The most ripped climber...

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philo

Trad climber

boulder, co.

Jul 25, 2007 - 11:11am PT

OK so those were good efforts, but I remember a picture of Charlie Fowler in an old IMS catalog in the mid to late seventies. He was standing on a tree stump in Eldo doing a classic Grecian statue pose. Man that dudes' rips were ripped. Sorry I don't have a pic. But if any one does post it up.

Then there is always the indomitable Roger Briggs. that guy has veins in his legs bigger around than my thumbs.

Mungeclimber

Trad climber

sorry, just posting out loud.

Jul 25, 2007 - 11:53am PT

what happened to the pic of Tony Yaniro's "guns"?

philo

Trad climber

boulder, co.

Jul 26, 2007 - 09:19am PT

DaftRat that is the funniest thing you have ever posted.

golsen

Social climber

kennewick, wa

Jul 26, 2007 - 01:35pm PT

Jack In the Box must obviously be a republican joint....

Oli

Trad climber

Fruita, Colorado

Jul 27, 2007 - 04:23am PT

No one was more "ripped" than John Gill in his prime (the later 1950s and early-mid 1960s). No one in his class, and radically far ahead of his time. Even the great physical talents that started coming later were missing some of the magic of that great genius.

I have known a lot of very "ripped" climbers. I wasn't bad in my gymnastic heyday, you know, a plange on the floor, straight-body hollow backs, etc., but there were gymnasts twice my strength who couldn't climb well. I met all sorts of climbers through the years who were unbelievably "ripped," and made me feel weak by comparison, but I could do harder climbs than they. Barry Bates wasn't particularly ripped but could do one-finger pullups and was as good as anyone in Yosemite in his day. I climbed with Ed Barry and Dale, bouldering in Yosemite, and they were strong strong, light, could do one-arms as easily as they could slide a package of hamburger into their coat at Degnan's, but it was possible (at least at that time) to out boulder them. Maybe they got better, though. I knew weight lifters with huge muscles, to make Largo look like Pee Wee Herman, but they'd fall off ledges just standing there and were too muscle-bound to do a pull-up. Sacherer, as just one example, on the other hand, was thin, didn't look to have much muscle, though he could really climb... Holloway never looked ripped, but in bouldering he could make quick work of just about anyone...

TrundleBum

Trad climber

Las Vegas

Nov 10, 2007 - 05:18pm PT

Ripped I vote (because no one has mentioned them)
old school: Jimmy Dunn
new old school:
In the early 80's 'Adam ant' or Antman Grozowski was pretty ripped.
He was not the strongest, but far from frail.

Oli mentions guys that were not ripped physically but sure shred.
For skinny, non muscle dudes that shred.... I vote a toss up between:
Peter Mayfeild and Alex Lowe.

AndySan Diego

Trad climber

San Diego, CA

Nov 10, 2007 - 09:21pm PT

Largo seems to fit here. What about that guy, Herman Wing? He was in the movie Yosemite Climbing with Johnny Woodward.

Tarbuster

climber

right here, right now

Nov 10, 2007 - 10:22pm PT

Yes, the Mexican dude Herman, wicked burly kinda' lad.
Man that guy: Werner said he would soon explode!

Riotch

Trad climber

Kayenta, Arizona

Nov 11, 2007 - 10:36am PT

I think we could end this discussion with a few good shots of Steve Petro, in his prime....

C'mon you photoheads!

Maysho

climber

Truckee, CA

Nov 11, 2007 - 01:49pm PT

Much as I feel honored to be mentioned in the same sentence as my fallen friend and hero Alex Lowe, I must correct this notion. Alex was a pull up fiend and an aerobic monster and trained his butt off. I was never that disciplined, and pulled off a relatively small number of hard leads by relying on good technique. Like Oli states above, ripped does not mean much if you can't dance with it.

My approach to climbing and focus on footwork made my venture into the world of professional dance a logical progression, that and being secure enough to pirouette in tights on stage. In a full body way, I would say top dancers get more "ripped" than climbers. We did try to bring the climber machismo into the studio, like "Ho-Man we better go crank some plie's".

Peter

mingus

Trad climber

Grand Junction, Colorado

Nov 11, 2007 - 03:59pm PT

California -- 1978.
I would make the pilgrimage to Yosemite every spring and fall from Colorado for years. It was the Holy Grail place, and I had one day that was utterly remarkable to a 19 year old kid.

I was working out in the Camp 4 gym and Bridwell approached me. We stuck up a conversation -- he assesed my character and determined I was not a big wall player, but he was so cordial and asked me if I had some laundry detergent he could borrow. Going back to my van that had been illegally parked right next to the ranger kiosk in C4 for two months, I grabbed the whole ten pound box and took it back to Bridwell. He seemed pleased...Tick # one.

An hour later I walked by Dale Bard who had just gotten off his third El Cap climb in a month, and he had less body fat and more bad-a#s tone than I have ever seen in a human to this day. He too, spoke to me in this super friendly manner. I can only say that Michalangelo's "David" was a pathetic redneck, fatman compared to Dale. As Mr. Bachar propose's, he is frighteningly fit and that is quite a statement coming from Bachar who is fit as h#ll.

As I am waiting for dinner outside the Lodge that night, Mr. Bachar complimented me on my dashiki and then uses those red flashing glasses during the NPS naturalist presentation to freak people out. He stood behind the presenter and flashed these tiny red laser lights at the crowd and then would smile slightly.

Scene three: I have already encountered Bridwell and Bard and Bachar. Now I am eating a cheeseburger at the Four Seasons And I look across the room to Largo who is busting out of his shirt with muscle and energy....and I make a mental note that I would never want to get on his 'bad side'. In case he ever actually spoke to me I would tell Largo the story about when I climbed with Tobin on Ten Karat and he virtually ruined my rope. A person like Tobin was worth having a shredded rope for.

Let us reasess for a second. I have now encountered four legends in the course of less than four hours in the Big Ditch. They all spoke to me, aside from Largo who was too scary -- observing him was best. By the end of the evening I went with a great friend from Washington State who introduced me to Ed Barry at the Mountain Room Bar. Mr. Barry taught me about "Sausalito Archie". I love the intonation Mr. Barry put in his stories about "Archie".

So from from 4 pm to 11 pm on a September day, I met the masters..... and they were sure stinking fit....

My votes for most fit are Bard, Barry and Tiffany Campbell who I witnessed folding tee-shirts in a Lander, Wyoming laundromat.

socalbolter

Sport climber

Silverado, CA

Nov 11, 2007 - 08:52pm PT

A few years back I wasn't in too bad of shape.

http://www.rockclimbing.com/images/photos/assets/1/231511-largest_17376.jpg

I also remember Dale being pretty ripped for a skinny guy.

Also remember a guy that I used to see up at Suicide in the mid to late 80's that went by the nickname Troll or Dwarf or something like that. He had a huge beard and pony tail was extremely stocky and muscular. Anyone remember what his real name was?

Then of course there's Petro - another stocky brute!

Kap

Mountain climber

New York, NY

Nov 13, 2007 - 12:58pm PT

I don't know if he climbs, but I vote for Iggy.

Bazo

Boulder climber

Nov 13, 2007 - 01:25pm PT

Purty good fer a sixty-year old.....

How the F... does he do it?

Blowboarder

Boulder climber

Back in the mix

Nov 13, 2007 - 02:20pm PT

heroin

Tarbuster

climber

right here, right now

Nov 13, 2007 - 02:20pm PT

Iggy is one of the iconic skinny-ripped dudes for sure.

Here ya go Rox:
They both look pretty ripped, but I'd still place Dale, Tiffany, or Bobbi Bensman out ahead a notch.

Photo of Kauk & Shelley Dunbar, by T Carter, or CF, not sure.
Mine is a copy from an original print.