Talk:Fred Beckey

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The anon's addition has a mix of good stuff and dubious ("getting numbers from cute twenty-somethings"? let's see anybody try to document that), so moving it here.

He was born Wolfgang Gottfried Beckey in Düsseldorf, Germany--his mother an opera singer, his father a surgeon. At the age of three Wolfgang, his mother, father, and brother Helmut “Helmy” (now an accomplished opera singer in Germany) emigrated to Seattle, Washington in the United States. During his early school years in Seattle, reportedly schoolyard taunts prompted him to change his name from Wolfgang to Fred.

Fred started his climbing career at the age of 13 with a solo trek up Boulder Peak in Washington’s Olympic Mountains, and later honed his climbing skills with the Boy Scouts and the Mountaineers climbing organization. Like most climbers, Fred too embarked on climbing with a hearty respect for heights--on an early climb of a peak in Washington called “The Tooth,” Fred recalls being unable to finish the climb due to it being “too frightening.”

Over the next few years Fred significantly improved his climbing ability--at only age 16 he became the first person to climb Mount Despair in Washington’s North Cascade Mountains; and at the ripe old age of 18 made the second ascent of Mount Waddington, the tallest peak, at 13,177 feet (4,016 meters), in British Columbia, Canada’s Coast Range.

Fred attended the University of Washington where he received a degree in business administration. Despising the thought of being strapped to a desk, after graduation Fred worked as a delivery truck driver, a flexible position that left him spare time for climbing.

Between climbs, Fred authored several books and climbing guides, his most important work being the Cascade Alpine Guide, the 3-volume definitive description of the mountains and climbing routes north of Oregon (affectionate referred to as the Beckey Bibles).

Fred never married, but not because he doesn’t like women. As legendary as his climbing feats, is his reputation as a ladies man. To this day Fred has girlfriends throughout the country, and it is not uncommon to see him talking to and getting numbers from cute twenty-somethings in the climbing gym or bar. Although Fred rarely drinks (typically he’s fueled with coffee or tea) he loves to party, savoring the social scene.

Just write: "Fred flirts." or "Fred is a notorious flirt." Once one of Fred's partners 198.123.48.76 (talk) 22:00, 12 May 2009 (UTC)

Some have called Fred cheap and a mooch--these accusations are true, but don’t be fooled into thinking he’s a freeloader; Fred always pays his way, and is generous to a fault, loaning money to friends so that they may join him on one of his expeditions.

Fred is never idle--to this day he is constantly looking for partners for his next climb. While on a trip with Fred, it used not to be unusual for him to (until recently when he purchased his first cell phone) frequently disappear, only to be found in the nearest phone booth, his makeshift phonebook in front of him, he ear glued to the receiver, excitedly making plans for his next trip.

Throughout his life Fred has summit of thousands of peaks throughout the world. His climbing has been concentrated in the Northwestern United States and Canada, but it is difficult to pickup a climbing guidebook from anywhere and not find a Fred Beckey first ascent. In 1955, thwarted by storms and poor weather, Fred made an unsuccessful attempt of Lhotse in the Himalayas, the world’s fourth highest peak at 27,923 feet. Although he did not summit, Fred did reach 25,000 feet, and set a new world’s record for altitude skiing on the 23,000-foot-high Khumbu glacier.

Some of his first ascents: • Forbidden Peak, Cascade Range - 1940, with brother Helmy • Devil's Thumb, Alaska - 1946 • Mt. Hood's Yocum Ridge • North Peak, Liberty Bell - 1947 • North Buttress, Mount Shuksan - 1947 • North Face of Mount Edith Cavell, Canada - 1961, with Yvon Chouinard Other notable feats: • second ascent Mount Waddington, British Columbia - 1942 • triple ascent of Mount McKinley, Mount Deborah, and Mount Hunter - 1954

Unlike Jim Whittaker, a fellow Seattleite and the first American to reach the top of Mount Everest, Beckey has always shied away from the large team efforts, preferring smaller alpine-style undertakings.

As of 2005, he continues to climb actively. When not en route to his next climb, Fred's base camp is Seattle, Washington, where he owns a home.

Stan 21:50, 30 August 2005 (UTC)

I am a little offended by the irrelevance of mentioning Whittaker. Just cut the phrase out of the Biography. Better would be to add stuff about his brother. --one of Fred's one time very minor climbing partners 143.232.210.46 (talk) 23:03, 2 July 2008 (UTC)

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As an interloper here, I am not even remotely familiar with Wikipedia protocol. However, the discussion comment that "unlike Jim Whittaker...etc." suggests that Beckey would have declined an invitation to the 1963 Everest expedition.

In fact I don't know that he would have, but personally I doubt this. A NYTimes reporter Timothy Eagan, in one of best Beckey profiles ever written, Eagan or "Good Rain author whatzisname" implies that Beckey was hurt by the lack of an invitation to '63 expedition, and that Beckey wasn't invited because of his reputation as a maverick, and potential for being a prick.

My question is, who will be the first Beckey biographer. Certainly the NYTimes guy is a candidate, as might be Krakauer, who has made unctious references to Beckey as among his many mentors/heros in previous books.

Here is a potentially libelous story making the rounds among Canadian mt. guides in 2004: A guide was rapping a big route south of Banff during a thunderstorm and came accross a pair of climbers. One climber was unconscious due to lightening hit; "Fuckem he's dead" said unidentified elderly climber. Guides revived unconscious climber and brought him down one rap. Again consciousness lost. "Fuckem he's dead" elderly climber exclaims. Etc. Elderly climber, of course is supposed to be F. Beckey.....Understand, readers, that Beckey is my idol. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.11.160.235 (talk) 19:09, 31 August 2007 (UTC)

How Did Beckey Finance His Expeditions and Other Life Needs?

The article specifically states that Beckey did not care about money, did not have a job or professional career that could have yielded an income. He did not accept endorsement offers and did not make money from his books. Yet he outfitted hundreds of climbing expeditions, which is expensive, and he had the usual human needs for food, clothing and shelter. Various friends and acquaintances in the doc laugh and imply he was a "cheap pr**k", but no one has a definitive answer. Where did he get the money? The documentary DIRTBAG has a glancing reference to this question. In one scene Beckey is supposedly on the phone inquiring about the value of his stocks. It's hard to believe he lived on the proceeds of a stock portfolio, but that's offered as a possibility. Does anyone actually know the source of Beckey's income? Younggoldchip (talk) 13:06, 10 August 2020 (UTC)