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[DGoguen]

I didn't take too many pictures that day, but these are the wool knickers I was wearing for the "lunchtime break".
I was was with an Englishman as well. I see a trend here.
He said the knickers made me look like " Ghastly Rubberface" whenever I mentioned Gaston Rebuffat as an alpinist to aspire to... guess he didn't care for his neighbors.

[frik]

I did way too many stoopid things to post here....
plus i want to hear more of Luke's thoughts

[mopowers]

Wool Knickers! wow, how old are you Dave?

When i was 14 i saved up and bought a rope, ATC and harness from the Campmor catalog. I convinced two friends to go climbing with me and had my mom drop us off at the crag for the day. We all soloed up the most obvious route in our sneakers until we found an anchor. We then took turns rappelling down with the one harness.

Later that summer my buddies got their own harnesses, another rope and i got some nuts and hexes. We made it up three pitches to the base of the Great Corner at Wheeler. It was there i realized i had no idea how to tie two ropes together for the rappel. One of my buddies did some sailing so he tied the ropes with a square knot, no backup on the tails. It held.

I also consider every ice route i have climbed as pretty dumb.

[top-rope-happy]

When I was 10 or so, we used to live in a big city where hugh apartment buildings were side by side.  We used to play soccer on roof top and once in awhile, ball will fly over to other buildings.  I'd  jump between roof tops to retrieve the ball.  It must have been 100 feet drop or so.  I wouldn't do it now, even if I was on belay.

[DMan]

I started climbing at 15 at Mill City Rock Gym and started working after-school at EMS Salem. I had bought a basic rack, some hexes, nuts, a few cams, and a 50m 11mm rope. At 16 I read a R&I article "10 classics under 5.10". Lakeview on Cannon was featured.

I started skipping school with who ever I could talk into skipping to go attempt it. I would show them how to belay at the start of the climb.

I hadn't yet heard of Pawtuckaway, Rumney, Cathedral, or Whitehorse. Lakeview seemed like a good first trad lead. It took 3 attempts, 3 partners, 2 times getting off route followed by 2 heinous bushwhacks, and one whip (not me) and lots of passing climbers shaking their heads to finally get that route bagged that summer.... it was awesome...

I try to remember how little I knew, and that we all start there at some point when I see 16 year old helmet-less kids climbing on Canon (luckily not often these days)...

I also epic'd the next year on Whitney-G after getting so dehydrated I was hallucinating (OD'd on electrolyte powder). My partner was in eighth grade, I was 16, I had met him at the climbing gym. I led the last pitch placing 7 or 8 pieces of gear in a state of delirium... when he arrived at the top he asked me why I hadn't clipped any of the pro into the rope...      I had simply been so out of it I didn't realize... I remember the anchor I had us on was quite sketch as well... probably closest I've been to dying...

One small epic in Red Rocks when I was 17 and had my dad belaying me up some 5.8 crack tied to a boulder (no harness)...

Around 18 I started getting a bit smarter

[JJ Jameson]

Here's me in my wool knickers, Chouinard harness, plus koflachs, SMC Rigid crampons, you can actually see a SMC camlock dangling in front of my harness, not shown, the Simond Chacals I'm drytooling with. The mantle I'm about to do was a thrash of epic proportions. It was either get it done or take a nasty swinging fall onto a bowl shaped ledge. Down climbing was not an option. But what the hell? Back then we bounced, right? Now i'd just make a big hole in the ground. No bounce left.

[strandman]

NOW your talkin' JJ

Wool knickers were an upgrade for me.. and I looked damn fine in them.. they gave way to lycra when I met Coach Niland

[JJ Jameson]

OK, John, this one's for you...

[WharfRat]

There was the time that i got lost on my way to see the Dead in Highgate VT. I had a car full of girls ripping tubes out of a three foot bong tripping our brains out with every know controlled substance known to man aboard.

Somehow i just turned around and drove back through. Pretty sure i would remember if we had gotten in trouble

Many many many more i could share but that is just a glimpse. Plus this is supposed to be about climbing right!

[JJ Jameson]

Good point you make there, the OP didn't say anything about climbing...
This could take a serious turn for the worse.

[neiceclimber]

Would jumping opposite of ridge work?  So if lead falls right of ridge, 2nd jumps to the left of ridge.

I believe many call this the Fairbanks belay. Have never actually used one, but on several occasions have started up and down ridges and cornices knowing this was better pro than pickets.

While I've had many dumb exploits the one that sticks out the most in my mind was trying to skinny ski tuckerman ravine. Junior year in college a friend decided that their grandparents place in Jackson would be a good place to spend a january weekend boozing it up. A third of the group raced x-c for 16 or so years and the others were newish to the sport. Long story short around 4 or 5 am after many hours of beer, scooby snacks, and  some extreme "skiing" someone wondered if one could skate ski to the bowl. So after a trip to the local  breakfast joint and raiding the houses liquor cabinet we struck off. We skated to hojos sometime around mid morning to find a few people lamenting that it was very dangerous in there and a ranger that thought we were crazy and in no shape to trudge on through the day. With the help of  some liquid courage, lo and behold we found ourselves booting just below the head wall. At this point the ski boots stopped purchasing the icy base and one friend took a big slide to the valley floor, skis in hand! 3 of us pushed on left to the rocks between the chute and the head wall and kicked out a platform. One slipped while putting his ski on and took a beautiful half the bowl slide while his other ski sat next to us. My friend and I were the last two remaining, so we set off traversing to the chute, stuck turns and traversed back over To the headwall and then back over to the chute with both of us making it to the floor unscathed. We all enjoyed a few more pulls off the bottles and set out for home. At some point on the sherbie I hit a rough patch and in one fell swoop put my knee through my ski, snapped a pole, broke the opposite binding, blew out the plastic on my skate boots, and had to crawl back to the car.

[JJ Jameson]

Great stuff. I will admit, I first read your post as skinny skiing, as in, you know, sans vetements. ( For Luke) , Which instantly conjured up all kinds of memories of being young and inexperienced.

[sneoh]

Wow, a lot of great stories.  Good read.

JJ - loud Lycra, Sportiva Kendo, Smith Rock.  Great stuff.  All "all the rage" when I started climbing at the age of 29.  So sorry, no memorable young and dumb story to share.

[JJ Jameson]

I'm waiting for Ken Reville to throw down, he has some CRAZY stories. (Bus ride?) One shared one, if he checks in...Remember how we taught belaying for the Outing Club?

[JChepes]

Thanks for the good stories.  I'm on injury reserve and squeaking out a laugh or two really makes me feel a bit better. Keep them coming please.
My quick story involves Loon Mountain and some hallucinogens.  Got to the top and had to relearn how to ride again after a few years of experience.  A non-repeatable offense that's for sure.  The ride home in a snowstorm was the crux.  Star Wars anyone?  High school never really produced many good decisions on my part.
The tin cans at wildcat were always quite the thrill.  Get in them on a windy day and they would produce quite the pucker. Had some good times on that hill. The retired one at the Moat gets a good luck rub every time I'm there.