Todd Skinner

Todd Skinner (October 27, 1958 – October 23, 2006) was an American free climber who died in a fall at Yosemite National Park on October 23, 2006. His climbing achievements included the first free ascents 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 earning 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 there, and encouraged visits by climbers from around the world. He was married with three children.

Todd Skinner had completed a new route up the face of Leaning Tower in Yosemite National Park on October 23rd, 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. [cite web
last = Lober | first = Keith | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = Follow-up On Fatal Climbing Fall
work = The Morning Report for Monday, October 30, 2006 | publisher = National Park Service
date = Oct 30, 2006
url = http://www.huecotanks.com/climbers/todd/The%20Morning%20Report%20for%20Monday,%20October%2030,%202006.htm
format = archived at huecotanks.com
doi = | accessdate = 2007-03-21 ] Jim Hewett, a friend of Skinner's, had previously observed that the harness appeared worn. [http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2006/10/26/CLIMBER.TMP San Francisco Chronicle]

First free ascents

* 1985: "The Gunfighter" (5.13b), Hueco Tanks, Texas, USA [cite web | last = Samet | first = Matt | authorlink = | coauthors = Steve Bechtel | title = Loss of a Legend | work = Climbing | publisher = Skram Media LLC | date = 2007 | url = http://www.climbing.com/news/passages/toddskinner/index.html | format = archived at huecotanks.com | accessdate = 2008-02-03 ]
* 1986: "City Park" (5.13b), Lower Index Town Wall, Washington, USA
* 1988: "The Salathe Wall" (VI 5.13b), El Capitan, Yosemite National Park
* 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 Range
* 1992: "The Great Canadian Knife" (VI 5.13b), Cirque of the Unclimbables, Yukon Territories, Canada
* 1993: "Northwest Direct Route" (VI 5.13d) on Half Dome, Yosemite National Park
* 1995: " Cowboy Direct" (VII 5.13a) East Face of Trango Tower, Pakistan's Karakoram Himalayas (the first Grade 7 free climb in the world).
* 1998: "War and Poetry" (VI 5.12c), Ulamertorsuaq, Cape Farewell, of Greenland
* 2000: "True at First Light" (VI 5.13a), East Face of Poi, Ndoto Mountains, Northern Kenya
* 2004: "Wet Lycra Nightmare" (V 5.13d), Leaning Tower, Yosemite, California, USA

References

External links

* [http://www.toddskinner.com/ Official Website]
* [http://test.denverpost.com/rockies/ci_4542666 Denver Post article on his death]
* [http://news.independent.co.uk/people/obituaries/article1935912.ece Obituary, "Independent" (UK)]
* [http://www.beyondthesummit.com/accomp.html Website for Todd's book "Beyond the Summit"]
* [http://www.climbandmore.com/climbing,264,0,1,news.html Todd Skinner's climbing biography]