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| Messages 1 - 23 of total 23 in this topic |
Chief
climber
The NW edge of The Hudson Bay
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Topic Author's Original Post - Jun 21, 2013 - 09:01am PT
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Squamish climbing pioneer and legend, "Big Jim" turns 80 today.
He brought us such classics as Diedre, Merci Me, The Phew (which showed the way to Cruel Shoes) and countless other gems.
Still keen to share a coffee, a smoke and a story or two.
Happy Birthday Jim!
(By the way, he vehemently refused to let us throw a bash for him, so don't even think about it!)
PB
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wayne w
Trad climber
the nw
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Jun 21, 2013 - 09:55am PT
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Happy Birthday, Jim! Thanks for your contributions to this arena we love, in that magnificent setting!!
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donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
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Jun 21, 2013 - 10:03am PT
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Happy birthday......!!!!
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mastadon
Trad climber
crack addict
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Jun 21, 2013 - 10:06am PT
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80th????? How can that be???? Happy B-day, you sandbagging SOB.
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Ghost
climber
A long way from where I started
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Jun 21, 2013 - 10:18am PT
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A couple times in the last few years I've rolled into Starbucks for a pre-climb coffee and run into Jim. I wish I was up there now and could do the same thing this morning.
Happy Birthday Jim!
David Harris
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MH2
climber
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Jun 21, 2013 - 11:17am PT
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I saw him in the Bluffs parking a couple weeks ago. I don't know about that 80th birthday. He seems timeless. Happy everyday, Jim!
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Big Mike
Trad climber
BC
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Jun 21, 2013 - 11:23am PT
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Happy Birthday Jim!! Thanks for all the tales!!
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Tricouni
Mountain climber
Vancouver
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Jun 21, 2013 - 12:45pm PT
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Happy Birthday, Jim! I'll see you soon.
Glenn
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peter croft
climber
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Jun 21, 2013 - 01:13pm PT
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Best birthday wishes, Jim
Such good memories from over the years.
Look forward to seeing you next time I'm up - at the coffee shop or the crag. I hope the sun is shining on you right now.
Peter
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Wayno
Big Wall climber
Seattle, WA
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Jun 21, 2013 - 01:21pm PT
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It was great to chat with you last summer at the Psyche ledge party, Jim. I really liked the not so flattering Fred Beckey tale you told. Happy birthday.
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Mighty Hiker
climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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Jun 21, 2013 - 04:20pm PT
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Coffee? Check. Cigarette? Check. Natty dress? Check. Friends around? Check.
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RyanD
climber
Squamish
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Jun 21, 2013 - 04:25pm PT
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Hey, I've seen that guy around before! So that's big Jim. Thanks for all your past & present contributions to climbing. Hope to meet u someday, happy Bday!
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Chief
climber
The NW edge of The Hudson Bay
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Topic Author's Reply - Jun 21, 2013 - 07:07pm PT
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Jim doesn't own a computer much less lurk here.
His friends do however update him on current online events and we can think of this as a birthday card Jim will see later today.
He'll be pleased.
PB
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Rolfr
Social climber
North Vancouver BC
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Jun 22, 2013 - 01:20am PT
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Happy 80th Big Jim, you're still a youngster at heart. Any route choices to celebrate the B Day?
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hamish f
Social climber
squamish
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Jun 22, 2013 - 11:15am PT
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Happy Birthday to the nicest guy in Squamish.
Big Jim was a huge help to me 30 years ago when I trashed one of my knees and underwent the wrong surgery from a useless doctor (who later was sued for leaving a sponge in some unlucky patient) in Victoria. I would've given anything to see the sports med doctors at UBC but of course the wait was months and months. Jim made a phone call or two and I was in like flint to see B.c.'s best in the knee department.
Thanks so much Jim and here's to at least another decade.
Hamish
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hamie
Social climber
Thekoots
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Jun 22, 2013 - 08:27pm PT
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Cheers "old" friend, and all the best!!
This thread needs more stories, so here's one which is fit to tell on ST.
The first time that I climbed with Jim and his climbing partner Tony Cousins was a while back, in the spring of '62. Surprisingly we didn't go to Squamish, but rather to Sky Pilot. Yes, as in Mt. Sky Pilot. Who knows what was behind this sudden alpine urge. Perhaps they had been reading "The White Spider", which had recently reached Vancouver.
We drove to the abandoned townsite of Upper Britannia, and hiked to the old cabin. Overnight we drowned our quota of mice, easy enough given the overrun circumstances. "Take that you little bastard, and that, and that".
The next morning was dank, and grey and misty, but with no snow or rain. Our ascent was uneventful, with many smoke breaks, and many smokes smoked. Lung cancer, what's that? Tales were told, some perhaps with small kernels of truth, and plans were planned. The summit was eventually summitted, as we found a cairn, and likely a register, no doubt with names too, but alas no view.
Back in Jim's house, near the PNE, there was never again mention of alpine derring-do, but talk rather of Murrin, and Lighthouse Park and the Apron and............
Hey Jim, remember that trip? Long time no see--too long.
HM.
EDIT: Perhaps it did snow. Looks like fresh snow in the 2nd photo.
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Maysho
climber
Soda Springs, CA
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Jun 22, 2013 - 10:45pm PT
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Wow, no idea you were anywhere near 80, lots of life force still evident! Big congrats and Happy Birthday!
Peter
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neebee
Social climber
calif/texas
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Jun 22, 2013 - 11:01pm PT
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hey there say, big jim... wow, what a neat picture... i love stone wall, and, they are great backdrops for artistic photos to remember, :)
happy 80th birthday and may it be as fun, all year, as that picture looked, :)
god bless!
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hamie
Social climber
Thekoots
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Jun 24, 2013 - 01:31am PT
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Time for a bump, and another story.
One day, early in our friendship, I asked Jim and Tony how they had met. Jim promptly assured me that they had met in Oakalla. For the benefit of our young or non-BC readers, Oakalla was the provincial jail in Burnaby, now closed for 20 or so years. This was the slammer for less serious offences/crooks/criminals/bad guys etc.
Being young innocent naive and gullible, I immediately believed him. Several times I almost asked them what they had done to get there, but it never seemed like the right moment. Who knew, maybe they had roughed someone up for asking too many questions!
As the weeks went by, it slowly dawned on me that Tony was far too nice a guy to have ever done time, and they were just messin' with me. Big Jim on the other hand, well...could be...maybe...possible...you never know about people...why not?........ and where/how did he get that tough-sounding nickname?
Jim, ha ha, finally gotcha back! As Hamish Fraser posted above, Jim is indeed "the nicest guy in Squamish"
HM
Someone else's turn for a story or two.
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Wayno
Big Wall climber
Seattle, WA
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Jun 24, 2013 - 01:54am PT
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Hey Neebee, say, the day I met Big Jim he walked me and Masha over to this really cool stone carving in the woods near the big boulders and told us this really interesting stuff about the carving and the carver. I think there is a picture of it already posted here once. Jim likes art.
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Chief
climber
The NW edge of The Hudson Bay
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Topic Author's Reply - Jun 24, 2013 - 02:06pm PT
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In spite of the fact Jim wouldn't let us organize a birthday bash, there was a lot of socializing and even some climbing.
Saturday Jim's family (including siblings, grown children, grandchildren and great grandchildren and inlaws) organized an afternoon feast.
Sunday a bunch of us spent most of the day climbing in the Bluffs with Jim.
He seemed pretty pleased by the whole thing and was really touched by the Supertopo "birthday card".
Photos in the works.
PB
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neebee
Social climber
calif/texas
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Jun 25, 2013 - 01:40pm PT
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hey there say, wayno... wow, thanks for sharing that...
and, to chief,
say, thanks for sharing about big jim's birthday fun!
:)
i love good birthday shares, :)
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bmacd
Trad climber
100% Canadian
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Jul 11, 2013 - 01:00pm PT
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