SummitPost.org

Dick Bass - 7 Summits Pioneer, Dies at 85

http://adventure-journal.com/2015/07/ri ... ies-at-85/

also
http://www.forbes.com/sites/jimclash/20 ... ead-at-85/
http://www.climbing.com/news/seven-summ ... bass-dies/

Thank you Dick Bass. You inspired so many.

Among local climbers, Dick Bass was probably the most hated climber where I grew up (Salt Lake area). I don't hate him, but personally don't like his beliefs towards the mountains.

Stay classy, Scott...

Stay classy, Scott...

I don’t mean to be disrespectful, but I just didn’t share his beliefs about the mountains. I grew up in Salt Lake and the Wasatch Mountains are very special to me, and Dick Bass was the one that was constantly pushing for development on the local Forest Service lands.

He was the one that pushed hard for the 78,000 square feet convention center to be built on one of the highest peaks in the Wasatch. Luckily the convention center was scaled down somewhat, but it will be finished this year.

Dick Bass always fought strongly against wilderness designation and nature preserves, which I didn’t understand since he was supposed to be a fellow climber. When I think of Dick Bass I usually don't think of him climbing the Seven Summits, I think of how he was constantly fighting against wilderness and for development on public lands and how he was successful (or at least greatly contributed to the success of) in blocking certain worth lands of protection. (I'm not against development of Forest Service lands, but I thought the gigantic mountain-top convention center and the exclusion of much of the White Pine drainage took things too far). Of course, it’s a free country and he’s entitled to his own opinions. Maybe if I didn't have such an attachment to the Wasatch, my views would be different. Local developers liked Dick Bass; the climbing community not so much. For better or worse (depending on your viewpoint), Dick Bass' legacy will forever be remembered and have lasting effects in the Wasatch.

As stated, I didn’t hate him as a person, but I didn’t share his views on the mountains.

Scott, I don't think much differently, although much more harshly about this guy. Total wannabee, who used his money to get real climbers to drag him up peaks. Used money and power to push hugely expansionist development agenda in the wild lands of Utah and elsewhere, and was the one who ushered (with the guiding world consent and support) the insane era of 8,000 meter peaks guiding. There was little positive (from outdoor and wilderness conservation point of view) in his actions, in my view.

His 7 Summits were done on Top Rope...

BTW this might tell you something about the man

According to one widely circulated story, he was on a cross-country flight when, in his loquacious way, he deluged his seatmate for hours with details of his treks on all seven continents. As they were about to land, he realized he hadn't paused to ask his new friend anything about himself, his job, or even his name.

"That's OK," the man responded, extending his hand. "I'm Neil Armstrong."

I don't disagree with what you guys are saying... its just that it's a RIP thread... you know, the guy is dead... don't we jam up folks on the site for arm chairing dead guy threads? I mean... right?

asmrz wrote:His 7 Summits were done on Top Rope...

No. Not true.

When Bass climbed Everest he was roped to Breashears like a traditional rope team. They had no fixed ropes on the scary final summit ridge. He was also on 2l/m O2 where most of his latter-day followers are now on 4l/m, with their personal Sherpas carrying more. When he attempted the north face, he climbed higher and did more work on it than many 'real climbers' have managed. He was much less guided than guided clients are now. He might have been a ridiculed anomaly at the time, in the early 80s, but compared to guided clients now he was playing a different game.

What pissed off a lot of 'real climbers' was that Bass was actually pretty strong on mountains, stronger than some of them, but had almost no learned skill or built-up experience. This has been told to me by people who were there at the time. The 'real climbers' realised with a bit more time and re-directed effort he could have surpassed them - and still been a successful businessman, rich and comfortable, while they were living in their vans. He made them look bad.

Bass & Wells' 1983 expedition to Vinson helped open up the continent to non-government visitors and enabled previously impossible adventures for thousands, many of them hard core 'real' adventurers, not just guided clients. He put his money where his mouth was, in a big way - something most don't do. On that trip he was not guided in any way resembling guiding now - it was a remote, cold, serious place and he was there with almost no backup, SAR, fixed ropes or route beta. Most guided clients to Vinson now would fail on the mountain doing it how he did it.

Bass started something that has had many negative impacts on the world of climbing, but most of those came well after him and can only very indirectly be attributed to him.

Whatever he was like personally, or did in the rest of his life, the facts of the matter are that in climbing terms he does not deserve the ignorant scorn heaped on him in subsequent years.

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