|
red_panda
Sep 28, 2005, 5:38 AM
Post #1 of 48
(8368 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Sep 17, 2005
Posts: 20
|
I was just a little curious as to who would be the Person on this site that is the oldest practicing rock climber or the climber that has been climbing for the longest time. I think that whoever you are should get a little praise for your accomplishments. So Could all you veteran climbers pleas start posting how old you are and how long you have been climbing? Thanks :wink:
|
|
|
|
|
curt
Sep 28, 2005, 5:45 AM
Post #2 of 48
(8368 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Aug 27, 2002
Posts: 18275
|
In reply to: I was just a little curious as to who would be the Person on this site that is the oldest practicing rock climber or the climber that has been climbing for the longest time. I think that whoever you are should get a little praise for your accomplishments. So Could all you veteran climbers pleas start posting how old you are and how long you have been climbing? Thanks :wink:
Well, I'm up there, but way ahead of me are John Gill (jgill) and Richard Goldstone (rgold) here.
Curt
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
rgold
Sep 28, 2005, 2:15 PM
Post #4 of 48
(8368 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Dec 3, 2002
Posts: 1804
|
Continuing into your 80's requires not only interest and determination, but extraordinary luck with genetics, disease, and injuries. Bullit and Beckey are outliers in the climber age data pool.
I am merely 62, but I've got 47 years of climbing mileage on the odometer, a full-time job, mortgage, and daughter in college to pay for. Mike Piazza, at 37, is already comparing himself to an old car. (Of course, the guy has squatted behind home plate for something like 13,500 innings.) I feel a bit that way; you know, you stomp on the gas and what you get is a lot of rumbling and rattling accompanying a very leisurely acceleration, whose stateliness is emphasized by the rest of the cars streaking past you.
But climbing is still fun, and the doors, if loose, haven't completely fallen off yet, so I guess I'll soldier on for a bit.
|
|
|
|
|
red_panda
Sep 28, 2005, 4:10 PM
Post #5 of 48
(8368 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Sep 17, 2005
Posts: 20
|
In reply to: Well, I'm up there, but way ahead of me are John Gill (jgill) and Richard Goldstone (rgold) here. Curt
Thanks Curt,
Do you know how old ether of them are?
|
|
|
|
|
angry
Sep 28, 2005, 4:15 PM
Post #6 of 48
(8368 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Jul 22, 2003
Posts: 8405
|
I've seen Rob Kelman pull stuff that most 20 year olds can't. He's also recently written a great revision to his guidebook and gotten married. He's pretty geezerish. I'm thinking 75 or so. rob.calm here and climbingboulder.
|
|
|
|
|
red_panda
Sep 28, 2005, 4:17 PM
Post #7 of 48
(8368 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Sep 17, 2005
Posts: 20
|
In reply to: Fred Beckey and Stimson Bullit, both from the PNW area as far as I know of. not sure who is older, but Stim is up around 8 and leads 5.10.
Thanks lambone,
It would look like 80 is the high standard to live by so far. :o Thank you for the pic. That is pretty amazing.
|
|
|
|
|
curt
Sep 28, 2005, 4:26 PM
Post #8 of 48
(8368 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Aug 27, 2002
Posts: 18275
|
In reply to: In reply to: Well, I'm up there, but way ahead of me are John Gill (jgill) and Richard Goldstone (rgold) here. Curt Thanks Curt, Do you know how old ether of them are?
Well, Rich just posted his age here in this thread--and I believe John is about 5 years older than Rich.
Curt
|
|
|
|
|
stevep
Sep 28, 2005, 4:48 PM
Post #9 of 48
(8368 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Apr 20, 2004
Posts: 93
|
I'm fairly sure Stim didn't start until he was in his 60's, he's now 86 and is a pretty amazing speciman.
But Fred's got to take the cake. According to his Wikipedia entry, he's 82, and did the first ascent of Forbidden in 1940.
|
|
|
|
|
bobd1953
Sep 28, 2005, 5:18 PM
Post #10 of 48
(8368 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Nov 14, 2002
Posts: 3941
|
In reply to: Well, I'm up there, but way ahead of me are John Gill (jgill) and Richard Goldstone (rgold) here. Curt
By sheer looks alone...Curt could be one of the oldest users on this site. :lol:
Now me...I don't look a day over forty.
|
|
|
|
|
curt
Sep 28, 2005, 5:45 PM
Post #11 of 48
(8368 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Aug 27, 2002
Posts: 18275
|
In reply to: In reply to: Well, I'm up there, but way ahead of me are John Gill (jgill) and Richard Goldstone (rgold) here. Curt By sheer looks alone...Curt could be one of the oldest users on this site. :lol: Now me...I don't look a day over forty.
Forty? Jesus Bob, you look like you've been embalmed for that long. :lol: My sincerest apologies for not naming you along with the other 60+ year-old climbers I know here.
Curt
|
|
|
|
|
mtnbkrxtrordnair
Sep 28, 2005, 6:48 PM
Post #12 of 48
(8368 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Jun 11, 2003
Posts: 267
|
Does anyone know if the Conns of Seneca and SD Needles fame are still climbing and how old they are?
thanks, mtnbkr
|
|
|
|
|
shorty
Sep 28, 2005, 6:55 PM
Post #13 of 48
(8368 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Apr 28, 2003
Posts: 1266
|
In reply to: By sheer looks alone...Curt could be one of the oldest users on this site. :lol:
In reply to: Now me...I don't look a day over forty.
Now would that be in human years, dog years, elephant years, newt years....
|
|
|
|
|
paulj
Sep 28, 2005, 8:24 PM
Post #14 of 48
(8368 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Oct 2, 2001
Posts: 14
|
Hey, robdotcalm, care to weigh in?
|
|
|
|
|
red_panda
Sep 28, 2005, 11:37 PM
Post #15 of 48
(8368 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Sep 17, 2005
Posts: 20
|
In reply to: I'm fairly sure Stim didn't start until he was in his 60's, he's now 86 and is a pretty amazing speciman. But Fred's got to take the cake. According to his Wikipedia entry, he's 82, and did the first ascent of Forbidden in 1940.
So we have Stim who is 86 with 26 years of climbing on the OD(odometer) and Fred who is 82 and has at least 65 years of climbing on the OD. I would have to give both of these fine climbers tons of props for being in such good shape for that long and still climbing. I give free rain for anyone to help me with my math should I have gotten something wrong. Keep it up! If there is any one ells that can beat that I will be amazed, but we wouldn't want to leave them out.
|
|
|
|
|
cintune
Sep 29, 2005, 12:05 AM
Post #16 of 48
(8368 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Nov 10, 2004
Posts: 1293
|
Not an rc.commer, but the definition of "old school" anyway.
http://www.economist.com/.../20040626/2604OB.jpg
http://www.economist.com/...cfm?story_id=2787797
[The] was a hugely important place in Ulrich Inderbinen's life. He was born in 1900 in Zermatt, at the mountain's foot: a remote village of only 750 people, with tourism a small but burgeoning industry. Mr Inderbinen rarely left the region of his birth, and was 20 before he took the train to the nearest town. To make up for it, he climbed out of the valley quite often—almost daily for nearly 70 years. He scaled all 14,700 feet of the Matterhorn more than 370 times, though he is said to have lost track of the exact number.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
curt
Sep 29, 2005, 12:43 AM
Post #18 of 48
(8368 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Aug 27, 2002
Posts: 18275
|
I know that old sot, but he's a couple years younger than I am. 8^)
Curt
|
|
|
|
|
jgill
Oct 1, 2005, 7:20 PM
Post #19 of 48
(8368 views)
Shortcut
Registered: May 18, 2002
Posts: 653
|
In reply to: Continuing into your 80's requires not only interest and determination, but extraordinary luck with genetics, disease, and injuries. Bullit and Beckey are outliers in the climber age data pool.
Oh, how true! There's lots of luck involved.
Another number of interest would be the total of age + years climbing. Wear and tear can do a job on you. Beckey would be way out ahead at 147, I would be 120 (68 +52), Stim would be 112, and Rich 109. There are probably quite a few members of the Century Club if you consider Europeans, as well as some more Americans. Lou Lutz would be a member, perhaps at 112 or 117 - I don't recall if he started at 65 or 60. 8^)
|
|
|
|
|
rgold
Oct 1, 2005, 8:30 PM
Post #20 of 48
(8368 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Dec 3, 2002
Posts: 1804
|
Even without Europeans, there are probably quite a few. For example, just yesterday I met Vulgarian Mountain Club founding members Al DeMaria and Claude Suhl out for a day of climbing. They are definitely in the Century Club with numbers around John's.
|
|
|
|
|
jgill
Oct 1, 2005, 9:54 PM
Post #21 of 48
(8368 views)
Shortcut
Registered: May 18, 2002
Posts: 653
|
I should have mentioned that Lou Lutz passed away some time ago, so he's a past or emeritous member of the Century Club. 8^)
|
|
|
|
|
saxfiend
Oct 1, 2005, 9:57 PM
Post #22 of 48
(8368 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Dec 31, 2004
Posts: 1208
|
One of the guys I climb with, Jerry Dodgen, is 75 and still climbing harder than I can. Check out the pictures section on http://www.dixiecragger.com for a shot of him leading Razor Worm at T-Wall.
JL
|
|
|
|
|
cosmiccragsman
Oct 2, 2005, 12:29 AM
Post #23 of 48
(8368 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Apr 7, 2005
Posts: 778
|
I'm 51 and have been climbing with ropes for 40 years. But if you want to include the years I climbed without ropes, it would be 47 years. My first climbing injury, when I was 4, was in Japan when I fell about 15 feet and landed on my head. It was a rock terrace in my backyard.
Shortly after that, we moved to 29 Palms, and I lived right outside Indian Cove. I used to walk up there every day after school and climb, and have fun exploring.
Cosmiccragsman
|
|
|
|
|
crimpergirl
Oct 2, 2005, 12:40 AM
Post #24 of 48
(8368 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Apr 11, 2004
Posts: 1128
|
How about females? Anyone know?
|
|
|
|
|
thegreytradster
Oct 2, 2005, 1:56 AM
Post #25 of 48
(8368 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Jul 7, 2003
Posts: 2151
|
Ellen Wilts and Mrs. Mendenhall (first name escapes me at this moment) Were regular fixtures at Tahquitz in the early 70's
I think they were both in their 60's by then.
|
|
|
|
|
|
1
