October 25, 2006 Highly accomplished free-climber Todd Skinner died Monday while descending the Leaning Tower in Western Yosemite Valley. Skinner was reportedly attempting a free route with climbing partner Jim Hewitt at the time, but information on the cause of the accident is still very limited.

“The investigation is still in its early stages. A lot of the details are yet to be confirmed,” said Scott Gediman, Yosemite National Park spokesman. Gediman, however, was able to report that Skinner was not on an established climbing route but between routes when he fell an estimated 500 to 700 feet.

“Skinner was at the forefront of every advance in climbing in the United States,” notes fellow climber, Steve Bechtel, who had climbed with Skinner since 1987. “He’s one of the pioneers.”

According to an announcement of Skinner’s death, written by Bechtel, of Skinner’s nearly 300 ascents in 26 countries, the first free climb of El Cap by way of the Salathe Wall, which he did with partner Paul Piana in 1988, and first free climb of Half Dome’s Direct Northwest Face are his most celebrated feats.

Skinner made his mark on the climbing world by stretching the boundaries of free climbing to include big walls and by ushering in a generation of sport climbers.

“When routes started to be bolted, he was there bolting, and he got a lot of flack for it,” says Bechtel, acknowledging the controversial sport and siege techniques employed by Skinner in his ascent of El Cap. “But what wasn’t controversial was the fact that he was a nice guy.”

Skinner was a positive, motivating, and friendly person who always had a smile on his face and never had a bad thing to say about anyone, said Bechtel. His positive attitude quelled most of his critics, and he was well respected in the climbing world, as can be seen by the almost 200 messages of condolence posted by fellow climbers on the climber’s forum at www.supertopo.com.

“It’s still very surreal,” said Bechtel, emphasizing the fact that Skinner’s death leaves a big gap in the climbing world. “He was always looking for the next big climbing objective.”

As a result of the accident, Bechtel believes that climbers will inevitably question their own safety.

“Todd, to a lot of people, was bulletproof…a longtime hero…and I think that’s going to rattle a lot of people,” notes Bechtel. “He was always careful, calculating and taking the extra precautions—sometimes that’s not enough.”

Yosemite Search and Rescue recovered the body Monday night and spent Tuesday gathering equipment and assessing the area.

“It’s going to be a couple of weeks still,” reports Gediman. “We have to look at gear and environmental conditions and conduct more interviews. Also, any time an accidental death occurs in the park, an autopsy is conducted.”

Skinner, of Lander, Wyoming, is survived by his wife Amy, son Jake, and daughters Hannah and Sarah.

• • •

• • • • • • • • • •