Joe Brown - RIP

[GrannyJen]

Joe Brown, mountaineer.

No.

Joe Brown, a peerless rock climber, and I use peerless in its true sense. Someone who defined the sport, who broke through barriers, who forged partnerships with people such as Don Whillans to propel climbing bits of vertical rock into the stratosphere compared to what had gone before.

Massive accomplishments in the snow and the ice of the alps followed and then, with George Band, to be one of only two Britons to ever achieve the first ascent of a +8,000 metre peak, Kanchenjunga, in 1955.

Joe was peerless on rock, also peerless as a self-effacing human being. I first met him very early in the 1960's, in the Lake District, a passing meting in the home of people who took me in as one of their own, in the ODG. One night in the later '60's I found myself in Llanberis along with about 50 others searching for a missing person. I never knew it was the legendary Joe Brown that trudged alongside me until Later, when we shared Coco at Clogwyn station. Later I would climb with Joe on Gogarth, always the same, not a legend, just Joe.

Joe Brown defined a generation of British mountaineering and inspired the generation after. He was though, always, Joe Brown, a climber amongst climbers. RIP Joe.

 

[kurienp]

Joe Brown, mountaineer.

No.

Joe Brown, a peerless rock climber, and I use peerless in its true sense. Someone who defined the sport, who broke through barriers, who forged partnerships with people such as Don Whillans to propel climbing bits of vertical rock into the stratosphere compared to what had gone before.

Massive accomplishments in the snow and the ice of the alps followed and then, with George Band, to be one of only two Britons to ever achieve the first ascent of a +8,000 metre peak, Kanchenjunga, in 1955.

Joe was peerless on rock, also peerless as a self-effacing human being. I first met him very early in the 1960's, in the Lake District, a passing meting in the home of people who took me in as one of their own, in the ODG. One night in the later '60's I found myself in Llanberis along with about 50 others searching for a missing person. I never knew it was the legendary Joe Brown that trudged alongside me until Later, when we shared Coco at Clogwyn station. Later I would climb with Joe on Gogarth, always the same, not a legend, just Joe.

Joe Brown defined a generation of British mountaineering and inspired the generation after. He was though, always, Joe Brown, a climber amongst climbers. RIP Joe.

Did not know but just read up on him. What a guy! RIP Joe.

Thank you for sharing GJ.

 

[Vagophile]

Joe Brown, mountaineer.

No.

Joe Brown, a peerless rock climber, and I use peerless in its true sense. Someone who defined the sport, who broke through barriers, who forged partnerships with people such as Don Whillans to propel climbing bits of vertical rock into the stratosphere compared to what had gone before.

Massive accomplishments in the snow and the ice of the alps followed and then, with George Band, to be one of only two Britons to ever achieve the first ascent of a +8,000 metre peak, Kanchenjunga, in 1955.

Joe was peerless on rock, also peerless as a self-effacing human being. I first met him very early in the 1960's, in the Lake District, a passing meting in the home of people who took me in as one of their own, in the ODG. One night in the later '60's I found myself in Llanberis along with about 50 others searching for a missing person. I never knew it was the legendary Joe Brown that trudged alongside me until Later, when we shared Coco at Clogwyn station. Later I would climb with Joe on Gogarth, always the same, not a legend, just Joe.

Joe Brown defined a generation of British mountaineering and inspired the generation after. He was though, always, Joe Brown, a climber amongst climbers. RIP Joe.

I remember watching a TV programme called "Great Climbs Revisited" where a middle aged Joe and a young keen mate were tackling a very difficult route that Joe had initially established (I forget where) and had to negotiate a particularly challenging overhang. After a bit of a struggle, they succeeded and Joe was asked how it had felt when he first established the climb. "'Twere lot easier then, but I didn't 'ave medicine ball for a stomach". I wonder if those programmes are still available somewhere?

 

[GrannyJen]

I remember watching a TV programme called "Great Climbs Revisited" where a middle aged Joe and a young keen mate were tackling a very difficult route that Joe had initially established (I forget where) and had to negotiate a particularly challenging overhang. After a bit of a struggle, they succeeded and Joe was asked how it had felt when he first established the climb. "'Twere lot easier then, but I didn't 'ave medicine ball for a stomach". I wonder if those programmes are still available somewhere?

The classic on youtube is "Whillans last climb". Joe and Don Whillans repeating their first ascent of Cemetery Gates on Dinas Cromlech, Llanberis.

When Joe met Val so his relationship with Don became ever more strained, especially as Whillaans was a notoriously difficult and touchy character to get on with which meant that of the two is was Joe who always got the big invitations, such as the Kanchenjunga expedition. Getting them back to climb together was a great feat of diplomacy.

A few weeks after the film was made Whillans had a massive heart attack and went to the Great Wall in the sky.

 

[motacyclist]

I wondered whether it was the singer. I only knew the other one because he had a shop in Capel Curig. Sad to hear.

 

[bangorlad]

Joe and Don Whillans defined my fairly modest climbing 'career' in the 60s-80s. You only had to hear the words when considering a climb "That's a Brown route" to get the stomach churning! Way out of my league to have held his rope but remember a highly amusing stance share on Cyrn Las while doing Main Wall yet again. He was in his late 60s by then and was on one of the other much harder routes. Legend....

If anyone is bored at this or any other time I'd recommend Jim Perrin's 'no punches pulled' book about Don Whillans called The Villain.

Stew

 

[GrannyJen]

Joe and Don Whillans defined my fairly modest climbing 'career' in the 60s-80s. You only had to hear the words when considering a climb "That's a Brown route" to get the stomach churning! Way out of my league to have held his rope but remember a highly amusing stance share on Cyrn Las while doing Main Wall yet again. He was in his late 60s by then and was on one of the other much harder routes. Legend....

If anyone is bored at this or any other time I'd recommend Jim Perrin's 'no punches pulled' book about Don Whillans called The Villain.

Stew

Whillans was a bloody minded hard man. Hard in terms of physical toughness but hard also in just plain contrariness. When he liked you he liked you but he could turn in seconds. Never my favourite person.

Anywhere South of the border and hearing a Scots accent would wind him up. He would be grumpy all day. How him and Haston ever got on climbing Annapurna I will never know. The favourite anecdote for me was the wall end barn at Langdale, now something quite posh but in those days a doss house for climbers.

A few Scots lads were dossing down. That night, having had a few beers in the ODG they were a bit lairy.

Dossing down a voice suddenly calls out "Shut it will ya!!".... "Who said that?"..... Whillans".....

Silence. Then one of the Scots lads, a little tiddled and taking the proverbial, responds "Whillans? wtf is he?"

Silence. No one daring to say a word. So silent you could hear the mice pattering in the rafters.

It wasn't mice. It was Whillans, up on the beams, across the barn, down to the Scots lads, a few muffled yells and three Scots lads sleeping outside that night. Not a word said.

 

[Mark13]

Thanks for posting this Jen, he was just one of those incredibly rare, exceptional people.

Met him a couple of times in the late 70s early 80s, and even then thinking this really is the man who put up Right Unconquerable (in 1940 something), and so on, so much more. He was Joe Brown. The superlatives are overused, but he deserves them and was I think, and as far as I know, an utterly decent bloke.

Had a clear out of gear a while ago, had to keep this memento from one of the rucksacks he lent his name to:

The holes in the canvas are from a fall on the Jungfrau in 1982 - landed on my back, and used to tell people Joe Brown saved my life. (Actually, the rucksack had an incredibly irritating detachable waist band that always worked loose. It was great for climbing, but didn't make those approaches any easier).

And as for Whillans, don't really know why I've still got the sit harness . . .

RIP Joe, and Don, I wonder if you ever knew just how much of an influence you were on me, and I reckon so many others. I hope so.

Mark

 

[GrannyJen]

Thanks for posting this Jen, he was just one of those incredibly rare, exceptional people.

Met him a couple of times in the late 70s early 80s, and even then thinking this really is the man who put up Right Unconquerable (in 1940 something), and so on, so much more. He was Joe Brown. The superlatives are overused, but he deserves them and was I think, and as far as I know, an utterly decent bloke.

Had a clear out of gear a while ago, had to keep this memento from one of the rucksacks he lent his name to:View attachment 57691

The holes in the canvas are from a fall on the Jungfrau in 1982 - landed on my back, and used to tell people Joe Brown saved my life. (Actually, the rucksack had an incredibly irritating detachable waist band that always worked loose. It was great for climbing, but didn't make those approaches any easier).

And as for Whillans, don't really know why I've still got the sit harness . . .

RIP Joe, and Don, I wonder if you ever knew just how much of an influence you were on me, and I reckon so many others. I hope so.

Mark

Lovely post Mark, to a lovely man.

If you are talking right unconquerable on Stanage, I remember standing there and thinking "where on earth do I even start"....

A huge influence, quietly gone, as always with Joe, no fuss, no drama.

 

[Van Maurice]

You get a sense of the man and his great mate Whillans when you try and climb the routes they put up in Wales etc. RIP Joe.

 

[Mark13]

Lovely post Mark, to a lovely man.

If you are talking right unconquerable on Stanage, I remember standing there and thinking "where on earth do I even start"....

A huge influence, quietly gone, as always with Joe, no fuss, no drama.

Yes, it's Stanage Intermediate Area - I've just dug out the old BMC guidebook, complete with handwritten date. I remember being terrified at the time, and the very thought of it scares me rigid now. Great times, mainly.