Six degrees of separation - climbing partner edition

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Scott P
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Re: Six degrees of separation - climbing partner edition

Post by Scott P »

I don't know if this counts since they were doing seperate climbs, but I am friends with and have done a lot of stuff with guidebook author Michael Kelsey.

Michael Kelsey spent time with the Bonnington 1978 K2 expedition around Concordia while Michael was on his solo attempt of Broad Peak.

He spent time with the expedition talking with Doug Scott and Chris Bonnington, notably after they just lost Nick Escort in an avalanche on K2's west face. Other members of the expedition were Paul Braithwaite, Joe Tasker, Jim Duff, and Tony Riley.

Maybe most 14ers.com members are too young to know who a lot of those people are though.

I haven't ever climbed anything with Alex Lowe, but he did look over a guidebook I wrote and we chatted about it in person while in the store in Salt Lake City.

Other than Pemba Sherpa, the most famous (or infamous) climbers I have climbed or done stuff with are probably Michael Kelsey, Alan Arnett, and.................Bill Middlebrook.

Anyway, I'd like to climb stuff with just about everyone (though I'm not very good), famous or not. This includes a lot of 14ers.com members.
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Re: Six degrees of separation - climbing partner edition

Post by John Prater »

Eli Boardman wrote: Thu Nov 19, 2020 10:00 pm I've climbed with Max Manson
I haven't gotten out with Max (though I did attend one of his 14er climbing presentations when he was like 14). But I can connect to Max through Bill, so I can connect to you (though I believe I did cross paths with you on Wetterhorn a couple years back).
Scott P wrote: Thu Nov 19, 2020 10:07 pm I backpacked with Steve Allen who climbed with Eric Bjornstad who seems to have climbed with all of the most famous American mountaineers of the time period.
I climbed with Ken Nolan who climbed with Jean Aschenbrenner (on one or two occasions, I think) who I believe has done some stuff with Steve Allen, so I can connect to you as well (though I did unknowingly share the summit of Mt. Wilson with you and Kessler briefly this past summer). OK, I've also climbed with Jean, and I can probably connect to Scott more directly, but I'm just dropping names here.

Yeah, guys like Bjornstad and Beckey and Harvey Carter and Layton Kor, etc, seem to have climbed with so many other folks. Certainly within the climbing world, this six degrees thing seems to pan out.
bergsteigen wrote: Thu Nov 19, 2020 10:57 pm I skied Culebra with Chris Davenport and the Mahons.
Well, I've gotten my butt kicked by Ted Mahon in races on at least a few occasions, but I don't think I was ever close enough to him to say I was "with" him. Well, maybe at the start lines.
Teresa Gergen wrote: Fri Nov 20, 2020 5:49 am Well, I've climbed with John Prater
And it's been too long.
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Re: Six degrees of separation - climbing partner edition

Post by greenonion »

I was in the SLC airport a bunch of years ago wearing a fleece vest that I had bought from (I think) Mountain Zone that had "Everest 99" stitched on it. The year 1999 had special significance to me and I loved mountains, so I got it. A guy I kinda recognized came up and asked if I had done Everest in 99, as he had. HA!! While basking in my misguided glory, I explained to Dave Hahn, who has climbed Everest several times, that I just got the vest cuz I liked it. Dave then told me who is was and that he had been on Everest in 99, and I think that he had something to do with the commemorative vest I was wearing. Really nice guy.

Am 99.9% positive I passed Conrad Anker (while I was descending, and he was ascending) a local mountain here in SLC (Olympus). No conversation, just wow!

In 2000 (I think), I was on the summit of Wetterhorn when a guy in what seemed liked running shoes and shorts arrived on the summit. Found out it was Rick Denisick reclaiming (again I think) the CO 14er FKT record at that time. He asked me something like what peaks I was doing on my trip and my reply was something like just Wetterhorn and Unc and obviously nothing compared to what YOU are doing. His reply was something very close to... any day on top of a mountain is a good day. I couldn't have, and still can't, argue with that for a second.

Met Leif Whittaker (Jim's son) at an outdoor trade show a few years ago in SLC. Walking along within the same conference and suddenly looking up I realized I was right next to Alex Honnold and Chris Sharma just shooting the breeze. I'm sure I had a fan-boy look on my face but I resisted the urge to hug them.

In 2016 (again I think) we were at Holy Cross TH when Andrew Hamilton and his small caravan came rolling in during his FKT attempt that year. Andrew had already done all but about 4-5 remaining peaks, but he was BEAT UP. You might remember he had a leg injury that forced him to quit that year, I think right after Holy Cross. He returned the next year to successfully capture the title that still of course stands today. He did HC with that leg injury in about 5 hours RT, unbelievably. We talked with Andrew and his crew and found him to be incredibly friendly, humble, and genuine. Great memory.

I thought I saw CaptCo's Ford F-150 in Yankee Boy Basin this summer, but alas, I was mistaken and did not encounter the truck of the young climbing and 14ers posting legend.
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Re: Six degrees of separation - climbing partner edition

Post by rijaca »

I ran into John Prater and Teresa Gergen in Ruby Basin when Teresa was still working on the BiCentennials.
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Re: Six degrees of separation - climbing partner edition

Post by HikerGuy »

greenonion wrote: Fri Nov 20, 2020 9:49 am I thought I saw CaptCo's Ford F-150 in Yankee Boy Basin this summer, but alas, I was mistaken and did not encounter the truck of the young climbing and 14ers posting legend.
I met Alec (CaptCo) and Amy (Blazintoes) in YBB this summer. So maybe you did see him. Nice folks! In fact, I crossed paths with quite a few 14ers members this summer, all very friendly and helpful. This is a good community.

I went on a couple of guided trips way back in 2000 and 2001 with some well traveled guides, so I am sure I am well within six degrees of all of the older notables in mountaineering.
Last edited by HikerGuy on Fri Nov 20, 2020 10:49 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Six degrees of separation - climbing partner edition

Post by Matt »

rijaca wrote: Fri Nov 20, 2020 9:57 am I ran into John Prater and Teresa Gergen in Ruby Basin when Teresa was still working on the BiCentennials.
I hiked some 13ers with Rijaca back when he was still a cow.

Hours before being chased back to I-25 by angry rednecks at speeds of up to 90mph on the gravel road to Laramie Peak, ChrisinAz and I heard voices as we approached the summit block. Lo and behold, it was Teresa Gergen and Kirk Mallory. Teresa was kind enough to offer us a belay. Thank you!

I went to see Phish with Lake City's own PKelley, who has climbed with Gerry Roach. Now, I'm legit.
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Re: Six degrees of separation - climbing partner edition

Post by highpilgrim »

12ersRule and I were nearly run over by someone that looked like Climbing Jesus and turned out to be Anton Kupricka while we were ascending North Maroon. He was effectively in a speedo and running shorts with two tiny water bottles and was running FAST downhill just below the precipice. Turned out he did both Bells via the traverse in less than three hours from the standard trailhead. What a laggard. :shock:
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Re: Six degrees of separation - climbing partner edition

Post by John Prater »

rijaca wrote: Fri Nov 20, 2020 9:57 am I ran into John Prater and Teresa Gergen in Ruby Basin when Teresa was still working on the BiCentennials.
Teresa was still wrapping up the Centennials on that trip!
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Re: Six degrees of separation - climbing partner edition

Post by ChrisinAZ »

Matt wrote: Fri Nov 20, 2020 10:08 am
rijaca wrote: Fri Nov 20, 2020 9:57 am I ran into John Prater and Teresa Gergen in Ruby Basin when Teresa was still working on the BiCentennials.
I hiked some 13ers with Rijaca back when he was still a cow.

Hours before being chased back to I-25 by angry rednecks at speeds of up to 90mph on the gravel road to Laramie Peak, ChrisinAz and I heard voices as we approached the summit block. Lo and behold, it was Teresa Gergen and Kirk Mallory. Teresa was kind enough to offer us a belay. Thank you!

I went to see Phish with Lake City's own PKelley, who has climbed with Gerry Roach. Now, I'm legit.
Haha, fond memories! The meeting Kirk and Teresa part, anyway...

I've met a number of folks who are or were big in the county highpointing scene, though never the most esteemed of them all, Bob Packard. The Sierra Estrella highpoint in AZ with the late Adam Helman, South Mountain (the obscure off-limits P2K on the Tohono O'odham Nation, not the more well known off limits summit just south of Phoenix) with Ken Jones and the late Dennis Poulin, Covill and Mitchler on Laveaga in CA, and several peaks in the PNW with Jobe Wymore come to mind.

Last but not least, I was lucky enough to get to hike Signal and Harquahala Peaks in AZ with Jack Bennett, the first person to ever complete the incredibly challenging Canadian province/territory highpoint list. I had actually bought a signed copy of his book many years earlier as a kid, so getting to meet one of my idols was a pretty neat experience!
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Re: Six degrees of separation - climbing partner edition

Post by susanjoypaul »

Climbing in Arizona with Albert Newman, Layton Kor, and Scott Baxter. Truly an "I'm not worthy" moment. By the way, you ever notice how the best climbers never talk about how they're the best climbers? Humblest guys I ever met.
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Re: Six degrees of separation - climbing partner edition

Post by Chicago Transplant »

I can't even begin to count the number of people on this site, including several 13er finishers, who I am friends with, climbed with, or met. I'm sure its more than 50. Some just because we were on group hikes together others are lifelong friends. I am sure we all have some pretty interesting encounters over the years (I know at least 2 of them that have run in to John Krakauer in RMNP for example). Not to mention from our personal and professional lives that are non-mountaineers. The six-degrees of separation philosophy certainly seems to be quite true.

I have hiked with Steve Gladbach, Ken Nolan and Jean Aschenbrenner. I ran into Deb and Mike Hruza at a trailhead before.

I rode the chair lift with Sarka Strachova, 2010 Olympic Bronze Medalist in Slalom and 2007 gold medalist at Worlds. She was training at Beaver Creek for a race there. The Czech flag on her helmet got us talking because my family is from Slovakia.

I hiked up to the Y-Chutes (out of bounds area at Beaver Creek) behind Chris Anthony, and my ex-girlfriend used to wait on him at a local cafe (side story - Robert Plant was also one of her customers after a Vail performance. Awesome!). Chris is a Warren Miller athlete.

I met Roger Brown in a store once, another connection through Rachael as he was a regular at one of her other jobs. He is a pretty legendary ski and climbing filmmaker from the 60's. I have a movie of his where he filmed Royal Robbins and Yvon Chouinard in Yosemite. I am sure he has met/filmed a LOT of other famous climbers and skiers over the years.

Pemba Tenzig Sherpa owns a painting company in Vail and runs a non-profit The Sherpa Foundation. When he was younger he was a guide in the Khumbu Region. I've never met him or had him paint one of our projects, but local contractors I have worked with have so I guess that counts as a 2nd degree of separation?
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Re: Six degrees of separation - climbing partner edition

Post by bergsteigen »

Chicago Transplant wrote: Fri Nov 20, 2020 12:30 pm I can't even begin to count the number of people on this site, including several 13er finishers, who I am friends with, climbed with, or met. I'm sure its more than 50.
That’s why a year or so ago I wrote code on my own 14er and 13er pages that totals up the number of partners and number of peaks. Since I’ve lead the Gurlz hikes for years or done so many group hikes, I’ve had to limit the list to those I remember interacting with closely. So on 14ers: 173 partners and 13ers: 123 partners. There’s quite some overlap, so I’ll have to write some code to combine the two. Something for a cosy evening sometime.
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