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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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