Outdoor Profile: Gary Neptune

Gary Neptune is an unassuming but legendary climber and adventurer—among his many accomplishments are climbing Mt. Everest, Makalu, Ama Dablam, and Gasherbrum II. He also has raced in over 30 ski marathons around the world including Greenland's Artic Circle Race, the Swedish Vasaloppet, the Finlandia Hiihto, and the Norwegian and American Birkebeiners.

In 1983 Gary opened the doors to Neptune Mountaineering in Boulder, Colorado, which for 30 years and counting served as an institution and gathering place for the outdoor community. Neptune sells the full range of outdoor gear, hosts frequent presentations by experts in the field, and is an outdoor museum of sorts with unique items and old equipment on display. You can stop in and say hello to Gary and his staff at 633 South Broadway in Boulder or visit www.neptunemountaineering.com.
 

Being born in Oklahoma and living in Kansas City, among many other places, what sparked your interest in the outdoors?

Until I moved to Boulder I never lived more than 2 1/2 years in any particular place. When we moved to Egypt, Everest had just been climbed, and the first book I ever read happened to be about that climb. In addition, my best friend's Dad had been a climber before WWII. That friend, Rob Blair, and I spent some school time in Switzerland. All of that combined to stimulate my interest in the mountains and history.
 

How did you end up in Boulder, Colorado?

I chose Boulder because of its proximity to climbing. I wanted to live where I could climb after work.
 

You've traveled to Norway a number of times, competed in ski marathons, ski mountaineered, etc. What are your thoughts on Norway?

Norway is fantastic in every way I can think of with the exceptions of the weather and the strong Kroner. There are beautiful mountains and climbing and skiing of every kind. The extent and quality of cross-country skiing is unique anywhere in the world. Norway's small population means that there is expansive wilderness with few crowds. And one should not miss the many outstanding museums in Oslo and many other locations throughout the country.
 

You've climbed many of the world's tallest mountains, including Mt. Everest. What comes to mind when you think about Nepal, the Himalayas, and Mt. Everest?

The big mountains are located in some of the most beautiful ranges in the world. Trekking is a wonderful way to experience them. Sadly, guided climbing has led to the virtual rape and degradation of the big prizes. It’s business for the locals, and even more so for the tour operators and guides. I think there is some intangible human value that is lost with all the commercialism.
 

You were involved with the highly publicized "Seven Summits" climbs with Dick Bass and Frank Wells. Dick became the first person in the world to summit the highest mountains on all seven continents. How was that experience?

My time with Dick Bass was some of the most valuable time I have ever spent. He is a real adventurer, philosopher, and poet. He is one of the most ethical men I have ever met. We were not guides. Many people don't know that we had to pay our way to Nepal and outfit ourselves for that 1983 Everest climb. None of us were obligated to climb with him. He would have reached the summit easily enough with either of the first summit teams, but he and his partner, Frank Wells, chose to let those of us who had worked on the route go first.

We also had considerably less equipment than the modern catered climbs. We didn't fix ropes up the entire mountain. I could say a lot more. Bass and Wells really had an adventure in the sense that the outcome was very uncertain, though they did try to learn about climbing and a great deal about expeditions. The budget for that entire trip maybe would have covered the cost of three modern guided climbers. We were lucky to be the only expedition on the route. That was a wonderful time.

My other early expeditions, Ama Dablam, Makalu, were all like that—we were the only people on the mountain. In 1997 on Gasherbrum II there were about 16 expeditions at base camp for two peaks. Great trip, but very different.
 

One of the signatures of Neptune Mountaineering in Boulder is the climbing museum that you have assembled. How did that come to be?

At least partly, I'm sure, living in Egypt in the '50s stimulated my interest in history. A great interest of mine is to learn about the experiences of the pioneers of climbing and skiing. If I repeat an important climb or ski route— even if I don't have original gear—I try to appreciate the experience from their perspective. When possible, I use old gear for better understanding of their experience. I have learned to make quite good skis from solid planks for example. I have climbed in nailed boots and rope-soled shoes. There are a few people around the world who do some of this but not many.

I began putting some of my own gear on the walls as I replaced it, and within a short time this grew into a small and historically relevant collection. Now it really is a museum with displays that tell the stories. We also host lectures nearly every week, and a significant number of the presentations are made by people who are an important part of the history. Some of the best known are Peter Habeler, Reinhold Messner, Kurt Diemberger, Sir Chris Bonington, Goran Kropp, Rune Gjeldnes, Royal Robbins, among many others.
 

Isn't there a frostbitten appendage somewhere back there?

Part of Malcolm Daly's toe is in a bottle here. It seems that these days it isn't so easy to get frostbitten parts out of the hands of hospitals, so that’s all we have.
 

Where do you see the Outdoor Industry heading?

I can't forecast where the Outdoor Industry is headed because things can change very quickly with the interconnected world economies, wars, laws that regulate (or not) businesses, and so on.

Like the ski industry, the Outdoor Industry was a wonderful thing when the owners of the businesses were skiers and climbers. The driving force was to make better products and to sell enthusiasm. Now with so many companies operating as conglomerates that are ultimately owned by stockholders, the underlying drive is simply profit. The human element is reduced or missing.

The ski industry is an interesting case study. Skiing was growing very quickly in the '60s even though it was very expensive and the product was nowhere as good as it is today. Now skiing is easier to access with shorter lift lines, better grooming, and much better gear, but it is not growing. Snowboarding grew very fast until it became big corporate. Now more snowboarders are switching to skiing than the other way around. Being driven primarily by big corporations and real estate, the ski industry isn't competing well with all the other distractions out there.

There are still a few pockets of enthusiast owned businesses, but are there enough?