2003 Golden Piton Awards - Lifetime Achievement Fred Beckey

　　While a list of revered，veteran North American climbers is long，the roll of those who’ve reached true iconic status is short. Near the top of that brief list is Fred Beckey. His unsurpassed first-ascent record，extensive contributions to the history and literature of the sport，and his ZEALous，lifelong sacrifice of economic comfort in pursuit of maximum climbing time leaves him without peer.

　　Arguably one of the most prolific First Ascentionists in climbing history，Beckey has a tick list of FA’s that range from obscure one-pitch rock routes，to desert towers，to the most storied Alaskan summits. Allen Steck and Steve Roper’s timeless 50 Classic Climbs of North America，still the bible of exemplary routes，lists eight Beckey climbs，from the West Ridge of Alaska’s Mount HUNTER，to The North Face of Alberta’s Mount Edith Cavell，to the South Face of California’s Charlotte Dome.

　　A list of Beckey’s partners reads like a Who’s Who of climbing for the past several decades：Fritz Wiessner，Ed Cooper，Galen Rowell，Eric Bjornstad，Pat Callis，Yvon Chouinard，and John Middendorf have all shared a rope with him，to name just a few. Add to that hundreds，if not thousands，of relatively anonymous climbers who’ve joined him for brief spans in his relentless pursuit of the vertical. Many of these climbers，exhausted at trip’s end and preparing to return to “regular” life，snap a farewell photo of Beckey；most of these images show him ensconced in a phone booth，lining up a partner for his next adventure.

　　Beckey’s passion for the mountain environment has made him expert in geography，geology，and a host of other naturalist subjects. That expertise，combined with Beckey’s love of history and the written word，has resulted in a writing career that spans seven decades. ASIde from his voluminous contributions to the American and Canadian Alpine Journals，he has found time between climbing binges to author several classic books，including Challenge of the North Cascades；the three-volume Cascade Alpine Guide （a.k.a. the “Beckey Bible”）；Mount MCKINLEY：Icy Crown of North America；and Mountains of North America.

　　Beckey also stands out as a staunch individualist. While his iconoclastic style has earned him many partners and friends，it also has ruffled the feathers of the climbing “establishment”， who，on more than one ocCASIOn，dismissed him as too individualistic and too unsafe for large Expedition efforts. Despite having been to 25，000 feet on Lhotse in 1956，Beckey was denied a spot on the 1963 American Everest expedition，though his résumé far outstripped that of any member of the expedition. He responded by making a slew of first ascents that year in the Cascades，Sierra，Wind Rivers，and Canadian Rockies.

　　But Beckey’s crowning achievement is his enduring climbing-bum lifestyle. From an early age he has put climbing first and foremost in his life，making ends meet as need be，purely for funding his next excursion. His thrift tactics are legend- partners tell of sample-scamming in supermarkets and endless cycles through the free-coffee-refill line. Now entering his ninth decade，he still puts climbing at the fore，cobbling together a combination of book royalties，slide show revenues，and contract research work. While most his age are doddering about in retirement homes or just plain dead，Beckey is out there，the climbing-bum Bodhisattva，living the pure，zealous climbing life of which we can only dream.

　　2003年金岩钉奖--终身成就奖Fred Beckey（easy rider译自Climbing第230期）

　　在北美，经验丰富、受人尊敬的攀登者为数不少，然而其中真正拥有偶像地位的人却寥寥无几。Fred Beckey正是这少数人中的顶尖高手。他所保持的首登记录至今未被超越，他对攀登历史和文献做出了大量的贡献，他为了有更多时间攀登而终生放弃了舒适的生活——这些让其他众多的攀登者难以望其项背。

　　作为攀登史上可能拥有最多首登线路的攀登者之一，Beckey的首登记录包括了那些偏僻的单绳距岩石线路，沙漠石塔，还有阿拉斯加那些最著名的山峰。Allen Steck和Steve Roper关于经典线路的权威著作--《北美50条经典攀登路线》中收录了8条Beckey路线：阿拉斯加Hunter峰西山脊路线，阿尔伯特Edith Cavell峰北壁，加利福尼亚Charlotte山南壁等。

　　在过去几十年中，Beckey的搭档都是攀登界的传奇人物：Fritz Wiessner， Ed Cooper， Galen Rowell， Eric Bjornstad， Pat Callis， Yvon Chouinard， 和John Middendorf都和他结组攀登过，而他们只是其中一小部分。在持续多年的攀登生涯中，和他短期搭档的、不太著名的攀登者数以百计，甚至上千。每一次攀登结束时，那些搭档都精疲力尽、迫不及待想回到“正常的”生活。这时他们往往都会看到Fred躲在电话亭里的身影，他正在和另外的同伴商量下一次探险。这就是Beckey式的告别造型。

　　Beckey对于山峰及其环境的热爱使他成为地理学、地质学以及其他许多自然领域的专家。拥有这样的专业知识，加上对历史和写作的热爱，他坚持了近七十年的写作。除了给美国和加拿大的登山杂志大量的投稿，他在疯狂攀登的间隙还创作了几部经典著作，包括《North Cascades的挑战》（译者注：North Cascades山脉，位于加拿大British Columbia省及美国Washington州），总共三册的《Cascade登山指南》（亦即“Beckey圣经”），《麦金利山：北美的冰雪皇冠》，还有《北美山峰》。

　　Beckey出众之处还在于他是一个坚定的个人主义者。他蔑视权威的作风使他赢得了很多同伴和朋友，同时也触怒了那些“权威人士”。他们多次在大型远征中以个人主义、不安定因素等理由将他开除出队伍。尽管在1956年Beckey就攀登到了洛子峰的7500米处，他的经历和经验远比队中其他人要丰富，他仍然被拒绝加入1963年美国的珠峰探险队。对此，Beckey做出了回应：同年在Cascades，Sierra（译者注：内华达山脉），Wind Rivers（译者注：位于Wyoming州）以及加拿大落基山脉的一连串首登。

　　事实上，Beckey的最高成就是他多年来流浪攀登者的生活方式。从早年开始，他就把攀登作为生活的绝对重点。在经济上，除了为下一次出行筹集资金，其他的只要能维持就行。他的省钱招数也是花样百出，根据他的同伴所说，除了在超市的小把戏之类，还有喝咖啡时不停要求免费续杯等等。如今年逾八旬的他依然把攀登放在第一位，以著作版税、放映幻灯片、合同研究工作的收入简单维持生计。当同龄人在养老院步履蹒跚或者已然过世，Beckey依然在那里--这个流浪攀登者中的圣人，依然过着纯粹而狂热、让人可望而不可及的攀登生活。