Discussion Topic |
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pkay
Social climber
Washington, Arkansas
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Topic Author's Original Post - Jun 11, 2017 - 10:40am PT
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Fred Beckey was at SIFF last night for a screening
Dirtbag: The Legend of Fred Beckey
https://www.siff.net/festival/dirtbag-the-legend-of-fred-beckey
They announced the film will be playing at the Mountaineers, doesn't yet have a distributor
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Spider Savage
Mountain climber
The shaggy fringe of Los Angeles
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Jun 11, 2017 - 05:48pm PT
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Sounds fun. I hope a distributor comes through. Would love to get a screening here in LA.
I've seen to Becky slide shows in the last 30 years. Both random goof-ball.
1980's expedition to climb obscure peak in China. Gets Quaker Oats company to finance it all. No summit. Really really not very good looking local people unhappily eating Quaker Oats. Fail!
200? Gives retrospective slide show. Turns to ask audience if any questions. Hands go up. He can't hear the questions, failing hearing.
Many great stories from friends who know him. I wish I could have gone climbing with him a long time ago.
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neebee
Social climber
calif/texas
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Jun 11, 2017 - 06:06pm PT
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hey there say, pkay... wow, thanks for sharing... :)
we learn SO MUCH here at supertopo, :)
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Studly
Trad climber
WA
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Jun 11, 2017 - 08:22pm PT
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Dirtbag. Great title, not. Seems like a much better title could have been thought of. That kind of sucks based on his legendary feats and ascents and guidebooks. He is SO much more then a dirtbag, living the simple life was simply a ends to a means. How about "Legend" or "Legendary" instead?
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ionlyski
Trad climber
Kalispell, Montana
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Jun 11, 2017 - 09:33pm PT
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I agree Studly, was thinking the same thing.
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McHale's Navy
Trad climber
From Panorama City, CA
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Jun 11, 2017 - 09:59pm PT
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Yeah, he deserves a good documentary. That dirtbag Werner Herzog could have done a good job. I haven't seen it yet - maybe it's OK, but I'm wondering.
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ionlyski
Trad climber
Kalispell, Montana
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Jun 12, 2017 - 11:05am PT
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Herzog does a great job and I'm a fan. It's just that Dirtbag sensationalizes what the masses can relate to or visualize, since comprehension of his mind blowing climbing achievements...........not so much.
But I'm sure the film tries to capture the bigger picture, I hope.
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skcreidc
Social climber
SD, CA
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Jun 12, 2017 - 11:28am PT
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Never remember hearing about Beckey until about 3-4 years ago when I started looking into climbing. Then, everywhere I looked, I noticed Beckey's name down for FA's in the mountains I was interested in going to. If the movie showed near me I'd definitely go and check it out.
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Jun 12, 2017 - 11:44am PT
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Durtbag....!!!???? A cheap, poorly thought out Tittle.
How about:
Fred- Amazing life, Great American Pioneer, More First Ascents than any man alive and known playboy.
At one of his shows, he had slides of Fritz Wiessner, Heinrich Harrer and Dan McHale.... He also has slides of many different women looking out of various tent doors up on Mountains all over the globe....
Dirtbag indeed......
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McHale's Navy
Trad climber
From Panorama City, CA
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Jun 12, 2017 - 11:46am PT
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That dirty old man!
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jgill
Boulder climber
The high prairie of southern Colorado
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Jun 12, 2017 - 03:42pm PT
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Fred's counterpart in the world of mathematics is Paul Erdös, a Hungarian mathematician who died at 83 about twenty years ago. He roamed the world, traveling from university to university with a suitcase and shopping bag. My advisor had him as a house guest some years ago.
One considerable distinction, however, is that Erdös was a genius, whereas Fred was talented but his accomplishments were more a product of his insatiable drive. Both have been the subject of films, with the one of Erdös garnering few compliments. I agree that Dirtbag is an atrocious and to the general public a very demeaning descriptor. Wanderer, Vagabond, would have been better.
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McHale's Navy
Trad climber
From Panorama City, CA
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Jun 12, 2017 - 05:21pm PT
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At one of his shows, he had slides of Fritz Wiessner, Heinrich Harrer and Dan McHale.... He also has slides of many different women looking out of various tent doors up on Mountains all over the globe....
Hey Guyman, you have me with some good company there! I'm lucky my mother thought it was OK to climb with Fred, but Joe Brown got us together and she trusted Joe. I think she liked Fred's rugged good looks. He was only in his late 40s back then. She did whatever she could to keep me from hanging out with the wrong people.
I think his pink Thunderbird was before my time, but I got to ride around in Joe's Triumph! The funny thing about the Pink Thunderbird is that my 4th grade teacher had one and he was one of the most creative and inspiring teachers I ever had.....next to Fred that is! ;>)
The trailer in this article seems a bit more flattering and is 4 times longer; https://www.outsideonline.com/2122761/fred-beckey-climbings-living-encyclopedia
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Captain...or Skully
climber
Boise, ID
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Sep 23, 2017 - 02:05pm PT
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Oh, eff you guys. "Dirtbag" is a perfect Title. I know Fred. He's a great dirtbag. I say that with the utmost respect.
Obviously, none of YOU know what it is, even. BAH!
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Sep 23, 2017 - 03:50pm PT
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He ain't a dirtbag, he da Dirtbag Emeritus. Anybody can be a dirtbag.
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Don Lauria
Trad climber
Bishop, CA
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Sep 23, 2017 - 04:15pm PT
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Oh God, it's Fred!
September 1999
Joe,
About 4 weeks ago I was climbing with TM in Tuolumne. We had gotten a late 10:30 AM start and people were already on South Crack, so I insisted that we race up the Eunuch. We did. Back at the base in less than an hour and a half and seeing that the South Crack route was still jammed up with helmeted climbers with huge racks and brand new chalk bags, I convinced Herbert to run up that route just left of West Country. Before I could get TM moving from the car, a young climber with Asian features approached me and asked if I was looking for a climbing partner. I responded, Not really, despite appearances, I had a climbing partner ... see, there he is ... the one with the stupid looking hat. I added that he was not only my climbing partner, but that on occasion he passed as my father. The kid was looking askance at my 20 year old swami belt whose knot no longer had the appropriate length to gird my expanding waistline, and at my distinct lack of a chalk bag. Then I mentioned that HE, my partner, was the famous TM Herbert.
The kid was aghast and agape ... not THE TM Herbert! Yes, I replied, none other. He wanted to be introduced immediately and just casually remarked that he, too, was climbing with a legend. Fred Beckey! I said, Fred Beckey, where? Right there. In that car. I looked back and there, not more than ten feet away, seated in his car and absorbed in some written material in his lap, was Fred Beckey.
Fred, you old fart! How the hell are you?, as I approached the car, not knowing whether old Fred would even know who I was.
Lauria, what the hell are you doing here?
He recognized me. I was flattered. I'm climbing you old f*#ker, I'm climbing with TM. TM? Is he still coming up here?
Well, things settled down. TM came up. Fred got out of the car. We all shook hands. Fred was stooped and looked every year of his 80-some-odd. He had an injured foot and was limping which only added to the impression of his advancing age. We learned that, true to form, he had somehow convinced this young Asian to drive him down from Seattle to the Sierra so that they might go into the Palisades area to do some new secret Beckey route. But now, because of his injured foot, they had detoured to Tuolumne so that the kid might at least get in some climbing.
TM and I pried ourselves away from the ever loquacious Beckey and ran up our proposed route. We returned to the base to find South Crack open and again had to pull away from Fred to be next on the route. By 3:00 PM we were back at the car with Fred. Herbert was still insisting that Fred get an X-ray and Fred, who is more deaf than I am, was either ignoring the suggestion or the message was not getting through his faulty ear canals. In fact, the two of them, although apparently talking to each other, were by outward appearances carrying on two separate conversations. Neither of them was listening or maybe just not hearing the other.
TM and I finally excused ourselves and headed back to the Tuolumne store for a six pack which was subsequently downed in back of the Chevron station. After listening to Herbert expound on the necessity of x-rays in diagnostic medicine for over an hour, I managed to slip away and back to Bishop by 5:30 PM. So old Fred is still out there, but man, he's starting to look like a dirt bag.
Don
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Sep 23, 2017 - 05:36pm PT
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As I recall Fred was going deaf in his thirties or, at least, pretending to.
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Don Lauria
Trad climber
Bishop, CA
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Sep 23, 2017 - 06:59pm PT
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You coulda fooled me, back in late 60s he used to keep me on the phone for hours trying to get a committal to accompany him to one of his secret routes. He'd never tell you where he was planning to go until you committed to going with him.
Insatiable drive indeed.
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ec
climber
ca
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Sep 23, 2017 - 07:31pm PT
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ST Post: Feb 6, 2012 - 12:07am PT
Fred leaves me a voice mail, so I call him back...
He picks up. He's talking way loud, "DAVE?!"
"No! It's Ed!"
DAVE?!
I repeat myself a few times...Fred figures out who I am.
Fred cracks me up, "HEY! I'm in a library! Hey, man, I've got to call you back! People are giving me dirty looks!
ROTFLMAO!!
ec
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neebee
Social climber
calif/texas
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Sep 23, 2017 - 08:53pm PT
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hey there, say, don lauria... wow, what a very special story, thanks so much for sharing, :)
i really enjoy that... (the sept 23, 2017, that you must shared) ...
:)
sure is fun, seeing climbers having fun running into each other, :)
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Mungeclimber
Trad climber
Nothing creative to say
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Sep 23, 2017 - 09:56pm PT
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trying to get a committal to accompany him to one of his secret routes. He'd never tell you where he was planning to go until you committed to going with him.
I do this all the time. Can't hardly get anyone to go unless you give them a good sales pitch. Carefully cropped images sometimes work to preserve location and yet whet the appetites.
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Don Lauria
Trad climber
Bishop, CA
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Sep 24, 2017 - 12:15am PT
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BITD Fred worked by telephone, usually late in the evening and had difficulty in accepting no for an answer. Maybe he was a little deaf - he was in his late forties - I sure am a little deaf now.
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MH2
Boulder climber
Andy Cairns
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Sep 24, 2017 - 12:10pm PT
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That's the truth, Don Lauria.
And it probably did happen.
Fred is a genius. He just happened to have operated in a time when climbing was not popular and "appreciated."
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MH2
Boulder climber
Andy Cairns
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Sep 24, 2017 - 02:28pm PT
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Good correction, Tami.
When I started climbing near Providence, R.I., in '67, climbers were few and far between. Quite a few congregated at the Gunks on weekends, but compared to the West, and perhaps to Europe, numbers were small then.
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jgill
Boulder climber
The high prairie of southern Colorado
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Sep 24, 2017 - 04:13pm PT
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In the American Deep South in the early 1950s virtually no one climbed. I knew of three people in Georgia who had the slightest experience.
Sorry, thread drift.
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Tricouni
Mountain climber
Vancouver
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Sep 24, 2017 - 04:42pm PT
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Pertinent to Tami's comment, there was lots of climbing and mountaineering activity around Vancouver in the early decades of the 20th century.
On the head of the Camel (class 5) in nailed boots, early 1920s
Large party on the East Lion, probably 1913 or so. This is a class 4 climb.
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hooblie
climber
from out where the anecdotes roam
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Sep 24, 2017 - 05:51pm PT
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^^^ big downer on the east lion: "no photoshop for seventy years." :(
that's a lot of manual mountaineering ahead
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Tricouni
Mountain climber
Vancouver
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Sep 24, 2017 - 06:21pm PT
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^^^ big downer on the east lion: "no photoshop for seventy years." :(
that's a lot of manual mountaineering ahead
The original image is a glass lantern slide, hand tinted at the time. I like it!
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Tricouni
Mountain climber
Vancouver
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Sep 24, 2017 - 07:05pm PT
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Re the East Lion photo: One of the people in it is Basil Darling. He was a very strong local (Vancouver) climber from about 1912 to 1914. He did some good first ascents in the local area, including the Red Tusk, which repulsed all later attempts until Dick Culbert came along in the latest 1950s. In 1913 he and his party came within 100 metres of the summit of Mt Robson by the Wishbone Arete.
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ionlyski
Trad climber
Polebridge, Montana
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Sep 26, 2017 - 10:34am PT
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Beckey!
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jgill
Boulder climber
The high prairie of southern Colorado
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Sep 26, 2017 - 12:16pm PT
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Fred is a genius
I'll have to respectfully disagree with you, Andy. I found it uncomfortable to be around Fred more than fifty years ago because of his unrelenting drive, in my opinion the dominating aspect of his accomplishments.
For instance, in the Needles of the Black Hills Fred made an appearance sometime in the 1950s I think, maybe 1952, and one climb he did was to literally nail up a FA on Rubaiyat Spire, whereas taking a bit more time one can find moderate free climbing routes.
However, in America, the shift to free climbing from mixed or aid climbing was in its infancy, so Fred's approach was somewhat typical of the time.
Does drive equal genius? Perhaps so in this context.
My preference for "genius" is an intellectual giant, like Newton or Einstein. There are truly exceptional athletes, like Rafer Johnson, but I wouldn't call them geniuses. Just my take on the subject.
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donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
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Sep 26, 2017 - 03:41pm PT
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I like your take John.
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MH2
Boulder climber
Andy Cairns
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Sep 26, 2017 - 05:57pm PT
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My preference for "genius" is an intellectual giant, like Newton or Einstein.
I was thinking half-way between those giants and Bobby Fischer. Not really categorizable; and genius is probably a poor choice to describe Fred, because it is a box of its own.
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AP
Trad climber
Calgary
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Sep 27, 2017 - 10:11am PT
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To me genius in climbing means someone can see a line where no one else can or has a vision of a new approach. Jim Bridwell would certainly quality on this account. Fred's talent may be his persistence.
Mark Kac's comment on genius in the science world and RP Feynman in particular:
There are two kinds of geniuses: the ‘ordinary’ and the ‘magicians.’ an ordinary genius is a fellow whom you and I would be just as good as, if we were only many times better. There is no mystery as to how his mind works. Once we understand what they’ve done, we feel certain that we, too, could have done it. It is different with the magicians... Feynman is a magician of the highest caliber.
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shipoopoi
Big Wall climber
oakland
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Sep 27, 2017 - 08:10pm PT
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awesome tale by don...i just want to clarify that they did a trifecta on polly dome...not bad for a couple of old farts. ss
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ec
climber
ca
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Sep 28, 2017 - 08:57am PT
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‘Worst part of forums: defamation of character attacks without allowing anyone to speak for themselves...
 ec
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CascadeOtto
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Sep 28, 2017 - 12:51pm PT
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Just purchased tix to a showing at the Pickford Film Center in Bellingham, Washington. It's on Sunday, Oct. 21 at 6:30pm. Met him once heading in to the Valhallas in B.C., he was heading out after not climbing Gimli.
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Phred
Mountain climber
Anchorage
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Sep 28, 2017 - 06:18pm PT
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Adding to DMT's list:
1946 - Kates Needle (Coast Mountains, AK/BC) with Robert Craig and Clifford Schmidtke;
1949 - Michaels Sword (Coast Mountains, AK) with Harry King; Organ Pipes (Coast Mountains, AK) with Harry King; Antler Peak (Antler Peaks, Coast Mountains, AK) with Harry King; Couloir Peak (Spirit Peaks, Coast Mountains, AK) with Andrew Griscom; Emperor Peak (Spirit Peaks, Coast Mountains, AK) with Ralph Widrig; Flower Tower (Taku Range, Coast Mountains, AK) with Andrew Griscom;
1957 - Mount Barrille (Alaska Range, AK) with John Rupley;
1966 - South Summit of Mount Seattle (Saint Elias Mountains, AK) with R. Eric Bjornstad, Art Davidson, Jr., Don Liska, Herb Staley, and Jim Stuart;
1972 - The Tusk (Berners Peaks, Coast Mountains, AK) - with Dave Beckstead, John Rupley, and Ray Ketcham;
1976 - South Peak of Devils Paw (Coast Mountains, AK/BC) with Doug McCarty, Jack Tackle, and Craig Zaspel; Mount Emmerich (Takhinsha Mountains, Saint Elias Mountains, AK) with Jack Tackle and Craig Zaspel; Peak 5560 in the East Twin Glacier and Hades Highway drainages (Antler Peaks, Coast Mountains, AK) with Doug McCarty, Jack Tackle, and Craig Zaspel;
1977 - Mount Cheops (Mastadon Spires, Hidden Mountains, Alaska Range, AK) with R. Eric Bjornstad and Craig Martinson; Snow Bird Peak (Hidden Mountains, Alaska Range, AK) with R. Eric Bjornstad and Craig Martinson;
1979 - Mount Foresta (Saint Elias Mountains, AK) with Rick Nolting, John Rupley, and Craig Tillery;
1981 - Mount Titanic (Revelation Mountains, Alaska Range, AK) with Dan Hogan, Doug McCarty, and Craig Tillery;
1991 - North Spire (Barbarian Spires, Rampart Range, Alaska Range, AK) with Clay Wadman; and
1994 - Peak A-30 (Revelation Mountains, Alaska Range, AK) with James Funsten, Paul Gonzalez, and Scott Raynor; Cyane Peak (Revelation Mountains, Alaska Range, AK) with James Funsten, Paul Gonzalez, and Scott Raynor.
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ec
climber
ca
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Sep 30, 2017 - 03:56pm PT
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I couldn’t see how Fred could keep track of all his notes...
He told me that the ‘Little Black Book’ was a myth tho. LoL
ec
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jgill
Boulder climber
The high prairie of southern Colorado
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Sep 30, 2017 - 07:59pm PT
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Seems extremely likely Krakauer was approached -- but refused for some reason....one can only speculate....
I knew Jon when he was getting started as a writer and willing to spend some time with obscure climber-types. But over the years he has moved more mainstream, writing about people and events that appeal to a more general public. Pat Tilman's story, for example. However, I can't see any sort of general appeal, leading to a best seller, in Beckey's case.
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Sep 30, 2017 - 08:11pm PT
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^^^^ Case study in OCD?
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Oplopanax
Mountain climber
The Deep Woods
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I saw Dirtbag on Sunday.
I thought it was a good portrait of Beckey.
I was surprised and pleased to see that the filmmakers tracked down Helmy. PNW climbers have wondered for years what happened to Helmy.
The rumour was that he was an underwear model in Europe.
In fact, the film said he was an opera singer.
He looked pretty buff in the film though. Maybe he did model underwear while or between opera singing gigs.
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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OK, bonus coverage:
BITD (I know, that's redundant) The Fred went to the Fairweather Range
(obviously named by a realtor) with Dusan Jagersky, Wickwire, and
Greg Markov, IIRC. They got to their basecamp whereupon The Fred had a
meltdown over their objective. He decided to stay at basecamp and
pout while the others went climbing. They climbed up onto the spine
of this bitchin ridge and set up camp. In the morning Dusan was up
and out of the tent enjoying his brekky, and the view, when a major
earthquake hit. Dusan looked into the darkness of the tent at a pair
of very large eyeballs while their world wildly gyrated. Then they
watched as every face in the basin simultaneously avalanched. They
all assumed they'd seen the last of The Fred as the whole basin filled
up with powder clouds to a depth of several thousand feet. They
decided continuing was safer than descending so on they went without
seeing a trace of The Fred. Five days later they get back down and were
greeted with
"What the hell took you so long? I was bored to death here!"
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jgill
Boulder climber
The high prairie of southern Colorado
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I'm curious, and I don't mean to be disrespectful of Fred - I last talked with him briefly over thirty years ago - but at his age does he have a companion who assists him? Is he still getting around on his own? Someone mentioned he uses a wheelchair.
I haven't seen the film.
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Juan Maderita
Trad climber
"OBcean" San Diego, CA
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JGill,
Sent you a PM with some details. Beckey's a private guy when it comes to his personal life.
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jgill
Boulder climber
The high prairie of southern Colorado
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Didn't get it Juan. ST has notoriously poor personal messaging service. Go to my website and at the bottom of the homepage is my e-mail address. Thanks.
http://www.johngill.net/
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Juan Maderita
Trad climber
"OBcean" San Diego, CA
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jgill, Thanks. Sent u an email.
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teejaybee
Trad climber
Australia
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I sure hope they release this on Vimeo On-Demand, I can't wait to see it
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Roebucks
Trad climber
Portland OR
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His biography should be released by the end of next year. The back has the whole list of his climbs, all of the climbs that could be documented anyway.
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MH2
Boulder climber
Andy Cairns
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Whoa!! We get to learn what became of Helmy??!!!
Probably not mainstream audience material, but I think they are dummies for the most part. Or call them ignorami.
Sorry, ignoramuses.
And now I know that ignoramus was a verb, though not sure just how.
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MH2
Boulder climber
Andy Cairns
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Reilly,
That sounds like the same year that Toby O'Brien, Henry Florschutz, Lincoln Stoller, and Peter Metcalf were on Fairweather. See American Alpine Journal 1974.
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MH2
Boulder climber
Andy Cairns
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Guilty
edit:
Though really I was trying to find the proper plural. My early climbing mentors referred to touri ignorami. It may not have been proper Latin, but do we have any Romans to correct us?
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ec
climber
ca
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Oct 11, 2017 - 01:28am PT
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Vitaliy M.
Mountain climber
San Francisco
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Oct 11, 2017 - 07:55am PT
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EC, where is That? Anyone knows if it will be shown in Central Valley?
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ec
climber
ca
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Oct 11, 2017 - 08:58am PT
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Vitaliy, that was in Larkspur last night. There’s one more screening there at another venue on Friday.
Century 3 Larkspur, Fri, Oct 13th
ec
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Toker Villain
Big Wall climber
Toquerville, Utah
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Oct 11, 2017 - 01:59pm PT
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The first time I met Fred was at a lunch where I was seated with him, and translator Tony Sortelle, and Walter Bonatti at a small table on !2/6/84.
Unforgettable. (and was interesting to see how in awe of Walter he was).
We climbed together several times in the '90s.
The last time I saw him was in the apartment of David Koch beneath a painting worth more money than most of us have ever seen.
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Alan Rubin
climber
Amherst,MA.
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Oct 11, 2017 - 02:04pm PT
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Toker---Though I don't know you personally, the image of you and Becky in David Koch's--I'm presuming the 'Koch Brothers'---apartment is mind-boggling. Can you share the story of how you happened to be there---an AAC event maybe?
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Vitaliy M.
Mountain climber
San Francisco
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Oct 11, 2017 - 05:14pm PT
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EC, did you move to North Bay or something? Thought I'd run into you here in Visalia sometime. Would be great to meet you in person.
How was the movie? I saw Fred Beckey give a slideshow in South Bay in 2010. Glad to hear he is still alive, he looked very very bad then with congestive heart failure and two black eyes.
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ec
climber
ca
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Oct 11, 2017 - 05:58pm PT
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Vitaliy, I’ve been in the east SFBay area since ‘85.
The movie did not disappoint; certainly was a fine tribute to Fred and his life. I found myself chuckling to myself several times, having lived similar experiences with him as described in the film.
Trivia: I was surprised that the ‘legend of the little black book’ came-up as having been in a haul bag lost on Tehipite. As you know, the haul bag had been lost on Angel Wings. I found the remnants decades later and even used the deteriorating hammock a route there. I don’t know if you found any more of the junk when you were over there.
After returning from the trip, Dave Nettle got wind of our discovery and spun a short story about it, furthering the legend. I found out for myself that the little black book (as the film concurs) is in Fred’s mind.
ec
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Flip Flop
climber
Earth Planet, Universe
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Oct 11, 2017 - 08:53pm PT
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Legendary!!!!
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jgill
Boulder climber
The high prairie of southern Colorado
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Oct 11, 2017 - 09:33pm PT
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Southern Colorado scheduled?
Biography author?
I thought I saw Fred with his small notebook fifty years ago at Jenny Lake. I'm probably mistaken.
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Vitaliy M.
Mountain climber
San Francisco
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Oct 11, 2017 - 10:16pm PT
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Interesting story about the black book. I remember reading about it and wondered if it is a legend or truth. Too bad Beckey has severe dementia and can't tell which walls he has attempted and didn't get. There is a big wide crack system on Flatiron butter with super old bolts next to it. Wonder if it was Beckey or what. He did the first Ascent of a fun ridge on it, wonder if he also tried that crack system. I'd they (or someone else) topped it out or not. And what else he has been on here. That guy sure been to cool places and seen a lot.
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BigB
Trad climber
Red Rock
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Oct 12, 2017 - 08:15am PT
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anyone know if theyre planning a Vegas showing?
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Oplopanax
Mountain climber
The Deep Woods
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Oct 12, 2017 - 10:12am PT
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Too bad Beckey has severe dementia and can't tell which walls he has attempted and didn't get.
Libel.
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Phred
Mountain climber
Anchorage
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Oct 12, 2017 - 12:37pm PT
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BITD (I know, that's redundant) The Fred went to the Fairweather Range
(obviously named by a realtor) with Dusan Jagersky, Wickwire, and
Greg Markov, IIRC. They got to their basecamp whereupon The Fred had a
meltdown over their objective. He decided to stay at basecamp and
pout while the others went climbing. They climbed up onto the spine
of this bitchin ridge and set up camp. In the morning Dusan was up
and out of the tent enjoying his brekky, and the view, when a major
earthquake hit. Dusan looked into the darkness of the tent at a pair
of very large eyeballs while their world wildly gyrated. Then they
watched as every face in the basin simultaneously avalanched. They
all assumed they'd seen the last of The Fred as the whole basin filled
up with powder clouds to a depth of several thousand feet. They
decided continuing was safer than descending so on they went without
seeing a trace of The Fred. Five days later they get back down and were
greeted with
"What the hell took you so long? I was bored to death here!"
That was in July 1973 and the peak in question was Mount Quincy Adams. For those who might be interested, read Wickwire's account in the 1974 AAJ.
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Don Lauria
Trad climber
Bishop, CA
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I would think this thread should include that Fred died on October 30th, 2017
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John Morton
climber
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Apr 23, 2018 - 08:51am PT
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Saw it yesterday.
The contrast of Beckey and Whittaker speaks volumes. Whittaker is invited to the White House and climbs with Robert Kennedy, Beckey sleeps by his car on the gravel and eats sugar packets.
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McHale's Navy
Trad climber
From Panorama City, CA
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Apr 27, 2018 - 08:00pm PT
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I've been meaning to post this climbing story and photo from the December 1968 issue of Summit magazine.
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Roots
Mountain climber
Redmond, Oregon
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Saw it this past Friday in Bend. Good movie about a great climber.
There was a Q&A session afterwards. Both the producer and Fred did not want it to be titled Dirtbag. Direct Becky was the original title, but dirtbag kept coming up in interviews and conversations. Fred eventually warmed up to the title and even asked for movie schwag.
I think the title is an appropriate compliment to Fred. As Chouinard says, he taught everyone how to do it.
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i-b-goB
Social climber
Wise Acres
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His stage name was Dirtbaggy Bag!
Cheers to Da Man Fred!
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| Messages 1 - 76 of total 76 in this topic |
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