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Hurricane Hannah
climber
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Topic Author's Original Post - Oct 23, 2014 - 05:36am PT
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Hey climbers! 8 years ago today, my daddy passed away. I know a lot of you knew him much better than I did, and so I was wondering if any of you had any stories or anything about him that you would like to share. Thanks! R.i.p. Daddy ❤️❤️❤️
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Gnome Ofthe Diabase
climber
Out Of Bed
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Oct 23, 2014 - 05:53am PT
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Oh kiddo, we are all so sad I am not the one to tell you stories about your Dad
but he was the reason for almost every climber
who makes a living doing this thing
that your dad did better than any one
and know he is smiling and all around you
Know that I am Crying and can not see to type
The crowd here loved him also
They will do him and your Family Proud
GO TO FLAMES thread #5182
The LAST PAGE FROM mouse of merced
The mix of the Two and what the construction says
Tuckin' & the song lyrics
HE's Gone... which can be found too
Are One post away That is
a start of the complex man
who was all hart
Todd Skinner.
Super Topo Represent
NOW AND FOEVER;,.l;,;.,;.,;.,.; THE GUN FIGHTER
My wife has been to wild Iris and not me
If I can later I will post at least her Guide Book
LUV TO YOUR FAMILY AND TO YOU
Good "morrow mouse thanks I'm so glad you see
(EDIT) So how did the folks at this Enchilada stand ,the super Topo's funny name. the Taco , do?10/24/14 Thank you topeans Quality stuff
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pyro
Big Wall climber
Calabasas
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Oct 23, 2014 - 05:54am PT
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met Todd a joshua tree rock climbing clinic slide show of trango sometime late 90's.
he told me to use crazy glue to fix gobi's!
what a wonderful and amazing rock climber.
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johntp
Trad climber
socal
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Oct 23, 2014 - 06:22am PT
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Never met your dad but he was an iconic climber.
Cheers and peace.
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couchmaster
climber
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Oct 23, 2014 - 06:38am PT
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I never got to tie in and climb with your father, but everytime I ever met him, I was always struck at how upbeat and happy he was. I bet if you look up the word "STOKE!" in the dictionary, Todds photo would be there. He was always a joy to be around.
Good thread here with some memories, your sister might have already posted a photo of you. http://www.supertopo.com/climbing/thread.php?topic_id=270833&tn=0&mr=0
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Branscomb
Trad climber
Lander, WY
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Oct 23, 2014 - 06:42am PT
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Hannah:
Many years ago I went out to do El Cap and just failed miserably. I just had some sort of psychic implosion and couldn't even get on the thing. I was feeling really bad about myself and seriously thought about quitting climbing completely.
I saw your father one day here in Lander after that and he asked me about it and I told him about how poorly I had done. He was really great about it and assured me that these things happen even to the best of them. He really encouraged me to stay with it.
Your father was a great climber, no doubt, but also he was, I think most importantly, a great human being. He was a kind and generous man. All of us who knew him miss him to this day and think well of him.
Bob Branscomb, Lander
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ddriver
Trad climber
SLC, UT
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Oct 23, 2014 - 07:58am PT
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My first ever trip to Hueco Tanks was with James Crump and Hank Caylor in '84. We hung out with Mike and Dave Head. Thats when I met Todd as well as Paul Piana, Mike Sherman, Dave Parker, and Fred Nakovic. What an intro to the Hueco scene. Todd was always super nice to everyone, even noobs, and stoked about everything, just fun to be around. It was great to see all those guys who were the heart and soul of Hueco together, and to watch them climb. That was about the time Todd was working on the Gunfighter, can't remember if he freed it in 84 or 85. Todd was a great guy, sad to lose him.
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survival
Big Wall climber
Terrapin Station
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Oct 23, 2014 - 08:26am PT
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Only met Todd once, but he was kind and open.
He wasn't immediately accepted by valley locals, like when he was working on The Stigma. There was a little song to the tune of the Twelve Days Of Christmas that a few guys were working on and singing. It wasn't complimentary: "5 sub-men subbing, 4 hangdogs hanging..." that kind of thing.
But when I met him I was impressed with his mellow side.
Great climber.
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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Oct 23, 2014 - 08:40am PT
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I never met your dad, but he was in the magazines a lot when I first started climbing and his persona and exploits and smile and stoke were larger than life and much of why I wanted to be a "real climber." I think I had a poster of him in my college dorm room. Here are a couple images I stole off the internet. They are how I envisioned your dad....steely grit and stoke filling a room or a canyon or a mountain range wherever he went. May these stories from here on Supertopo warm your heart and encourage you to seek adventure like your dad did in all you do.
Scott
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bhilden
Trad climber
Mountain View, CA/Boulder, CO
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Oct 23, 2014 - 09:13am PT
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Hannah,
I used to run into your dad when I climbed at Devil's Tower. Your dad was always fun to hang out with. He had so much energy. I remember going up to climb Direct Southwest which at the time had seen only a few ascents, but we somehow managed to get up the thing. When we got back to the parking lot Todd came over to me and was so excited. He asked, "were you the guy wearing the white pants who just did Direct Southwest?" When I replied "yes" he broke out into a big grin and said "man, you were styling up there."
That was Todd. He was just as happy to see others succeed at climbing. It wasn't all about his own successes.
I have some photos of Todd doing pullups on a special rig he built to hang off of the front of his truck. Check back in a few days. Hopefully I will have them scanned in an up on this thread.
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Sir Donald
Trad climber
Denver, CO
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Oct 23, 2014 - 09:21am PT
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I met your dad in Jackson Hole, WY back in 1988 - he was giving a slide show about his trip to Russia to compete in a speed climbing competition. He was such a ball of energy. The next year I tried to get on the "Cowboys on Everest" team as a support climber but it didn't work out - wish I'd gone. I will always remember that your dad had an inner smile bigger than anybody's :)
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k-man
Gym climber
SCruz
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Oct 23, 2014 - 09:44am PT
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I met Todd in J-Tree before he was well known, just running guiding trips and such. He pulled up in a van next to my site, jumped out, and asked if I wanted an orange (he'd scored a box of them cheap, and was eager to share).
Todd and I hung out for about two weeks, climbing in between stints that he had with a client that he picked up. Sherman was cruising around with us a bit too, but Todd and I had a gas climbing all over the place. Heck, we even put up an FA for kicks.
I had to get stitches, though, because your pop would tell stories that busted my gut. I even remember one about an ensolite pad. And his "climbers iron cross" joke I still tell to this day (it's a visual joke).
Todd had this great list of names for the FAs he was going to do. "Looking for Mr. Armbar" was one he was saving for an off-width.
He picked up a client from the Palm Springs airport, some millionaire that needed a few days of guiding, and when it was my turn to cook breakfast, I pulled out my special secret--add a dollop of sour cream to make the scramble creamy. But I overdid it, and I added like half the container (hey, a little is really good, more should be better, right??). Holy cow, we all choked them down, but I don't think Todd ever forgave me for turning his client's stomach, lots o laughs.
Sherman recommended Imaginary Voyage, and Todd went up and solo'ed the first 5.8 pitch... Ho, that scared the crap out of me, trying to look cool. But what a great route.
I ran into todd now and again, once in Hueco, where he was wintering. He told me he'd climb one day on, two days off. After climbing, he went to their rented house where they'd built this crazy indoor wall, and they'd boulder until they couldn't hang on any more. Then, two days off. I'm like, "What the heck do you do in El Paso?" Todd's reply, heck, we climb for 10 days a month!
Then I ran into him in Skardu, Pakistan. He was on his way up to do Cowboy Direct on Nameless. We're having dinner, and in walks Todd. Then he sez, "Shucks Kelly, I gotta go half-way around the world to catch up to you!"
Todd got a lot of flack, for his climbing ways. But I kew the fellow and backed him up, even though I didn't 100% agree with his ways. But Todd was just as eager as any person you have *ever* met, and this eagerness took him to places that most of us only dream about. His energy, I've never met anybody else who's had it. And I'd pay a fortune to get a cup of that juice, it was just so darn good.
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Toker Villain
Big Wall climber
Toquerville, Utah
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Oct 23, 2014 - 10:21am PT
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I never climbed with Todd (apples and oranges), but we met decades ago and hit it off from the getgo. He knew I had done some stuff. I knew he had done some stuff. Mutual respect and no competition.
I developed a relationship with Yates Gear, in part thanks to Todd.
I even dated HB briefly back in the '80s, and then wished her and Paul well.
The news of how he fell sort of angered me. I never used my "belay loop" as a primary link in my roped solos, only as a daisy link.
I only wish that I could have swayed Todd with my rationale for doing so. What a sad loss of talent.
BTW I think Todd had one of the best smiles in the climbing community, to me a sign of a great lust for life.
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mike m
Trad climber
black hills
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Oct 23, 2014 - 10:34am PT
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I know your dad spent a lot of time here.I did not know your dad, but had run into him in Lander and the Black Hills. He and Paul were an inspiration for a lot of us in the Black Hills climbing scene. He was good friends with Pete Delannoy, as well, who started the sport climbing in Spearfish Canyon. I believe Todd, Paul, and Pete were some of the big driving forces that developed the Wild Iris back in the day. Pete who was teaching at BHSU in Spearfish then brought on a whole next generation of us who have gone on to develop Spearfish Canyon and a very vibrant climbing scene in the Black Hills. But to me personally he was more about exploring the possibilities and reaching a little farther than you might have if you always did things that were prudent. To look around the corner, go over that hill to see what is on the other side and I think he did that better than anyone. To go from a rural Wyoming Country boy to a globetrotting ground breaking climber really inspired us all. He took on the biggest of projects and dived right in. I know he and Paul climbed extensively in the Black Hills and for them to be able to go to all these great places all around the world, but yet to consistently come back to the Black Hills has always helped me realize what a special place I live in.
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Off White
climber
Tenino, WA
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Oct 23, 2014 - 10:56am PT
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Hannah:
I must have first met Todd when I was living in Tucson, round about 85 or so. I ran into him all over after that, he was everywhere. I've spent a total of 6 hours at the Gunks in New York, and sure enough I ran into Todd while I was there. We had an enthusiastic hand waving conversation, and I was struck by how he interacted with an older guy who stopped as he walked by. Seems the gentleman had just led his first 5.6, and he'd clearly been talking to Todd earlier. Todd was so genuinely happy for the guy, and that was one of his fine points, his stoke was not reserved for just elite climbers or hard routes, but for anyone who loved climbing.
I was never in his league in terms of ability, but that didn't stop him from marking up my early City of Rocks guide when I ran into him there, including some routes I should aspire to as well as the ones I could get up. My partner and I can still hear him declare, "Oh, you muussst go to the Nematode!"
I think it was at a series of Beanfests, large biennial climber's parties that happen in Arizona, where I first met him. He liked the climbing and exploring and the social aspects, but the long standing ritual of "beaning" made him very uncomfortable. The person in charge of the event, the Beanmaster, would go around on Saturday night and apply a dab of refried beans to the forehead of every participant like ash to the forehead of a penitent on Ash Wednesday. The boisterous inebriated crowd follows along and bellows "Hear Hear" with each application, and woe betide the fool who would rub the beans off post ritual. At several Beanfests Todd would just melt away into the night when that time came, and he had never been beaned. In the spring of 86 I got to be the Beanmaster, and I knew how I had to start the process. I sidled up to Todd on one side, while my friend Steve Grossman came up on the other. I said, "You know Todd, the time has finally come..." and he tensed up as I brought the bean pot from behind my back, but then he sighed, slumped slightly, and said, "well, alright" as he'd been fairly caught. It's one of the great achievements of my life that I was the first, and likely only person to ever Bean Todd Skinner.
I know his ambition, his tactics, and his approach to climbing upset a lot of people in those years, there was a lot of change in the sport happening then and things often got tense. However, I always experienced Todd as a warm and friendly human being, and I'm sad that neither you or I will ever turn a corner and run into him somewhere, and get to watch that wide goofy grin split his face.
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crunch
Social climber
CO
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Oct 23, 2014 - 12:43pm PT
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Got to know Todd from Heuco tanks back in the 80s. He was known then for trying really hard bolt-protected routes. Just trying the same moves, over and over, stubborn as could be.
At the time this seemed, for most of us, dubious, boring, not really climbing. Few folks were interested in hanging on a route and trying the same moves over and over.
Of course, in hindsight, he was simply ahead of the curve. Sport climbing was just getting started, still unsure of where it wanted to to go. He was a real pioneer, showing the way. He knew where he wanted to go and his stubborn streak took him there.
Off the rock, he was one of the warmest, kindest, funniest people to hang out with. As with Layton Kor, I have only fond memories: a big smile, a love of a funny story, and never a bad word about anyone.
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looking sketchy there...
Social climber
Lassitude 33
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Oct 23, 2014 - 02:16pm PT
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As others have said, Todd was one of the most positive and encouraging people and climbers I have had the honor to meet. When he would greet you, he always had a big smile and invariably something good to say and some route or activity to recommend. He really loved climbing and genuinely cared about and respected people. His high energy was absolutely infectious, and unlike some top climbers, he made you feel good about what you were doing, even if it wasn't anything particularly noteworthy.
You have every reason to be proud of your father; he was the rare combination of a wonderful human being and extremely talented and hard working climber.
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G_Gnome
Trad climber
Cali
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Oct 23, 2014 - 03:09pm PT
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I just loved how he stuck his tongue out when he smiled! Made it very infectious.. Add that to his level of enthusiasm and he was great fun to be around.
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hobo_dan
Social climber
Minnesota
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Oct 23, 2014 - 03:26pm PT
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I met your dad and I enjoyed visiting with him. He had a real positive attitude. I had a brake line problem and he gave me his can of brake fluid so I could do the repair.
He was friendly in a sport that was pretty snobbish.
A really good guy
Dan
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MisterE
Gym climber
Bishop, CA
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Oct 23, 2014 - 03:32pm PT
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Hi, Hannah!
I met your dad in Hueco Tanks at the Ranch, which I was checking out with a friend - I think it was the winter of 1996-7.
I had come to sample the bouldering and it was just a few weeks into my 3-month stay there. Your dad was very friendly and super-psyched - he gave me some good information on roped climbing (which was totally off my radar), and I had a blast doing Malice in Bucketland, Sea of Holes, Divine Wind and a few others.
I ran into him again a couple of weeks later (I was staying at Pete's) and thanked him for the good beta, and he gave me a huge smile and asked me what I had done. Really friendly, dynamic and I will never forget his open and joyous smile under the colorful bandana.
Cheers, Erik
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Jay
Trad climber
Fort Mill, SC
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Oct 23, 2014 - 05:52pm PT
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Hi Hannah,
I didn't know your father very well, but I did meet him a couple times, once climbing and once at a corporate event where he was the keynote speaker and presented his story about establishing the route Cowboy Direct. One thing he said in that presentation that struck me went something like this, “Don’t choose the team before you choose the mountain. Choose the mountain first and the right team will assemble itself.” It was a profound statement and applicable in so many ways.
Anyway, after his presentation I introduced myself. Being that we were the only climbers in the bunch we just started chatting about, you know, climbing.
I agree with what others have said, he was incredibly upbeat and full of energy. Many of us climbers looked up to him. He was humble and truly a good person to be around. His contribution and leadership in the climbing community was remarkable and very positive. I'm sure few people miss him more than you, but you are certainly not alone.
God bless you and I hope you find what you’re looking for.
Jay
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wbw
Trad climber
'cross the great divide
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Oct 23, 2014 - 08:05pm PT
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I think I first crossed paths with Todd when he gave a slideshow in 85 or 86 in Jackson, and it inspired everyone in the audience. He had these slides and tales of bouldering on blue rocks somewhere in the middle east. It absolutely inspired me to travel outside of the country and go climbing to exotic locations. His stoke was larger than life.
He came through town a couple of other times while I lived there and we all looked forward to hearing about his latest travels. As much as I loved (and still love) the Tetons, he inspired me to get the heck outta Jackson and go see the world.
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Gagner
climber
Boulder
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Oct 23, 2014 - 08:32pm PT
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Hannah - Your dad was a good man. He was gracious and kind to everyone he met and was always psyched and interested … in and for everyone. I used to stay at the house in north Lander with he and Amy and climb on the wall in the detached garage out front. I was totally shocked when he died - it was a sad sad day for someone so strong, kind, and psyched for everyone.
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MP
Trad climber
Truckee, CA
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Oct 23, 2014 - 10:32pm PT
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Hanna- I met your dad when he presented a slideshow right after he and Paul freed the Salathe wall. He had a great sense of humor and his passion was very inspirational.
Take care.
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Mike Bolte
Trad climber
Planet Earth
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Oct 23, 2014 - 11:45pm PT
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Hello Hannah -
Your dad really was this wonderful, way-bigger-than-life person you are reading about. I spent a year in 1980/81 living in Laramie and had the good fortune of spending some time with him. I remember one day not long after I arrived, making my first trip to Vedauwoo with Todd. I had run into him climbing on a building on the U Wyoming campus. He was not yet the famous climber he later became, but was way motivated, amazingly open and friendly, and a superb crack climber. "What do you want to climb?" "Want to lead this?" -- always happy to make sure everyone was having a good time. We climbed two routes I picked, one called Straight and Narrow and the other MRC Direct.
He said "There is a great crack you'll love over at Reynolds". Off we go. Marched up to the base of a climb called Hung Like a Horse. I said "you know, I'm not going to be able to do this." Todd said "How do you know? You haven't tried it yet!!" That statement has stuck with me for the last 35 years and got me started up a bunch of climbs.
But, turns out that on that particular day, I was right. The route was beautiful steep hands to a burly long overhang with a couple of offwidth moves right when you are getting pretty pumped. This was before cams and Todd put in a solid hex at the start of the overhang and floated the crux up to the little pod where you could get a rest. I struggled, fell, struggled, fell, finally getting up with some hauling on Todd's part. Didn't dampen his enthusiasm at all. Next he was ready to hike off to check out some obscure sub area in the Vedauwoo back country.
Another time that winter the Laramie weather warmed up to above freezing for a few days. Todd said we had to go see if there were any dry routes at Vedauwoo. Took my Datsun truck out I-80 and turned off at the park. Went down toward the campground and there was a big snow drift at least as tall as the truck across the road. I start to slow down thinking we can park and walk, but Todd is looking at me with this excited grin and telling me to gun it and blast through. Made it through the first half (it was surprisingly soft and light), but slid out sideways and got stuck before we made it through. Only one door would open. Tried to dig out for an hour before some guy with a winch on his truck pulled up and dragged us out.
He had so much positive energy and pushed himself so hard to accomplish his dreams. I'm still inspired a little bit every day by that life well lived.
best wishes to you, Mike
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Gnome Ofthe Diabase
climber
Out Of Bed
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Oct 24, 2014 - 06:35am PT
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1980 Datsun MVP pickup.
Ode to Todd for his Mvp Hannah
He showed us all how to play
He kept us All young
For the other elite he paved the way
For many he made their dreams come true
That does not mean a hill the size of El Cap to you
I am sorry that your Dad and I weren't friends and it hurt
When he fell It left a hole and one that no one can fill for you
Hannah banana it is with regret and open hart and arms that as you grow
His spirit will always be with you in wide open spaces and on long drives out
Todd your father was a great man do not shy away from the smile that he would want
You to wear and in the quite of early mornings try to forgive your Dad for leaving your Mom
And Siblings and You. he had a big family so in them try to find bits of him just like there are bits
Of him In you. The family of Gnome is always here for any of you 'cause your Dad was there for us
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DickSilly
climber
cutlass supreme
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Oct 24, 2014 - 11:33am PT
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has it really been 8 years? I thought it was just a couple years ago. where have I been
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bhilden
Trad climber
Mountain View, CA/Boulder, CO
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Oct 24, 2014 - 12:17pm PT
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Hannah,
here are a few photos of Todd doing pullups off the special rig he designed to hang off the front bumper of his truck. Notice the added weights on his chest. Normally, Todd would have been climbing, but it was lightly raining that day.
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Gnome Ofthe Diabase
climber
Out Of Bed
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Oct 24, 2014 - 12:40pm PT
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Thank you Bhilden
that is what we need to show
today 8yrs ago
is the day that we all heard...
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Rockies Obscure
Trad climber
rockiesobscure.com....Canada
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Oct 24, 2014 - 12:55pm PT
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His energy, I've never met anybody else who's had it. And I'd pay a fortune to get a cup of that juice, it was just so darn good.
"his energy was infectious"
His energy, smile, and like someone else noted, he didn't care if what anyone was doing was particular noteworthy he lent his respect and excitement level toward your climbing as if it was. He was the most enjoyable climber I ever got to be in the company of and I clearly remember the day my heart sank when I heard the news.
Hannah, I met your father in 1992 on the beaches of southern Thailand during his filming of the video Climb Asia(i think they called it that i the end?). I had only been climbing for a few years and did not know who he was at this time. However with the buzz on the beach back then and the camera capturing his many newly bolted lines, I knew he was not another tourist. However he likely saw himself as just another tourist.
I was watching him do this route one day, my only pic of him there, and after he lowered he said hi and started up a conversation with me. He told me his and his buddies plans and told me if I wanted to join him on a boat to a new area I could. I talked to him more each day in the coming weeks and soon he had me do a bouldering circuit I was trying over by Dom's Cave where he happily would come over between climbs and give me beta and point out my next move.
About month later a friend and I tried a new route on a unclimbed wall and during a try, I yanked a big microwave size block down onto my tensed leg and it gouged in and exploded it open. Raced to longboat and to hospital. Bandaged up and hobbling about, sad no doubt, a number of days later I saw Todd and he asked if I would like to join his boat to this new wall and hang out. I felt intimidated which was the wrong attitude to have around your father! He looked at my leg and decided that my bandages had been on too long so he boated me over to his place and changed them for me while his friends waited. Before I left Thailand he told me to come visit him Wyoming but never did.
FFWD 8 years to November of 2001, and myself and two friends were slowly hiking up the trail to El Capitan with our gear and in-between my hard breathing I could hear a very obvious laugh far in the woods. In minutes the laughing got closer, and before I could see, I knew it was Todd!
Sure enough I was right - he and Paul Piana were scoping a route they planned to film in the coming days. They asked us to change our plans so they could film us as not too many climbers were on the wall in mid- November. We said thanks but decided against this idea. Nonetheless, Paul took a pic of us all together. And since we were bivying in the woods he asked us to come stay at a kinda ranch-property just out of the Park he was involved with. We took the directions and tried to find it but could not. Called him and left a message but never heard or saw him again. I have that note in a scrapbook and a poster of your father near my front door.
Hannah, your father was a big inspiration to me and was very kind person and I am very happy to have met him.
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pud
climber
Sportbikeville & Yucca brevifolia
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Oct 24, 2014 - 01:03pm PT
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Your father continues to inspire me today as he has for decades.
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slabbo
Trad climber
colo south
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Oct 24, 2014 - 04:50pm PT
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I'm talking to this cowboy hat dude in JT around 82 and he'ss telling me about climbing in Texas..even after quite a bit to drink I still think full of it.. The letteers and photos follow..I think they are made up!!!
Then it was someplace in South Africa or Sinai or where ever just a visionary
I think the wood stove in the VW was a fine example
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Bldrjac
Ice climber
Boulder
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Oct 24, 2014 - 05:37pm PT
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Hannah...Pam Roberts here. My friend Abby and I stayed with you guys a couple nights this summer. Your Dad was a wonderful, kind man. He stayed with Jack and I for about a month while he and Paul were trying to put together their slide show about El Cap. Super energetic, funny, thoughtful. An amazing public speaker, and could motivate the most pathetic and boring lump into springing into action. Funny, and confident in a very humble way. Always made people feel like they were important. Your Mom and Dad would let Jack and I stay with them when we rolled through Lander to climb. Funny story.....once, long ago, Jack and I were climbing in Hueco Tanks. Jack (my late husband) was strong-looking like your Dad, about the same height and weight, and kind of semi-(ehem) bald like your Dad. At the time, I happened to share a similar-looking haircut as Lynn Hill did....back then, I was pretty buff, as well, although certainly not even CLOSE to being the climber as her! At any rate, on that trip, at least THREE separate people came up to us to chat us up, thinking we were Todd Skinner and Lynn Hill......could have caused quite the scandal! Jack and I laughed about that trip for years.....
Love that you have solicited these stories. My best to you always...xxx
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Ellen Skinner
Social climber
Wellington CO
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Oct 24, 2014 - 08:45pm PT
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hi Hannah--Amy, Mary, Monte, Courtney and I have lots of stories about your Dad because we were with him while he was growing up. We would be happy to share those stories any time and hope you will give us a call. You can reach me at 307-220-3777. I can tell you things like when he hit me over the head with a baseball bat, slept in all of his clothes at camp so he wouldn't have to get dressed in the morning, his developing personality, his best friends growing up and their dynamic. I can tell you about his burgeoning notoriety before he met your Mom and other interesting tales. He was an amazing icon of a man. But, when he was your age he had the same awkward insecurities of anyone your age.. Hope you call!
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MisterE
Gym climber
Bishop, CA
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Oct 24, 2014 - 09:10pm PT
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^^This place never ceases to amaze me - thanks, Ellen for your post and share.
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Gnome Ofthe Diabase
climber
Out Of Bed
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Oct 25, 2014 - 05:52am PT
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bump for the super hero
Todd Skinner
and any photos from any where
the beaches and 'Long boats'
of Thai land for kids in
why o why oming,Todd got a kick
out of my Wife saying that and her burly
German woman partner Elizabeth who's
Ford Bronco was overheating
so they were driving across
Wyoming in the summer with the
heater running on high,
a trick that may or not have worked.
my scanner is not working
so please post up some old
Magazine pictures even the advertising
shots
POST UP please
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Magic Ed
Trad climber
Nuevo Leon, Mexico
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Oct 25, 2014 - 08:36am PT
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Spent a day bouldering with Todd at Hueco Tanks. We had a blast and he was very patient and encouraging and treated me as an equal even though I bouldered many grades below him.
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m.
Trad climber
UT
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Oct 25, 2014 - 01:38pm PT
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Dear Hannah: I adored your father and was proud to be one of his many friends. His accident was devastating to so many- a huge loss to our far-flung community. A favorite memory is of a summer spent at Devil's Tower with many other climbers from all over the US, all hanging out at Todd's Big White Teepee. I was with Jonny Woodward, Rob Raker, Greg Epperson, and many others. We were there strictly to climb, but your father had to work many days, as he'd bartered his ranchhand skills for the opportunity to install the teepee on the ranch bordering the Park. As was typical then, many climbers had very little money and were living hand-to-mouth between odd jobs. Your father offered accommodations in and around the teepee, but most impressive, he fed everyone with bags of rice and beans he'd buy in bulk at the local store. The generosity and love for all exhibited by your Dad made a huge impression on me and taught me a lesson about responsibility to community that I've tried to carry forward. Hannah, your father was a wonderful man who illuminated us all in the glow of his kindness and enthusiasm. I know you will carry forward his unique light. Best to you and your lovely mom Amy!
maria cranor.
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Tony Puppo
climber
Bishop
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Oct 25, 2014 - 04:44pm PT
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It really can't be repeated too many times, he was quite an amazing man, a real force of nature.
He was Todd Skinner, and he was damn glad to meet ya!
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Karl Baba
Trad climber
Yosemite, Ca
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Oct 25, 2014 - 06:31pm PT
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I'd run into Todd (with Galen Rowell) at the base of Half Dome where he was working relentlessly on the 5.13d slab crux of the Direct Northwest face and around the base of Half Dome. He was always cool and friendly.
As a climber, he really pioneered the trend of freeing big walls and controversially brought projecting (hang dogging) to Yosemite Valley. Not controversial anymore. Visionaries (and outsiders) always ruffle some feathers but he was a light and an amazing dude
He bought some Yosemite Photos from me as well, nice..
I'm sure Hannah has some good genes
Peace
karl
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Kalimon
Social climber
Ridgway, CO
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Oct 25, 2014 - 07:17pm PT
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Hello Hannah!
I would like to share with you the one and only time I met your dad . . . I was at the base of the Stigma at Yosemite's Cookie Cliff and he happened by at that very moment, I believe he was working on freeing the route at the time. As a young climber of 17 or 18 I was tremendously impressed by his warm smile and friendly spirit. He made me feel very accepted and expressed genuine interest in my own endeavors . . . this was not the case with many of the Valley regulars at that time, they payed little attention to us. I will always remember what a great human he was and the positive influence he had on me as a young man . . . I will always be grateful to Todd Skinner for showing me the light that day.
Best to you!
Greg Collier
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Brokedownclimber
Trad climber
Douglas, WY
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Oct 25, 2014 - 07:23pm PT
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Todd and Paul, along with Beth Wald, came to Casper sometime in the 1990's and gave their show at the Hilton Hotel Grand Ballroom. It was an amazing crowd for the town. I met your Dad and Paul, shot the schitt with them for a while and then went out to a late dinner with my son. We ran into them at the same restaurant and shot more schitt with them. Great guys! I too, am a University of Wyoming graduate. best wishes, always; I'm sorry for your loss.
Rodger
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BLUEBLOCR
Social climber
joshua tree
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Oct 25, 2014 - 07:29pm PT
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Hi Hannah!
i didnT know ur Dad very well, i only talked with him a couple times. Because at the time i was a noob. And your Dad was a God! Not only for his achievements, but because of his spirit. We would kinda joke and laugh at the clothes he wore, but when you got up close you couldn't see anything past his smile! When i was just a sport climber, i went to one of his slide shows. After hearing his utmost positive motivation about climbing in the Valley. i wanted to be just like him. So i sold all my stuff and moved to Yosemite to do what he was doing. i'm so thankful for every day i spent in the Valley and most of my dreams came true. Now i'm dressing more like ur Dad did, and i'm still chasing the dream of being like him,like his spirit.. He was a colorful loving guy who was ahead of his time, and someday soon we'll all catch up to him in heaven!
Thanks for posting up and bringing back wonderful memories!!
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bhilden
Trad climber
Mountain View, CA/Boulder, CO
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Oct 25, 2014 - 07:38pm PT
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Hannah,
back in the early 1980's your father and his climbing partners used to live in a teepee on a ranch right near Devil's Tower. To get by, they would do odd jobs for the local ranchers such as fixing fences, tending to the cattle, etc.
One Saturday evening we were sitting down for dinner at the restaurant just outside the entrance to Devil's Tower when a rancher came over to me and my climbing partner. He told us he used to hire this climber(your dad) to do some jobs for him. He had a side of beef for us if we wanted to come over to his place and work for the next week.
I really admired all the different skills, besides climbing skills, that your dad possessed. Clearly, Todd would have known how to cut up and eat a side of beef. My partner and I did not. Unfortunately, we had to decline the rancher's offer.
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MH2
climber
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Oct 25, 2014 - 08:03pm PT
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Todd gave a talk in Toronto about freeing the Salathé. Nothing was pre-recorded or to all appearances even thought out ahead of time. He seemed a gifted storyteller, funny and genuine. A good mind and a good person.
He began the talk by telling us he learned most of what he needed to know in life from his first-grade teacher Cooky, who had been a bull-rider but who had an accident (broke his back) and the town pretty much decided for him that he had to be the first-grade teacher since nothing else seemed to suit.
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WBraun
climber
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Oct 25, 2014 - 09:50pm PT
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Hurricane Hannah
I first met your Dad at the cookie one hot afternoon.
He was trying to do a first free ascent of this thin thing called stigma.
He was sitting there at the base resting after one of his tries.
I went and did some pitches and came back and he was still sitting there lol.
He said he's gonna wait till almost dark for it to cool down for his last try.
He did IT!!!!
We did a filming job together and he was the bomb.
Easy going, easy to get along with, hard worker and good man.
And in the end I was part of the crew that carried him down from the base of the Leaning Tower.
I'm so sorry you and your mom had to lose your dad like this .....
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TripleS_in_EBs
climber
Poulsbo, WA
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Oct 26, 2014 - 02:45am PT
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When I heard he and Paul had freed the Salathe it blew my mind. When I heard the stories of that endeavor - the brutalized hands, the struggles on the headwall, the determination, the pop tarts, the tortillas, the summit block slide, the epic wounded descent - I was even more amazed.
When a friend and I heard the news 8 years ago, we decided to climb 35 routes (the number of pitches on the Salathe) each that day at our local gym in solemn remembrance.
Thanks for reminding us to think of him. He is missed.
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telemon01
Trad climber
Montana
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Oct 26, 2014 - 07:06am PT
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Hi Hurricane Hannah,
I met your Dad in 1988 while climbing in the beautiful South Platte region of Colorado. He was doing a photo shoot for La Sportiva climbing shoes on Sphinx Crack, a famous and notoriously hard finger crack.
My friend and I were climbing a route in the same area, and your Dad was smiling and joking with us as we roped up and climbed our route. It was a partly sunny day, and the photographer would have your Dad wait to climb until the sun shone clear through the clouds.
It was my first exposure to a professional climber getting paid to do what he loves. The sun would come out, your Dad would start busting out some hard moves midway up the pitch, place some gear, and when it clouded up again, he would stop, hang, and wait until he could start the next sequence. And he was smiling the whole time....
And I also remember him from the old Masters of Stone videos. Your father was a great climber and an inspiration. It is obvious from this thread that he was loved and respected.
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SteveW
Trad climber
The state of confusion
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Oct 26, 2014 - 07:30pm PT
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Hannah
I wish I could say I met your father. Only knew him through his reputation,
what a climber he was.
Sadly, I check my harness closely everytime I rope up.
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Todd Eastman
climber
Bellingham, WA
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Oct 26, 2014 - 07:40pm PT
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I met Todd and he was super positive and funny. I also crossed paths with your cousin Ntala who was taking numbers and kicking ass in biathlon some years ago.
Something in that Skinner gene...
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amylskinner
climber
lander, wy
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Thanks to all of you for your kind response to Hannah's request for stories about Todd. We love to hear stories and see old friends! The Skinner kids are doing Todd proud -
Adios for now,
Amy
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