The best offwidth climber ever

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eeyonkee

Trad climber
Golden, CO
Topic Author's Original Post - Jul 29, 2013 - 09:08pm PT
First, I'll give you my answer...Pamela "Shanti" Pack.

Next, I'll give you some disclaimers:
1)I have not followed climbing news for huge portions of my climbing career (spanning 43 years).
2) I still haven't watched the Offwidth Boyz video, and
3) You really can't trust me to remember anything exactly correctly.

So, who's in the running (besides Pamela)?
Again, acknowledging gaps in my internal database, I can think of:
 Chuck Pratt
 Royal Robbins
 Peter Hahn
 Mark Klemens
 (Any climber from the 1960s)
 Jimmy Dunn
 Dale Bard
 Werner
 Steve Schneider
 Randy Leavitt
 Craig Luebben
 Chuck Grossman
 Julie Brugger
 Bob Scarpelli
 Pete Takeda
 Jaybro
 Ed Hartouni (just kidding, Ed)
 The "Offwidth Boyz" from the U.K.
 Possibly one to several unknown climbers who just went out and did it without talking about it.

I've only seen Pamela climb three different, short, offwidth pitches. Two of them had sections that Jaybro and I couldn't touch (I hope I'm not out of line here, Jaybro... I calls 'em as I sees 'em). Pamela barely broke a sweat.

I mean really, I don't see any holes in her game, and she's done 5.13s. If nothing else, she's our best hope against the Brits.


goatboy smellz

climber
Nederland-GulfBreeze
Jul 29, 2013 - 09:10pm PT
Pamela or Pratt, and that one guy from Tennessee I saw climb at Vedauwoo.
Who's Jaybro?
Has he done anything in Colorado or Tennessee?

I mean if he hasn't done anything in CO or TN how can we judge his badassery?
Please advise?
Mungeclimber

Trad climber
Nothing creative to say
Jul 29, 2013 - 09:12pm PT
Ever is a long time, and I'm going to crack open the 5.8 offwidth field in no time!

Just saying.

;)
goatboy smellz

climber
Nederland-GulfBreeze
Jul 29, 2013 - 09:18pm PT
Munge is at least cracking into the top ten based on motivation and his ranking on widefetish.
peter croft

climber
Jul 29, 2013 - 09:20pm PT
As to the above - perhaps, but the most flat out unbelievable off width effort I ever saw was Greg Cameron's onsight solo, first free ascent of Pipeline in Squamish. Who's Eeyonkee by the way?
eeyonkee

Trad climber
Golden, CO
Topic Author's Reply - Jul 29, 2013 - 09:20pm PT
Okay, Munge, let's change "ever" to "present day". Unless civilization ends sooner than I think, there will certainly be a better one sometime in the future.
The Larry

climber
Moab, UT
Jul 29, 2013 - 09:21pm PT
Has he done anything in Colorado?

I always heard Vedauwoo was Colorado's best summer crag.
goatboy smellz

climber
Nederland-GulfBreeze
Jul 29, 2013 - 09:24pm PT
It's only a daydream away from reality Larry.
eeyonkee

Trad climber
Golden, CO
Topic Author's Reply - Jul 29, 2013 - 09:30pm PT
Aw, shucks, Peter, I really wasn't fishing for a compliment. I'm merely expressing my appreciation and acknowledgment of a truly remarkable talent. (And again, we NEED to do SOMETHING about those Brits showing us up!).
Ed Hartouni

Trad climber
Livermore, CA
Jul 29, 2013 - 09:39pm PT
gee, I'm a broken man from my OW exploits... I can't imagine every having been included, jokingly or not, in that list!

Gary Carpenter could represent our efforts more than I could...

The canonical list of Yosemite Valley OW is:

Cleft, The 5.9 1965 Chuck Pratt Chris Fredricks
Peter Pan 5.9+ 1962 Bob Kamps Jim Sims
Apron Jam 5.9 1965 Galen Rowell Gordon Webster
Banana Dreams 5.10a 1974 Vern Clevenger
Cookie, The, Left Side 5.10a 1968 Royal Robbins Loyd Price
This and That 5.10a 1972 Jim Donini Jim Bridwell
Mongolian Clusterf*#k 5.10a 1972 Jim Donini
Chingando 5.10a 1965 Chuck Pratt
Reed's Pinnacle Left Side 5.10a 1962 Frank Sacherer Dick Erb Larry Marshik
Bongs Away, Center 5.10a 1970 Barry Bates Mark Klemens
Hourglass, The, Right Side 5.10a 1964 Frank Sacherer Tom Gerughty
Gollum, Left Side 5.10a 1972 Peter Hahn Rick Linkert David Moss
Orange Juice Avenue 5.10a 1975 Chris Falkenstein Don Reid
Secret Storm 5.10a 1971 Peter Haan Roger Breedlove
Doggie Do 5.10a ? Chris Fredericks
Geek Towers, Center Route 5.10a 1974 Jim Bridwell John Syrett
Geek Towers, Right Side 5.10a 1971 Mark Klemens Jim Bridwell
Worst Error, Right Side 5.10a 1962 Frank Sacherer Galen Rowell
Crack of Doom 5.10a 1961 Chuck Pratt Mort Hempel
Crack of Despair 5.10a 1964 Frank Sacherer Chuck Pratt Tom Gerughty
Vendetta 5.10b 1968 Royal Robbins Galen Rowell
Slack, The, Left Side 5.10b 1965 Chuck Pratt Royal Robbins
Smoky Pillar 5.10b 1973 Jim Bridwell George Meyers Vern Clevenger Larry Bruce
Book of Job 5.10b 1971 Jim Donini Rik Rieder
Pulpit Pooper 5.10b 1972 Jim Orey Jack Roberts
Jam Session 5.10b 1971 Mark Klemens Jim Bridwell
Twinkie 5.10c 1973 Ray Jardine Chris Nelson
Shaft, The 5.10d 1971 Matt Donohoe George Meyers
Wild Turkey 5.10c 1974 Dale Bard Ron Kauk
Edge of Night 5.10c 1967 Chris Fredericks Rich Doleman Jim Bridwell
Fallout 5.10c 1972 Jim Donini Steve Wunsch
Mental Block 5.10c 1973 Dale Bard Jim Bridwell
Barefoot Servants 5.10c 1980 Don Reid Alan Bartlett Alan Roberts
Twilight Zone 5.10d 1965 Chuck Pratt Chris Fredericks
Steppin' Out 5.10d 1971 Mark Klemens Jim Bridwell
Plumb Line 5.10d 1974 Dale Bard Jim Bridwell Kevin Worrall
Cream 5.11a 1971 Mark Klemens
On the Edge 5.11b 1975 Dale Bard George Meyers

and counting the FA team frequency yields:

9 Jim Bridwell
6 Chuck Pratt
5 Mark Klemens
4 Chris Fredericks
4 Dale Bard
4 Frank Sacherer
4 Jim Donini
3 Galen Rowell
3 George Meyers
3 Royal Robbins
2 Don Reid
2 Peter Haan
2 Tom Gerughty
2 Vern Clevenger
1 Alan Bartlett
1 Alan Roberts
1 Barry Bates
1 Bob Kamps
1 Chris Falkenstein
1 Chris Nelson
1 David Moss
1 Dick Erb
1 Gordon Webster
1 Jack Roberts
1 Jim Orey
1 Jim Sims
1 John Syrett
1 Kevin Worrall
1 Larry Marshik
1 Loyd Price
1 Matt Donohoe
1 Mort Hempel
1 Ray Jardine
1 Rich Doleman
1 Rick Linkert
1 Rik Rieder
1 Roger Breedlove
1 Ron Kauk
1 Steve Wunsch
goatboy smellz

climber
Nederland-GulfBreeze
Jul 29, 2013 - 09:42pm PT
Should the FA's free done by Lynn Hill be in there somewhere based on the Free Nose or Steve on Excalibur?

We shouldn't bother with the rest of the world and that list until later, the Californian's blind eye to other accomplishments nevers ceases to amaze.
peter croft

climber
Jul 29, 2013 - 09:43pm PT
I know you weren't fishing Greg - you did it so quietly it turned into Squamish myth almost immediately. The whole lot of us were flabbergasted.
Peter Haan

Trad climber
Santa Cruz, CA
Jul 29, 2013 - 10:06pm PT
You people.... it is really quite clear. Those great brits, The Wideboyz, have hugely advanced the craft into another realm just recently. Maybe not so much as a manifestation of spirit, brujo, and transcendence, but hell its 2013 and its all new gear. I am referring to Pete Whittaker and Tom Randall.
kaholatingtong

Trad climber
Nevada City
Jul 29, 2013 - 10:14pm PT
ed highlights some interesting numerical patterns, and i think shanti definitely deserves mention, but from my perspective, the brits definitely take the cake.
Russ Walling

Social climber
from Poofters Froth, Wyoming
Jul 29, 2013 - 10:20pm PT
Those lads from Britain, hands down.
eeyonkee

Trad climber
Golden, CO
Topic Author's Reply - Jul 29, 2013 - 10:22pm PT
Okay, so I admit I was being a little provocative in the thread title. Sue me. And, I would have to admit that, on the face of it, one or the other of those Brits is "strongly in the running", maybe even the favorite. Pamela has got to be right up there, though.







SteveW

Trad climber
The state of confusion
Jul 29, 2013 - 10:23pm PT

Knott qualified to judge, but those lists tell of quite a few
masters, for sure!
Roger Breedlove

climber
Cleveland Heights, Ohio
Jul 29, 2013 - 10:29pm PT
While Mark Klemens' name shows up on Ed's list, Mark set the bar very high for off-width in the early 1970's. He climbed Cream in 1971, now rated 5.11.

He was one of the drivers of the 70s free-climbing boom in the Valley.
Ed Hartouni

Trad climber
Livermore, CA
Jul 29, 2013 - 10:31pm PT
just providing information, smellz, I don't have it for other places... you care to put some stuff up that would be a contribution....

...you care to criticize what is put up? not very helpful...

the "canonical list" for YV was also created by Bridwell, so there may be an inherent bias to the definition... on the other hand, he seemed to have been involved, at least in California, with the development of OW...

not saying it didn't happen elsewhere.

Can I qualify my post any better? how could I do better in the future? what level of care need I undertake to make sure I am not misunderstood? a more elaborate disclaimer? extensive citations from the climbing literature? an expression of possible conflict of interests?

Please help make my posts more accurate... I obviously need it.

lars johansen

Trad climber
West Marin, CA
Jul 29, 2013 - 10:34pm PT
Let's not forget Chingando 5.10a Chuck Pratt '65.
I almost puked...

lars
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