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Synchronicity
Trad climber
British Columbia, Canada
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Sep 22, 2014 - 04:21pm PT
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Croft
/thread
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The Larry
climber
Moab, UT
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Sep 22, 2014 - 04:31pm PT
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clode. Oh, you said North America. Ed V.
We're talking about climbing not slogging. But yeah Ed can slog. Quite the mtn biker too.
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rick d
climber
ol pueblo, az
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Sep 22, 2014 - 04:33pm PT
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north american born strikes out beckey, fritz, and a few others.
those who speak of only rock routes need to quiet down. There is a lot more out there than just warm weather rock stuff.
I think the scale is leaning towards a lowe.
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Ksolem
Trad climber
Monrovia, California
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Sep 22, 2014 - 04:44pm PT
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This "The best climber is the one having he most fun" has to stop. Consider the source, his idea of fun might be different.
Didn't he actually say that? It's like fun only different.
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mike m
Trad climber
black hills
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Sep 22, 2014 - 05:13pm PT
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The best ones keep going when it aint fun!!!
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Chief
climber
The NW edge of The Hudson Bay
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Sep 22, 2014 - 05:17pm PT
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Best at what?
Has "all Time" passed?
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Spider Savage
Mountain climber
The shaggy fringe of Los Angeles
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Sep 22, 2014 - 05:55pm PT
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Salathe?
Harding?
Roskelly?
Bachar?
Alex Lowe
Mike Libecki is definitely having the most fun.
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OR
Trad climber
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Sep 22, 2014 - 07:02pm PT
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Cedar Wright claims it's himself, seriously.
HAHha thats kinda funny.
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bvb
Social climber
flagstaff arizona
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Sep 22, 2014 - 07:30pm PT
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Messner. Tobin. Bridwell. Lowe. All contenders for all-around masters.
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docsavage
Trad climber
Albuquerque, NM
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Sep 22, 2014 - 09:27pm PT
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Layton Kor ... duh!
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ß Î Ø T Ç H
Boulder climber
extraordinaire
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Sep 22, 2014 - 09:49pm PT
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Bachar.
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Daphne
Trad climber
Northern California
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Sep 22, 2014 - 10:12pm PT
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This is a serious question to the OP: why do you want to know?
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bvb
Social climber
flagstaff arizona
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Sep 22, 2014 - 10:15pm PT
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I assume the OP is asking who was the best all-rounder? If so, the list gets pretty small, and includes at least two of the original Stonemasters.
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Tricouni
Mountain climber
Vancouver
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Sep 22, 2014 - 10:21pm PT
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Fritz Weissner comes to mind...
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WBraun
climber
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Sep 22, 2014 - 10:26pm PT
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Yeah ....
You have to be very good in all the different disciplines.
If you are only a sunny day climber then your not even in the ball park yet.
You have to be a total bad ass m'fuker in all the disciplines.
But then again there's individuals who don't even do anything physical that exceed any of the above.
It's not what you do it's what you are .......
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FRUMY
Trad climber
Bishop,CA
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Sep 22, 2014 - 10:35pm PT
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That's why I have to go with Norman Clyde
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GDavis
Social climber
SOL CAL
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Sep 22, 2014 - 10:44pm PT
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Who would win in a fight, bat man or Godzilla?
Well, any boxing or MMA fans might remember the defunct conversation of who is the best "pound for pound" fighter - on an even playing feild of weight and size, whose skill is the strongest? Better yet, who is the best pound for pound of all time?
Obviously sport progression isn't exactly linear - techniques and tools available today were not avaiable then, and I don't believe in penalizing legends due to factors outside of their control (5.13 face in EBs - is that really 5.13 anymore?)
To lay this out correctly we need to set some standards to what might make the BEST climber.
SOME CRITERIA
Best:
-Legacy of Accomplishments
-Level of Competition
-Skill disparity over peers.
With this I can say that we can break climbing up into Era's - whoever was the best in the era was the best, end of story. Comparing the era, then, becomes the crux.
I present to you the best NORTH AMERICAN climber in each era, based off booze and wikipedia searches.
Golden age (50's to early/mid 60's) - JOHN GILL
Let's not pretend that climbing several number grades above anyone on Earth isn't an accomplishment. Establishing multiple V5-8 routes when Sock Hops were still a thing. Free solo 5.10+ for fun. Ripper Traverse. Thimble. Who we kidding....
The Hippies (Mid 60's to Stonemasters)
I collectively put this group together, as so much growth and tech came out after Salathe and Chouinard that progression took a sharp left turn. In the terms of ROCK CLIMBING - as in WHO HAD THE BEST SKILLS AT GETTING UP ROCK - no one's resume touched Royals. While some might be a bit faster or more technical (Sacherer) Royal pushed the envelope of what "climbing" meant, and for a decade held the gold standard. Some people in Colorado did some cool stuff, but from the Northwest Face to Salathe Wall to NA wall the biggest baddest sh#t was done by the master, up until...
The Stonemasters (Early 70's to cocaine and Lycra)
John Bachar. I think its difficult to say what exactly John could have accomplished had he gone the well-trodden path - he was in a league of his own, for better or for worse, as no one else was training and flailing like he did FOR what he did. Before John training was rudamentary and basic, and though many (Ament and Gill for example) long trained specifically for climbing, after our media darling Bachar it became the rule rather than the exception. I give Bachar the nod - after all, who followed him?
The Era That Time Forgot (Cocaine to Kurt Cobaine)
From the early 80's to mid 90's I have to say that TWO climbers from the U.S. stood above the rest and defined what American climbing would look like, and as there is a bit of an age gap and overlap I'll put them together - Coz and Leavitt. While Coz threw down the bigger numbers and defined American-style hard face, Leavitt was one of the most prolific contributors to 5.14 and southwest sport climbing, putting crags like Clark and the VRG on the map. Hard trad as well, a must for anyone to be considered on this list.
The Internet Era (cancelling of Seinfeld to the invention of Cell Phones)
At some point we have to acknowledge the Sharm. Chris sharma was one of the only americans to set precidents on the world stage in the last 30 years - while our accomplishments were uniquely "American" before, we went and beat the Euro's on their own turf with a good looking surfer kid with iron tendons. To put anyone above Chris before 2006 or 7 would be nuts. If not for...
The modern Era and Beyond
Tommy Caldwell. No one does, is doing, or likely will do, what he does, every day. Read his story about the Dihedral Wall. Watch "two in a day." Meet 5.14 sport climbers and v14 boulderers and ask them how often they spend slaving on a big wall. TC Epitomizes what it means to be a North American Rock Climber - Well rounded, stoic, accomplished, gritty. The MF'er eats his gawddamn wheaties.
So, there we have it. Each era based off my wine-induced thoughts. To rank them....
6. John Bachar
5. Scott Cozgrove/Randy Leavitt (I love them both so much <3)
4. Royal Robbins
3. Chris Sharma
2. Tommy Caldwell
1. Gill
Scott and Randy were more vulnerable in their approaches and goals, so they get an edge over The Legend Bachar. Royal was the king in a time when the game was a bit different, yet sheer difficulty and legacy/repeatability of his accomplishments might be pretty damn close to Sharma - I give sharma an edge over Royal for his dedication to the physical aspect of progression.
Finally the top two - and it might be a tie. The best modern and the biggest legend. I feel that Gill is our Bruce Lee and Tommy is our Michael Jordan. One is difficult to put into context, though you know there is magic about him... the other you can hook up to a geiger counter and measure his radness right this minute as he's cranking one-arms in his garage.
F*#k. climbing is freaking awesome.
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mcreel
climber
Barcelona
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Sep 22, 2014 - 11:29pm PT
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Jay Smith should be on this list.
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GDavis
Social climber
SOL CAL
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Sep 22, 2014 - 11:35pm PT
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I could easily train a baboon to be a professional sport climber who cranks 5.15d
yes but can you add interesting content to this website?
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