Charlie Fowler
Encyclopedia
Charlie Fowler was an American mountain climber, writer
, and photographer. He was one of North America
’s most experienced mountain climbers, and successfully climbed many of the world’s highest peaks. Along with his climbing partner, Christine Boskoff
, he went missing
in southwestern China
sometime between November 11 and December 4, 2006. His body was found on a remote mountain on December 27, 2006, and was officially identified
a day later.
and grew up in Virginia
, where he graduated from the University of Virginia
with a degree in environmental science
in 1975. He spent the next 12 years in Boulder, Colorado
, before moving to Telluride, Colorado
, in 1987 and settling in Norwood, Colorado
, in 1992. Over the years, he held jobs as a computer programmer and a mountain guide.
In 1977 he gained fame after free soloing
the Direct North Buttress route on Middle Cathedral Rock in Yosemite National Park
, followed by the first free solo ascent of the Diamond on Colorado's
Longs Peak
in 1978. The route he chose, initially called the Integral Route, was renamed the Casual Route after Fowler's bold climb.
He became a member of the American Mountain Guides Association
in 1986, and was a certified guide who taught courses and evaluated other students who wanted to become certified mountain guides. He often guided expeditions for Mountain Madness, an adventure travel company owned by Christine Boskoff.
Fowler claimed to have been climbing mountains since 1968, having successfully climbed the 8,000 meter peaks
of Mount Everest
, Cho Oyu
, and Shishapangma
, as well as Aconcagua
, one of the Seven Summits
. He attempted to ascend K2
, but had to turn back before reaching the summit due to poor conditions. In recent years, he explored unnamed peaks in Tibet
and remote areas of China
.
In recognition of his climbing accomplishments, he was awarded the Robert and Miriam Underhill Award for outstanding mountaineering achievement by the American Alpine Club
in 2004.
Along with his friend Damon Johnston, Fowler founded the publishing company Mountain World Media LLC in 2005. Fowler and Johnston also co-authored a guidebook to sandstone climbs in southwest Colorado titled The Wild Wild West. Fowler also started the Telluride Mountain Club and the Horizon Program.
Additionally, he was a board member of Mountainfilm in Telluride
for almost 10 years, and served on their Advisory Board.
for China with his climbing partner, Christine Boskoff, for a two-month-long trip to attempt several peaks that had never been climbed. According to a post on Fowler’s website, it was his fifth trip to the region.
. One of Boskoff's final emails said that the pair would be "back in Internet
contact in two weeks."
On November 7, Fowler made his last known contact with the outside world in an email sent to Alpinist from Litang, China:
The two peaks Fowler referred to in his final email were unnamed, which initially complicated search and rescue efforts launched by local authorities in Litang. Furthermore, locals in Litang and Buddhist monks living at a monastery near the base of Mount Genyen
told investigators they had not seen any foreigners in the area for the previous month. The authorities also found no evidence of the pair in the vicinities of other peaks they had talked about climbing in previous e-mails.
But, on December 25 (about three weeks after the pair was declared missing), authorities began to make progress in the search when they discovered a local man who said he had driven Fowler and Boskoff to a remote town not far from the Tibetan border. According to the driver, Fowler and Boskoff said they planned to climb 6,204-meter (20,354-foot) Mount Genyen
. They left their luggage with the man when he dropped them off on November 11, and said they would retrieve it when they returned on November 24, which they never did. With this new lead, the authorities began to focus their efforts on the slopes of Mount Genyen.
The initial investigation revealed that Fowler was likely killed in an avalanche. He was found unroped and was not wearing a harness at the time of his death, though he was wearing crampons
and carried a full pack.
The body of Christine Boskoff
was found and identified on July 8, 2007. It was to be retrieved from the mountain in August 2007 (when more favorable weather conditions were predicted for recovery team).
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
, and photographer. He was one of North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
’s most experienced mountain climbers, and successfully climbed many of the world’s highest peaks. Along with his climbing partner, Christine Boskoff
Christine Boskoff
Christine Boskoff was an American mountaineer.-Early life:Christine Joyce Feld was the youngest of four children of Robin and Joyce Feld...
, he went missing
Missing person
A missing person is a person who has disappeared for usually unknown reasons.Missing persons' photographs may be posted on bulletin boards, milk cartons, postcards, and websites, along with a phone number to be contacted if a sighting has been made....
in southwestern China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
sometime between November 11 and December 4, 2006. His body was found on a remote mountain on December 27, 2006, and was officially identified
Forensic pathology
Forensic pathology is a branch of pathology concerned with determining the cause of death by examination of a corpse. The autopsy is performed by the pathologist at the request of a coroner or medical examiner usually during the investigation of criminal law cases and civil law cases in some...
a day later.
Early life and accomplishments
Fowler was born in North CarolinaNorth Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
and grew up in Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, where he graduated from the University of Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
with a degree in environmental science
Environmental science
Environmental science is an interdisciplinary academic field that integrates physical and biological sciences, to the study of the environment, and the solution of environmental problems...
in 1975. He spent the next 12 years in Boulder, Colorado
Boulder, Colorado
Boulder is the county seat and most populous city of Boulder County and the 11th most populous city in the U.S. state of Colorado. Boulder is located at the base of the foothills of the Rocky Mountains at an elevation of...
, before moving to Telluride, Colorado
Telluride, Colorado
The town of Telluride is the county seat and most populous town of San Miguel County in the southwestern portion of the U.S. state of Colorado. The town is a former silver mining camp on the San Miguel River in the western San Juan Mountains...
, in 1987 and settling in Norwood, Colorado
Norwood, Colorado
Norwood is a Statutory Town in San Miguel County, Colorado, United States. The population was 438 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Norwood is located at ....
, in 1992. Over the years, he held jobs as a computer programmer and a mountain guide.
In 1977 he gained fame after free soloing
Free solo climbing
Free solo climbing, also known as free soloing, is a form of free climbing where the climber forgoes ropes, harnesses and other protective gear while ascending and relies only on his or her physical strength, climbing ability, and psychological fortitude to avoid a fatal fall...
the Direct North Buttress route on Middle Cathedral Rock in Yosemite National Park
Yosemite National Park
Yosemite National Park is a United States National Park spanning eastern portions of Tuolumne, Mariposa and Madera counties in east central California, United States. The park covers an area of and reaches across the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountain chain...
, followed by the first free solo ascent of the Diamond on Colorado's
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
Longs Peak
Longs Peak
Longs Peak is one of the 53 mountains with summits over 14,000 feet in Colorado. It can be prominently seen from Longmont, Colorado, as well as from the rest of the Colorado Front Range. It is named after Major Stephen Long, who explored the area in the 1820s...
in 1978. The route he chose, initially called the Integral Route, was renamed the Casual Route after Fowler's bold climb.
He became a member of the American Mountain Guides Association
American Mountain Guides Association
The ‘’’American Mountain Guides Association’’’ is “our nation’s sole representative to the 21-member International Federation of Mountain Guides Associations , the international governing body responsible for guiding standards and education around the world.” AMGA is a non-profit organization that...
in 1986, and was a certified guide who taught courses and evaluated other students who wanted to become certified mountain guides. He often guided expeditions for Mountain Madness, an adventure travel company owned by Christine Boskoff.
Fowler claimed to have been climbing mountains since 1968, having successfully climbed the 8,000 meter peaks
Eight-thousander
The eight-thousanders are the fourteen independent mountains on Earth that are more than high above sea level. They are all located in the Himalayan and Karakoram mountain ranges in Asia....
of Mount Everest
Mount Everest
Mount Everest is the world's highest mountain, with a peak at above sea level. It is located in the Mahalangur section of the Himalayas. The international boundary runs across the precise summit point...
, Cho Oyu
Cho Oyu
Cho Oyu is the sixth highest mountain in the world at above sea level. Cho Oyu lies in the Himalayas and is 20 km west of Mount Everest, at the border between China and Nepal...
, and Shishapangma
Shishapangma
Xixabangma, frequently spelled Shishapangma or Shisha Pangma , also called Gosainthān , is the fourteenth-highest mountain in the world and, at 8,013 m , the lowest of the eight-thousanders...
, as well as Aconcagua
Aconcagua
Aconcagua is the highest mountain in the Americas at . It is located in the Andes mountain range, in the Argentine province of Mendoza and it lies west by north of its capital, the city of Mendoza. The summit is also located about 5 kilometres from San Juan Province and 15 kilometres from the...
, one of the Seven Summits
Seven Summits
The Seven Summits are the highest mountains of each of the seven continents. Summiting all of them is regarded as a mountaineering challenge, first postulated as such and achieved on April 30, 1985 by Richard Bass .-Definition:...
. He attempted to ascend K2
K2
K2 is the second-highest mountain on Earth, after Mount Everest...
, but had to turn back before reaching the summit due to poor conditions. In recent years, he explored unnamed peaks in Tibet
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
and remote areas of China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
.
In recognition of his climbing accomplishments, he was awarded the Robert and Miriam Underhill Award for outstanding mountaineering achievement by the American Alpine Club
American Alpine Club
The American Alpine Club, or AAC, was founded in 1902 by Charles Ernest Fay, and is the leading national organization in the United States devoted to mountaineering, climbing, and the multitude of issues facing climbers...
in 2004.
Other career achievements
Fowler's nature photographs and articles have been published in various books, magazines, journals, and catalogs, and he published three local climbing guidebooks. Fowler had the honor of appearing on the cover of Climbing Magazine on different occasions as both cover subject and cover photographer. He also worked as a guide and rigger for Ice Climb, a National Geographic film; participated in two American Adventure Productions films; appeared in several episodes of the Outdoor Life Network's High Country Climber series; and appeared in and helped film the award-winning John Catto documentary La Escoba de Dios.Along with his friend Damon Johnston, Fowler founded the publishing company Mountain World Media LLC in 2005. Fowler and Johnston also co-authored a guidebook to sandstone climbs in southwest Colorado titled The Wild Wild West. Fowler also started the Telluride Mountain Club and the Horizon Program.
Additionally, he was a board member of Mountainfilm in Telluride
Mountainfilm in Telluride
Mountainfilm in Telluride is America’s premier festival celebrating achievement in adventure and activism, culture and environment, held annually over Memorial Day weekend in Telluride, Colorado since 1979....
for almost 10 years, and served on their Advisory Board.
Disappearance and death
In October 2006, Fowler left the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
for China with his climbing partner, Christine Boskoff, for a two-month-long trip to attempt several peaks that had never been climbed. According to a post on Fowler’s website, it was his fifth trip to the region.
Last known contacts
From the time of their departure until November 8, 2006, Fowler and Boskoff were in frequent contact with friends and other mountain climbers via emailEmail
Electronic mail, commonly known as email or e-mail, is a method of exchanging digital messages from an author to one or more recipients. Modern email operates across the Internet or other computer networks. Some early email systems required that the author and the recipient both be online at the...
. One of Boskoff's final emails said that the pair would be "back in Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
contact in two weeks."
On November 7, Fowler made his last known contact with the outside world in an email sent to Alpinist from Litang, China:
"We’re in the town of Litang for a few days, getting ready for one more trip into the hills. We just got back from attempting a peak I tried in ’96 doing a film. Didn’t make it that time due to complications with the film crew. This time the peak was a lot less icy (global warming?). We got near the top but backed off due to scary conditions --- thin snow over rock slabs. Had a blast climbing as far as we did though. Now off to one more different area to try a 6,000-meter peak and a smaller one, then traveling back doing the tourist thing."
Search efforts
Fowler and Boskoff were officially declared missing when they were not present on a scheduled return flight to the United States booked for December 4. Search efforts by Chinese authorities and an independent search party retained by friends and mountaineers continued through most of December 2006.The two peaks Fowler referred to in his final email were unnamed, which initially complicated search and rescue efforts launched by local authorities in Litang. Furthermore, locals in Litang and Buddhist monks living at a monastery near the base of Mount Genyen
Mount Genyen
Mount Genyen or Ge'nyen, is a mountain in the West Sichuan Mountain Range in China. With an elevation of , it is the third highest peak in the Chinese province of Sichuan. It was first climbed by Karl Unterkircher with a Japanese team in 1988.Genyen is regarded as the 13th most holy mountain...
told investigators they had not seen any foreigners in the area for the previous month. The authorities also found no evidence of the pair in the vicinities of other peaks they had talked about climbing in previous e-mails.
But, on December 25 (about three weeks after the pair was declared missing), authorities began to make progress in the search when they discovered a local man who said he had driven Fowler and Boskoff to a remote town not far from the Tibetan border. According to the driver, Fowler and Boskoff said they planned to climb 6,204-meter (20,354-foot) Mount Genyen
Mount Genyen
Mount Genyen or Ge'nyen, is a mountain in the West Sichuan Mountain Range in China. With an elevation of , it is the third highest peak in the Chinese province of Sichuan. It was first climbed by Karl Unterkircher with a Japanese team in 1988.Genyen is regarded as the 13th most holy mountain...
. They left their luggage with the man when he dropped them off on November 11, and said they would retrieve it when they returned on November 24, which they never did. With this new lead, the authorities began to focus their efforts on the slopes of Mount Genyen.
Bodies found
On December 27, searchers found a body, mostly buried in snow, at the 5,300-meter level of Mount Genyen, though darkness prevented them from making an immediate identification. They returned on December 28 and confirmed that the body was Fowler's.The initial investigation revealed that Fowler was likely killed in an avalanche. He was found unroped and was not wearing a harness at the time of his death, though he was wearing crampons
Crampons
Crampons are traction devices used to improve mobility on snow and ice. There are three main attachment systems for footwear: step-in, hybrid, and strap bindings. The first two require boots with welts, the last adapt to any type....
and carried a full pack.
The body of Christine Boskoff
Christine Boskoff
Christine Boskoff was an American mountaineer.-Early life:Christine Joyce Feld was the youngest of four children of Robin and Joyce Feld...
was found and identified on July 8, 2007. It was to be retrieved from the mountain in August 2007 (when more favorable weather conditions were predicted for recovery team).
Notable ascents
- 1981 Pale Fire IV 5.12, Moses, Canyonlands National ParkCanyonlands National ParkCanyonlands National Park is a U.S. National Park located in southeastern Utah near the town of Moab and preserves a colorful landscape eroded into countless canyons, mesas and buttes by the Colorado River, the Green River, and their respective tributaries. The park is divided into four districts:...
, Utah; FFA of North Face Route (Bjornstad, Beckey, Galvin, Nephew, Markov 1972) with Chip Chace, May 1981 - 1982 In Search of Suds III 5.10+, Washer Woman Arch, Canyonlands National ParkCanyonlands National ParkCanyonlands National Park is a U.S. National Park located in southeastern Utah near the town of Moab and preserves a colorful landscape eroded into countless canyons, mesas and buttes by the Colorado River, the Green River, and their respective tributaries. The park is divided into four districts:...
, Utah; FA with Glenn Randall, November 1982 - 1988 The Promised Land (V 5.10+ A3+), Moses, Canyonlands National ParkCanyonlands National ParkCanyonlands National Park is a U.S. National Park located in southeastern Utah near the town of Moab and preserves a colorful landscape eroded into countless canyons, mesas and buttes by the Colorado River, the Green River, and their respective tributaries. The park is divided into four districts:...
, Utah; FA with Sue Wint - 1992 East Face, La Catedral, Paine Group, PatagoniaPatagoniaPatagonia is a region located in Argentina and Chile, integrating the southernmost section of the Andes mountains to the southwest towards the Pacific ocean and from the east of the cordillera to the valleys it follows south through Colorado River towards Carmen de Patagones in the Atlantic Ocean...
(VI 5.10 A4+ 1000m). FA of route (2nd of peak) with John Catto, Peter Gallagher and Max Kendall. Summit reached January 26, 1992.
See also
- Christine BoskoffChristine BoskoffChristine Boskoff was an American mountaineer.-Early life:Christine Joyce Feld was the youngest of four children of Robin and Joyce Feld...
(climbing partner) - MountaineeringMountaineeringMountaineering or mountain climbing is the sport, hobby or profession of hiking, skiing, and climbing mountains. While mountaineering began as attempts to reach the highest point of unclimbed mountains it has branched into specialisations that address different aspects of the mountain and consists...
- Mount GenyenMount GenyenMount Genyen or Ge'nyen, is a mountain in the West Sichuan Mountain Range in China. With an elevation of , it is the third highest peak in the Chinese province of Sichuan. It was first climbed by Karl Unterkircher with a Japanese team in 1988.Genyen is regarded as the 13th most holy mountain...
- Forensic pathologyForensic pathologyForensic pathology is a branch of pathology concerned with determining the cause of death by examination of a corpse. The autopsy is performed by the pathologist at the request of a coroner or medical examiner usually during the investigation of criminal law cases and civil law cases in some...
External links
- "Charlie Fowler: A Climber's Life" appreciation of Fowler at Climbing Magazine
- Fowler's autobiographical statement at Mountain Madness
- "Rescuers Search for American Climbers Missing in China," The New York Times, 15 December 2006
- "Chinese official says survival hopes dim for missing U.S. climbers," The Associated Press, 19 December 2006
- "U.S. climbers in China missing 1 month," The Associated Press, 25 December 2006
- "Dead mountain climber is American photographer," The Associated Press, 28 December 2006
- Alpinist Magazine's article on Fowler's disappearance
- Blog created for discussion on Fowler's disappearance
- Mountainfilm in Telluride