Mountaineering legend Fred Beckey, 89, signing books tonight at Patagonia Boulder

Fred Beckey, author of more than a dozen mountaineering guides, has made more first ascents than any other North American climber -- and possibly more than any climber anywhere. And that's not just because he's been at it the longest, though the fact that he just turned 89 and is...

By Colin Bane

February 6, 2012

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Fred Beckey, author of more than a dozen mountaineering guides, has made more first ascents than any other North American climber -- and possibly more than any climber anywhere. And that's not just because he's been at it the longest, though the fact that he just turned 89 and is still bagging first ascents is going to make his records awfully tough to top. Tonight at 7:30 p.m., Beckey will be talking about his latest book, Fred Beckey's 100 Favorite North American Climbs, to Patagonia Boulder, 1425 Pearl Street, where he'll be introduced by Patagonia CEO Casey Sheahan.

Outside Magazine called Beckey "the original dirtbag hero" in a recent profile -- he spent much of his seventy-plus-year climbing career living out of his car -- and you can bet all the local dirtbag worshippers in the Colorado climbing scene will be coming out of the woodwork for tonight's event.

Eight Colorado routes make the top 100 cut in Beckey's book, including Boulder-area climbs in Eldorado Canyon and the Third Flatiron, and three additional Colorado climbs are mentioned.

Here's more on the new book ($79.95), via Patagonia.com:

100 Favorite North American Climbs is Fred Beckey's magnum opus. Over a span of 70 years, Fred has made more first ascents than any other North American climber and has written the definitive guides to climbing in the Cascades. In this book, Fred offers up his characteristic mix of route tips, natural history and climbing lore for his 100 favorite climbs (with honorable mentions of a few more).

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