RIP David Roberts
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climber-and-author-david-roberts-dies-at-78 |
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Here’s another obit courtesy of the Boston Globe: https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/08/22/metro/david-roberts-mountaineer-dean-adventure-writing-dies-78/ (Use incognito mode to get around the paywall). I'm an archaeology grad student and first learned of Roberts through of his more recent writings about Native American history and the US Southwest (e.g., The Pueblo Revolt [2005] and Escalante's Dream [2019]). After I began to dabble with climbing a couple of years ago, I sought out some of his other writing and had the opportunity to meet him in Cambridge in 2018 to talk about his visits to early Navajo archaeological sites in northwest New Mexico. He was a kind and thoughtful man and I'm glad I made his acquaintance, however brief. |
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Such a climber, and an incredible writer. We'll miss you, Dave. RIP |
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I recommend his book "On The Ridge Between Life and Death" to anyone wanting to begin reading his collection of works. He grew up in Boulder, Colorado and had a misadventure on the First Flatiron. Dave taught at a fancy, east coast private college and hired Jon Krakauer to work with him on his outdoor program. He did a ton of exploration in Alaska's wilderness and bagged many FAs there. |
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RIP Mr. Roberts. You wrote my favorite mountaineering book: "The Mountain of My Fear / Deborah: Two Mountaineering Classics (Legends and Lore): Roberts, David: 9781594856792: Amazon.com: Books" https://www.amazon.com/Mountain-My-Fear-Deborah-Mountaineering/dp/1594856796 |
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This is very sad. Dave had been seriously ill for a long time but kept up a very forward looking and productive life until the end. He was an excellent mountaineer, a very perceptive observer, creative thinker, as well as a first rate writer on a wide range of topics. Most importantly he was a very good guy. I didn't know him well, but the interactions that we had were always very interesting and thought provoking. As an aside, it is funny to think of Hampshire College as a "fancy east coast private college". I guess in one way it is, but it is currently barely surviving. He created the Outdoor Program there, one of the earlier ones in the country. John Krakauer was originally one of the students in that program. RIP Dave. |
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I did a few climbs in the Gunks with Dave and Matt Hale, and we collaborated on an article about Lynne Hill for a now-defunct sport magazine. I can't say I knew him well, but we elders of the tribe are always saddened by the loss of one of our own. RIP Dave, |
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A wonderful, Thoughtful and inspiring writer and man. My sincere condolences to all who loved him; Here’s to a life well lived! |
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Even his friends (and, for that matter, the man himself) noted his irascibility, but it produced fine results for me. I went to a presentation he gave (it may have been a tour for No Shortcuts to the Top, or something else around that time). It was one of those situations like I remember from seeing Don Delillo when he was out trying to promote a National Book Award for Underworld: no autographs unless you bought the new book. I stood in front of the table clutching my battered, second-hand copy of In Search of the Old Ones, and insisted, "But this one's my favorite." Before his handlers could intervene, Roberts grabbed the book and picked up his pen. "It's my favorite, too," he said. |
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Glad to see a post here for David. What a life he lived. He as particularly good at maintaining intergenerational friendships and I was lucky to be part of his cadre of younger friends. There's so very much to say about David and so many people he touched. But since much has been said about what an intrepid explorer, prodigious writer, and thoughtful person he was, I'll share a funny personal perspective on a story he wrote about... David had entreatied his wife, me, and my partner to explore some remote canyons in the Southwest. With some difficulty, he procured permits to explore the area since it sat on a reservation. As we hiked back to our car along a long, dusty road, an ATV came barreling at us. It was going at absolutely full throttle. No mistaking the intent to intimidate or injure our crew. We jumped into the sage brush to avoid getting steamrolled--but not David. He continued his slow, plodding trajectory down the middle of the road and did not hesitate one step in a dangerous game of chicken. At the last moment, the ATV came to an abrupt stop and a man stormed at us hurling every profanity he could think of (he asserted we had no right to be on this land which was a fair point in the scheme of things but we were legally permitted to be there). David was unperturbed as we cowered behind him. He asked the man his name in his usual measured, soft voice. The man yelled back something along the lines of: "you have no **** right to ask me my name!" David, who was terribly hard of hearing, somehow completely misunderstood the exchange and retorted: "Nice to meet you, Hal. My name is David." A moment before, we weren't sure we'd make it out unscathed but his confusion so thoroughly broke the tension that the disagreement fizzled and we went on our way. David wrote about the exchange in his book, The Bears Ears, but left out all the bits about how he faced down threats with a coolness I haven't seen from the best climber on their best day. His many climbing achievements are no surprise--he had serious cajones. |
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He wrote some of the most honest and perceptive pieces about climbing, and especially about climbers. |
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Rgold I'm impressed you climbed with Dave. I met Matt Hale at Carderock while I was still in Maryland. I didn't know of his feats at the time, but knew he was a special person. . . . |
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Alissa Doherty wrote: Thanks for sharing this. One of those stories that makes you feel more courageous just for having heard it, disarming aggression with confused but fearless benevolence. Never knew David, but grateful to y’all for sharing your stories of him. |
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A sad day, but that day was coming. I had heard Dave was sick and in decline, he wrote about it himself, but somehow my hope was he'd find a way to continue. Of course he had found that way through his writing, which gives us all a chance to know him in some small way. I'm sure his writerly craft came with effort, but as it is with people who are unusually talented, what looks effortless from the grandstand is the result of hard work honing that craft. We are all fortunate that he wrote, and fortunate that he adventured and wrote about that which we all find so important to our lives. And at least he addressed those same questions we all have about why that selfish pursuit is important to us, but not to answer. Hopefully he will be read by the coming generations of climbers and adventurers. |
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Well, this one hurts. I didn’t know Dave well but I did get to share some fun experiences with him. Dave was one of a stable of writers at Smithsonian Magazine, where my wife worked as an assistant editor. She pitched a story to the magazine about the history of climbing at the Gunks with Dave in mind as the author. As part of the “research” for the article we went to the Gunks to climb with Dave. He stayed at the Mohonk House on Smithsonian’s dime, while we stayed in the Multiple Abuse area. As another part of his research, we had dinner with Dave and rgold at the Mohonk House, also on Smithsonian’s dime, so Dave could pick Rich’s brain. The article became a cover story. We had dinner with Dave and Matt Hale a couple of times, including one time at a restaurant where we drank an absolutely unholy amount of wine. I can’t believe the waitress kept bringing the bottles. I was a pretty voracious reader of climbing history and having dinner and wine with Dave and Matt was about as good as it gets for me. Dave had been to pretty much every AAC meeting and he had lots of interesting observations about characters and events, including his own experiences. Dave and Matt were funny together. Dave would opine and Matt would roll his eyes. Two old friends. One March Dave was a featured speaker at a Smithsonian Magazine retreat at The Boulders in Scottsdale. I flew down to go climbing at the Stronghold with him and my wife. He had us meet him at the bar at The Arizona Inn, and I am ever thankful for him having shown us that place. At the Stronghold we hiked around and did some climbing. He climbed 5.9 no problem and I remember remarking how agile he was boulder hopping on the descent. In the evening we drank shitty tequila and he told stories about his Native American heroes. We last saw him in Boulder when he gave a presentation in support of his recent book, On the Ridge Between Life and Death, though my favorite book of his was True Summit, probably because of my love of climbing history. What a great take on that event. I always found Dave to be fun, generous, and a great conversationalist. He was in a league of his own in his generation of climbing writers. I’m grateful for the time I was able to spend with him. Rest In Peace Dave. |
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Alissa Doherty wrote: ...David wrote about the exchange in his book, Bears Ears, but left out all the bits about how he faced down threats with a coolness I haven't seen from the best climber on their best day. His many climbing achievements are no surprise--he had serious cajones. Thanks for sharing, that is a great recent book, one of many that he wrote. He was a brilliant storyteller, and a bold mountaineer. He really brought the reader to his adventures in remote Alaska. |
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"He acknowledged being “compulsive, driven, self-absorbed, competitive and emotionally distant, traits often shared by serious mountaineers,” NYT Obit... Just serious mountaineers? Sucks getting old |
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Just a few days ago I finished "In Search of the Old Ones." He was an extremely talented writer, and it sounds like a pillar of the climbing community. What a loss... |
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Tom Halicki wrote: Gosh, I don't remember that. Hope the pickings weren't slim... |
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RIP... His essay on "Death and Climbing" is one of the pieces of climbing literature that's stuck with me most, and I found it really helpful as I sorted through some conflicted feelings about climbing over the past couple years. (Alpinist podcast has a nice discussion and reading of it.) |
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Sorry Rich but you were there. I confirmed with another person there that night. He and I had to wear sport coats that they gave us to dine there. He had climbed with Dave that day at Skytop. Conversation was casual and not so much about Gunks history. |