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Avery
climber
NZ
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Topic Author's Original Post - Sep 17, 2014 - 05:54am PT
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Thanks to a relatively new biography, the late Bill Denz is finally getting the recognition he deserves.
As far as I can gauge a lot of supertopians have, at the very least, heard of the bold Kiwi.
Lets hear all the the stories, hold nothing back.
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guido
Trad climber
Santa Cruz/New Zealand/South Pacific
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Sep 17, 2014 - 09:24am PT
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You mean this character?
Our very own celeb Marty Garrison climbed the NA Wall with Bill and Denz and I after a first meeting at Mt Cook in the early 70s remained friends for years. Quite the character Mr Bill!
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Bullwinkle
Boulder climber
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Sep 17, 2014 - 09:25am PT
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Brilliant Photo!!
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survival
Big Wall climber
Terrapin Station
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Sep 17, 2014 - 09:31am PT
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He's got ape hair crawling out of his shirt!!
Guido, I didn't know you did the N.A. Wall with Denz. Well I did it with Lepton Man, so there.....
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survival
Big Wall climber
Terrapin Station
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Sep 17, 2014 - 09:57am PT
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Pictured here climbing with Zappa Dave on a Dawn Wall/Mescalito link up?
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nah000
climber
canuckistan
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Sep 17, 2014 - 05:14pm PT
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another +1 for an epic photo...
while i always thought sheridan anderson was a cartoonist, based on that photo i'm thinking maybe what i thought was charicature was actually portraiture based on denz and his family... ha!
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neebee
Social climber
calif/texas
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Sep 17, 2014 - 05:48pm PT
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hey there say, all... wow, the things we learn at supertopo... :)
course, since i am not a climber, i got all kinds of things about all kinds of climber out there, to learn about...
thanks for sharing, everyone, :)
*the newer, now ongoing trip reports are great too, and such, but
i really enjoy learning about the past adventures, and climbers that
were inspirations and encouraged others...
it reminds me of dance, and art, etc... how one learns from the 'masters' so to speak, that lead the way, or overcame obstacles, etc...
or got out into the world, and just simply the share that:
"say, YOU can do it too... if you try, and have a trusted mentor"
:)
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Avery
climber
NZ
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Topic Author's Reply - Sep 17, 2014 - 05:49pm PT
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East Face of Kichatna Spire. 1st ascent Bill Denz and Scott Woolums, 1982
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WBraun
climber
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Sep 17, 2014 - 05:55pm PT
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So .... ?
What's Bill doing these days?
edit ,,,, Oops "the late" ....sorry.
What happened to him?
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martygarrison
Trad climber
Washington DC
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Sep 17, 2014 - 05:58pm PT
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This guy was one bad ass climber. I was lucky to hook up with him.
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Avery
climber
NZ
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Topic Author's Reply - Sep 17, 2014 - 06:33pm PT
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That's OK Werner, it's an honest mistake.
Bill was killed in an avalanche on Makalu in 1983.
How well did you know him?
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Avery
climber
NZ
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Topic Author's Reply - Sep 17, 2014 - 06:37pm PT
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Many thanks for the pics Marty. I've never seen the second pic before and I'm pretty sure no other Kiwi has either.
Do you have any more pics you could possibly post?
Once again, thanks. Rare pics of Denz are like gold
Take Care
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Avery
climber
NZ
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Topic Author's Reply - Sep 17, 2014 - 06:39pm PT
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Thanks neebee, for always finding the appropriate words.
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AP
Trad climber
Calgary
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Sep 17, 2014 - 08:34pm PT
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Didn't he try Cerro Torre solo in the late 70's? As well as put up some bad ass route on Mt Cook with Tobin Sorenson?
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OR
Trad climber
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Sep 17, 2014 - 08:43pm PT
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Yup, badass climber dude. Came out of the Otago tramping club. Rolled with my ex GF parents ( John and Robin Armstrong) back in the early days of the NZ climbing scene. The guy reached almost mythical status in NZ before he died.
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Peter Haan
Trad climber
Santa Cruz, CA
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Sep 17, 2014 - 09:22pm PT
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Denz attempted Cerro Torre eleven times during 1979-80 season, two of those attempts came within 300m of the actual summit. And then Oct-Nov, 1980, he tried twice again and got within 80 m of the summit. All these solo attempts. He then gave up on the peak forever.
He did not climb with Tobin Sorenson, to my knowledge.
The biography is terrific, titled Bold Beyond Belief: Bill Denz New Zealand’s Mountain Warrior by Paul Maxim.
Paul and I co-authored a Bill Denz article in Alpinist a few issues ago, too.
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kunlun_shan
Mountain climber
SF, CA
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Sep 17, 2014 - 09:30pm PT
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http://vimeo.com/49130272
short 5 minute film of Bill Denz compiled from footage sourced from various New Zealand government agencies and from amateur film shot during the 1975-76 Torre Egger expedition. Crafted by Euan Frizzell of Wellington, the film’s introduction voice-over repeats the well-known quote from Greg Child’s 1978 Postcards from the Ledge book of short mountaineering stories.
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Avery
climber
NZ
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Topic Author's Reply - Sep 17, 2014 - 09:34pm PT
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As Peter said, Denz never climbed with Sorenson. Sorenson's partner in NZ was Nick Cradock (who did some Yosemite climbs with Denz)
Denz went onto make elaborate plans with Charlie Porter for a new route on Cerro Torre. Unfortunately, Porter was detained over some visa problem and they never got together.
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k-man
Gym climber
SCruz
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Sep 17, 2014 - 09:51pm PT
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This guy was one bad ass climber. I was lucky to hook up with him.
Marty, I remember you telling me a story about Bill taking a zipper on that NA Wall ascent. I still remember you telling me about his reaction after you caught him (basically, he was pissed). Of course, you can tell it better than I...
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