broadly - can we just say that the whole California Stonemasters cohort is overrated? They did some great climbing, but the amount of space they take up in the climbing history consciousness, to this day, is a bit out of whack. Other regions and other eras deserve a slice of the pie also.

Homann, this is going to devolve into a Cali hate thread. Should be fun to watch.

I get that stonemaster worship is overdone, but it's not surprising. There's no region like the valley, and they where the main characters in the golden era of that region. Could you make a film like "Valley Uprising" for any other area? No other time or place is going to be nearly as interesting.

Also you all know that some of these "overrated" climbers that seem to get the lion-share of mainstream media just have agents that get them these gigs, right? It's not that climber x is being shunned by the media; they just don't have anyone working for them. Part of this is that they just don't have "it". John Long has it, Honnold has it, Digiulian's has it. Ondra's got an entire media team. Other's either don't want to go the route of getting a talent agent (and that's perfectly fine), or don't got "it" to be of use to that talent agency. It's weird that the narratives that gain mass appeal shape the zeitgeist, but hey I'm just playing on rocks over here.

Cherokee,

I think you are a good dude, seriously.

But jimmy, conrad and Renan kicked tail on Meru.

Right?

Jimmy Is a film maker who climbs pretty well, imo.

how do people feel about dean potter?

definitely did some cool stuff...but should he be "up there" in the history books?

F r i t z wrote:

Tom Cruise. 

For serious though ... maybe Sharma? It seems like his accomplishments are linear incremental progressions as opposed to exponential breakthroughs. Maybe that's just the nature of pushing grades in sport.

Sasha, for the same reason?

In defense of Honnold, it's going to be a while before someone matches Freerider or Moonlight or Sendero (which I personally find the most impressive of his résumé). His neuropsychological constitution is pretty unique.

 Apropos of nothing, that kid who onsight up-and-down-soloed the huge 5.10c in Patagonia was pretty impressive. 

and OP, good job eliciting detailed responses. My "unsung" thread, you may as well read the telephone book for all the one-line posts.

I’d vehemently disagree. It took Sharma so long to push the grades because nobody else was in the league as him for a while. I mean the dude has more 5.15 ascents than damn near everybody and I think probably does have the most 5.15 FA’s. Not only did he push the grades of sport climbing two or three grades (almost) single-handedly. He also has multiple V15 ticks and played a critical role in evolv’s and prana’s early success. This does not include the work he’s done opening multiple climbing gyms.

Just my 2¢

William K wrote:

Reinhold Messner was never at the cutting edge of bouldering or sport climbing.  

Messner climbed VIII (5.11d) in 1968 on his eponymous slab on the Pilastro di Mezzo, Sass dla Crusc. Totally at the cutting edge of rock climbing at that time. 

almostrad wrote:

John Long. He's pompous and took credit for a lot of "FA's" that Lynn actually freed.

Waiting for that long list.   Take yer time. 

Sasha, Caldwell, Robbins, Megos, Jimmy Chin, lots of others to add... Ed Viesturs.

Honnold? Are u serious? Besides being the best free soloist ever, he highballs near his v12 limit, climbs 9a, crazy alpine in Patagonia, and outdid Caldwell in all the speed/linkups in Yosemite. If Ondra grew up in Sacramento he'd be Honnold.

It was chongo, not chango.   And to all of the Lynn and Largo haters--you all are so f'ing jealous.

They still rock--and even though Largo can't climb anymore, he writes better than any of you.

And for Alex--check out the new AAJ and see what he and Tommy Caldwell did in RMNP.

Every kid on the gym climbing team. 

almostrad wrote:

John Long. He's pompous and took credit for a lot of "FA's" that Lynn actually freed.

So how is this getting so many likes?

Sure he is pompus and his writing is overrated, especially anything not about climbing. 

But the unsubstantiated claim that he took credit for FAs? That's straight up libel. Who the hell are you to make that claim?

Daniel Chode Rider wrote:

Sasha, Caldwell, Robbins, Megos, Jimmy Chin, lots of others to add... Ed Viesturs.

Honnold? Are u serious? Besides being the best free soloist ever, he highballs near his v12 limit, climbs 9a, crazy alpine in Patagonia, and outdid Caldwell in all the speed/linkups in Yosemite. If Ondra grew up in Sacramento he'd be Honnold.

Ed Viesturs? I guess everyone and their uncle climbs all 14 8000 meters peaks without supplemental oxygen. 

Kevin Mokracek wrote:

Waiting for that long list.   Take yer time. 

https://www.mountainproject.com/route/115344815/ophir-broke

Paisano's

There's more

FWIW, I wasn't there, (and neither were you), but one of my close friends and mentors was around all the action in those days and having plenty of experience talking and working with John myself, I trust my friend's word over Largo's.

I have zero interest in turning this into a "hate on largo" thread, but enough folks asked so there it is. 

curt86iroc wrote:

how do people feel about dean potter?

definitely did some cool stuff...but should he be "up there" in the history books?

came to post this. seemed kinda pompous

This thread makes me sad.

FWIW, I wasn't there, (and neither were you), but one of my close friends and mentors was around all the action in those days and having plenty of experience talking and working with John myself, I trust my friend's word over Largo's.

I was “around the action in those days”

I never heard Lynn was the first to free Paisano overhang. John claimed it in 1973, and that was before  he and Richard Harrison told me they had introduced a promising young gymnast, Lynn Hill, to climbing. Her bio on wiki says she first climbed in 1975.

Not saying it isn’t possible that Largo lied about PO, and Lynn did it first - I didn’t witness it - just saying it’s extremely unlikely.

caesar.salad wrote:

came to post this. seemed kinda pompous

Are you reading the rest of this thread?

Stannis The Mannis wrote:

Ed Viesturs? I guess everyone and their uncle climbs all 14 8000 meters peaks without supplemental oxygen. 

Aside from that, and he wasn't even the first or second to so it, his climbing career consists of absolutely nothing else. He barely even climbed except when he was on his yearly Himalaya trip. No technically hard climbing, no inspiring solos, no lightning quick ascents, with a few exceptions just the safest trade routes on the 8,000ers. Never did anything groundbreaking, and his contemporaries (even some partners) were light years ahead on the alpine climbing scale.

Kevin Worrall wrote:

I was “around the action in those days”

I never heard Lynn was the first to free Paisano overhang. John claimed it in 1973, and that was before  he and Richard Harrison told me they had introduced a promising young gymnast, Lynn Hill, to climbing. Her bio on wiki says she first climbed in 1975.

Not saying it isn’t possible that Largo lied about PO, and Lynn did it first - I didn’t witness it - just saying it’s extremely unlikely.

I suppose I was broad stroking about the Lynn aspect. Paisano may not fit that bill, but it just sounds like that was a common thread for a while when they were dating.  Maybe I'll just say instead that there's a fine line between exaggerating and lying, and he didn't strike me as a pillar of honesty, nor do the stories I've always heard from people in his peer group. Perhaps a Cesare Maestri type.