UKC

Saw this on my daughter's FB page this morning, posted by Greg Child (I may be wrong but I think he also made them himself). I think he lived for many years in Natimuk, just a stone's throw from Mt Arapiles, for whose thin cracks RPs were originally designed.

Quote:
I learned by email from Australia today that Roland Paulingk, the Australian /German inventor of RP nuts, passed away.

He was 79, had cancer, went peacefully.
Aside from inventing gear used by trad climbers worldwide, Roland was famous for his pet cockatoos and galahs, which he'd take to Arapiles. They'd fly wild, land on people as they climbed, pluck out your pro and untie your shoelaces. He was a singular individual, powerfully fit, very germanic, did lots of good first ascents in Australia.

In reply to Rog Wilko:

See also http://www.chockstone.org/Forum/Forum.asp?Action=DisplayTopic&ForumID=1... (and links from that article.)

In reply to Rog Wilko:

The RPs were a revelation - opened up a new world of placements,


Chris

In reply to Chris Craggs:


Pete Livesey used to write a column for the magazine 'Climber and Rambler.' When RPs were introduced to the UK, he introduced them with a headline and opening paragraph which read more-or-less as follows:

"New nuts from Australia"

"No, not visiting Australian climbers, but a new form of protection ..."

Someone on this Forum probably has a copy of the article up in their attic.

In reply to Rog Wilko:
Sad news.

I bought an RP 1 + 2 off Roland in Yosemite in June 79.

He was travelling with his family and presumably funding his trip by selling the nuts.

Getting back, the first climb I used them on was a new route on Heron crag.

Possibly the first RPs in the UK, it felt like cheating, so I placed a peg for everybody else.

In reply to Rog Wilko:
In whatever sphere of life, not everybody gets to have the kind of impact he had. I think it's quite something to have as long a life as him, and to die knowing that you've helped people in following their dreams, or in following them more safely, in going out and having adventures.

RIP

In reply to Rog Wilko:

Sad news indeed, but a wonderful legacy — RP nuts were truly innovative.

Rick Graham: you may well have been the first person to use RPs on a UK climb, but I don't think I was very far behind — I used them on London Wall (Millstone) in the autumn of 1979. Probaby, like you, I bought them in Yosemite in the summer.

Another interesting note for this particular thread is that, on that day at Millstone, other than me and Keith Sharples, there were only a couple of other climbers at the crag. They were both Aussies and one of them was Roland Pauligk. We were enthralled to meet him and he was very pleased to see that his little wonders, originally designed for the micro-slots of Arapilles, had proved equally effective on Grit.

Nice guy.

R.I.P. RP.

Pete.