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stevenm
Social climber
River Falls
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Dec 10, 2018 - 08:39am PT
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After binging some climbing movies this weekend I was reflecting on Bean. I moved to Telluride in the late 80's and he was my roommate. A couple short, but vivid stories/memories.
I climbed with him once (I'm not a climber), I climbed up three flights of stairs on an open staircase just outside an arcade on main street in Telluride. Bean took the underside of the stairs and I remember marveling at how he pulled himself up 30 feet on the back edges of the concrete stairs. His fingers were like polish sausages, even at 19
His work ethic was unbelievable, his strategy for securing a season pass in Telluride was to get up at 4:00am everday, hike up to lift nine, get to know the lift attendants real well, then after a few weeks, once he really knew them, he'd watch for the rotation and once those lift attendants made it down to the lower lifts, he'd roll right through, say hello, no pass check. The rest of us lazy bastards paid our $800 bucks.
Another time, these trust fund ski hippies living down the hall, set off the fire alarm at 2:00am, Bean came out of his bedroom, jumped up and smashed the sh#t out of the alarm, blew it up, off the ceiling with his fist. I remember he was so pissed, not because of the disruption to his sleep, but because he was angry that he let himself put his hand in danger by smashing a plastic fire alarm.
Another time, I was boarding with him, he kept telling me to point my board and pickup more speed, less turns, more pointing. He was bombing this hill, launched over the cat track huge. When he landed he caught an edge. The next day he had a fluid pocket the size of a cantaloupe on his back. I could hardly look at it, but he laughed and went to work.
He also had the most bad-ass International red jeep thing. While I know he thought of us (my brother and me) as lazy, snowboarding bums, he set the standard high. Hard working, always smiling, super athletic, all-around bad-ass and I frequently think about how I should be living my life to the fullest simply out of respect.
Another time, I was hungover and headed down to this bakery at the end of main street for some coffee and scones, bean was just returning from an early morning ice-climb with a woman climber, I can't remember her name, who I worked with at Sophios. I remember her telling me that Bean was going to do great things, that he was destined to climb in some of the world's most beautiful places.... she was right.
Lastly, I remember being told by John "Rocket" Reaves (I think that's who told me?) that Bean's dad was one of the guys cutting the first runs in Telluride with a chainsaw.
So I got it off my chest, hopefully others will read this and smile. My little piece of Bean's life, I was blessed to have known him, if even for short time.
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ontheedgeandscaredtodeath
Social climber
Wilds of New Mexico
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Dec 10, 2018 - 09:17am PT
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I met Bean in Patagonia in the 90s. He and Dave Nettle(??) rolled into the Paine and fired off the Central Tower in like 12 hours after arrival. Totally crappy season weather wise and they swooped a summit and were out of there like it was some weekend outing. Seemed like a great guy, best wishes to his friends and family.
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