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Andy KP
climber
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Topic Author's Original Post - Jun 6, 2017 - 07:03am PT
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A few people have been asking me to write something about Alex's climb, but with so many dead superheroes I don't have the heart, to applaud it would just make me part of the gurning wincing mob, and to be critical would just make me sound old. The only words that came to mind were Byron's: "Who tracks the steps of glory to the grave?", thinking that Byron would have marveled at this strangest of roulette-suicide-performance, broadcast on all channels and in 4K. Instead, I'll just post here an email I sent to Alex in 2012, not to show some small foresight (it wasn't), but rather for Gods in waiting, who want to put the barrel between their teeth, to ponder for just a second.
//Hi Alex
Many moons ago I was asked to pick up an award for you at the Kendal Mountain Film festival for your first film. I can remember watching it before I got up and thinking that, unlike people like Ueli or Dean - who I guessed would die climbing - I really hoped you made it (Dean and Ueli dance to a different drum than you). Here was a unique human being - hell - a demigod! - and the world was a much richer place with you in it. When I picked up the award someone said I had to give a speech, so I just said the first thing that came into my mind, which was “Beware of the audience” - sage advice given to me by a long dead soloist.
A few years later I finally sat opposite you in the canteen in the Valley, and instead of me saying hello to you, you said ‘Are you Andy Kirkpatrick’ - which I thought was pretty cool. That year I was out there trying to solo Zodiac in a day, which for a 40 year old non valley climber with kids - and in June! - turned out to be quite a trip (soloed it in a push but not under 24h in the end).
Anyway sat there talking to you, I had the feeling again that I hoped you made it. Here was an Achilles of rock! Your talent and uniqueness are only manifest in rock now, but who knows what wonders they could conjure later?
I’m sure if I’d got down on my knees and said ‘please stop soloing hard sh#t Alex’ you’d have thought I was mad, and who’d want you to. Instead, I just gave you a cryptic line, that when a Roman emperor rode through Rome - the crowds cheering the most powerful man who had ever lived - he would have a slave beside him whispering ‘remember that you’re mortal’.
Why am I writing this? Well when people say to me sometimes (always complete strangers), ‘please by careful’ I used to think it was because I was so f*#king hardcore - but it wasn’t, it was because they loved this person they’d never met, and this love and care was deeper than the fleeting burst of adrenaline of a man risking it all for f*#k all. You’re only a commodity to mags and sponsors, but you’re a brother to all climbers everywhere. I’m writing this as your brother because that’s what a brother would do (along with a well done!).
So get your sh#t together and make the first free solo of El Cap, don’t die doing it, then do the hardest move of your life and make that your legacy to climbing - not your death.
Cheers
Andy//
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WBraun
climber
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You people should quit projecting your own fantasies onto him wanting him to be like the fantasies you've created in your own minds.
He is him not you .......
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Andy KP
climber
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Topic Author's Reply - Jun 6, 2017 - 07:55am PT
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Wax melts
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healyje
Trad climber
Portland, Oregon
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Climbing is not worth dying for...
Neither is proximity flying, heroin or eating puffer fish. It's also kinda beside the point.
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jeff constine
Trad climber
Ao Namao
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Some people do not like kids lol Kingtut
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Gnome Ofthe Diabase
climber
Out Of Bed
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http://www.supertopo.com/climbers-forum/1122068/CLIMB-and-PUNISHMENT-An-Open-Telegram-to-Alex-Honnold
This from Ed Drummond,
(Ed who?- He put up several extremely difficult and dangerous (very loose rock) sea cliff climbs in England. Look up "A Dream of White Horses" the Sea Cliff, ? . . White Horse's . . . A loose death-wish Hooror show on the coast of England. . )
Andy KP
climber, Topic Author's Reply - Jun 6, 2017 - 07:55am PT
Wax melts ?
WAX MELTS
Where have all the flowers gone?
Dabs? Wax? Concentrates?
I've never had the chance to
I hear the Concetrates are great
Just a dab will do ya'
but where's is the fun in that;
Just one hit?
one always consumes more than one needs
As great as A hit is, two or more, as possible,
is greater still?
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WBraun
climber
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Why do you rescue someone?
I've never rescued anyone.
The US govt did ......
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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eKat..... +1
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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Vey cool Andy. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I share the same sentiment. I'm sure on some level he appreciated it.
Scott
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tradmanclimbs
Ice climber
Pomfert VT
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no one can tell him what to do. we can certainly hope that he dials the soloing back to pleasure climbing levels. he seems like a super nice guy with a lot to offer the world.
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nah000
climber
now/here
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climbing is not worth dying for
'not dying' is not worth dying for...
to paraphrase: it's not just lack of food that kills a person...
only person who knows what truly feeds himself is alex.
all of these 'open letters' are just climbing's version of letters to the editors about politics.
only difference is these [unlike the ones to the editors] are completely [rather than just mostly] impotent.
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JimT
climber
Munich
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This from Ed Drummond,
(Ed who?- He put up several extremely difficult and dangerous (very loose rock) sea cliff climbs in England. Look up "A Dream of White Horses" the Sea Cliff, ? . . White Horse's . . . A loose death-wish Hooror show on the coast of England. . )
Hmm, I´ve climbed with Ed Ward-Drummond (as he was then) back in the day.
A Dream of White Horses is hardly a loose death-wish horror show, its a solid, borderline 5.9/5.10a. It´s also NOT in England.
While some of his climbing achievements where noteworthy in the context of the age he always held controversial views which have not stood the test of time and appeared to be a "confused" character to put it gently. Not a person who´s views I would ever be remotely interested in reading or following.
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snowhazed
Trad climber
Oaksterdam, CA
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What's more tragic? That he die soloing or die as an old man of disease?
The answer is neither, if you feel it's one or the other then that's your judgment, your selfishness, your fears projected.
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Jon Beck
Trad climber
Oceanside
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If Alex was on his own journey and completely in control of his own fate he would not have entered into a publicity deal with the Fox media conglomerate. I do not fault him in any respect, just saying that our choices are not always made solely from our own consciousness.
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snowhazed
Trad climber
Oaksterdam, CA
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His choice to work with Nat Geo proves that it wasn't his choice?
Your logic is wanting.
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Fossil climber
Trad climber
Atlin, B. C.
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Thanks, Andy - I understand your sentiments completely. When you see an amazing person who really has his or her head on straight and is apparently a really good human being too, you don't want to lose them.
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Oplopanax
Mountain climber
The Deep Woods
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I don't think less of my friends who died climbing because they died climbing
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survival
Big Wall climber
Terrapin Station
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What's more tragic? That he die soloing or die as an old man of disease?
I bet if you ask Alex, he would say that he'd like to live to get old.
Nobody is trying to tell Alex what to do, they're only hoping out loud that he lives a long life.
My guess is that Dean, Ueli and John wouldn't be spouting any swami bin solo crap right now, and all thought what the f*#k at that awful moment.
Beware the audience is a good one.
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healyje
Trad climber
Portland, Oregon
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What's more tragic? That he die soloing or die as an old man of disease?
The couple of times I came 'that' close to dying while climbing I can vividly recall wishing I was reading a magazine on the toilet instead.
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