2008 Climber’s Holiday Awards
Three Meter Mare Award
Double Heel Hook Gymnastic Award
Belayer Whipper of the Year Award
What Time is It Award
Wo(Man) Large Peaks Award
Over Frolicked Award
Weirdest Injury of the Year Award
Belly Flop High Dive Award
The Long Over Due "I forgot my wallet" Award
Evel Kienevel Award
Whipper of the Year Award
Most Unique Anchor System Award
Lost My Mind Award
The "Chivalry Should Be Dead" Award
Misaligned Super Power Award
Scott Sandberg Volunteer of the Year Award
Craigen Bowen Scholarship Award
Three Meter Mare Award - Mare Weiss
One of the nicknames for Mare is "Three meter Mare" because she puts in a lot of gear. If you can make a picture of somebody climbing with a big rack and putting in lots of gear as she progresses it would be great! I climb with her a lot at the Gunks so if the rock resembles the gunks features (blocky, roofy, and horizontal
Double Heel Hook Gymnastic Award - Mandy Tam
While trying to get some climbs in during the 2008 Rock Climbing Program she was attempting to climb up a climb in QQ under the "diving board". While trying to gain the second ledge up, an instructor shouted "use the heel hook". The student asked what it was then kicked the leg up and over the ledge. Not being able to pull the ledge, the student decided that "if 1 heel hook is good, ten 2 must be better" and proceeded to successfully kick up the other heel.
The first ever successful "Double Heel Hook Award" is still available as the student couldn't pull the ledge with both legs up in the air. For providing oohs, aahhs, and visuals for the crowd, Mandy Tam deserves the "Gymnastic Award" (or the "Gratuitous Double Heel Hook Attempt Award" ).
Mandy has since successfully executed her first single-heel hook so is well on her way toward an attempt for the "Successful Double Heel Hook Award" next year.
Belayer Whipper of the Year Award - Tom Bielicki
While attempting the difficult, blank, and lichen-filled "Road Less Traveled" route at the Gunks, this party decided to scramble up to a ledge about 30' up from the ground to begin the climb. Near the top, the leader fell. the ever quick-thinking belayer decided to take a step back to help take up some of the slack. Of course, quick-thinking isn't always good-thinking as the belayer just stepped back off of the ledge into free space, taking up all the slack and pulling the leader (yelling "don't pull, don't pull" the entire time, further down.
When he came to rest, the belayer had fallen about 20' and laid to rest upside down with bare feet sticking straight up into the air, with a death-grip on the brake hand. Still hanging about 10' up from the grond and obviously unable to give the still-unsuspecting leader any slack, a witness was required to scramble up and upright the belayer and hold the brake rope until the belayer could lower himself to the ground.
What Time is It Award - Eric and Zeb Engberg
They did a "Cathedral Traverse" climbing the three peaks, Teewinot, Owen and the Grand, that make up the Cathedral group that composes the classic image of "Le Trois Tetons" but neither of them had a watch so they were never sure of the time. I'm late / I'm late / For a very important date. / No time to say "Hello" / Goodbye. / I'm late, I'm late, I'm late..
Wo(Man) Large Peaks Award - Paul Sodano
This recipient will be the future climbing pin up girl giving Pam Anderson a run for the money. He donned woman’s garb for a Tuesday Ladies night at BRG and was heard to lament how tough it is to climb with breasts and be ogled by all the males... Can’t say if his climbing improved that night or not.
Over Frolicked Award - Richard Doucette
Basically he was sucking down vino at the winery then went into town to watch the red sox game. Sunday AM he was supposed to climb with Nancy Savickas and Simon Kozin but having a bad hangover he was incapable and even blew off his wife for a hike. He slept in the tent till 3pm.
Weirdest Injury of the Year Award - Marcia Steger
Recipient actually nominated herself - I hate to incriminate myself, but I did have a weird injury last winter. I dislocated a bone in the palm of my hand while ice climbing - the Pisiform bone. Just saying the name makes me laugh. I insisted to the doctor that my cast be both removable and contain no cotton (cotton kills!).
Belly Flop High Dive Award - Marvin Wright
While climbing with Nancy he used two knees then into a belly flop to get up the chimney at Square ledge. His belayer had to almost gaff him in so suggested when climbing with Marv bring the gaff hook.
The Long Over Due "I forgot my wallet" Award - Richard Doucette
He is always leaving the leather in the car when the bill arrives.
Evel Kienevel Award - John Roberts
Going for the record for breaking bones, including a fractured knuckle at the BRG.
Whipper of the Year Award - Ruben Millor
His fisherman backup got stuck on a crack and would not budge. Upon trying to downclimb, reversing the move, he fell. He also had clipped a fixed pink tricam of old... and he ripped the old sling out. He fell 30 some feet, and broke a foot.
Most Unique Anchor System Award - Heidi Zinser
She had some foot surgery this fall and she came up with the most unusual use of hardware or the moist unique 4-point anchor system. Very few people are so devoted to climbing that they would use their own foot as part of an anchor system.
Lost My Mind Award - Ed Pavelchek
Not sure of all the details but he left his entire rack at the base of a climb on the South Buttress on Whitehorse. He did not realize this until he got home three hours later. He had to call a friend in Conway to go get it the next day.
The "Chivalry Should Be Dead" Award - Chris McNeil
My climbing partner and I were eagerly anticipating our first climb ever in the Daks. We’d delayed our start to late morning so the cliffs would dry from the rain the night before. We thought for sure we had time for at least one 4 pitch climb before the rain forecasted for late afternoon arrived.
The approach was steep and slippery but at the base of the cliff we found a beautiful slab climb named Catharsis that was mostly dry (but, as it turned out, anything but cathartic!) My partner lead the first pitch and, as I started up the second pitch, the sky became dark… very dark. I could hear thunder in the distance. I quickly finished the pitch and brought up my partner. The rain had already begun but there was no shelter to be found anywhere on the face of this slab.
The nearest rap station was a tree about 75 feet to our left so off went my partner across the wet slab to the tree. No sooner had I begun to follow him when the sky let loose with the most drenching, blinding, torrential rain I have ever had the pleasure to climb in. The rain poured down and ran like a waterfall over my hands and feet. And with it came the lightning and pea-sized hail that literally pummeled me while my partner huddled in relative safety under the rap tree (safety being relative since neither one of us was safe from the lightning!)
The rain finally let up as we rapped to the ground, thankfully in just one pitch with our double ropes tied together. We began to relax. We pulled the ropes and were packing up when round two hit us… more thunder, lightning, torrential rain and pea-sized hail.
The ropes were lying on the ground at the base of the cliff literally being power-washed by the force of the water running off the cliff (and truly they were power washed… I can see the middle markers on them clearly again). The ropes were soaked and as I began to stuff them in the rope bag, I said to my partner “Holy crap, these things weigh as much as I do. We need to split them up because there’s no way I can carry them both out.” But my partner, the consummate gentleman (or macho fool?), told me “No, no, they’re fine. Just pack them up and I’ll carry them.” I hesitated for maybe a second and then figured, what do I know, I’ve never been a strapping athletic guy standing well over 6 feet tall. Probably he can carry them. I just wanted to get the heck out of there.
It was still raining heavily and we had a steep and slippery hike out ahead of us. We were being careful and making good progress when we got to a section that we needed to down climb. I scrambled down to the trail below us, took about two steps and heard the sound of my partner slipping down the rock. I turned back to see him land squarely with both feet on the narrow trail only to tumble backwards off the trail (“ass over tea kettle” is one expression that comes to mind) and down a steep embankment. I stood there horrified as my partner tumbled backwards over and over again with increasing velocity… 20 feet… 30 feet… until I heard myself yelling “Stop!!!” as if that would do any good.
Finally, at easily 40 feet down if not further, my partner came to a complete stop. Almost immediately he threw up his arm, yelling and waving to me “I’m alright! I’m alright!” Except for a few nasty scrapes and bruises, he miraculously was alright. I’m not sure why (maybe the pea-sized hail?), but neither one of us had taken off our helmets. Good thing. My partner bushwhacked back to the trail and the rest of our hike out was blissfully uneventful. When we got down to the road, it was still raining heavily and we had about a quarter mile walk back to the campground.
Lucky for us, our friends drove up as if on cue. They’d decided it was high time to send out the search party. I can only imagine what must’ve gone through their minds when they first laid eyes on us walking along the road. To this day, I’m convinced that if my partner and I had only split up those darn ropes, he never would’ve taken that fall or tumbled that far.
So the moral of the story for all you strapping men out there is this: chivalry is not dead, but, in climbing, it should be or you will be.
Misaligned Super Power Award - Leo Cuesta
A very enthusiastic new climber is up at North Conway on some of his biggest and boldest climbs yet. He has a great start of the 4th of July weekend. However it was short lived. He managed to get bitten by a radioactive spider or so we all thought. The marks got huge on his inner thigh (3" in diameter at least). He got fever and had to visit hospital with penicillin and all.
Two weeks later after feeling much better he is now totally convinced he gained some super powers. He was ready to go higher and harder than ever before. He was just not entirely sure what the powers were. Extra stickiness? Better levitation or just extra boost of raw strength? What better thing to do than try out his first trad lead. Boardwalk in the Quarries suited his needs. He was so excited and almost ran up the first 20 feet, entirely trusting his new powers. What could possibility go wrong?
Well, while putting his second piece, something did. His balance was not up to par. So obviously that was not the new powers. Making a long story short, he lost his balance and started rolling down the cliff. The first piece unfortunately didn't hold and a suddenly we hear a splash. Leo with the linkcam still in his hand was now in the pool of murky water. So levitation was not his powers either. However coming up from the water he now has lost sight of the linkcam and had to go back into the water searching for it. A few minutes later and ecstatic Leo finds it and can finally start thinking of what happened.
It turns out that after rolling down the cliff into the water just caused a bruise on his lower back. An x-ray later confirmed that he was otherwise fine. So what was the new powers? From the way he was bouncing down the rock and later swimming in the waters it must have been the "rubber ducky" powers!