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WBraun
climber
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Hey Tom
Are they investigating the climb to see if a hold broke?
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klk
Trad climber
cali
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tom--
thanks for the link. the details aren't urgent at the moment.
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Ihateplastic
Trad climber
Lake Oswego, Oregon
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Werner and others who wonder about how these things might happen...
I have one POSSIBLE insight. In no way do I claim this is correct, just an insight based on some very current information.
Last week I was on the road with John. We discussed at length a situation he had been experiencing recently that was getting worse. He had noticed that sometimes, in mid-pitch, he would reach for a hold only to find that suddenly his arm/hand had zero strength. He described it as though someone had a dimmer switch on his arm and while one arm had 100% strength the other would suddenly go from 100% to zero. No warning... no prep. One minute it was there and the next it wasn't. He joked that hopefully it would not happen at a crux. Every-time we stopped he would be stretching his arm/shoulder and I could see it was causing him pain and concern.
Now, is this what happened? We may never know. But I do know that on Saturday we talked and he was preparing to get an MMR of his arm/shoulder in hopes of tracking the problem.
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JAK
climber
The Souf
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The condition described above sounds neurological. Could've been either thoracic outlet syndrome, carpal tunnel syndrome, cubital tunnel entrapment...others...
There are a lot of places in the upper extremity where nerves can get into a pathological situation that causes sudden, unforewarned dysfunction.
For whatever the reason, I'm very sad to see the man go. He was one of the last iconic soloists after Michael Reardon's death...I suppose Peter Croft is the only one left. Sure, there are other climbers that solo, but guys like Potter and Honnold can't claim the same impact that the old school fellas have had. Reardon may have been technical new-school, but his enthusiasm and dedication to free-solo only cast him the mold of Bachar's protege, which I understand wasn't very far from the truth.
RIP John. A sad day.
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gumbyclimber
climber
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Somebody said they feel more mortal today; what an understatement.
There is no god.
I used to believe that it was possible to tap into something special and I wasn't just pulling the handle on a slot machine, with new odds every time. Those times that I almost botched soloing at my limit I was able to say things to myself like "You're not trying hard enough", "You haven't thought this out well enough", "[so and so] did it", "true free soloists fail never", etc.
My whole mental framework is gone.
This is a slap back down to 3rd class.
Long live John Bachar.
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PhilG
Trad climber
The Circuit, Tonasket WA
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I just got back from the hills to hear this sad and terrible news.
John was a hero and an inspiration to many, if not all of us...
This is a great loss to the collective climbing community.
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malabarista
Trad climber
San Francisco, Ca
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ihateplastic... can anyone really doubt now that this was it? Bachar would never have fallen otherwise. i simply can't believe he would ever have fallen without something like this. before you posted this i was convinced a hold had broken or something on that line. he would not have slipped...
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tom woods
Gym climber
Bishop, CA
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Werner, I couldn't get any good info out of SAR or the Sheriff's department today. I'll try again tomorrow.
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stevep
Boulder climber
Salt Lake, UT
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Let's not speculate too much at this point. Not really much to be gained by it. This isn't a case of anyone learning from an accident. Free soloing is dangerous. Very little margin for error. All of us know that and John knew it. He choose to do it and it was a part of him.
Let's remember the good things.
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WBraun
climber
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Thanks for the information Simon. I forgot about those symptoms John was talking about previously.
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WBraun
climber
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I'm not sorrowing over how it happened, nor why it happen nor have any illusions about this whole happening.
I've climbed with John watched him lead the hairiest ass sh'it while belaying him, watched him free solo, hung with him in the various modes that life brings.
Just curious .... that's all
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Ihateplastic
Trad climber
Lake Oswego, Oregon
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LEB...
Short answer, no. I am wracking my brain thinking about every word that was said last week and this weekend on the phone but still a bit numb. I do NOT want my "knowledge" to be accepted as the only possibility.It is A possibilty but there are others. A broken hold... wet rock... falling debris... sudden distraction from a bird, a snake a frog... the only thing we know for a fact is that John has cheated death before and always come out shining.
In his show he speaks about the "1 in 10,000 chance" He tells the audience that someday that number will come. Sadly... it did.
Simon
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Lynne Leichtfuss
Social climber
valley center, ca
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Just must add that John was very cognizant of his body. He cared deeply for Tyrus. I don't think he would have fs if he had any clear indication his body would fail him. Talked with him after other health issues. He checked out health and risk factors on an ongoing basis. Yeah, no one is perfect 100% but the Dude weighed the factors.
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neebee
Social climber
calif/texas
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hey there all, say...some very sad puzzles, there are in our lives, and in the lives of our friends... :(
sometimes we get pieces of them come to light.. and sometimes we don't...
you know, when we DO though, it is almost like a gift to help us understand what we just can't comprehend, but need to, when a loved one dies... it seems that so many of you have different parts of john's life, to cherish and some even have parts from the last days... a very treasured last days, now, to you...
once again, god bless you all in this sad loss... i hope some day that more pieces do fall into place, and that helps this situation set solid, in some way---though the sadness will still linger...
say, all, i am very glad that i had and have, just the tip of the iceberg here, to know you all, and him, from the post here, it has shown me a very larger view of family and extensions than i have ever seen...
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burp
Trad climber
Salt Lake City
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Just barely caught the news ...
John embodied climbing to me. Deeply saddened and speechless.
May he rest in peace.
Condolensces to his family and close friends.
Mike Hansen
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Off White
climber
Tenino, WA
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The thread about the sudden weakness in his arm was the first thing I thought of when I read the news, partly because I've been suffering from tennis elbow myself lately and was keenly interested in that topic when it was broached. I didn't think it worth mentioning though, since the "how" in this accident, with no witness and little physical evidence, is pretty unknowable and seemed irrelevant to the outpouring of grief. It's as likely an explanation as any, but the only certainty is that something did happen.
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dmalloy
Trad climber
eastside
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thanks for posting that link, MH....
I have a pretty solid bet that says they did not ask Blitzo for the rights to use that Midnight Lightning photo, particularly since they did not include a photo credit.
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happiegrrrl
Trad climber
New York, NY
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Sending wishes for strength to those close to John as the difficulty of having to deal with people, details and stuff(for lack of a better word) competes with their grieving.
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