Mountain Project Logo

Who is the most famous climber you have ever met? What circumstances?

Kirk Miller · · Catalina, AZ and Ilwaco, WA · Joined May 2003 · Points: 1,824

I saw Fred Becky climbing at Joshua Tree and went up to shake his hand.
I asked him, "Are you Fred Becky?"
With a twinkle in his eye he replied, "Do I owe you money?"

Lee Smith · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Sep 2003 · Points: 1,545

I know Pete Takeda's brother-in-law.

Then there is This Lady

Brian · · North Kingstown, RI · Joined Sep 2001 · Points: 804

Puff...puff...expand chest...spew...

I belayed... Bobbie Bensman, Alison Osius, Liv Sansoz, Robyn Erbesfeld, Elena Ovchinnikova, Mia Axon, François Legrand, François Petit, Arnaud Petit, Ian Vickers, etc. It was at the 1995 Extreme Games were I was a volunteer belayer. Lynn Hill was a judge and gave me a belay test.

Deflate chest...go back to obscure weekend cragger.

rich scheuer · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Sep 2008 · Points: 0

Back in the mid-eighties, I got to belay Kim Carrington as he did the second? ascent of the two hardest climbs, at the time, at Seneca Rocks. He down graded them form 13 to hard 12. The locals were pissed because he yo-yoed them and then red-pointed. Also got to boulder with Todd Skinner in 1986 up in the Tetons doing the Jenny Lake cicuit. He was one of the nicest guys you could ever meet. My friends girl friend tried to tell Lynn Hill how to climb at the Gunks one day. The girl friend was maybe climbing 5.5, but new it all, except who Lynn Hill was. That was a hoot. Met her again at a slide show in the Springs. She signed a North Face poster for my then 2 year old son. I got to watch Fritz do a climb at the Gunks once. That was special. And, just about a month before his untimely death, I got to meet Derek Hersey. He gave a great slide show down here in the springs. I will always remember him saying about free soloing, "There is no new age thinking when your climbing without a rope"

Tim McCabe · · Tucson, AZ · Joined Oct 2006 · Points: 130

In 87 I did a week long climbing camp with CMS in Estes Park, Mike Caldwell was to be the guide and he offered to let me camp out in his back yard. I can’t remember if Tommy was 8 or 10 at the time but he had already climbed Longs Peak.

The 3 years latter I was in the Valley hoping to climb the Nose, but my planned partner wasn’t showing. Then this guy Chuck Clance shows up looking for a partner for the Magic Mushroom. I had no desire to do a nailing route but my new friend Dave from Canada new both Burton and Sutten and really thought I should go with Chuck. Dave himself tried to get more time off of work but couldn’t and so he kept saying I should go.

A couple of days later we are in the Deli and there’s Chuck sitting with non other than Peter Croft. Dave of course says we have to go over there and so I get to meet Peter Croft and of course Dave has to tell them that I want to climb a big wall. And Chuck is still looking for a partner. I start thinking of excuses like I have no hammer some guy they keep calling Dog Lips has a hammer I can use, and Peter says ya man you ought to do it. One down what’s next on my list of excuses no haul bag they kept saying Chuck would need two Dog Lips to the rescue he offers up a haul bag, and Peter says ya man you ought to do it. Two down I only have one left no porta ledge but Chuck has a BAT hammock and even offers up his ledge every other night, and Peter says ya man you ought to do it. Well it seamed to be ordained by god that I should do this thing.

In the next few days I met most of the well known climbers who were there at the time, as we were hauling loads and fixing pitches by day and hanging with Chuck and the in crowd by night. Tron showed up and gave us a better haul bag and set of friends, and while we were on the wall Burton or Sutten (I forget which) showed up and yelled up at us from the base. Of course we didn’t know it was him at the time but Chuck had said he thought it was, he had a feeling about that tiny figure below. He was gone by the time we got back as it took us 11 days to finish.

I think we set a speed record for the slowest time ever on the route even longer then the first ascent. No one told me that Chuck was known as the slowest aid climber ever. He knew all of the big names but none of them would climb with him so he always ended up with some one like me, some one with no big wall experience on the job training so to speak.

Back in the valley in the post office waiting for Chuck to check on general delivery, and Jim Bridwell walks right up to me and says. Hey your that guy from South Dakota climbed the Mushroom with Chuck. Ya I say. Good job he says we were watching you and you kept moving every day. No body had to come and get you good job or something to that extent.

After that I went back to being a no body and famous people stopped coming up to me in Post Offices.

clemay · · Fort Collins · Joined Sep 2007 · Points: 0

Some people I've have been meet and some I've gotten the privilege to climb with: Will Gadd and Scott Semple's at Will's house a few years ago(friend broke a android leash, Will was kind enough to give him a new one), Barry Blanchard, Sean Isaac(met him in the Canadian Rockies and in AK), Carlos Beulher(climbed with for a week in the Canadian Rockies), Kevin Mahoney, David Breshears,Will Mayo, John Bragg, Mark Synnott, Jared Ogden(he was climbing with Mark that day), Henry Barber, Freddie Wilkinson(I know from my NH days and ran into Freddie coming out of the AK range a few years ago the same year he repeated the Diamond Arete, I think, on Mt Hunter).

All are great people and fun to talk to.

Michael John Gray · · Queensbury, NY · Joined Mar 2006 · Points: 765

Fred Becky in Squamish, after a rest day of Bouldering I went to meet my friends at the Brew Pub. Upon arrival I noticed David sitting next to an Older looking man. "Hey Mike say hi to Fred shake his hand." I shook his hand and immediately knew who he was. In amazement I pulled up a chair had some pints and listened as Fred talked about women, climbing and it was apparent he was looking for some people to climb Sky Pilot with. The next day David and Fred took a Heli up there and climbed the Alpine Peak. Lets just say he failed to bring a helmet or a belay device and it made for a memorable trip with the Easter Bunny.

Michael John Gray · · Queensbury, NY · Joined Mar 2006 · Points: 765

Another time on Rock On to Squamish buttress in 2004 Dean Potter soloed past us. "Mind if I climb through" Jaw Dropped. "Sure No Prob" as he floats literally Fing walked up the next 5.10 moves like he was walking. Same trip met Didier Berthod and Peter Croft ran past us full speed on the decent trail. Week Prior Beth and Tommy freed The Grand all free!

Mattq331 · · Boulder, CO · Joined Jul 2006 · Points: 15

As befits an old fart, my meetings are mostly old farts:

Sir Chris Bonington on Scafell Pike winter 1986 - we were both just tooling around in the snow looking for something worthwhile to do. Nice guy, proper accent.

Joe Brown - in a parking lot in Glencoe one winter roughly same period. We chatted about the conditions (crap as usual I would guess).

Ron Fawcett - I used to fly paragliders in the Peak District with Ron. We spent long hours sitting on the hillsides waiting for ridge lift that was just the right strength. Nice guy. Never climbed with him - big hands. Also Geoff Birtles was part of the same group. Geoff was alright but could be a bit difficult at times.

Hot Dog Freddie - my ex-business partner and well known purveyor of hot dogs on the Boulder Mall. One time he and I were in Nepal and we walked into a tea house in the Annapurna Sanctuary and someone calls out from the back - "Hot Dog Freddy"!! Someone always knew who he was wherever we went. If they were female then likely as not he "knew" them in other ways.

Of the newer folks on the scene, most of them I wouldn't recognize if they walked by. I'm sure they are nice to their Mum's and small puppies though.

clemay · · Fort Collins · Joined Sep 2007 · Points: 0

A friend and I met Dick Williams and his partner Bert(sp?)on the GT ledge at the Gunks one afternoon. He and his partner were arguing over which way a few routes went. Dick was climbing as many routes as he could because he was in the process of writing his new guide book which I believe is out now. We had lunch, chatted about the guide book and enjoyed the afternoon. One of the nicest guys I've ever met.

Wiled Horse · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Dec 2002 · Points: 3,669

tony bubb.

Craig Randleman · · Bend, Or · Joined Sep 2007 · Points: 290

I met Fred Beckey this summer in Tuolumne. A new partner and I were on Fairview Dome and met some younger climbers who were on a roadtrip with Beckey. At the summit, they showed us a cool video they'd shot on the trip of Beckey talking about Muir climbing Cathedral Peak "in his damn cowboy boots!" When we all got to the base parking lot, there he was! I asked him about a climb he'd put up at Lover's Leap and he said, "Oh yeah, I've been on that ... some fuckin' hard moves near the top." What a trip!

Me with Fred Beckey at the base parking lot! Wow!

shawn bradley · · Unknown Hometown · Joined May 2006 · Points: 25

My wife and took a trip through Ca. that took us through Yosemite (still got wood) and into Lee Vining. Stopped at The Lee Vining Mobile for some gourmet food when I saw this guy that looked like Peter Croft. So I finally go up to him and say "You look familiar, have you ever been to Taos?", thinking I met him through my brother or something. He says his name is Rick Cashner, alot of climbers mistake him for Peter Croft. I never mentioned I was a climber. Anyway I'm thinking who is Rick Cashner. I google it when I get home, and lo and behold..... Hell of a nice guy.

Ben Kiessel · · Durango, CO · Joined Mar 2004 · Points: 5,243

Brad Brandewie.
That guy is a legend.
He graced us with his presence at the climbing gym in Durango.
I'll never forget you Brad.

Djamer · · Laramie, WY · Joined Dec 2008 · Points: 10

I was climbing the Salathe wall a while back and there was a pair of climbers free climbing above us on a different route. We kept getting hit by spray. Everymorning we awoke to a shower of their golden mist. We weren't too stoked about getting pissed on. We found out it was Beth Rodden and her husband. I felt really strong the whole time on the climb and now I know why.

Steve Powell · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jul 2002 · Points: 915

well, living out here in california we're pretty lucky.
I have met:
Jim Bridwell
Beth, and Tommy
Royal Robbins
Allen Steck
Peter Croft
Lynn Hill
Mark Powell
George Whitmore
Wayne Merry
Micah Dash
Derek Hersey
Jeff Lowe

Djamer · · Laramie, WY · Joined Dec 2008 · Points: 10

Yes, but how many of them peed on you?

KevinCO · · Loveland, CO · Joined Mar 2006 · Points: 60

Jeff Lowe-waved at us leaving the old Lumpy Ridge parking lot.
Jim Erickson-we exchanged glances in passing. I debated with myself wether or not to ask him to sign his guidebook I had in the glove compartment, but lost the opportunity.
Liz Grenard-at the gym
Bobbi Bensman-brief encounter, but she was warm and friendly.
Joyce Rossiter-crossed paths and greeted before she cruised an 11 in Boulder Canyon.
Tommy Caldwell- when he was preteen, excitedly asking his mom, Terry, if he and his sister could climb an .8.
Tommy's dad, Mike, when he asked if i wanted to be the third on his rope after he just led a .10 face FFA. (His first pro was a hand drilled bolt 25 ft off the deck).
Mark Wilford-bouldering at Chastines Grove.
Craig Lueben-guide on an Alpine route.
Jim Disney-took our boy scout troop climbing.
Michael Covington-rock climbing lesson.
Bob Scarpelli-took my climbing partner up Flying Butress when i didn't feel good enough to climb that day.
Christian Griffith-at the gym (funny watching people's reaction when he took his shirt off. That guy was honed...my partner said "That guy is an alien!")

My partners (husband and wife) from South Africa (lost contact with them) could write the book on this topic. They never dropped names unless the famous climber's name came up in conversation, and then they didn't just know that climber but were friends with them. I never doubted them, but often I saw this verified.

At Wild Iris, they introduced me to Paul Piana. At a Jeff Lowe slide show, they talked with him for a long time afterwards. At a Todd Skinner slide show, when Todd drove up he went directly to my friends to greet them as we waited in line outside. Bill Hatcher is their friend and I bought the Climbing Calender one year with her in it taken by Hatcher.

(AwesomeJacksonHole, That's hilarious!)

edit to add: Including presentations by: Royal Robbins; Reinhold Messner; Alex Lowe; Charlie Fowler; Ed Webster; Jeff Lowe; Todd Skinner; Chris Bonnington

George Bell · · Boulder, CO · Joined Jan 2001 · Points: 5,050

Peed on ya, eh? When I climbed the Salathe somebody took a dump on us! Actually not directly on us but it hit a fixed rope we had above our bivy. It was the crux of the climb jugging past it! We found out later it was Randy Levitt who apologized profusely. "Unfortunately" it was not celebrity Randy who did this but rather his client who didn't know any better in the middle of the night.

Evan D · · Durango, CO · Joined Oct 2008 · Points: 30

Ran into dean potter at the city market in moab, then again 15 minutes later at the state liquor store buying a bottle of wine.

Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

General Climbing
Post a Reply to "Who is the most famous climber you have ever me…"

Log In to Reply

Join the Community

Create your FREE account today!
Already have an account? Login to close this notice.

Get Started.