Bill Ramsey on Alan Watts and Climbing at Smith Rock in the 80's

Written in Stone: Climbing History

There’s nobody better than Bill Ramsey to discuss the impact that Alan Watts had on climbing. Not only is he a philosophy professor, but he was born in the same hospital as Alan, just a few hours later. Their fathers climbed together at Smith Rock, their mothers shared a recovery room, and together they found a love of climbing that helped bring Smith Rock into the future.

We discuss:

• Bill and Alan’s early climbing.
• What contributed to changing ethics at Smith Rock.
• What Alan saw in Smith Rock that Bill didn’t.
• Alan’s forward thinking and selflessness.
• What Alan Watts means to climbing history.

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Season Two is generously supported by Rab.

This episode is supported by Tension Climbing. Use code WRITTEN15 at checkout.

This episode is supported by our research partner, NOLS: The National Outdoor Leadership School.

Written in Stone is co-created with Power Company Climbing.