UKBouldering.com

Proper Wad Ticks (Read 111290 times)

duncan

Offline
  • *****
  • Global Moderator
  • forum hero
  • Posts: 2952
  • Karma: +332/-2
#300 Re: Proper Wad Ticks
May 05, 2017, 01:30:47 pm
Confining myself to this decade, and with recent events in mind, I’m nominating Ueli Steck and Alex Honnold gatecrashing my 50th birthday party.

Venue was The Block ledge, 2000’ up the Salathe Wall. We were on a very non-speedy ascent and by day 4 were knackered, woke late, so chose to chill for the whole day. A cool spot to celebrate the start of my sixth decade. This delay meant missing the flight home but that’s another story.

To that point we had had the route completely to ourselves but suddenly parties started to appear. One pair were moving particularly efficiently and they turned out to be Steck and Honnold. Pleasantries were exchanged - Honnold chatty, exchanging beta; Steck more reserved - and off they went.

Around three hours later they reappeared, abseiling back down the route. They were both completely relaxed, neither bothering clipping the belay as they pulled their ropes and set up the next abseil. It was just a day out cragging.

andy popp

Online
  • *****
  • forum hero
  • Posts: 5525
  • Karma: +347/-5
#301 Re: Proper Wad Ticks
May 05, 2017, 02:23:24 pm
I once met Jack Longland (of Javelin Blade, Longland's Climb etc. fame). Strangely, if I remember correctly, this took place at the Foundry.

T_B

Offline
  • *****
  • forum hero
  • Posts: 3078
  • Karma: +149/-5
#302 Re: Proper Wad Ticks
May 05, 2017, 02:29:50 pm
Nice one Duncan.

That reminds me of my first day on The Nose (age 19). On one of the early pitches before Sickle there's a pendulum/lower out from the belay (for the second). I had yet to master the art of aid climbing (first aid route) and was seconding the first block. Anyway, I'm on the belay and about to lower out when who appears from below but Hans Florine and Steve Schneider. We exchange brief hellos as, anxious to get a move on and out of their way, I literally cut loose from the belay and am catapulted across the wall. Luckily I don't slam into anything. Schneider dryly calls up "wow, that's the fastest pendulum I've ever seen!"* I am very  :-[.

This was the year after I'd been introduced to Peter Croft, who was working in Tuolumne. I had my sights set on the Bachar-Yerian and asked Croft how it was? To my surprise he revealed that he's never led it, as it was a face route. After our ascent, Croft bought us a crate of beer, not realising we were under the legal drinking age. The Rangers removed it from our campsite anyway, as we'd left it lying around for a beer to drink.

*Rich K who posts on here sometimes met Schneider at Smith Rocks and tells a funny story of Schneider dogging To Bolt or similar and shouting down to Rich on a couple of occasions variously "hey man, those noxious fumes are putting me off" (Rich was smoking) and "hey, can you quit that chitter chat".

andy popp

Online
  • *****
  • forum hero
  • Posts: 5525
  • Karma: +347/-5
#303 Re: Proper Wad Ticks
May 05, 2017, 02:34:39 pm
I met Peter Croft on the campsite in Apt. He seemed as nice and humble as you'd expect. That was also the first time I met Grimer. The very first thing he did was to try and completely sandbag me, the bastard.

SA Chris

Offline
  • *****
  • forum hero
  • Posts: 29221
  • Karma: +630/-11
    • http://groups.msn.com/ChrisClix
#304 Re: Proper Wad Ticks
May 05, 2017, 03:20:03 pm
Confining myself to this decade, and with recent events in mind, I’m nominating Ueli Steck and Alex Honnold gatecrashing my 50th birthday party.

Reminds me, Lisa Rands and Wills Young gatecrashed my birthday party in Bishop. Well not really, Mick Ryan invited them round to where we were staying.

Muenchener

Offline
  • *****
  • Trusted Users
  • forum hero
  • Posts: 2692
  • Karma: +117/-0
#305 Re: Proper Wad Ticks
May 05, 2017, 03:30:38 pm
Confining myself to this decade, and with recent events in mind, I’m nominating Ueli Steck and Alex Honnold gatecrashing my 50th birthday party.

Not similarly confining myself, I hope they were suitably impressed at encountering a former NIAD record holder.

duncan

Offline
  • *****
  • Global Moderator
  • forum hero
  • Posts: 2952
  • Karma: +332/-2
#306 Re: Proper Wad Ticks
May 09, 2017, 11:20:58 am
Confining myself to this decade, and with recent events in mind, I’m nominating Ueli Steck and Alex Honnold gatecrashing my 50th birthday party.

Not similarly confining myself, I hope they were suitably impressed at encountering a former NIAD record holder.

Honnold said "you'll be mentioned in my book".  ;)


More name-dropping, from 1984:

I belayed Alan Watts on an early ascent of The Phoenix. The deal was he would lend me 40 'biners for a wall rack in exchange for a day holding his ropes. The route was supposedly the hardest crack in Yosemite (and therefore the world). He'd tried it the previous year, struggled, and expected a prolonged siege.

Watts was a prime-mover in introducing top-down bolting and redpointing to the US against considerable opposition. Watching him climb was an eye-opener, I'd never come across such professionalism before. At that time climbers, particularly Brits., liked to see themselves as above that sort of thing. To be cool you had to succeed without really trying. Alan had a topo of the route with every gear placement and jam individually described ("left hand, middle two fingers, thumb down") and he double-checked them all on the abseil down. It turned out to be a great deal for me: he fired it first go.

If I had had any sense all I'd have learned from this and immediately embraced redpointing. Of course I didn’t.

andy popp

Online
  • *****
  • forum hero
  • Posts: 5525
  • Karma: +347/-5
#307 Re: Proper Wad Ticks
May 09, 2017, 12:58:03 pm
Confining myself to this decade, and with recent events in mind, I’m nominating Ueli Steck and Alex Honnold gatecrashing my 50th birthday party.

Not similarly confining myself, I hope they were suitably impressed at encountering a former NIAD record holder.

Honnold said "you'll be mentioned in my book".  ;)


More name-dropping, from 1984:

I belayed Alan Watts on an early ascent of The Phoenix. The deal was he would lend me 40 'biners for a wall rack in exchange for a day holding his ropes. The route was supposedly the hardest crack in Yosemite (and therefore the world). He'd tried it the previous year, struggled, and expected a prolonged siege.

Watts was a prime-mover in introducing top-down bolting and redpointing to the US against considerable opposition. Watching him climb was an eye-opener, I'd never come across such professionalism before. At that time climbers, particularly Brits., liked to see themselves as above that sort of thing. To be cool you had to succeed without really trying. Alan had a topo of the route with every gear placement and jam individually described ("left hand, middle two fingers, thumb down") and he double-checked them all on the abseil down. It turned out to be a great deal for me: he fired it first go.

If I had had any sense all I'd have learned from this and immediately embraced redpointing. Of course I didn’t.

Great story. That said, being 1984, Jerry had probably already flashed it.

andy popp

Online
  • *****
  • forum hero
  • Posts: 5525
  • Karma: +347/-5
#308 Re: Proper Wad Ticks
May 09, 2017, 02:42:06 pm
Jim Perrin just liked a post of mine on Facebook! (I've never Jim, strangely, which is why this feels slightly amazing)

Will Hunt

Offline
  • *****
  • forum hero
  • Superworm is super-long
  • Posts: 7976
  • Karma: +631/-115
    • Unknown Stones
#309 Re: Proper Wad Ticks
July 05, 2017, 05:28:30 pm
Last Saturday I was climbing at Chapel Head Scar. Dave Birkett and Mary and their sprog were there also.
I've admired Dave's rock climbing since about the time I started. When the rain set in and it was time for home, I'm embarrassed to say that I was completely star struck when he deigned to speak to us as we left. What wisdom would the great man impart?

"You lads leaving already? You'll never improve with these half days at the crag, you know! You'll never improve!"

Bittersweet.

 :'(   :lol:

tomtom

Offline
  • *****
  • forum hero
  • Posts: 20282
  • Karma: +641/-11
#310 Re: Proper Wad Ticks
July 05, 2017, 05:45:02 pm
Bet they left 2 min after you ;)

danm

Offline
  • ****
  • junky
  • Posts: 827
  • Karma: +112/-1
#311 Re: Proper Wad Ticks
July 05, 2017, 05:59:23 pm
Jim Perrin just liked a post of mine on Facebook! (I've never Jim, strangely, which is why this feels slightly amazing)

I somehow ended up friends on FB with Jim, we bonded over left wing politics!

I've been on a good run with the wad ticks, in March got the double tick in Margalef, both Tommy and Ondra were at the crag. Tommy was super friendly, we had a chat with him and his lad Fitz

The crowning glory though was this weekend gone, where along with Mina, Hazel, Maddy and Michaela I dressed in a lycra onesy as part of a mermaid-themed flashmob for a wedding. On reflection maybe that isn't the sort of thing to readily admit to....

Coops_13

Offline
  • *****
  • forum hero
  • Posts: 1206
  • Karma: +75/-0
    • YouTube
#312 Re: Proper Wad Ticks
July 05, 2017, 10:36:47 pm
Chatted to Dave Graham again in Rocklands. Remembered me as "the one who smashed his head" from Magic Wood  :2thumbsup:

shark

Offline
  • *****
  • Administrator
  • forum hero
  • Posts: 8697
  • Karma: +625/-17
  • insect overlord #1
#313 Re: Proper Wad Ticks
July 06, 2017, 08:24:06 am
He singled me out of the audience at a talk he gave at the Lescar and asked that I stand up then asked that I apologise for assuming that Joe Brown had placed the chockstone on Right Eliminate.

Given everybody assumed that, he should have asked the whole audience to stand up and do the same.     

SA Chris

Offline
  • *****
  • forum hero
  • Posts: 29221
  • Karma: +630/-11
    • http://groups.msn.com/ChrisClix
#314 Re: Proper Wad Ticks
July 06, 2017, 08:25:51 am
along with Mina, Hazel, Maddy and Michaela I dressed in a lycra onesy as part of a mermaid-themed flashmob for a wedding. On reflection maybe that isn't the sort of thing to readily admit to....

Photos or it never happened.

tomtom

Offline
  • *****
  • forum hero
  • Posts: 20282
  • Karma: +641/-11
#315 Re: Proper Wad Ticks
July 06, 2017, 09:15:47 am
He singled me out of the audience at a talk he gave at the Lescar and asked that I stand up then asked that I apologise for assuming that Joe Brown had placed the chockstone on Right Eliminate.

Given everybody assumed that, he should have asked the whole audience to stand up and do the same.   

See - that's what happens when you call someone a Helsard...

Johnny Brown

Offline
  • *****
  • forum hero
  • Posts: 11437
  • Karma: +690/-22
#316 Re: Proper Wad Ticks
July 06, 2017, 09:58:40 am
Who did place it then?

Muenchener

Offline
  • *****
  • Trusted Users
  • forum hero
  • Posts: 2692
  • Karma: +117/-0
#317 Re: Proper Wad Ticks
July 06, 2017, 10:07:14 am
along with Mina, Hazel, Maddy and Michaela I dressed in a lycra onesy as part of a mermaid-themed flashmob for a wedding. On reflection maybe that isn't the sort of thing to readily admit to....

One of these mer"maids" is not like the others ...

Apologies if you are in fact Daniela M

Duma

Offline
  • *****
  • forum hero
  • Posts: 5751
  • Karma: +226/-4
#318 Re: Proper Wad Ticks
July 06, 2017, 03:45:00 pm
Jakob Schubert watched me attempting Out of Balance yesterday to get beta for his flash. Had Gabri Moroni's pad and Alex Khazanov spotting too. Obviously I fucked it up that go...

Sent from my E5823 using Tapatalk


shark

Offline
  • *****
  • Administrator
  • forum hero
  • Posts: 8697
  • Karma: +625/-17
  • insect overlord #1
#319 Re: Proper Wad Ticks
July 06, 2017, 06:40:00 pm
Who did place it then?

No idea. There were three and Paul Mitchell took out two. I recall seeing it in this state and it looked ridiculous. There is a vague reference to a controversial chockstone or chockstones made by Mick Fowler in his piece in Extreme Rock. I intend asking him what he knows whenever get to meet him (he is a BMC patron).

andy_e

Offline
  • *****
  • forum hero
  • Posts: 8836
  • Karma: +275/-42
#320 Re: Proper Wad Ticks
July 07, 2017, 09:07:26 am
I remember reading about this worm-can back in OTE letters years ago. One of the letters started out "Simon Lee? Who he?" which pops into my head every time I see your name now.

SA Chris

Offline
  • *****
  • forum hero
  • Posts: 29221
  • Karma: +630/-11
    • http://groups.msn.com/ChrisClix
#321 Re: Proper Wad Ticks
July 07, 2017, 09:38:27 am
(he is a BMC patron ising wanker).

By the sounds of it.

Muenchener

Offline
  • *****
  • Trusted Users
  • forum hero
  • Posts: 2692
  • Karma: +117/-0
#322 Re: Proper Wad Ticks
July 07, 2017, 09:59:43 am
Er, I think Shark was referring to Saint Mick (Piolet d'or & Bar etc etc) at this point.

SA Chris

Offline
  • *****
  • forum hero
  • Posts: 29221
  • Karma: +630/-11
    • http://groups.msn.com/ChrisClix
#323 Re: Proper Wad Ticks
July 07, 2017, 10:13:00 am
Ah OK, as you were.

Muenchener

Offline
  • *****
  • Trusted Users
  • forum hero
  • Posts: 2692
  • Karma: +117/-0
#324 Re: Proper Wad Ticks
October 03, 2017, 05:46:20 pm
Shared a circuit board with La Pooch at Boulderwelt this afternoon. Wonder what she's in Bavaria for? Autumn campaign on AD, one can fondly hope.

 

SimplePortal 2.3.7 © 2008-2024, SimplePortal