Discussion Topic |
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bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, Ca.
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Nov 20, 2008 - 10:36pm PT
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never met the legend, but he sounds like a really fuking unique character.
The guy lived life on a different frequency from what I've read. He seemed like a great guy to me.
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Captain...or Skully
Social climber
Boise
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Nov 20, 2008 - 10:47pm PT
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Walt! Right on, Mongo, you figured it out.
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Watusi
Social climber
Newport, OR
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Nov 20, 2008 - 11:29pm PT
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Walt was a great guy and an awesome friend!
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Jaybro
Social climber
wuz real!
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Nov 20, 2008 - 11:34pm PT
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The most direct/least aggressive person I've ever met. We shared too few adventures; ditch, ditch, josh, ditch,, t-meadows, ditch, josh, Flag, Ditch, ditch, but more... something, than it takes to fill a lifetime. You were checked out, but can never leave.
You were late first, we'll see about the other side...
Thank you.
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chez
Social climber
chicago ill
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Nov 20, 2008 - 11:36pm PT
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Shipley's grinnin'
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ron gomez
Trad climber
fallbrook,ca
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Nov 21, 2008 - 12:02am PT
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Got introduced by PC in Tuolumne and PC said Walt had this shoulder problem that I should look at. So I of course did. I was properly introduced and shook hands with Walt and naturally asked, what happened. What I got was this explanation AND full on act of reproduction of how Walt hurt his shoulder. Ironically, did it kayaking. Man by the time he got done with his explanation and girations of how he screwed his shoulder I was about rolling on the ground. You've got to picture Walt doing this full on paddle of a section of river, complete with roll and inability to correct roll, then subsequent bail out from the kayak. It was a site to see and hear. CLASSIC and I'll never forget him. I gave him minimal advice and help, but his Thank you was priceless. Typical Walt, such a great guy. He is missed and remembered.
Peace Walt
Peace
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WBraun
climber
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Nov 21, 2008 - 12:02am PT
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He was honest and so truthful.
His heart was so huge, and he could take hold of the lion and ride him with such humility.
He was such a great soul ......
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pyro
Big Wall climber
Calabasas
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Nov 21, 2008 - 01:26am PT
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The first thing is that I'd seen him in Master of stone 1.
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bvb
Social climber
flagstaff arizona
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Nov 21, 2008 - 02:17am PT
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first met walt when the nps transferred me to the valley in '87. don't know how i'd missed him before that. inspired me to solo at my limit, which i'm sad and happy to say i did once or twice. a blessing to our world he was. forever in our hearts.
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Captain...or Skully
Social climber
Boise
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Nov 21, 2008 - 08:11am PT
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Bump for a true master.
Of Climbing & campfire spew.
We all miss you, Walt.....
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coiler
Trad climber
The Rock Monkey Ranch
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Nov 21, 2008 - 09:10am PT
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"Walt !!" is what I'd shout out as I approached the deli nearly every day. We'd sit for hours swilling the "cold gold"; talking all sorts of slander, etching topos. The roster: Walt, Mongo, Werner, Swiliam B. Rummy, The sprayer (where is he now?), the V.I. , Hornibrook, Mr. Way, Klaus, Sheepskin (Dave Hibschman, Walt's good friend) Hiskes, Yager, Yerian, Janice (the menace), Jobee one kenobie, Tucker, Speauty, the Silverback, Denise Brown, Vince Depasque, Troy Johnson, Father Foz, "Angry" Sue Fossum,Potter, Scottie Burke, the McDivits and of course Karl Baba. The "Court of Kings" I'd call it. It all seemed to end just about the time Walt died. Those days are missed... greatly.
"WALT !!!" Some of the best times EVER.
Nice photo Cade! Who took that one?
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Jobee
Social climber
El Portal
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Nov 21, 2008 - 10:03am PT
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-Walt
It' s like you never left. I keep waiting for you to walk into Y.M.S. and tell me a story of your previous client. I look up at the valley walls and realize you have touched, climbed, descended, and embraced almost everywhere that I can only hope to get to.
I see your smile, here your voice, remember your laugh and I know that you liked me,
liked all of us, even though you pretended not to. You were grumpy sometimes in a very lovingly parental kind of way!
The last thing you said to me when I said "see you on Tuesday" was "Ya never know"
The last thing I said to you was "watch your back" you had the wildest look in your eyes
I have ever witnessed, almost as though you had a secret and what a secret it was.
I miss you Walt but you are not gone. Thank you for coming into a my night time dreams they are vivid, pure, and filled with adventure.
Your not gone Walt, you are everywhere we are and you live on through all of us.
Till we meet again Walter, till we meet again,
Jo
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Nov 21, 2008 - 10:53am PT
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mt10910 wrote:
"He then got up, adjusted his gym shorts, told me getting brownies from a climbing partner was way homo and wandered off."
You really nailed one of his mannerisms with that one!
The set up, the pause, the declaration...
'Brings me right back.
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Fluoride
Trad climber
Hollywood, CA
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Nov 21, 2008 - 01:13pm PT
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Bump to keep this on the front page.
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HighDesertDJ
Trad climber
Arid-zona
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Nov 21, 2008 - 01:15pm PT
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Mac said- "Met walt 14 years or so ago in Tuolumne. He was telling stories around a campfire in Tuolumne SAR. Still can remember how hard I laughed at his stories of soloing triumphs and mishaps (usually the same climb). After a while, nobody else would talk because we didn't want him to stop telling stories. "
Pretty sure that was the first time I met you. Walt lurked around our campfire a bunch in 1997. He truly defined the term "character."
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Jaybro
Social climber
wuz real!
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Nov 21, 2008 - 02:04pm PT
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You can bet I pirated that one.
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Ksolem
Trad climber
Monrovia, California
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Nov 21, 2008 - 04:56pm PT
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I met Walt Shipley one time. It was over some sport climbing in the Owens Gorge. I had just done a climb and was resting and Walt, seeing me idle, came over and said “Ned Guy’s Proud Pearl Necklace?” I was like, “Sure.” He led it. For those familiar with the climb, this was before the location of the bolts was “adjusted.” Anyway, he got up, did the crux, got pumped and skipped the formality of clipping the bolts from there on up. I was thrilled when he got to the anchors. I would have caught him of course, but it would have been huge.
Normally I would have pulled the cord and led, but by then I figured out who this guy was, and there was no way I was going to add those upper three draws, and also no way I was leading it without them so I top roped his bold lead.
When I got down he looked me straight in the eyes, shook my hand and was gone. I always figured I would meet him again, and was sorry when I heard of his passing.
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BASE104
climber
An Oil Field
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Nov 21, 2008 - 07:29pm PT
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I met Walt when he showed up in the valley after quitting his job and building that amazing van.
We were in France together. I have some great stories about that one posted elsewhere.
We always kept in touch. I know a lot of people who have left this world, but I miss him the most because he had the mixture of intensity and outrageous court jester. He could make me laugh til I cried.
Bump again to get this on top of that LEB crap. What does she say? I can't get past the first couple of sentences.
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johntp
Trad climber
socal
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Nov 21, 2008 - 10:41pm PT
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BaBump
Mr. 104-
How about a link to the tale?
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chez
Social climber
chicago ill
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Nov 22, 2008 - 12:47am PT
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Ksolem,
I am familier with the route Ned Guys proud pearl necklace.
I Put up the route originally with the bolt protecting the original crux to the right.
Now a different route which goes through what used to be choss at an easier grade to the left.
"Ned" is a high school friend which i jokingly named the route after and was also a good friend of Walt's, which may be the reason Walt lead that route that day in that form.
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Karl Baba
Trad climber
Yosemite, Ca
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Nov 22, 2008 - 01:17am PT
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I'm reposting this from a previous Walt thread
"Walt was part of a film crew that covered "freedom fighters" fighting against the Soviet Union in Afghanistan. It turns out he was there when a woman I went to school with died of Hepititus before they could evacuate her. They were in a sketchy, whacked situation and it seemed bizaare to me that I should know two such different people who coincidentally shared this intense time so far away.
Of course, Walt was a total specialist on the subject of intense. He was a super intelligent guy, an engineer, and felt things intensely. It seemed like he needed to up the ante on life to keep it interesting, but then it could be overwhelming, so he have to be wasted or solo something, and then that lead to even more intensity.
So I enjoyed hanging out with him, hearing his beta and animated stories complete with full body re-enactments of key sequences. When I finally got to do a miserable job climbing Crucifix, Walts voice was in the back of my head, warning me about sketchy blocks at the top of some amazing fist crack.
A lot of times his sense of humor was at the expense of young ladies passing by the Deli. Sometimes I wanted to hide under the table when I thought he was going too far.
But his (last?) girlfriend (Stephanie?) was sweet and it was cool to hang with them together up at the terrace where she lived.
and the deli has never been the same since he died. I'm sure he would have approved of himself dying doing something rad. Lots of us still miss him.
I know he was one of the funniest guys alive. Puppet shows, wild stories, but he was an amazing big hearted complex guy who defied any simple charactarization. I don't believe he was quite ready to "rest in peace" I think he's just run out on another epic, and after shaking out and composing himself, will be pulling the crux and clipping the anchors.
Peace
karl"
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WBraun
climber
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Nov 22, 2008 - 01:32am PT
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"I'm sure he would have approved of himself dying doing something rad."
Everyone always says something along this line.
I ain't buying it. I've been right there and guys are looking at me asking if they're gonna die now with the look of I don't want to die now. The people that have been in that situation know what I'm talking about.
When it's the real thing happening nobody is approving and saying I was rad and am checking out now.
That's a deli myth full of alcohol .....
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BASE104
climber
An Oil Field
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Nov 22, 2008 - 09:31am PT
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Yeah, Werner,
I was totally shocked when Walt died. I had known him forever. He would write these letters on old Meyers topos that the print would get smaller and smaller and then wind around the page.
And late in his life, I remember him saying that he was becoming very interested in your view of religion.
Then later he used email, Karlamos, and we had been yacking at each other every now and then before he died...kind of keeping up when we were bored or whatever. I had moved from climbing to jumping for a long time, but I would always go straight to looking up Walt when I passed through the valley. We stayed friends for many years. A lot of these are drinking stories, where Walt could go way over the edge, but he was intense and interesting. He never seemed to have a swollen head, either. For me, he was one of those people that just stick in your head for years. You couldn't forget him.
He was just one of those little gems that once you got to know him, you couldn't get him out of your mind long after you had gone in different directions. Although he died, I was really shocked, even when his close calls were legendary. He just had that weird light around him.
I know that when my number is up, I will be forgotten. It is really something that after all of this time, we just can't get him out of our heads.
I still use the jacket trick to freak out the normal people. There are a lot of stories that are probably best left untold.
Here are a few funny things that happened in France..1984:
http://www.supertopo.com/climbing/thread.html?topic_id=62445&msg=62445#msg62445
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zip
Trad climber
pacific beach, ca
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Nov 22, 2008 - 01:38pm PT
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Jeff Perrin, Myself, and Walt were in JT attempting Spiderline.
Jeff floats it, Walt doesn't make it, I get up on it and take a fall and hit my head.
I say: Damn that rock is hard.
Walt replies: That's why it's called a rock.
Jeff snickers.
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east side underground
Trad climber
crowley ca
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Nov 22, 2008 - 03:37pm PT
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used to party abit with walt,swilliam,and uncle ned up in yos. west at the bunkhouse while building up there. Never got to share a rope with walt but got to enjoy some good times. RIP
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east side underground
Trad climber
crowley ca
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Nov 22, 2008 - 03:38pm PT
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used to party abit with walt,swilliam,and uncle ned up in yos. west at the bunkhouse while building up there. Never got to share a rope with walt but got to enjoy some good times. RIP
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K. Fosburg
Sport climber
park city, ut
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Nov 23, 2008 - 09:55am PT
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Wall-eye brought this thread to my attention a few days ago and at first I didn't think there was anything I wanted to say on the subject. Walt was my best friend and we shared so many great adventures together that I will never forget. His spirit is completely alive to me and I invoke it sometimes when I have to do something difficult and/or dangerous.
Those are the things I didn't think it was necessary to say as so many others seem to feel the same way and to have expressed it nicely.
I would like to sound a word of caution though against what seems to be a tendency to mythologize our departed droogs. Walt was more or less a suicidal maniac and I've come to understand that as the basis for our shared drive toward the same sort of experiences. We all know how enlivening it is to throw caution to the wind bring our best efforts to bear on a difficult climb or athletic challenge. There is another challenge though that I'm sure Walt would not hesitate to affirm if he were around, the challenge of coming down from that ineffable space and living our lives in a way that is of use to those we love. I think it's possible to use the kind of brave passion Walt so uniquely embodied and bring it to bear on our daily lives in a creative non-self-destructive way.
Cheers, Kevin
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clubber
Trad climber
eldorado springs,co
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Nov 24, 2008 - 12:07am PT
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Walt was and still is a great guy. Once old " Ned" dug up one of his buried bottles of gin and let Billy R mix us some drinks.1st mistake. well,shortly we were primed for the mtn room to get even more jacked.Ipuked outside and passed out.Walt was good enough to drag me over to camp 4 and stuff me under his van to sleep it of.saved me from the rangers. Thanks Walt!!! peace and fuk-nes steve s
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Fluoride
Trad climber
Hollywood, CA
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Nov 24, 2008 - 01:37pm PT
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Bump!
Because yet again this has fallen off the front page and that LEB Pirates thread is still monopolizing this site.
I didn't know Walt, but from what I know of him from those who did, he deserves to be head and shoulders above any diarrhea at the keyboard thread.
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Elcapinyoazz
Social climber
Redlands
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Nov 25, 2008 - 08:41pm PT
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Bump for Malt Whipley, the last savage.
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WBraun
climber
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Nov 25, 2008 - 08:53pm PT
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So one night Stretch decides to see if Walt's really suicidal and crazy. They're in Stretch's rig and Stretch loads a 44 magnum revolver and slides it over to Walt.
"There's one bullet in there Walt" says Stretch. "You're always talking about doing it and here's your chance" in his best most serious tone.
Walt looked at the gun and then Stretch and pushed it back .....
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Jaybro
Social climber
wuz real!
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Nov 25, 2008 - 09:18pm PT
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There is no question that, over the years, Walt had an aura of the Darkside™ about him, to varying degrees. Kevin's admonition is well grounded. But, I noted changes with him at various times. He was much less fatalistic after Tissiack, than before. He'd signed out on the rescue list chalkboard beforehand with a cartooned skull and crossbones. I was standing close enough to him that my right elbow was in his ribs when upon return, he changed that notation.
"Oh man I just want to live."
I had an extended talk with him in Flag at the A-5/Deuce facility after the Afghanistan film project. I'm naive, but it seemed to me that he had developed a much higher appreciation for life at that time than he had expressed before. (Kinda like when TinTin went to Tibet, for a pop culture refrent).
Of course he was always still calculating and cynical, but I never thought he was conciously, suicidal, after that.
Werner, russ, Jobee, Swilliam, Cilley, Deuce, Kevin and others knew him closer than I ever did, but it seemed like a shift to me.
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Karl Baba
Trad climber
Yosemite, Ca
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Nov 25, 2008 - 09:28pm PT
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I'm guessing that Walt had a bigger heart than he knew how to handle. His level of self destruction seemed, like Yabo, to depend on whether it was broken or not
peace
karl
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Mimi
climber
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Nov 25, 2008 - 10:54pm PT
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WB, I agree. No way did Walt have a death wish. He loved life and adventure as much as anyone I've ever met. He got a bit wreckless with a very unforgiving medium (whitewater) that's all.
Jo, you nailed it. Walt is very much alive in our memories and our own love for adventure.
You are so missed, Walt. May we meet again on the other side.
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Jaybro
Social climber
wuz real!
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Nov 26, 2008 - 12:50am PT
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Yikes, That, Shirt!
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deuce4
climber
Hobart, Australia
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Nov 26, 2008 - 06:17am PT
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Jay, I remember that time he told us of the intensity of Afghanistan. The story of the Russian helicopters circling, blasting groups of Mujuhadeen he had just spent the evening with the night before, while he and Hoover's crew crouched hidden behind a nearby boulder, praying not to be seen.
And that wasn't even the most intense story he told of that trip. Walt's tales of terror still terrify me today.
Here's some pics:
What would we do without the Deli?
If you were inclined to take some chances, Walt was the kind of guy who'd you be ready to take some even bigger chances with, perhaps the biggest of your life.
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wildone
climber
GHOST TOWN
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Nov 26, 2008 - 08:23am PT
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Check out Ken!
What was the title of that documentary Walt worked on? Any chance it's available out there?
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quartziteflight
climber
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Nov 26, 2008 - 09:48am PT
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excellent pics!
Never met walt. Wish I had...
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Jaybro
Social climber
wuz real!
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Nov 26, 2008 - 01:21pm PT
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Thanks for that John. I'd only seen some of those shots. Truly amazing.
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WBraun
climber
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Nov 26, 2008 - 01:29pm PT
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Wildone it was NBC Nightline.
What really happened Hoover said; "Werner, get your ass in gear you're going to Afghanistan."
I ducked and Walt was standing right behind me and I said; "Walt's going because I can't hear if in the night all hell's breaking loose and we got to whisper I might fukup."
Walt looks at me with deer in the headlights look and a WTF???? face. Hahahahah
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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I snagged this photo from the Rat Room bulletin board, when Walt was guiding for YMS:
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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We miss you Walt.
Can you feel that???
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marty(r)
climber
beneath the valley of ultravegans
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Wow! Wild eyes, Adidas sneakers, and a bazooka-like weapon! Funny cuz Walt had that same wild-eyed look when he'd come by the Fish copperhead gulag for a malted breakfast and tall tales of whitewater. Wish I'd known him better and had more time to spend listening to him.
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WBraun
climber
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So Walt comes back from his Afghanistan adventure and tells me the story when the Russian tank spotted him and Peers high up on a ridge. The hide behind some bush hoping they're not spotted.
The tank starts firing some big ass shells at em. Walt looks at me telling the story with intense wild eyes.
"Werner, those fukers were really trying to kill me"
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ron gomez
Trad climber
fallbrook,ca
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Werner I can close my eyes and picture him telling the story, thanks for sharing that with us. Only knew him briefly,.....but what an impression he left with me! He's greatly missed by all and those memories are one of lives treasures!
Peace
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Paul Martzen
Trad climber
Fresno
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Great pics from Afgahnistan. Thanks for posting them John.
I continue to enjoy reading about the different experiences people had with Walt and their different perspectives on his personality. There is a dipload of stuff I never knew about him.
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east side underground
Trad climber
crowley ca
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Great photos! love the deli shot. uncle ned you out there? you sure looked young back then......hehehe
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survival
Big Wall climber
A Token of My Extreme
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I loved how hard that guy made me laugh.
Amazing pix from Asscrackistan. Holy warriors..first we're with 'em, then we're against 'em. Confusing eh?
A few years later, and Walt coulda been rolled up like John Walker and sent to Gitmo. He would've had some wild tales from that place too...after he busted out.
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OR
Trad climber
So.VT.
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I was living in the Valley in 93 and had not met Walt yet. I was sitting in a beach chair in C4 kinda out the way and i see this guy on a jalopy bike and a huge straw hat make a beeline at me full speed chanting " trip,trip,trip". He skids to a stop and says " you O'Rourke?" Im like...Yes (Kinda nervous). He say's " you just get off The Trip with Sullivan?" I say "umm yup" He just says "nice" and goes tearing off on his bike. My Buddy walks up and says " what did Shipley want?" I said" sh#t, I had no idea who that was". I cant explain it but the encounter somehow made me feel really good. Like without saying much he just said welcome to the Valley. Killed my liver with him a bit at the Deli the rest of the season. Really good person....
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bvb
Social climber
flagstaff arizona
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OR, that sounds a lot like my very first walt encounter, which i still recall quite vividly. a real hit-and-run job that left me feeling both bewildered and kinda all warm and fuzzy and good about myself. walt's valley welcome wagon. what a great heart he had.
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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In the Zebra:
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Jan 17, 2009 - 11:58am PT
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Walt was meticulous about many things.
On this particular day in Joshua Tree, he was all giddy about showing me the various modifications inside his van:
During the winter of 87/88 we did a lot of exploring and bolted a bunch of first ascents together.
I put a list together at one point; routes which we named things like “Cool Jerk”, “Too Steep to Climb”, “Get the Boot” and so forth.
While out looking at things one day, we saw this under cling, I wasn’t so interested so Walt just soloed it:
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Jan 17, 2009 - 12:09pm PT
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Some of Walt’s oldest friends, people from college, his earliest climbing partners, were really nice people.
(Not that most of us as his friends were not nice, heh), but I mean really polite & reserved people Walt had as friends.
The guy who took these photos was one of them.
Russ would remember his name, so I will hopefully be able to give correct photo attribution; he ran a fairly successful sewing business.
So this sequence of pictures was taken by [edit] Hy Zornes on a first ascent that Walter drilled:
(I believe I got these because Walt was visiting me in Colorado, had these developed there and left them with me.)
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Russ Walling
Social climber
Upper Fupa, North Dakota
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Jan 17, 2009 - 12:13pm PT
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Hy Zornes was the sewing guy. He used to make haul bags for me BITMFD
Hey Tar.... was that the same season where you guys did Avant Cave/Chain and that other stuff and there was a near fist fight?
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Jan 17, 2009 - 12:15pm PT
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Thanks!
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Jan 17, 2009 - 12:18pm PT
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hahahaha.
I think those routes (Avant Cave & Chain Gang) were done the next year Russ,
Which is why it (his tirade) sort of threw me for a loop, given that we had done all of this stuff together,
Which were oddly missing from his proof, and which were all ground up anyway, including Avant Cave & Chain Gang.
Like I needed an example...
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deuce4
climber
Hobart, Australia
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Jan 17, 2009 - 03:40pm PT
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HighDesertDJ
Trad climber
Arid-zona
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Jan 17, 2009 - 03:43pm PT
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When I was 20 years old and a fresh face on the SAR site he called my truck "proud."
It made me feel warm and fuzzy.
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Chicken Skinner
Trad climber
Yosemite
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Feb 17, 2009 - 10:30pm PT
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I thought some of you would enjoy seeing this.
He used it on Cerro Torre and Fitzroy during his Patagonia trip in the late '80's and during his forays around the Valley with Fosburg. I miss him and think the Deli has never been the same since.
Ken
P.S. I have quite a bit of his rack and video footage (as far as I know the only) of him climbing on two different routes in the Valley. I have to get it transferred from Hi 8 to DVD.
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Feb 18, 2009 - 01:07am PT
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That's too cool Ken!
He also had a fairly short Charlet ice ax.
I wonder if that is in your stash of Walt memorabilia.
Black rubber grip, exposed aluminum shaft up by the head, steeply drooped pick.
One day back there a ways Russ and I were hanging out with Walt at his "coffin" in camp 4 and he pulled it out to tell us stories about climbing in Chamonix.
Something about "wow man I love this tool, used it on all kinds of great climbs in Cham, one in particular, with so and so, terrific weather ... great weather ... T-shirts man ... bright blue sky, epic, big stuff, moving out fast, rock falling all around & my buddy got frostbite ..." and so forth.
Russ looks at him, somewhat incredulous, "T-shirts and frostbite, uh, right. You guys and your alpine dreams....."
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BooYah
Social climber
Ruby Range
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Feb 18, 2009 - 01:19am PT
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We miss you, Walt.
Always.
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Mimi
climber
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Feb 18, 2009 - 01:29am PT
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Thanks for the memories Roy and Russ. I think I met Hy, and Dave Ingersol of course, when they visited Walt in the Valley in the summer and then at the memorial. His buds from Fresno St. They really are super nice guys. Hard to believe it's going on 10 years.
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Feb 18, 2009 - 01:46am PT
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I saw Dave Ingersol just about a year ago here in Colorado. New Year's party 2008. Dave is so straight and clean, Walt kind of had a streak of that in him, but we rarely saw it as a stand alone attribute, usually as a heady calculation all mixed up in layers with that wildness; those guys go so far back...
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Norwegian
Trad climber
Placerville, California
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Feb 18, 2009 - 07:15am PT
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at the heights and depths of our domain, a warrior is made from the inside out.
an enchanted warrior hoarding widsoms and genius borne of satisfied wonder.
the warrior's sleep is seasoned with the riches of achievement, and the loving respect of his peers.
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SteveW
Trad climber
The state of confusion
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Feb 18, 2009 - 09:44am PT
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I don't know how I missed this one, but WOW!
In the first pic from Afghanistan, it looks like the
picture of Ahmed Shah Massoud, the mujahideen leader
assasinated by al Qaida right before 9/11.
What a personality Walt must have been. I wish I'd had the
chance to meet him--but the stories. . .
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BASE104
climber
An Oil Field
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Feb 18, 2009 - 09:55am PT
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That hammer is an old Forrest Maulner (sic) hammer. I used one of those for a long time.
Yeah, in Chamonix we had a great time. When it was storming up high, we used to sit on a bench right in the middle of town in front of the post office and pound bottles of cheap wine.
After a while the little old ladies in town got to recognizing us and would just walk by and laugh.
He did some memorable antics in the Bar Nash, but after a while, all of the crazies from every country would sort of gravitate to each other. We had quite the crew.
One night we are sitting in this little doghouse hut below the Midi station. At that time, the real hut had burned to the ground. It was packed elbow to elbow with climbers. Snow on the floor, no door, total hole. It was before the iron curtain had fell and there were a couple of Chechs in there going on about how they loved Reagan, the sanctions, and democracy was coming.
We were boozing the whole time, and had a couple of bottles of the worst wine on earth in us after a while, and Walt said,
"If I don't like them, I cast the DECIDING vote and SHOOT them."
Those guys were shocked speechless, and we crawled through the door out into a wild storm. Someone tried to talk us out of going out, but we just blew them off and had a drunken epic at midnight in a snow and lightning storm. Somehow we navigated perfectly over to the Italian side of Mt. Blanc with a couple of hundred foot visibility. Only occasionally would we crater through a small crevasse up to our waist or so.
Fun times.
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wallrat
Trad climber
San Diego CA
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I knew Walt when I was wintering over in JTree. Over the years he came to be one of the most enigmatic guys I knew; rude, but kindly...out of control, but very disciplined. He had a wit and warmth I miss. One day we put up 'White Rain'(his lead), and 'Perfect Fingers'(mine)on Queen Mountain. On the way down, I squashed this big scorpion, he looked at me like I'd molested a kid, and said; 'you shouldn't have done that, he wasn't hurting anything'. Funny, the things you remember. Walt really was larger than life.
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Largo
Sport climber
Venice, Ca
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Walt made an on-sight, free solo ascent of "Woodrow," 5.10, on the 3,000 foot North Face of Mt. Wilson in the Red Rocks. It's about the craziest/boldest thing I've ever heard of, seeming that the initial pitches follow sketchy loose face climbing with GIANT route finding challenges. Wild!
JL
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zip
Trad climber
pacific beach, ca
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Walt, me, and his sister are coming down off HD, and traversing below the South face.
Walt stops below the wall and looks up.
W: Man, that was a good route.
Me: Looks serious. Who did you climb it with?
W: No one. Soloed it.
Me: Hmmm
W: I had to rap off half way up, cuz i didn't have the right hooks, but then came back and finished the route.
Me: Wouldn't it have been easier to climb it with a partner?
Walt has no response and is still staring at the route.
Me: Uh, Walt...how come you didn't just climb it with a partner?
A long pause and then Walt looks back at me with that Warren Harding intense devil look, and says:
"because partners are just knuckleheads"
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ß Î Ø T Ç H
climber
O a k t o w n
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" Re: Ever Screwed a Chupacabra? (OT) Jan 1, 2009, 06:57pm PT
Author:
Sir loin of leisure...
Trad climber
From: X
that thing ain't nothin klaus...you remember the chicks we used to hang with ?
Re: Ever Screwed a Chupacabra? (OT) Jan 1, 2009, 07:20pm PT
Author:
Sir loin of leisure...
Trad climber
From: X
my favorite though, and possibly one of klaus's cleverest moments,was when I had some el chupa lame assed girl friend,who had an ex named ed...she was cold busted gettin back with ed...so my good buddies klaus and walt,went to the falls area and put up a route right next to isosoles revisited called ' I saw a sleaze revisit ed ' ... those bastards ... "
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S.Leeper
Sport climber
Austin, Texas
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)"I'm guessing that Walt had a bigger heart than he knew how to handle. His level of self destruction seemed, like Yabo, to depend on whether it was broken or not"
You have a way with words Karl.
RIP Walt
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BASE104
climber
An Oil Field
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Walt was a complicated guy. He was very smart, and didn't suffer fools, but he was pretty nice. He wasn't egotistical at all. Not a bone in his body. That I saw, anyway.
He could do the drunken buffoon better than anyone, but quit drinking for quite a while. When Walt had some beer in him, he was like a time bomb. You never knew when you were gonna have to run twenty yards away.
But most of the time, he was thoughtful. He was tortured by a few things, though. I guess that him ditching his engineering job to just climb was the way it had to be. But I heard both sides of that one as well.
He was pretty much hands down one of the funniest guys I ever met, but that doesn't nail him down, either.
He just lived life with the fun meter turned up to 11 or something.
I have some wild letters that I have saved. Treasures. And not for public consumption..
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Scott Cole
Trad climber
Jackson, WY^
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Walt was one sick puppy. I have never know anyone as intense as Walt. I remember Thanksgiving 1987 in Patagonia. Walt, Paul Gagner, and I had just climbed the Compressor Rt on Cerro Torre. Walt wandered off early Thanksgiving morning. When he didn't come back until late that night Paul and I were wondering where to look for the body.
Walth finally wandered into camp late that night after free soloing a new route on Cerro Solo in tennies. While crossing the river, he had lost his footing and was carried far downstream before he finally made the crossing,he then soloed a new route, had an epic on the descent,then was forced to go miles around to get back to the Torre Glaicer.
Listening to Walt tell the story of his chemicaly assisted adventure was terrifying, as he relived every schetchy move of the river crossing, climb, and descent.
Nobody I have ever know lived every moment as intensly as Walt.
Scole
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Scotty_bulldog
climber
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Feb 10, 2011 - 03:13am PT
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I lived in the same Fresno State University dormitory floor that Walt lived in during the Fall 1976 semester. A Larger-Than-Life guy that left a lasting impression with me that I can still recall 35 years later.
Now, I found another forum years ago where I posted my comments, but I could not find it for re-posting here, so here I go to write it up again. And I hope my memory is not faulty.
Walt was a very intense guy during his college days. He usually wore extremely baggy dungaree pants with loads of pockets in them. He was always interested with walls he could climb. He showed off one time how he could scale up the hallway walls in the dorm, by spread-eagle himself, reaching both sides of the hallway walls, and inched his way up.
He also scaled the outside walls of the Graves Hall dormitory we lived in, too.
His dorm room was very unique. In his room he lined the walls/ceiling with framing lumber (with a center-post beam in the middle of the room), where he could suspend himself from a ceiling beam and use a sleeping bag harness to hang from in the middle of the room. He used it the same way that other students back then would use "bean-bag" seating to relax in.
The lumber framing was also used as places where he could hang his rock-climbing gear from, and if I am not mistaken, also had a "bunk-bed" in place so that a third person could sleep in the room with not sleeping on the floor.
Many weekend nights he and a select group of friends would use a "Bong" for smoking some weed in his dorm room. Although I never partook with smoking weed, I remember back then there was some discussion with using hot water versus cold water with a Bong. The hot water gave off steam, and the high humidity was suppose to give a smoother smoke. Others thought that cold water was better because it cooled the smoke. When Walt was tanking up his bong in the hallway (chilled) water-fountain one time, I joked with Walt about better to use hot water. He was adamant that cold water was better to cool the smoke in the Bong.
Walt's roommate at that time was an easygoing Asian-American guy by the name of Gene. Gene went along with Walt's craziness, especially so with getting loaded or stoned. But, Gene at other times was fearful of Walt's intensive nature and his temper, too.
There was a time one afternoon when Walt was returning to his room (and according to a friend of mine that witnessed it), Walt was in a state of "intense anger", ranting with how pissed-off he was because he f**ked up a test and got a "B" grade (later on Gene told me what happened when Walt went into his room). Gene said that he heard Walt coming down the hallway, ranting how he "f. .ked-up" a test. Gene was in his own bed and was fearful of Walt's temper at that time, so Gene drew the blankets over him to hide. After Walt entered in the room, he grabbed a climbing hammer, whacked it around the room a bit, then tossed it onto Gene's bed. Gene let out a yell for being on the receiving end of that hammer hit. Fortunately, Gene was not injured from the incident.
Another time Walt wanted to boil some water in his room, so he used his mountaineering stove in his room, but he tipped-over the stove and it ended up burning his fingers as well as the room's carpet, too. Several of Walt's fingers were wrapped in bandages from the burns.
But, that did not stop him from doing some rock climbing in less than two weeks later, even with his fingers still bandaged. (chuckle). I recall the Resident Advisor for the dorm floor commenting that Walt was crazy to do that, with the danger of getting his fingers infected from doing that.
As intense as Walt could get, he was also amazingly calm at other times. He was playing a frisbee version of "dodge-ball" one night in the dorm's hallway with Walt being the target. Two guys at both ends of the darkened hallway were tossing a frisbee back and forth, with Walt in the middle of the hallway dodging the frisbee. A flashing strobe light was used to create a visual distortion, and Walt was loving how he could dodge the frisbee time and time again. The frisbee hit the door to my dorm room many times, which I did not mind since I was in the hallway to watch the game. But my roommate, Gary, was trying to get to sleep at that time, and the noise of the firsbee hitting the door, repeatedly, angered Gary to the point that he went out into the hallway and confronted Walt in a very hostile manner. I was expecting them to exchange fist-blows, but I was very surprised that Walt was very calm about the whole thing . . . he really kept his cool . . . and ended up taking the frisbee tag to another place.
Many years later I was watching the CBS Evening News with Dan Rather, when a filmed report about Afghanistan was being shown, with the Afghan rebels battling the Soviet forces, and Rather credited the newsreel footage to freelancer "Walt Shipley". I was stunned to hear that, asking myself: "Could it be!?" And came to the conclusion that it was the same guy I was with at Fresno State. He was a crazy and adventurous enough of a guy to tackle that.
Considering that I was never a part of Walt's social circle during that 16 week semester at Fresno State . . . that I was just casually acquainted with the guy, he left such a lasting impression with me that I can still vividly recall, in detail, about some of the things he did nearly 35 years ago! Definitely a larger-than-life character.
Although I am not a rock-climber [but have enjoyed the outdoors with backpacking one time to the top of Mt. Whitney many years ago], thank you for allowing a non-rock-climber this space to share with the rest of you some anecdotes about a unique character as he was, away from the rock-face.
Scott
Fresno State '76
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mucci
Trad climber
The pitch of Bagalaar above you
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Feb 10, 2011 - 03:21am PT
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Thanks Scott, that puts a real world wrap on Walt for me.
Stick around for a while!
Cheers
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ß Î Ø T Ç H
Boulder climber
bouldering
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Feb 10, 2011 - 04:13am PT
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(Dan) Rather credited the newsreel footage to freelancer "Walt Shipley". I was stunned to hear that, asking myself: "Could it be!?" I just lurk here huh, but I've never heard anything about Walt filming, or traveling outside of the western hemisphere. Would love to say "I stand corrected" tho, if needs be. Good post to a great thread Scott. Really appreciate it.
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east side underground
Trad climber
Hilton crk,ca
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Feb 10, 2011 - 10:51am PT
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bump for climbing ledgends- RIP Walt
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Karl Baba
Trad climber
Yosemite, Ca
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Feb 10, 2011 - 11:19am PT
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Walt was in Afghanistan for sure. He happened to be on a mission when a friend I studied Hindi with got hepititus or something and died in the field. Strange coincidence, I knew them from different worlds entirely and heard about it on the evening news and later from Walt.
Peace
Karl
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can't say
Social climber
Pasadena CA
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Feb 10, 2011 - 11:43am PT
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hoipolloi
climber
A friends backyard with the neighbors wifi
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Feb 10, 2011 - 11:55am PT
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Just did Re-Animator last weekend.
I guess he was the man behind the insanely reachy rivets.
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WBraun
climber
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Feb 10, 2011 - 12:58pm PT
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That Afghanistan job was really for me but I didn't want to go at that time.
When Hoover told me I'm going to Afghanistan I ducked and Walt was standing behind me so I told Hoover "Walt's going!!! LOL
Hoover was kind of irked about that but I told him Walt's bomber and he should take him in my place.
LOL ..... Walt didn't have a clue what he was getting into ......
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ryankelly
Trad climber
el portal
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Dec 24, 2011 - 02:22pm PT
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never met him.
but its good to hear these stories.
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mctwisted
Trad climber
e.p.
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we were freezing are butts off on this trip, so at one point i grabbed some latex gloves out of my first aid kit. we had to be really careful not to poke holes in them, we only had the two pairs. they were so valuable for the warmth of out hands. we found this great small cave (with firewood) to wait out a snowstorm that started later that afternoon
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Gagner
climber
Boulder
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I really miss Walt - he was always a loyal and fun person to climb with and be around. We had a ton of fun adventures together over the years, from drinking oil cans and leering in front of the deli to soloing in the Valley to routes in the Meadows to climbing in Patagonia.....
See you on the other side my friend .... Miss you a ton
Paul
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Captain...or Skully
climber
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Yeah, Ol' Walt, man. Like a barrelful of monkeys on fire.
I couldn't imagine climbing with him. I'd die for sure.
Here's to ya, man.
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bob
climber
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Its pretty cool to me that my last multi-pitch routes in the Valley were in part, Walt's free creations. I never met Walt, though I'm sure I would have if he stayed around. Thanks for the vision bro.
Bob Jensen
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Risk
Mountain climber
Olympia, WA
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Every time I get reminded of Walt's passing (quite often), I cringe in sorrow for a friend lost too soon. RIP, my friend.
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WBraun
climber
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One year he had sheets of blotter.
It was his 3 day plan year.
Every third day he had a blotter.
OMFG !!!..... what a year that was ..... and some of the stories are unfit for print ....
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Psilocyborg
climber
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There must be one or two from this blotter year that are indeed fit for print!
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DF
climber
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Found this forum today and while I am not a climber, I knew Walt at Fresno State. We were in the mechanical engineering (ME) program together and I spent the last 2 years in ME with Walt. When I read the postings in this forum about Walt it was clear that those that knew him caught what he was about. He was one unique mofo, that is the only way I can put it. I thought I would add my experience to the record to show a side of Walt that I knew and add to his complexity but make no mistake about Walt, if you were his friend, you were his friend. I did not know he did anything in Afghanistan, that was news to me but I did not know anything about Walt from about 1980 till his death.
I remember him telling me a story about how he climbed either Half Dome or El Cap in Yosemite and that at the time he was on LSD. I was shocked and I said Walt, you are effing nuts and he said yeah. But Walt loved climbing and he definitely enjoyed his drugs at the time.
As an engineering student, I can only say that I thought he was brilliant. Just before an engineering class test, Walt knew that I would go to the University's library and study inside a study room we had there. This was my habit and he knew he would find me there for just about every test. So he would pop in and say "Don, oh man I have been partying and have not been studying, what is on the test?" I said "Walt didn't you do the homework?" and he would reply "Don, I have just been to busy with other things" so I would go over some things with him and write some of the engineering concepts on the blackboard and damn it, he would go in and ace the test and generally pull the curve for the class. Either I am a damn fine college level engineering teacher or he was just effing brilliant. I go with the latter....
All of us in that mechanical engineering group were pretty close as students and we all knew Walt as a lovable/intense loon, best way to describe him. Also Walt lived in a van at least for one semester, I don't know if that is the same van described earlier or not.
By the way, the last time I saw Walt was in my apt in the Bay Area after we had both graduated and he was working at Lockheed, probably in 1980. He was designing unfolding arm elements for satellites there. But that last time, he was likely high or drunk as he thought my little dog was a big rat and he was was chasing our dog around in the apt, thinking he was protecting our baby. My wife had enough and wanted Walt to leave. That was the last time I heard about Walt until one of my fellow alums called and told me Walt was lost in a rafting accident up in the mountains near Fresno.
Anyway, just thought I would add this to this forum, adding another bit of flavor to the Walt I knew.
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zip
Trad climber
pacific beach, ca
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zip
Trad climber
pacific beach, ca
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BLUEBLOCR
Social climber
joshua tree
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Great story DF✌️
Cool pics too, Zip
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Tom
Big Wall climber
San Luis Obispo CA
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A Yosemite Climbers' Museum could have an entire wing devoted to him:
Whipley's Believe it, or Not
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Jaybro
Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
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👍👍
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Gnome Ofthe Diabase
climber
Out Of Bed
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🌠
And a plus, the FROG bag in the ' Top of Snake Dike' photo!
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WBraun
climber
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Whipley's Believe it, or Not
LOL .... definitely !!!!
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BASE104
Social climber
An Oil Field
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I'm not sure if I have posted this before. Walt and I smoking hash through an ice screw at Snell's Field in Chamonix, 1984.
We found a piece of window screen, and the ice screw was the only pipe available on short notice. Hash was common, but weed was nowhere to be found. I guess it is too bulky to smuggle or something.
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Russ Walling
Social climber
from Poofters Froth, Wyoming
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G'damn.... Walt was the sh#t. We were all more whole when he was still here.
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Mimi
climber
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Thanks for the story DF. You'll always have those college memories with Walt at Fresno State. So many tales. One that stands out to me was when he outran the cops at very high speed on his motorcycle on the freeway. Classic Walt animated storytelling.
Miss him so much. Seems like yesterday in Camp 4. Still can't believe he's gone. Expletive, expletive!
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neebee
Social climber
calif/texas
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hey there say, ... a childhood friend, from our neighborhood, recently mentioned his climbing time, with walt...
and me, i like to learn new things and read up, on the old stuff that i learn
here, too...
well, after seeing his share, i thought i'd come peek in here and bump it
up, too... for anyone else...
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Scole
Trad climber
Zapopan
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klaus
Big Wall climber
Florence & Normandy
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3 cheers for Shipwreck!
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