On Episode 21, James Lucas and I take a break from smoozing the Trade Show ladies to sit down for a chat. James dishes on his pie baking bombs and bad breaks, his career as perhaps the world’s only living redpoint soloist, his upcoming book about the Stone Monkey era in Yosemite, and how try as he might, he just can’t get the French out of the FreeRider. Bad to the bone, but also smooth as fine Cognac, James Lucas is an original.
My Dancing Shoes: James shows us how its done (alone in a hoodie apparently).
James’ Blog: Life of a Walking Monkey
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This guy is a true character! His speaking style is something of a cross between a surfer dude and Arlo Guthrie: he strays and then winds up back on point. Just brings a smile, ya know?
“strays”. haha
James shows us how its done.
Anyone else notice how James sounds a lot like Kelly Cordes? Wonder if margs and pies go well together…
I thought I had a pretty good idea of this James Lucas, then I watched his dance video… I’ve lost all context.
A chimera! If Dean Potter is the dark wizard, James is the the good witch, or little prince.
The climbing world is much better with characters like him. He made a really good point about historically traditional climbing areas becoming more like sport crags out of convenience for the users. I sometimes find myself wishing for more fixes anchors and such, out of laziness I suppose, when I’m climbing at Traditional areas.
Yeah, it’s a slow creep that diminishes an area over time- a rap station here, beefed up anchor there. Drops in the bucket adding up. I’m guilty of it, too. I put up a route in RMNP and bolted the stations so as to create an easier rap descent for the peak in general. Partially because I guided up there and wanted a more convenient and safe descent than the third class descent.
That’s the argument of the staunch conservatives- trying to stop the slow creep by drawing a strict no bolt line in the talus.