Climbers We Lost in 2023
“Climbers We Lost” is an annual tribute to community members we've lost in the past year.
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Each year we compile a tribute to the climbers who’ve passed away in the previous 12 months. This year’s list includes 45 climbers ranging in age from 18 to 96. Some of these climbers died of natural causes, at home or in hospitals, among relatives or friends. Others died from rockfall or avalanches, exposure or altitude-related illness. Several died free soloing, or when their gear ripped, or while participating in other mountain sports.
Quite a few of these climbers were widely known for their on-the-wall accomplishments. They established new routes on Everest’s West Face and Scotland’s Ben Nevis; in Tahquitz and Yosemite and Cathedral Ledge; and among Colorado’s alpine boulderfields. They competed in World Cups and climbed some of the world’s hardest routes and boulders. Several were original Stonemasters and Stonemonkeys. One of them helped found Black Diamond. Another holds nearly two dozen speed records on El Cap and in Zion. A third lived for more than a decade in a Yosemite cave, free soloed the Steck-Salathé (5.10- 1,600 feet) more than 300 times, and made the first ski descent of Half Dome. One of them did the first ascent of the Steck-Salathé.
Yet while most of the climbers remembered here were more local in their name-recognition, they all played essential roles in their communities, their friend groups, and their families; they were climbing guides and physicists, teachers and students, musicians and EMTs and firefighters; they were essential threads in the wide and varied fabric of the climbing world.
Building this list was both a celebratory and a somber task, one that reminds us of our rich history, our strong community, and the dangers inherent in our sport. For those experiencing a loss, we recommend visiting the American Alpine Club’s Climbing Grief Fund. It’s an amazing resource.
We acknowledge that, despite our best efforts, this list is almost certainly incomplete. In this matter, we ask for your understanding.
We also ask that you please be safe out there.
—Delaney Miller, Anthony Walsh, and Steven Potter
Section dividerDave Turner, 70, January 5
The Colorado—and American—climbing community lost one of its unsung heroes when David Ahle Turner, who went by Dave, passed away on January 5, 2023, after a skiing accident at Aspen Highlands, Colorado. Two days earlier on the final run of the day, Turner, an expert and lifelong skier, hit a catwalk at the bottom of a black-diamond run while carrying speed and launched into a grove of aspen trees, sustaining catastrophic injuries.
Turner was a fixture in the Colorado climbing scene. He was born in Denver in July 1952 and got into climbing in 1976 while attending Colorado College in Colorado Springs, when some dormmates invited him out to the rock. This was back in the era of pitons and Whillans harnesses, and Turner’s first rock boots were the infamously stiff “blue suede shoes” sold by Royal Robbins. His first lead was the 45-foot 5.6 South Ridge of White Twin spire in the Garden of the Gods, an experience he described in an outline for a book as being “very exposed and ‘real’ and intimidating and exhilarating.”
Section dividerKyler Pallister, 41, January 11
Kyler Pallister didn’t have to say a word to make a statement. His presence alone was a quiet influence. But when he did talk, it was worth a listen. Often, with just a few subtle, choice words, he’d leave you in tears of laughter.
As kind as he was soft-spoken and witty, Kyler was a talented climber and skier, and an invaluable contributor to the lab where he worked for nearly 15 years in Bozeman, Montana. Climbing partners and colleagues alike adored his mischievous streak and generosity of spirit. “He possessed a magnetic, understated flair,” wrote one friend.
Section dividerMaria Cranor, 76, January 16
I first met Maria in Joshua Tree in the spring of 1985. I was driving too fast down one of the washboard dirt tracks that crisscross the desert floor. Maria was in the passenger seat of the speeding, oncoming truck, driven by her boyfriend, Jonny Woodward. We didn’t collide, but we did hit it off immediately and became friends for life.
Maria was a fearsome force, a gravitational body that drew you in with her broad smile, infectious laugh, and sharp intellect. She entered the rock climbing world at a relatively late age, in her late 20s, in 1974. Her earliest partners included Kevin Powell, John Long, Rick Accomazzo, and Daryl Hensel. With this troop of SoCal talent, she was forced to sink or swim. She swam. By 1976 she had led the Stonemaster test piece, Valhalla at Tahquitz, making the first female ascent of the notorious 5.11 slab.
Maria was inspirational for the small group of women in the climbing scene back then. “Maria happened to be at Big Rock in Southern California the very first day I went climbing with my older sisters,” recalls Lynn Hill. “I remember her luminous smile and warm enthusiasm when she saw me leading my first climb at the age of 14. In the following years I was fortunate to be part of the same group of close-knit, passionate climbers. Maria was one of the few strong woman climbers in those days, and she took pride in climbing in the best style possible.”
Section dividerIker Bilbao, 29, January 19
Basque climber Iker Bilbao died in an avalanche on January 19 along with his climbing partner Amaia Agirre as the pair descended from Fitz Roy in Patagonia. Iker’s younger brother Aitor described him as a supremely talented alpine climber with infectious enthusiasm and boundless stoke, taken from the world far too soon.
Born September 5, 1993, in the small Biscayan Basque town of Durango, Iker Bilbao was connected with the mountains since he was a child, said Aitor. The brothers’ parents took them out into the mountains from a young age, and as a teen Iker began rock climbing in the Atxarte Valley and nearby Urkiola Natural Park.
Bilbao grew up to be a firefighter, a trade which allowed him to combine his two passions: helping people at work and climbing in his free days, Aitor said. “Since I was a child, I have admired Iker. … He taught me everything I know about climbing, and is the reason I started climbing a couple of years ago.”
Section dividerAmaia Agirre, 31, January 19
Basque climber Amaia Agirre died in an avalanche while descending from the Patagonian spire Fitz Roy, along with her climbing partner Iker Bilbao.
Agirre’s partner of four years, Julen Berrueko, said, “I could write words and words of gratitude for the years I shared with her.” He described a woman who was dedicated to bringing out the best in herself and those around her.
Born in the Basque town of Urnieta, Agirre was a keen climber from a young age, both competitively and in the mountains. Agirre was a leading member of the Spanish Federation for Mountain and Climbing Sports (FEDME), and friend and noted alpinist Eneko Pou called her “one of the strongest girls on the team and very versatile in all areas.”
Section dividerMarcos Gorostiaga, 28, January 31
Argentinian climber Marcos “He-Man” Gorostiaga, 28, died on January 31 in Patagonia. He was hit by rockfall while climbing El Mocho (6,407ft) in the Cerro Torre Massif. Gorostiaga’s loved ones in Buenos Aires gathered to compile a tribute, shared with Climbing by close friend Matías Ferrari.
Their words portray a driven and upbeat climber, not afraid of dropping everything to pursue his dreams in the high places. “Those of us who were lucky enough to know him, share trips, and friendship with him know that his greatest passion was the mountains,” said Ferrari.
Gorostiaga was born and raised in Buenos Aires, along with three brothers. He was interested in climbing from a young age, and in early adulthood, was a fixture in the scene.
Section dividerMichelle Kranz, 58, February 10
Michelle lived an adventurous life filled with energy and enthusiasm, and climbing was a core passion for nearly 30 years. Michelle loved all things climbing—she emphatically pursued traditional and sport climbing, bouldering, ice climbing, and big wall climbing. She loved the people, places and all the gear associated with the sport. She set up her car with neat gadgets—a memory foam bed, curtains, a foldable table, a cell service booster, and more—and kept it on standby for the next climbing trip. She loved the sun and proclaimed so with her license plate, which aptly stated SUNCHCR. Michelle was fascinated by the process of training with particular goals in mind, and she loved traveling to beautiful places to share climbing with existing close friends and new friends she knew she would meet there. Her climbing friends would often refer to Michelle with words and phrases like: independent, strong willed, driven to succeed, infectious enthusiasm, creative, playful, always planning, can’t sit still, loves old movies, gear fanatic, generous.
Section dividerZach Milligan, 43, February 12
Zach Milligan was a longtime Yosemite fixture. He made the first ski descent of Half Dome. He free-soloed the Steck-Salathé (5.10- 1,600 feet) more than 300 times. He lived for 13 years in a cave in Yosemite and seven more in houses in the park, working for the Yosemite cleaning service, Best Bet, during that time.
Later, Zach moved to Bozeman, Montana, where he ran his namesake flooring business. He lived out of his non-converted Dodge Pro Master work van and slept among his tools. He also slept in his gutted hand-me-down Toyota Camry covered with wooden roof racks. He shared many of his later Yosemite years with his girlfriend, Kristin Anderson, living in a tiny house just outside the west entrance of Yosemite. The two met in 2004 and began dating in 2011.
I’ve known Zach for decades, and I have also written about his various adventures for national outlets. I wrote about Zach despite the fact that he could care less about ever being in the media. For years, he chose not to have his climbing and skiing exploits documented in media, but he eventually let me write about him because we were buddies. When I asked him why, he told me: “What am I going to do, lie to you when you asked me if I soloed something and say no?”
He was straightforward, honest, hard-working, and a dedicated athlete.
Of his ski descent of Half Dome he later said, “I wasn’t in a survivable situation. I had no business being on Half Dome. I’m not a real skier.”
Section dividerAmmon McNeely, 52, February 18
“I would rather live 40 years of excitement and fun and exhilarating and WOO full volume than 80 years of la-dee-da-dee-da. You know…boring,” Ammon McNeely said in Yosemite Valley in 2006 while filming The El Cap Pirate for The Sharp End. “Why not get out there and live it?”
Loved by many for being a rowdy, charming, encouraging, and modern pirate, the 52-year old Ammon passed away on February 18, 2023 in Moab, Utah. With over 75 ascents of El Capitan, nearly two dozen speed records of big wall routes in Yosemite and in Zion, and first ascents of hard aid climbs across the U.S., Ammon made a huge impact on wall climbing. Besides his extensive BASE jumping resume and innate boldness, Ammon’s friends and family remember the nearly six-foot man with the earrings, the narrow face, and the wide grin for his kindness, his support, and his ability to authentically and unapologetically be himself. Ammon lived a life of volume.
Section dividerDick Shockley, 75, February 19
Richard “Dick” Shockley was a scientist, poet, jokester, and one of the original Stonemasters. In the early 1970s, while doing a post-doc at Caltech, Dick was a fixture at Southern California hangs like Stoney Point, Tahquitz, and Suicide Rock, building friendships with Mari Gingery, Mike Lechlinsky, Rick Accamazo, John Bachar, and Dean Fidelman. Later, while living in San Diego and studying the physics of underwater sound transmission as a civilian employee of the Navy’s Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command (SPAWAR), he frequented Mount Woodson, the Poway Crags, and the Santee Boulders, while making sure to get up to Tuolumne in the summer.
“He was a regular at Tahquitz and Suicide [in the 70s],” remembers Lechlinsky, “always burning a candle at both ends, working during the week, climbing on the weekends. He did some early ascents of El Cap, back when people didn’t even have harnesses. He climbed The Salathe with Rick Accamazo in May 1978.* He climbed Mt. Watkins with Maria Cranor.”
Section dividerTravis McAlpine, 44, February 22
Travis McAlpine found his love for high and remote places through snowboarding and mountaineering. He spent significant time in Summit Co., Colorado, Mt. Hood, and Jackson, before making his home in Alaska for the past 10 years.
Like many climbers, he pieced together his livelihood through seasonal work as a chef, mountain guide, and food-truck owner, which ensured his summer evenings and short winter days were available for climbing. He spent several years living in a wall tent in Hyalite Canyon, visiting the remote areas of Cook City, the back corners of Wyoming and Montana canyons, and everywhere in between searching for ice routes and new projects.
Once settled in the Knik Valley, Alaska, Trav continued to push the scope of both rock and ice climbing through the establishment of new routes in Hatcher Pass, Valdez, Portage, and the Knik Gorge.
Section dividerAllen Steck, 96, February 23
Adept on rock, snow, and ice, Allen Steck was a leading climber in the USA during the post-war years including the Golden Age of Climbing in Yosemite. Not surprisingly, he considered himself more of a mountaineer, and made significant ascents in Europe and participated in the first attempt on Makalu (8,481m) in 1954.
Born in Oakland, CA, in 1926, Steck served aboard a destroyer escort with the Navy in the South Pacific during WWII then graduated from UC Berkeley with a degree in Business Administration in 1948. But it was a climbing trip to Europe the following year which set the course for the rest of his life; he traveled by bicycle from Austria’s Kaisergebirge mountains to Italy’s Dolomites and then to the Mont Blanc region with a partner, making early repeats of many of Europe’s hardest climbs. He never looked back.
Back in Yosemite in 1950, he teamed up with John Salathé and over five extremely hot days made the first ascent of the 1,600-foot North Face of Sentinel Rock. More than 70 years later the Steck-Salathé is still a much revered and sought-after climb.
Section dividerRyan Wong, 27, February 24
Ryan Wong was a 27-year-old Texas native whose enthusiasm for the mountains led him to Fort Collins, Colorado. Wong had a lighthearted personality and an ability to joke with strangers that was infectious—rivaled only by his excitement for ice climbing.
“I knew the minute I met him at the trailhead parking lot that he had a lot of will and really wanted to learn,” said Patrick Jacques, his mentor and climbing partner. “I introduced him to a couple of my friends and they all loved him instantly. He had the spirit of freedom and joy and was excited about getting out on ice.”
Section dividerRon James, 90, March 1
British rock climbing pioneer Ron James, 90, died on March 1 from natural causes. James was one of the UK’s leading climbers in the 1950s and 1960s, co-founder of the famed Ogwen Cottage mountaineering school, a dedicated search and rescue team leader, and author of many guidebooks, notably the classic Rock Climbing in Wales. His wife, Ginny, spoke of a prolific climber with meticulous attention to detail and safety, and someone who made a life out of educating (and sometimes rescuing) other climbers.
James loved the mountains from a young age, but his training began in earnest at 14, when his parents let him go alone to tackle the Snowdon Horseshoe, a technical eight-mile ridge traverse circling the highest peak in Wales. “Part of the way round, two roped climbers appeared at the top of a route that finished near the path,” Ginny said. “They asked Ron why he was alone and said he needed to learn a lot about safety in the mountains. Ron quizzed them about all their climbing kit… and so the research began.”
This experience sparked James’ lifelong passion for technique and safety in the mountains. As Andy Teasdale wrote in an obituary for Climber, James was well-known as a “belts and braces safe” guy, someone who never failed to rig properly, check his systems, and make sure those around him were safe as well. “Ron loved attention to detail,” said Ginny, “and believed safety was characterized by an awareness of danger.” James was first a school teacher, and his wife said he received great pleasure from introducing children to trekking and climbing.
Section dividerJames Marshall, 94, March 2
Scottish climbing legend Jimmy Marshall passed away on March 2, aged 94. Marshall, “The King of the Ben,” was among the United Kingdom’s leading climbers in the 1950s and 1960s. Born and raised in Edinburgh, where he resided throughout his life, Marshall made over 100 first ascents in his native Scotland on rock and ice. He was notoriously tenacious when it came to winter sufferfests.
Also known as “The Maister,” Marshall was perhaps best known for a weeklong stint operating out of a mountain hut with Robin Smith on the British Isles’ highest peak, Ben Nevis (4,413ft), in 1960. The pair tackled six winter first ascents in as many days, including the now-ultra classic 1,000-foot Orion Face Direct (V, 5). “These routes were climbed by cutting steps with a single axe,” explained Simon Richardson in a Climber memorial, “They were so far ahead of their time that it took a revolution in ice climbing technology before they were repeated in the early 1970s.”
Section dividerMeg O’Neill, 40, April 2
American climber Meg O’Neill died on April 2. O’Neill was watching a friend climb Raven Falls (WI4) when the formation broke apart. O’Neill pushed the belayer, Anne Nikolov, out of the way of the falling block of ice, saving her life, but was killed by the icefall herself. She was 40 years old.
Friends shared an overwhelming amount of stories and words about O’Neill, describing an imminently loyal friend and an extremely strong, motivated climber, with an energy—both on and off the wall—that uplifted all around her.
O’Neill was a beloved climber of great skill and diverse interest, though her ultimate devotion was to teaching and mentoring others. She was well-known in the Wasatch climbing community, both for her kindness and exuberant personality, exemplified by her trademark style of climbing routes in costumes, usually tutus and fairy wings.
Section dividerChristoph Schweiger, 21, April 10
Christoph Schweiger was a longtime member of the German national climbing team, and a regular competitor on the IFSC circuit, beginning with Youth events in 2017. A boulder specialist, Schweiger netted a second-place finish at Germany’s National Championships in 2020 and, last year, he placed 20th in the IFSC Bouldering World Cup in Salt Lake City. Schweiger was also an increasingly strong climber outside, with a noted send of famed Fontainebleau problem The Big Island (8C/V15) last November, his hardest problem to date and first of the grade. Among other hard problems, Schweiger had also topped the Ticino boulder Tomba (8B+/V14) and The Dagger (8B+/V14), in Cresciano.
Schweiger passed away after being struck by a passing car. He and his girlfriend were walking along the road to buy ice cream. She was seriously injured.
Section dividerNoel Hanna, 56, April 17
Irish mountaineer and endurance athlete Noel Hanna, 56, died April 17 after summiting Annapurna (26,545ft). Hanna and other team members had paused while descending for soup, tea, and a nap at Camp IV, and Hanna died in his sleep. He was one of Ireland’s leading high-altitude mountaineers.
His wife Lynne spoke of a man with an unparalleled drive to push his body to the limits, who loved the mountains and was always eager to lend a helping hand to others. “He was a simple man,” she said, “a straight talker, someone who didn’t climb for publicity. He just loved climbing and the people he climbed with.”
A native of Northern Ireland, Hanna served in the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) as a police officer for 15 years during the Troubles, retiring in 2002, four years after the Good Friday Agreement. “He was in a special tactical unit,” his wife said, “and I honestly think after the peace, the adrenaline went away. Work became tedious for him. So he took early retirement, and found adrenaline elsewhere.”
Section dividerLeo Grillmair, 92, May 1
Leo Grillmair, a legendary mountain guide, heli-skiing pioneer, and co-founder of both the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides (ACMG) and Canadian Mountain Holidays (CMH) Heli-Skiing & Summer Adventures, passed away on May 1, 2023, at the age of 92. Leo succumbed to injuries sustained in a skiing fall.
Leo was born on October 11, 1930, in Ansfelden, Austria. His passion for mountaineering took root early, as a young boy, learning to ski, camp, and hike with mentors from the area.
After the second world war, Leo seized an opportunity to move to Canada, when he was just in his 20s, convincing his childhood friend Hans Gmoser to join him. After injuring a leg and getting fired from a few jobs, it was Leo’s perseverance and love for the mountains that ultimately brought them to Calgary where they could explore mountainous landscapes. Leo’s technical skills, combined with his passion for skiing and mountaineering, marked the beginning of an extraordinary life in the mountains.
Section dividerTom Hornbein, 92, May 6
Tom Hornbein passed away on May 6, 2023, at his home in Estes Park, Colorado. He is best known for his audacious climb of the West Ridge of Mount Everest in 1963 with Willi Unsoeld, but also by the warm and caring friendship he extended to so very many.
Hornbein was born in St. Louis on November 6, 1930. As a boy he was attracted to climbing trees and the slate roof of the family home where he realized that “getting off the ground was in my genes.” At the age of 13 his parents sent him off to Cheley Colorado Camps in Estes Park near Rocky Mountain National Park for the summer. Hornbein would later say, “Looking back, discovering mountains has been the major pivotal event of my life. Those high hills became my spiritual home, underpinning all that followed: mountaineering, medicine, research, family, and community.”
The mountains drew him to the University of Colorado Boulder where Hornbein became a very active and talented rock climber. Hornbein said that during his undergraduate years, “I spent every spare minute climbing, often cutting my classes and laboratories.” In the summer he worked as a counselor at the same Cheley Colorado Camps where he had gone as a boy. It was there that he met Nick Clinch, and their friendship, which began as “doing grunt work like cleaning toilets,” became a lifelong one. Later, Nick would play a key role in Hornbein’s introduction to climbing in the Great Ranges of South Asia.
Section dividerKacper Tekieli, 38, May 17
Polish alpinist Kacper Tekieli died on May 17, after being hit by an avalanche while descending from a solo on Jungfrau (13,642ft) in the Bernese Alps of Switzerland. Tekieli was 38 years old. He leaves behind his wife, Olympic cross-country skier Justyna Kowalczyk-Tekieli, and their two-year-old son, Hugo.
Born by the sea, in Gdańsk, Tekieli had few childhood experiences in the mountains, save for a few ski trips with his parents. “It was only after many years,” he told Jakub Knera of K2 Warsaw, “that [love of the mountains] came back to me.”
Amid a leave of absence from college—where he was working towards a master’s degree in philosophy—the 23-year-old Tekieli went to live in the Bieszczady range of southeastern Poland. This experience, he said, “made me realize that the [mountains] are for me.” During this time, Tekieli began to explore technical climbing in earnest. “I took a rock climbing course, then a mountain climbing course, and then a second-degree mountain climbing course,” he said. “I figured since I was climbing so late, I had to make up for lost time.”
Section dividerEphraim Leo Cook, 25, May 24
Ephraim Cook and his twin brother, Heber, were born on December 14, 1997, into a family full of music. His mother, Sarah, plays the cello. His father, Blaine, sings in the Tabernacle Choir in Salt Lake City. Two of his three sisters play the guitar. And both Ephraim and Heber made music a big part of their lives. Yet Ephraim was also outdoorsy from the start. His parents, devout mormons, often took the family camping, particularly up to Pineview Reservoir. Later, as a Boy Scout, Ephraim made his first visits to Zion National Park, a place that would later loom large in his climbing life, which began in high school alongside his friend Zac Pond.
“He was my first proper climbing partner,” Pond remembers. “Spring break one year, in high school, we bought a rope and a rack of quickdraws, and I had a camper trailer for my truck, and we drove down to St. George and spent ten days there, just sampling crags. Honestly, that trip set me on my life path.”
“Ephraim had that attribute that everyone’s always looking for in a climber partner,” remembers Pond. “He was always down, willing to get stoked on whatever, even if it was arguably over his head. He was just down to get after it.”
Section dividerLuis Stitzinger, 56, May 25
Luis Stitzinger, one of the greatest high altitude ski mountaineers of the modern era, “was born with skis on his feet,” says his wife and longtime climbing partner, Alix von Melle, who has herself climbed seven 8,000-meter peaks. Luis grew up in Füssen, a small town in Bavaria’s Ammergau Alps where his father, Volkmar Stitzinger, was a leading mountain guide and one of the pioneers of the local German Alpine Club—the same program that introduced Luis to climbing.
“Luis spent every free minute in the mountains,” Alix told Climbing, “either professionally as a mountain guide or privately with me.”
Luis and Alix met while climbing in Munich during their student years, and by the time they married in 2011, they were already one of mountaineering’s strongest couples. “We spent 25 years of our lives together,” she recalls. “We did everything together. We trained together, we went on expeditions together, we gave lectures together, we worked together. But we also gave each other room to maneuver for our own projects. Our partnership was characterized by great trust and humor. We loved and celebrated life together.”
Over the course of his 30-year career, Luis summited 10 8,000-meter peaks (some multiple times), skied down seven, and climbed six alongside his wife. He only used supplemental oxygen when guiding clients on Mt. Everest.
Section dividerJasper Acosta, 28 Age, June 21
For Jasper Acosta, helping others enjoy and excel at the sport of climbing was just as important as pushing himself. He devoted himself to Chicago’s climbing community, coaching younger climbers through a combination of jokes and mentorship, seamlessly merging his goofy personality with an understanding of technical skills and an attention to detail. While much of his time was spent at Chicago’s Brooklyn Boulders, sending several young climbers to Youth Nationals, diving into deep conversations with strangers, eating a slice of pizza from the nearby 7/11, or climbing himself, Acosta would take every opportunity to hitch a ride to climb outside.
Acosta died on June 21, 2023, in Chicago due to complications arising from being a heart transplant survivor. He was an impressively strong climber—a feat made even more impressive by the fact that he often climbed with bulky heart monitoring devices.
Section dividerBailee Mulholland, 27, July 9
Bailee Mulholland’s friends and family remember a young woman with boundless joie de vivre, who never failed to uplift those around her. “I always looked forward to spending time with Bailee,” said Lynn Anderson, who met Mulholland at the Boulder Rock Club a year and a half ago and trained with her regularly.
Born in China’s Hunan Province, Mulholland was adopted at 10 months old—her younger sister Liana shortly after—and raised by Brent and Michelle Mulholland in Boulder. She ran cross country in high school, catalyzing a lifelong passion for running, and entered CU Boulder to study music. She came to rock climbing through running and scrambling. After high school cross country, she dove further down the running rabbit hole, becoming particularly enamored with mountain running in college. “Bailee did a lot of objectives involving crazy amounts of stamina and endurance,” said Anderson. “She was very comfortable scrambling and moving fast in technical terrain.”
The Flatirons were a frequent playground for Mulholland. She still holds the women’s fastest known time (FKT) on the First Flatiron (41m 6s) which she set in November of last year, and also briefly held the round trip FKT on Mt. Sanitas. In June, she placed eighth (out of 111 women) in the Minotaur SkyRace, a rugged 20-miler through Alberta’s Crowsnest Pass.
Section dividerAndrew Evans, 32, July 14
My first conversation with Andrew occurred in 2021, not long after I moved from Yosemite to Red Lodge, Montana. I was on a climbing kick and was unsure whether the Beartooth Mountains had the kind of outdoor access necessary for me to be happy. But his passion for the place convinced me to stay. He took me out exploring, and it wasn’t long before I was entranced. Our lives were soon fully centered on the weekends, and we spoke often about how we could fit more into every hour and every day, wondering how we could possibly get to all of the places we wanted to visit in the time we had on Earth.
Andrew was born in San Diego and moved to Virginia when he was nine. He later referred to these periods as his “big-city-living” days, but his mother’s love for the environment, and his father’s decision to bring him and his brother up in Boy Scouts, gave him a taste for what he later learned he craved. After graduating from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2013, he moved back to San Diego for a few years, then began his “sabbatical”: six months of searching for the right mountain town to settle down in.
Section dividerBraydan DuRee, 40, July 20
Braydan DuRee was a rock climber, mountaineer, runner, and—above all—family man. When he decided to climb the popular Owen-Spalding (5.4) on Wyoming’s Grand Teton on July 20, his goal was to introduce his oldest son, Kaleb, to mountaineering.
Zach Smith, DuRee’s brother-in-law, friend, and climbing partner, joined DuRee and his son on the climb and remembers DuRee’s commitment to his kids and family as taking precedence over any other kind of adventure.
“He loved adventure but his true passions were his family and spending time with his kids, playing every kind of board and card game possible, and encouraging them in their music lessons and sports,” Smith recalled. “He had a special handshake with each of his kids, and would always dress up as a clown at family reunions.”
Section dividerElisabeth Lardschneider, 20, July 26
Elisabeth “Lisi” Lardschneider was a young and up-and-coming Italian sport climber whose potential alpine career was just beginning.
Born December 30, 2002, Lardschneider grew up in Ortisei in Val Gardena, in Italy’s Dolomites. A climber since childhood, she quickly established herself as one of Italy’s best young sport climbers, ticking her first 5.13d, Menhir, in the Dolomites at age fourteen. Her other notable sends include Camillotto (5.13d) and Maltamaschine (5.13c) in the Dolomites and Le chirurgien du crépuscule (5.13d) and Born to Lose (5.13c) in Céüse, France. She entered international competition at age 16, beginning with the European Youth Cup and European Youth Championships.
An active member of the South Tyrolean Climbing Club, the Dolomites were undoubtedly Lardschneider’s favorite place. “Elisabeth was at home in many places, but she loved her local Dolomites the most. These are the mountains where she grew up and where she found her passion,” friend Patrick Tirler shared. “She was particularly fond of the places that, despite their beauty, are rarely visited, as only few take the effort to get there.”
Adam Shmidt, 34, July 31
Adam Shmidt was raised in a Jewish home on Long Island, an ever-curious child who once asked a teacher “but what language does God speak?” and was promptly promoted to the next grade level. He and I met studying philosophy at Brooklyn College in 2010 and were bonded by a common struggle: never truly knowing our place. We didn’t feel at home in the towns where we were raised, so we escaped to New York City, found each other, and soon realized we didn’t belong in the city either. We searched for life’s meaning in books and moved to Atlanta for Adam to pursue his master’s in philosophy. It was there we found a passion that forever changed us: climbing.
A friend introduced us to a local gym, and we instantly fell in love with climbing, quickly becoming members and going as often as we could. Climbing showed us a way to connect our minds and bodies in a way we hadn’t before—expressing ourselves physically while challenging our minds—poetically using our bodies to solve intricate puzzles.
Adam was never bored, often declaring that he would live forever if he could, because there was no end to the places one could explore and things one could learn. He seized every opportunity that life gave him. If he had an interest in something, it would completely consume him. This intensity drove him to earn a Ph.D., run a sub-3:15 marathon, create his own deck-building card game (‘Forest Dwellers’), and, by 2019, to accumulate a huge tick list of rock climbs and technical peaks.
Section dividerDanny Gerhart, 24, August 5
Danny Gerhart, 24, passed away on August 5 at Seneca Rocks. His sister, Sara Gerhart, and close friend and climbing partner, Nolan Wilson, spoke of an intelligent, kind-hearted young climber who never failed to greet life with a smile. Gerhart looked forward to a lifetime on the rock, said Wilson, but “loved the climbing community even more than he loved the sport.”
Danny Gerhart was born in Reading, Pennsylvania to Steven and Dannelle Gerhart, and raised in nearby Pottstown alongside two older sisters, Sara and Eva. “You couldn’t have asked for a better little brother,” Sara said. “He was always willing to help, whether it was packing my car when I went off to college or helping around the house with chores; Danny was always willing to lend a hand to the people around him, no complaining. He had the biggest heart. He never had an enemy.”
Sara recalled how family and friends would gather at a cabin in Maryland during the summers. “On those trips, my friends were usually more excited to see Danny than me,” she said, laughing. “He was that sort of person, a light in the room. He got along with everyone.”
Section dividerErmanno Salvaterra, 68, August 18
Ermanno Salvaterra, the famed “Man of Cerro Torre,” died in a fall on August 18 while guiding the Hartman-Krauss (IV+/5.5; 600m) on Campanile Alto, in the Dolomites.
Salvaterra was born in Pinzolo, Italy, and raised by parents who managed an alpine hut in the rugged Brenta Dolomites, the perfect playground for a wide-eyed boy. He quickly developed a passion for mountain sports and became a Skiing Master Instructor at 20 years old, then an Alpine Guide four years later. His first expedition to Cerro Torre was in 1982, and his seemingly infinite love for the mountain propelled him toward five new routes on it.
First came Infinito Sud (6b/5.10d A4 70˚; 1,200m) in 1995 with Roberto Manni and Piergiorgio Vidi. Then, in 1999, with Mauro Mabboni, he climbed a variant of the Compressor Route. In 2004, with Alessandro Beltrami and Giacomo Rossetti, he opened Quinque Anni ad Paradisum (6c/5.11b A4 90˚; 900m) on the East Face. In 2005, with Rolando Garibotti and Alessandro Beltrami, he climbed the North Face by opening the now-famous El Arca del los Vientos (6b+/5.11a C1 60˚; 550m), the same face that Cesare Maestri had purported to climb (despite many naysayers) in 1959. Salvaterra had long believed Maestri’s claim, but after climbing the feature and seeing no trace of his ascent, Salvaterra eventually lost faith in his hero.
Salvaterra will be forever celebrated in Patagonia-climbing history, not just for his successful ascents, but for his visionary attempts, seeing lines and opportunity where few others did.
Section dividerDmitry Golovchenko, 40, August 31
In 2001 a young Dmitry Golovchenko joined the famed Demchenko Alpine Club, a group which initially served as a military school in the 1970s. The Club was founded by Alexander Demchenko, a man known for his severity during training, and one who went to great lengths to educate his students on the philosophy of fast and courageous alpinism; quite the opposite of the traditional Russian style of mountain assault, with large, cumbersome expeditions and extensive use of fixed ropes and camps.
By the time Dmitry entered the Club’s ranks it had become an important resource for young Russian alpinists; it was there that he met Sergey Nilov and they became fast friends during their first expedition, in 2002, to the Caucasus mountains. Over the next decade Dmitry and Sergey scrabbled together funds amidst their busy lives to go on sporadic expeditions, slowly acquiring the skills to climb quickly and boldly in the Greater Ranges.
Dmitry’s climbing ability was highly regarded within the Russian mountaineering in the late aughts, and by 2011 his name reached the international stage with a first ascent on Nameless Tower’s (6,251m) Northwest Wall, in the Karakorum, with Sergey, Victor Volodin, and Alexander Yurkin. They named their route No Fear (VII 5.10d A3; 1,120m)—the Demchenko Alpine Club’s motto. Dmitry returned to the Karakorum, in 2012, where he made the first ascent of the Northeast Spur of Muztagh Tower (7,276m) via Think Twice (ED 5.10 A2 M6; 3,400m) alongside Sergey and Alexander Lange. Think Twice earned Dmitry his first Piolet d’Or (2013). And in the Chinese Tien Shan, in 2015, Dmitry teamed up with Sergey and Dmitry Grigoriev to establish Ninth Wave (ED 5.11 WI5 M6 A2; 1,885m) on Sedoy Strazh’s (5,841m) East Buttress. But the climb that established Dmitry as one of the strongest mountaineers in the world was surely his direttissima up the North Face of Thalay Sagar (6,904m) in the Indian Himalaya: Moveable Feast ED2 M7 WI 5 A3; 1,400m) with Sergey and Dmitry Grigoriev. With this masterpiece, Dmitry gained the second Piolet d’Or in 2017. It’s worth mentioning that Dmitry was a four-time winner of the Russian “Golden Axe” award (2012, 2015, 2016, 2017).
Section dividerAndrew Munds, 29, September 2
Andrew Munds, 29, died on September 2 at Officer’s Gulch in Frisco, Colorado, while rope soloing. His older sister, Miranda, shared memories of an imminently humble, selfless young man who found meaning both in helping others and pursuing a vast array of passions.
Growing up in Wichita, Kansas—where he lived at the time of his death—Munds led an active childhood, diving into everything from snowboarding to guitar, running, hot yoga, and a variety of other games with family and friends. “Andrew was wildly competitive, always throwing a ball or playing a game,” Miranda said. Munds was no stranger to injury, either. “Growing up, my family used to joke that we didn’t know what Andrew looked like unless he was in a sling. He always seemed to have something broken, usually from snowboarding.”
Section dividerAaron Livingston, 32, September 4
In his early 20s, Aaron discovered climbing somewhat haphazardly at the Fit Stop Health Club in his native Heber City, UT. Intending to use his newly purchased gym membership to spend time in the weight room with his friends, the group quickly ditched barbells in favor of plastic climbing holds and the freedom of vertical movement.
Aaron was a quick study. In a little more than a decade, he graduated from a 40-foot climbing wall at a health club in rural Utah to a stunning range of accomplishments: multiple free ascents of El Cap, including Freerider (5.12d) and Golden Gate (5.13a); an in-a-day solo ascent of the Salathé Wall (5.9 C2); first ascents of big walls in Zion National Park and the Wind River Range; guided ice climbing trips in Ouray, CO; expeditions to Alaska’s Ruth Gorge; and AMGA Rock Guide certification. But Aaron’s proudest achievement was most likely the first ascent of The Optimist (5.12), aka The Nolan Smythe Memorial Route, on Mount Hooker in the Wind River Range. In his brief but brilliant career, Aaron’s achievements represent a lifetime’s worth of climbing at an elite level.
Though Aaron wasn’t famous with the general public, you’d be hard pressed to find a well-known American climber he hadn’t shared a rope with, or a beer at the very least.
Section dividerSpencer Dawes, 25, September 17
Spencer Dawes died while rappelling the Methow Inspiration Route (5.9) on Goat Wall in Okanogan, Washington. The young climbing guide’s friends shared stories of a peaceful, positive, “bodhisattva-like” individual—someone who was equally quick to crack a joke or lead a nerve-rattling rock pitch.
Raised in Athens, Alabama, Dawes was a keen outdoorsman and fisher from a young age, with a predilection for adventure. “Spencer was fearless,” his mother, Debbie, said. “We spent a lot of time in the emergency room,” she added, laughing. His mother remembered how, at age 10, Dawes fell off his Razor scooter and broke both his arms. “Both arms were casted up to his shoulder, but he insisted on eating himself, not taking an inch of help!”
Section dividerNadya Oleneva, 38, October 14
Russian alpinist Nadya Oleneva, 38, died on Nepal’s Dhaulagiri I (8,167m/26,795ft) on October 14. Oleneva was with partners Roman Abildaev and Rasim Kashapov, attempting an unsupported ascent without supplementary oxygen. She died in a fall while en route to Camp II (21,916ft). Oleneva was one of Russia’s leading female alpinists, and twice nominated for a Piolet d’Or. Close friend and climbing partner Maria (Dupina) Sysoeva spoke of a woman with immense physical strength, matched only by her love for the mountains.
Born and raised in Perm, Nadya Oleneva became interested in the mountains while in college, after a trip to the Bezengi Caucasus with a local mountaineering group. “To say that I was hooked on the mountains [after] that trip would be an understatement,” Oleneva wrote on Mountain.RU earlier this year. “The first few days I just walked around with my mouth open, everything seemed so beautiful and amazing to me. [Back then] I didn’t know anything about categories, competitions, super-difficult walls, and first ascents. I just wanted to go to the mountains. I always liked the simplicity of the goal—this is the peak and you have to climb to it—and at the same time the incredible complexity of achieving [that goal].”
In the subsequent 18 years, Oleneva rose to become one of her nation’s most decorated and prolific climbers, a cornerstone of the Russian national climbing team. She won the high-altitude technical class of the Russian Mountaineering Federation (FAR) National Championships in 2022, and in previous years had earned a slew of silver and bronze medals in the championship’s high-altitude technical and rock divisions.
Section dividerYutung “Faye” Zhang, 18, October 14
Yutang “Faye” Zhang is remembered as being hardworking, kind, and curious. Born on February 24, 2005, in China, Zhang and her family moved to Canada for a short time before relocating to Apple Valley, Minnesota, in 2019. Zhang graduated from Eastview High School in 2023.
Zhang was awarded a Foundation Fellowship—the highest academic scholarship—to attend Georgia University. In high school, she was a member of the debate and speech team and won second place nationally in extemporaneous speaking. Zhang was also president of the National Honor Society at her school.
Zhang was always driven to try new things. She enjoyed reading, writing, cooking, singing, and playing the piano. She made friends after checking out a climbing gym in Athens, Georgia. She took two climbing trips with them outside, but tragedy struck on her second outing.
At 18, Zhang passed away on Saturday, October 14, after a fall from the anchors while cleaning Misty (5.10b/c) at Sand Rock (Cherokee Rock Village) in northeastern Alabama. It appears that while cleaning a locking carabiner from the system, the rope was inadvertently positioned above the mussy hooks. When Zhang leaned back, the rope became unclipped entirely, and she fell 90 feet to her death.
She is survived by her parents Pingchuan Zhang and Jia Cai; her sister, Zoe Zhang; her grandparents, Weiqun Cai and Qili Feng; also, by other loving family and many friends.
Section dividerWade David, 42, October 16
Born in Denver on April 30, 1981, Wade David made his mark on the Colorado climbing community through the development of several bouldering areas, including multiple zones in Clear Creek Canyon and the obscure but impressive “Waderland” in Idaho Springs. He passed away due to health complications on October 16, at just 42.
Standing 5’5”, David was an unassuming crusher with a self-assurance that was at times off-putting to those who didn’t know him.
“His confidence was to the point where it almost came across as arrogance to some people,” said longtime friend and climbing partner, Eric Harrison. “But at the same time, he didn’t give a crap.”
But David’s strength was enough to back his hubris.
“He would go to Hueco and there would be professional rock climbers projecting these really hard climbs,” Harrison recalled. “And during that time, he was known to get on these boulder problems and, as he’s topping out, downgrade them in front of the professional climbers who are trying to project these things.”
Section dividerMichal Rynkiewicz, 33, October 27
It was effortless to be in awe of Michal. He was unbelievable; to witness him in his element was to be dumbstruck by his genius. He saw and did things uniquely, with a vision for greatness that penetrated into a swirling, chaotic world. At the center of his brilliance was an innocent joy for climbing, for hard work, and for people. Michal was a character. He seemed to never be downtrodden, never have a bad day, always have some lighthearted way of viewing the world and flipping your frown upside down, even if he was the one who put it there in the first place. He was goofy and odd and perceptive and wonderful and beloved by more people than he would have guessed. He was the proud son of Dorota and Mariusz, the loving big brother of Kuba, the head-over-heels husband of Sara, the man you could count on in the mountains and in life. Michal was the person who, if he ever asked you to climb with him, you said yes. You just went.
Section dividerGene Vallee, 73, November 10
Gene Vallee and the climbing community found each other in the early 1970s at Rock Rimmon near his home in Manchester, NH, and nurtured one another throughout his life, first in the White Mountains and on trips out West, then in California during the 1980s, and later in Utah, where he settled in 1991.
Manchester climber Gary Hunter recalls Gene as “an amazing local who led so many lives. Gene was a mentor to many and an early adopter of engineered safety in climbing. He lived the dream. It’s hard to appreciate the perceived limits on a local greater Manchester kid in Gene’s generation. He was so out there, against the wind, stepping past the constraints of expectations.”
Manchester natives Mark Hudon (better known for “long, hard, and free” ascents in Yosemite) and Jimmie Dunn (known for his routes in the canyons of Colorado and Utah) also conveyed their fond appreciation for their times with Gene.
Hudon wrote, “In the very early days of my climbing, before 1974, there was a group of us who used to climb at Rock Rimmon. The place was covered in graffiti and broken beer bottles but we used to climb there every day. Gene was a fixture in that group. We also made trips to Crow Hill in Massachusetts, Ragged Mountain in Connecticut, The Gunks, and of course Cathedral and Whitehorse in New Hampshire. It always involved a lot of good laughing. Gene was my friend and I’ll miss him.”
Section dividerBill Dennis, 81, November 10
Bill was born in Indiana in 1941 and climbed the Grand Teton with his father and an Exum guide at an early age. He was a fixture in the Tetons and Wind River Mountains for over thirty years. In the 1970s we climbed the Exum Ridge and the East Ridge of the Grand Teton, Baxter’s Pinnacle, the Guides Wall, the Koven Route on Mt. Owen, and the CMC Route on Mt. Moran. In the Wind River Range, we climbed the South Buttress of Pingora and the North Face of Temple Peak. It took us three attempts, but we finally summited Gannett Peak in 1974, forging a lifelong connection.
Bill spent 26 years teaching history at Denison University. His son Will writes, “As a professor, Bill was known by students for rappelling from his fourth-story office rather than taking the stairs, a feat that earned him enough popularity to be inducted into Denison’s Beta Theta Pi fraternity chapter by its undergraduate members.” Bill was a mentor to many students.
Section dividerMarcus Wybrow, 29 , November 11
In the late hours of November 11, I learned that a climber from Squamish, British Columbia, had died in an avalanche while ice climbing in Kananaskis, Alberta,. I immediately thought of Marcus. I wanted to text him to see if he was okay, but was scared of not getting a reply. I checked his Facebook to see when he was last active—nothing. I soon found out what I so badly wanted not to be true: Marcus was dead.
The next night some of Marcus’s close friends came to my apartment in Canmore, Alberta, to tell stories, laugh, and cry. In true Marcus fashion, we drank White Russians—his weird drink of choice, often made with one or two ingredients missing. We scoured our phones for photos and videos of Marcus, each trying to find the funniest clip of him goofing off.
I met Marcus while studying at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, B.C. We were both taking the Adventure Guide diploma, a program designed to set you up for a career in guiding. He was easily distinguished by his piercing blue eyes and a smile that never seemed to leave his face. His exuberance for anything mountain related was unmatched. While most of us spent the weekends partying, Marcus would make the four-hour drive to Whistler Friday night after class, ski on Saturday and Sunday, then drive home late Sunday night. I’m not sure how or if he found time for homework.
Section dividerElyse Dominica Parcell, 31, November 15
Elyse Dominca Parcell, better known as “Tiger Pussy,” was recognized for her flowing golden locks, radiant smile, and her pure passion for the splitter cracks of Indian Creek. Elyse was equal parts mountain queen and desert rat as she spent her winters ski patrolling in Telluride and heli-skiing in Alaska, and her summers living on the Utah rivers and scaling the sandstone walls of Southern Utah. In true dirtbag style, she occupied a beat down 1980s RV handed down from her grandparents on a property in Moab. She lived up to her title as Tiger Pussy as she was known to always wear a unique pair of tiger leggings, a tail, and cat ears while crushing the cracks of the Creek.
Elyse knew the desert country like the back of her hand and held it in her heart. To her, climbing was an avenue for friendships forged in glitter, tiger spandex, gobis, and sand. She was known for her witty sense of humor and for always pushing the envelope by being an exceptional woman in careers that were mainly dominated by men.
Section dividerKyle Allen Rott, 35, November 25
A well-traveled ice climber and guide, Kyle Rott found joy and fulfillment in the mountains and landscape of Montana. After beginning climbing in high school, Rott fully embraced a simple lifestyle, working to live and living to climb. “He talked about climbing with incredible knowledge and passion,” his sister Sydney Chapman said. “He was so excited about it all even when it was not his turn to climb.”
Born February 11, 1987, in Denver, Colorado, Rott grew up in Aberdeen, South Dakota. In 2005, he moved to Missoula, Montana, where he quickly fell in love with climbing and became part of the local community. He loved Hyalite Canyon, the best ice climbing spot in the state and one of the best in the nation. His other favorite places to climb included the Black Hills, Yosemite Valley, and Devil’s Tower.
Section dividerIgnacio “Nacho” Javier Lucero, 50, November 30
Ignacio “Nacho” Javier Lucero was an experienced and well-known mountain guide. He died on November 30 just a few meters from the summit of Cerro Marmolejo with two clients, Raul Espir and Sergio Berardo.
Born in Mendoza, Argentina, Lucero began spending time in the mountains at age 13. By the time he was 22, he had completed 45 ascents of Aconcagua. He became certified by the Argentine Mountain Guide Association and has since completed more than 60 expeditions, guiding international clients on Denali, Ojos del Salado, and Manaslu. An avid reader, he also graduated as a professor of Literature at the National University of Cuyo.