My Climbing Partners

(in order of appearance)

Benoit Dubertret
My very first climbing partner, ever. "Dr. Dubertret" is a brilliant French physicist with degrees from MIT and several other places. He enjoys fine boursin, wine, climbing, and conversation, but not necessarily in that order. We first climbed at the gym together in January, 95, and began making forays to Boston's now defunct South Quarries and elsewhere as soon as weather permitted. Benoit was the "keymaster" at both of the MIT Outing Club's New Hampshire cabins, and many an enjoyable evening was passed among our group of friends at these remote locations. We even managed to get some climbing in during those trips, too.

Benoit and me relaxing at the top of Cannon Cliff, NH (Rob Jameson photo)

Rob on the classic Whitney-Gilman Ridge (5.7), Cannon Cliff

Rob Jameson
Rob taught me just about everything I know about climbing. He took me on my first multi-pitch route, taught me how to place gear and manage the rope, and educated me to the finer points of a glass of Guinness after a day at the crag. An expatriate Brit, Rob has climbed countless classics in Chamonix, Yosemite, the Tetons, Colorado, and who knows where else. He's probably more comfortable 6 pitches up the Diamond than he is on a Rifle sport route, and his friendly, laid-back attitude and dry sense of humor make him a great partner for any route more than a couple steps off the highway. Rob now lives in San Francisco and is steadily ticking off the long free routes in the Valley.

Iain Russell
An expatriate Scotsman, Iain's Burns Night gatherings were a rolicking haggus treat I'll never forget. A natural master of many sports--skiing, rock & ice climbing, scuba diving, mountain biking, tennis, rugby, and underwater basket weaving--Iain was doing a biology post-doc at MIT when I lived in Boston. But he still managed to get outdoors once every few years. Lately he's been doing much better than that, and taught a month-long NOLS course in the Winds this year.

Iain (r) and Rob (l) stuck on a ledge at the Gunks in a torrential downpour

Dave on the classic Waimea (11a), Rumney, NH

Dave King
Dave is one compact bundle of energy, and he puts everything he's got into whatever he does. Definitely the strongest of our Boston group, Dave could always crank problems at the Hammond Pond Alcove that none of the rest of us could touch. Dave is quick with a joke, and enjoys meeting new people, cooking fine meals, and crushing me in a game of darts. Dave and I shared an apartment for almost a year (until I met Alli), and our obsessive trips to the Gunks were a formative part of my climbing experience. Dave now works like mad for a small high tech startup in Boston.

Alli Rainey
Alli and I have shared a lot over the years. We were even married for a while. That's all I'll say about that. Good luck on the road, Alli.

Alli on her first 5.13, Poetic Justice, Rifle, Colorado (Matt Reynolds photo)

Dave on the steep and fun Ginseng Route (12b), Shagg Pond, Maine

Dave Banks
Until I met Dave, I didn't know there were climbers who didn't ever place gear. Dave likes to pull hard. As such, bouldering is his main thing, but he's been known to tie into a rope on occasion, too. He moved to Boston to get a "real" job after graduating from Caltech and basically goofing off in Hueco Tanks and other choice venues for a year or so. Alli and I met him at the gym, and we soon made a few trips to Rumney, Shagg Pond, and even the Gunks (he followed his first gear route). Dave's super-cush Previa made road trips seem like hanging out in your living room in front of the TV. He now lives somewhere near Silicon Valley with another "real" job.

Matt Reynolds
I met Matt back in Boston, but we actually became better friends after we both moved to the Front Range. Matt climbs boulders, sport routes, trad, alpine, aid, golf...you name it, he'll do it (and do it quite well, too). But somehow, Matt always manages to bleed on all our adventures (check out his eye in the photo--and that was at Rifle, fer cryin' out loud). He's had far more than his share of gear-ripping falls and over-the-handlebar spills on his mountain bike. But in spite of this, his skills and personality make him a great partner for any route you want to do.