From about 1976-1982 we saw a lot of each other. The winter I was caretaker at the Harvard Cabin we climbed a massive amount of ice, from Dracula to the Cilley-Barber route. He got me an interview at the Colorado Outward Bound School, and after some winter courses one year we did the Rigid Designator. We climbed some winter routes in Scotland and Chamonix. Back then he was a very modest rock climber and skier, but he was a beast humping loads, breaking trail, running it out on vertical ice, and holding his liquor in the Clachaig Inn. On a long Thanksgiving run in Crested Butte he even dangled a spot on his winter trip to the Cassin Ridge; however after he told me about a Denali summit maximum-minimum thermometer bottoming out, I told him I was going to race the ski marathon circuit.
A nice article on the Wild Snow website:
https://www.wildsnow.com/20654/jonathan-waterman-returns-to-denali/
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