Go
climb
a rock
Bill Ramsey climbs the 35-foot face
of Skinner's Butte in less than 45
seconds — with no safety ropes
Ramsey, a 22-year-old philosophy
major, is considered one of the leading
climbers in the Northwest, and to keep
that standing, he climbs the butte an
average of four times a week
"It’s so localized and unique," says
Ramsey "The local climbers around
Eugene are really nice — it's just a
super place to practice "
His father got him interested in this
dangerous sport when he was 16
After his first climb, he says he was
hooked "I was totally obsessed with
climbing," he remembers "I ate, drank
and slept it."
To work his way up to the most
difficult climbs. Ramsey spends hours
doing pull-ups and other
strengthening exercises
"It’s very important to be in good
shape and to have strong fingers," he
explains "Sometimes you can only
jam the tips of your fingers in the
cracks, and they have to support your
whole body " He adds that finesse and
technique also are necessary for some
routes
Climbing is a mental, as well as a
physical, strain, Ramsey says
“When you do a wall, it's really easy
to psyche yourself out,” he says. "The
concentration level is so high that at
the end of the day you're not thinking
clearly and you have to check and
re-check things."
The biggest strain, however, is fear.
"It's not bad to be afraid." says
Ramsey "In fact, I don't think I want to
climb with someone who isn't afraid
It's really important to go with people
you can trust because they are literally
holding your life in their hands
"What is important is how you
control your fear," he says After a
while you learn how to use it to your
advantage ”
Despite the fear and stress that
climbers experience, Ramsey says he
enjoys scaling up nearly vertical cliffs
"You really feel like you have
accomplished something after you
make it to the top ”
Because Ramsey is limited to the
Eugene area during the school year,
the summer months are when he does
most of his dangerous climbing
Two summers ago he climbed "El
Capitan” in the Yosemite Valley The
3,000-foot monolith has a vertical
climb that tapers into an overhang At
r
some points, Ramsey says he was
climbing with his back toward the
ground
"It just blows you away," he says
“So many things can go wrong.”
The trip up "El Capitan" took three
days, and Ramsey was exhausted and
dehydrated by the time he reached the
top
"The feeling I got from doing that
climb was comparable to nothing I
have ever felt before in my life," he
says “It was just a fantastic
experience."
For Ramsey, rock climbing is an
escape from the pressures of
monotonous, everyday happenings
The total concentration it takes to
reach the top of a rock puts him in his
own separate world: It's just him, the
rock and the thousands of feet of
space below
"Being afraid can keep you alive."
Story by
Steve Friedman
Photos by
Mark Johnson
f'Ock climber Bill Ramaey demonatratea varloua climbing tachnlquaa on one ol hia fraquant aacanta to the top of
Sklnnar’a Butte.
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