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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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