Todd Skinner
Encyclopedia
Todd Richard Skinner was an American free climber
. His climbing achievements included the first free ascent
s of many routes around the world and the world's first free ascent of a grade 7
climb.
Skinner was born in Pinedale, Wyoming
, and planned to "take a little while off to climb" after gaining a degree in finance from the University of Wyoming
in 1982. Instead, he became a full-time free climber and motivational speaker. In 1990, he settled in Lander, Wyoming
, in part because he considered the dolomite cliffs there to be the ultimate training ground for free climbing. He opened the Wild Iris Mountain Sports store in Lander, and encouraged visits by climbers from around the world. He was married with three children.
Todd Skinner completed a new route
up the face of Leaning Tower in Yosemite National Park
on October 23, 2006. While rappelling down, he fell 500 feet and died. The cause of death was the failure of the belay
loop of his climbing harness
.
Jim Hewett, a friend of Skinner, had previously observed that the harness appeared worn.
Free climbing
Free climbing is a type of rock climbing in which the climber uses only hands, feet and other parts of the body to ascend, employing ropes and forms of climbing protection to prevent falls only....
. His climbing achievements included the first free ascent
First ascent
In climbing, a first ascent is the first successful, documented attainment of the top of a mountain, or the first to follow a particular climbing route...
s of many routes around the world and the world's first free ascent of a grade 7
Grade (climbing)
In rock climbing, mountaineering and other climbing disciplines, climbers give a climbing grade to a route that concisely describes the difficulty and danger of climbing the route...
climb.
Skinner was born in Pinedale, Wyoming
Pinedale, Wyoming
Pinedale is a town in and the county seat of Sublette County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 1,412 at the 2000 census. Pinedale is an important hunting outfitting town and a gateway to the Wind River Mountains. It is also a major gateway to the Jackson Hole area in Wyoming. Pinedale is...
, and planned to "take a little while off to climb" after gaining a degree in finance from the University of Wyoming
University of Wyoming
The University of Wyoming is a land-grant university located in Laramie, Wyoming, situated on Wyoming's high Laramie Plains, at an elevation of 7,200 feet , between the Laramie and Snowy Range mountains. It is known as UW to people close to the university...
in 1982. Instead, he became a full-time free climber and motivational speaker. In 1990, he settled in Lander, Wyoming
Lander, Wyoming
Lander is a city in, and the county seat of, Fremont County, Wyoming, United States. Named for transcontinental explorer Frederick W. Lander, Lander is located in central Wyoming, along the Middle Fork of the Popo Agie River. A tourism center with several dude ranches nearby, Lander is located just...
, in part because he considered the dolomite cliffs there to be the ultimate training ground for free climbing. He opened the Wild Iris Mountain Sports store in Lander, and encouraged visits by climbers from around the world. He was married with three children.
Todd Skinner completed a new route
Climbing route
A climbing route is a path by which a climber reaches the top of a mountain, rock, or ice wall. Routes can vary dramatically in difficulty and, once committed to that ascent, can be difficult to stop or return. Choice of route can be critically important...
up the face of Leaning Tower 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...
on October 23, 2006. While rappelling down, he fell 500 feet and died. The cause of death was the failure of the belay
Belaying
thumb|200px|right|A belayer is belaying behind a lead climberBelaying refers to a variety of techniques used in climbing to exert friction on a climbing rope so that a falling climber does not fall very far...
loop of his climbing harness
Climbing harness
A climbing harness is a piece of equipment used in certain types of rock-climbing, abseiling or other activities requiring the use of ropes to provide access or safety...
.
Jim Hewett, a friend of Skinner, had previously observed that the harness appeared worn.
First free ascents
- 1985: The Gunfighter (5.13b), Hueco TanksHueco TanksHueco Tanks is an area of low mountains in El Paso County, Texas, USA. It is located in a high-altitude desert basin between the Franklin Mountains to the west and the Hueco Mountains to the east. Hueco is a Spanish word meaning hollows and refers to the many water-holding depressions in the...
, Texas, USA - 1986: City Park (5.13b), Lower Index Town Wall, Washington, USA
- 1988: The Salathe Wall (VI 5.13b), El CapitanEl CapitanEl Capitan is a vertical rock formation in Yosemite National Park, located on the north side of Yosemite Valley, near its western end. The granite monolith extends about from base to summit along its tallest face, and is one of the world's favorite challenges for rock climbers.The formation was...
, Yosemite National ParkYosemite National ParkYosemite 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... - 1989: Lizzy Beams Desire (5.14a), Black Hills, South Dakota, USA
- 1990: The Jaded Lady (VI 5.12a), North face of Mt. Hooker, Wind River RangeWind River RangeThe Wind River Range , is a mountain range of the Rocky Mountains in western Wyoming in the United States. The range runs roughly NW-SE for approximately 100 miles . The Continental Divide follows the crest of the range and includes Gannett Peak, which at 13,804 feet , is the highest peak...
, Wyoming. With Paul Piana, Galen Rowell and Tim Toula. - 1992: The Great Canadian Knife (VI 5.13b), Cirque of the Unclimbables, Yukon Territories, Canada
- 1993: Northwest Direct Route (VI 5.13d) on Half DomeHalf DomeHalf Dome is a granite dome in Yosemite National Park, located in northeastern Mariposa County, California, at the eastern end of Yosemite Valley — possibly Yosemite's most familiar rock formation. The granite crest rises more than above the valley floor....
, Yosemite National Park - 1995: Cowboy Direct (VII 5.13a) East Face of Trango TowerTrango TowersThe Trango Towers are a group of dramatic granite spires located on the north side of the Baltoro Glacier, in Baltistan, a district of the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan . They are part of the Baltoro Muztagh, a subrange of the Karakoram range. The Towers offer some of the largest cliffs and...
, PakistanPakistanPakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
's Karakoram HimalayasKarakoramThe Karakoram, or Karakorum , is a large mountain range spanning the borders between Pakistan, India and China, located in the regions of Gilgit-Baltistan , Ladakh , and Xinjiang region,...
(the first Grade 7 free climb in the world). - 1998: War and Poetry (VI 5.12c), Ulamertorsuaq, Cape FarewellCape Farewell, GreenlandCape Farewell , is a headland on the southern shore of Egger Island, Greenland. Located at it is the southernmost extent of Greenland, projecting out into the North Atlantic Ocean and the Labrador Sea on the same latitude as Stockholm and the Scottish Shetland Islands. Egger and the associated...
, of GreenlandGreenlandGreenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for... - 2000: True at First Light (VI 5.13a), East Face of Poi, Ndoto Mountains, Northern KenyaKenyaKenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
- 2004: Wet Lycra Nightmare (V 5.13d), Leaning Tower, Yosemite, California, USA