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Dingus Milktoast wrote:Speaking of old thymers and Tribe...

Potter is about as much a member of any "tribe" as Bonatti was.

He is a Lone Wolf and proud of being so. He is very picky about who he hangs with, literally. He totally disdains being in any social arena around any group of people in general.

Unfortunately, his Lone Wolf North Easterner attitude is what leads him on some of his wild and intruding adventures..... Arch Rock.

Seems he may gotten this attitude rehashed in his psyche after spending over 6 years under the wing of his mentor, Jimmy Dunn. Same gig. Lots of soloing and stays away from people in general.

I know some pretty real climbers who would never consider doing a climb like that all set up with a multi camera video shoot. They'd walk away from that scene.

Potter may be reclusive somewhat, but he has an appetite for publicity and that's what got him in trouble in Utah there.

And to be honest, while the speed and boldness of his ascent is truly remarkable, I don't see much in it which really advances the state of the art in climbing. Aid climbing off a single piece without a belay is bold, as is free soloing the stovelegs and all that but it's not pushing boundaries the way Lynn Hill's free ascent in a day did, which is unrepeated. Or Honnold's Half Dome solo. I think that guy is shifting some paradigms.

ksolem wrote:I know some pretty real climbers who would never consider doing a climb like that all set up with a multi camera video shoot. They'd walk away from that scene.

Potter may be reclusive somewhat, but he has an appetite for publicity and that's what got him in trouble in Utah there.

And to be honest, while the speed and boldness of his ascent is truly remarkable, I don't see much in it which really advances the state of the art in climbing. Aid climbing off a single piece without a belay is bold, as is free soloing the stovelegs and all that but it's not pushing boundaries the way Lynn Hill's free ascent in a day did, which is unrepeated. Or Honnold's Half Dome solo. I think that guy is shifting some paradigms.

+1

I also just watched a film on Tommy Caldwel's record breaking time of climbing El Capitan twice in one day. Now that's pushing the limits.

ksolem wrote:I know some pretty real climbers who would never consider doing a climb like that all set up with a multi camera video shoot. They'd walk away from that scene.

Potter may be reclusive somewhat, but he has an appetite for publicity and that's what got him in trouble in Utah there.

And to be honest, while the speed and boldness of his ascent is truly remarkable, I don't see much in it which really advances the state of the art in climbing. Aid climbing off a single piece without a belay is bold, as is free soloing the stovelegs and all that but it's not pushing boundaries the way Lynn Hill's free ascent in a day did, which is unrepeated. Or Honnold's Half Dome solo. I think that guy is shifting some paradigms.

Good point.

But we each find our own way to do the gig.

Publicity...hmmm.

Seems there have been and currently are some stout and very strong REAL CLIMBER's that frolic in the media attention. Just as there are those that run as far away from it as possible.

Like I shared, Dean spent some time under the wing of Jimmy Dunn. I know as they were the ones that witnessed and photo'd my FSCA of Deep Voodoo A3+ (now C3+) and Play'n Hookey A3 (now 5.13 after Dean freed it the year after I FSCA it at C3) on the left and Center Tombstones in Kane Creek.

Dean lived out of his van for several seasons in the Market P/L in Moab and up in Kane Creek.

Dean and Jimmy freed some incredible lines in both Day and Long Canyons. I spent some of my best days in Moab watching the two of em do some spectacular climbing, quietly. Amazingly, many of these accomplishments never got any media attention. Most likely cus Jimmy doesn't like to be in the limelight.

Dean is a moving climber. When alone amongst few, he is a very personable and intelligent man. Even when stoned.

Kris, Lynn never "Solo'd" the Nose and then Reg route on HF Dome all in a day, as Dean has, either. This method which Dean used, is the exact same manner that Bonatti achieved many of his "Solo" accomplishments. Soloing anything is clearly a whole different enchilada.... trust me.

They are all bold accomplishments IMO. That is why I posted it. to remind us to get out and be bold.....

The Chief wrote:...get out and be bold.....

For a guy always preaching safety, why all the banter about soloing and "be bold" and whatnot? Not a call-out, but it just strikes me as a bit of a contradiction. Why not, 'just get out and have fun; do whatever it is you like to do, and have fun.'

On another note, while the video is indeed entertaining to watch, some of the staged shots (such as the 'stunned' looked of the guy as Potter trots past him ~ like he wasn't already aware of the dudes with the cameras preparing for Potter's 'dramatic' arrival) add a thick layer of cheesy pretentiousness to it. The hero-worship thing creeps me out, man.

cp0915 wrote:The hero-worship thing creeps me out, man.

That makes us a minority around here my friend. Joe and I heading back up Wilson tomorrow, left Pink Tornado link up to Gwondonna Land, pretty damn stoked every time I take this RR gem on. Cheers.

Dow Williams wrote:

cp0915 wrote:The hero-worship thing creeps me out, man.

That makes us a minority around here my friend. Joe and I heading back up Wilson tomorrow, left Pink Tornado link up to Gwondonna Land, pretty damn stoked every time I take this RR gem on. Cheers.

You're my hero, Dow! Do your thing, and have fun.

Kris, Lynn never "Solo'd" the Nose and then Reg route on HF Dome all in a day, as Dean has, either. This method which Dean used, is the exact same manner that Bonatti achieved many of his "Solo" accomplishments.

You're right. Lynn did not do an "French Free" speed solo of the nose. She free climbed it in a day leading every pitch in perfect style. We all know that climbing has many aspects, and some appeal to one while others appeal to others. For me, Hill's accomplishment is a milestone in the history of climbing, a "Concorde Moment."

Soloing anything is clearly a whole different enchilada ...Trust me.

LOL. If I didn't know you better, I would charge you with being condescending there...

Climbers solo for all kinds of reasons. I went through a phase in the early 90's when I free soloed a lot. 95% of these climbs even my best friends don't know about. I was living a troubled life and for a few years putting that life on the line was my way of working through some sh*t. These were private and intensely personal experiences, maybe I'll write about those times someday, but not yet... I'll say that the few times I free soloed in front of anyone I regretted it. I remember once doing Butterfly Crack in Josh, a short 11c I bouldered more times than I can recall, in front of Bob Yoho and Herb Laeger. It was the end of a long day, and I got a little sketchy doing the 5.9 fingerlocks at the top out, looking at a bone crushing 60 footer. I was okay, but my friends were quite upset with me and I was humiliated.

I talked to Michael Reardon one night over a glass of wine in a campsite in Indian Cove about his free solo of Romantic Warrior. I said something to the effect that it was too bad no one took video of the ascent. In the nicest of all possible ways he set me straight, explaining that he would not have been comfortable with that for a number of reasons. He told me about the several times, on different days, that he started up the climb only to turn around and retreat. Arriving at the right moment was a mysterious personal process, and making the climb a performance for a camera crew would have changed everything.

ksolem wrote:LOL. If I didn't know you better, I would charge you with being condescending there...

Not one bit... please stop perceiving. Just stating a personal opine.

ksolem wrote:Climbers solo for all kinds of reasons.

My point exactly...

cp0915 wrote:

The Chief wrote:...get out and be bold.....

For a guy always preaching safety, why all the banter about soloing and "be bold" and whatnot? Not a call-out, but it just strikes me as a bit of a contradiction.

You can rope & free solo, be bold and all that good stuff and still be absolutely safe! Knowing how, what your limit is and being experienced are the key.

Hero worship.... NOT!

Just sharing the mindset of some others that get out and push the limits.

Bonatti spent far more time soloing than he did climbing with a partner. Are we now going to claim that he was an unsafe Alpinist???

Not one bit... please stop perceiving. Just stating a personal opine.

Yer crackin' me up, man! I said "If I didn't know you better..." I'm just giving you a little crap there, you know, like climbers do...

And I would prefer to keep percieving for a while longer, since when perception ends then I'll be dead.

Cheers...

ksolem wrote:Yer crackin' me up, man! I said "If I didn't know you better..." I'm just giving you a little crap there, you know, like climbers do...

No crap taken as it was what I perceived you would do. Thus my post...