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martygarrison
Trad climber
The Great North these days......
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Barry Bates was always an idol to me, having started climbing in 72. The first time I actually met him was in 90 at Peter Mayfields gym in Berkeley, cant remember the name of the place. Barry was just so calm and low key. We both were climbing about the same level on plastic at that point and would meet up from time to time and enjoy a session. I have great memories of him.
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PhilG
Trad climber
The Circuit, Tonasket WA
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Barry a master of rock climbing? Seems like heard that joke before.
Seriously, welcome to the Topo campfire. Just like a campfire in camp four, you'll find some great storytellers, interesting thinkers and a lot of crazy climbers.
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Gagner
climber
Boulder
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Hey Barry - I haven't seen you in awhile. I hope you are well ... and cranking.
Paul
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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A heartfelt WELCOME to one of THE seminal players of our time!
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Barry Bates
Boulder climber
smith river Ca.
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Thanks every one for the good thoughts looking forward to answering to some of your questions about the pinns and castle rock just really busy right now and don't have the time.
Pat your right you were the best at bouldering in the valley at that time and I remember telling you because it was true you were at a whole different level partly because of the influence of Mr. Gill. but also because of you own abilities. you were also the first person I saw that used chalk to climb with in the valley.
you certainly had a influence on me to boulder harder.
Thanks all
Barry
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phylp
Trad climber
Millbrae, CA
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Barry and my husband Michael mugging for the camera. The photo was taken in 2006 during a hike in a beautiful redwood forest in Northern California where Barry and Keyt live.
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rgold
Trad climber
Poughkeepsie, NY
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Welcome Barry! You probably don't remember me, but we used to boulder together a bit in Camp 4 in the early 70's. Hope all is well,
Richard Goldstone
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Maysho
climber
Truckee, CA
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Hey Barry,
Its been a long time, hope you are doing great and following your bliss...
Here on the breathtakingly gorgeous east side today (swall meadows) about to go out for a short skate ski in Mammoth to stretch out for tomorrows marathon, and then meeting Rick Cashner for a little bouldering in the afternoon. Life is good.
Peter
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Ihateplastic
Trad climber
Lake Oswego, Oregon
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Okay, I was wrong. I knew Barry lurked, but this is the first time I have seen his post. I even called him last night to confirm the rumor.
Barry, I know you are always a man of chosen word, but let loose and chose a bunch of 'em.
Simon
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chappy
Social climber
ventura
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Hey Barry,
Good to hear from you. Tell us some stories: The Fringe, Five and Dime, Center of Independence, FFA of New D with Wunsch, Vanishing Point and on and on. I can't believe I never asked you about any of those routes back in the day. What were you most proud of? What was the hardest? Scariest? Hope you are well.
Chappy
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jogill
climber
Colorado
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Hello Barry, don't think we ever met, but I certainly heard about your superb climbing (and bouldering) ability those many years ago. And, yes, Pat was an astoundingly good boulderer back then - he came by it naturally and it was a pleasure to go out with him. Welcome to the site.
John
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Patrick Oliver
Boulder climber
Fruita, Colorado
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Thank you for the kind words, Barry and John.
Of course there was nothing "natural" about my
climbing. While individuals such as Barry and
Dalke, you know, and Pratt, and John
for that matter... who had the natural
gift, I had to work ten times harder than anyone else.
I never could understand how the natural talents
could climb so well when they didn't train at
gymnastics or do endlesss pull-ups all the time.
Barry had a real smoothness, in his prime, a natural
flow up and over and around the rock. As with John,
I could spend a lot of time simply scrambling around
on easy traverses with Barry. I remember one big wide
sunlit granite slab along the wine trail, to the
east, if I recall, of the start of the falls trail.
I have an image of Barry on that slab traversing toward me
from east to west, with that smile... We were kind of
like kids just having fun.
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Mungeclimber
Trad climber
sorry, just posting out loud.
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I think Barry still hits Castle.
I saw a guy bouldering at Magoos that looks just like that guy in the pic several weeks back. (never met Barry, so only know by reputation)
Besides me, he was the only boulderer up there without a pad.
When you see that behavior, you know that there is something in common shared. That is, you all probably started bouldering when a swath of carpet was the norm equipment for a sesh.
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Wayno
Big Wall climber
Seattle, WA
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Carpet? I remember doing this little dance where you brushed the mud off and then stood on the side of one foot and tried to do the other foot without falling on your ass and then maybe a little chalk and if the first handholds were good enough, you could do a proper wipe job on the insides of your pant leg, but after a while your pant legs were caked and aw hell it's all good. I think that Barry was one of the first to give me a tour of the Parking Lot Boulder, where the biggest concentration of Castle's hardest problems are. Thanks for the lessons, man.
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dogtown
climber
Cheyenne,Wyoming
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Berry; Welcome to the campfire!
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Doug Robinson
Trad climber
Santa Cruz
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Hi Barry, glad to see you here.
Castle Rock: maybe it's not the crimps there as much as the bulges they're on that helped make you so smooth.
I have the feeling you started out here, right? Don't recall meeting until the Valley.
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bachar
Gym climber
Mammoth Lakes, CA
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Bienvenidos Barry,
It's been a long time. Hope you are well and still in form. Hopefully we can hook up for some bouldering some day!
Cheers, John
Edit: You inspired me like you'll never know.
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Barry Bates
Boulder climber
Smith River CA
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Pat
Andy Warhol once said "it doesn't take talent to do modern art in fact it probably helps if you don't have any" . I think this applies to me and climbing. I was when I first started and still am at times a total klutz on the rock. If I had a dollar for every pull up I've done in my life I could buy the awahnee and let climbers stay there for free. I just loved the activity so much it gave me an intense desire to get better. If I had any real talent I may not have kept at it.
Mungeclimber
That was probably me you saw at castle no pad just a carpet, don't live in the area any more but was down there for a visit and stopped by castle for a few hours of nostalgia. I still think its one of the best bouldering areas Ive ever been to but I'm probably prejudice. Question, is it cheating to stack 10 or 15 pads on top of each other and just grab the top I'm so out of shape at this point that may be my only remaining option.
Barry
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Ihateplastic
Trad climber
Lake Oswego, Oregon
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No, Turtle Boy... that's how all the hard stuff is done now.
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Mungeclimber
Trad climber
sorry, just posting out loud.
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Barry,
Right on. I can't remember exactly, but I think we dropped down to PL at the same time. I knocked out a couple more there and had to jet.
Extra pad starts cheating? nah, that's just aid climbing. totally valid in Yos! :)
That's how I send problems up on the Pass anyway. But luckily the locals don't give me too much sh#t. ;)
Do you have any pics of Castle or Yos from back in the day to share when you get some free time?
thx,
Munge
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