John Rosholt, RIP

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WindRidfter

Mountain climber
Wyoming
Nov 18, 2010 - 02:01pm PT
Met the Dude in Hueco a few years back, what a character!

Climbing was making the transition to mainstream, but it was really nice to know there was still at least one Rogue running around. Super cool guy. Glad he's been found.
Manny

Social climber
tempe
Nov 18, 2010 - 02:03pm PT
I climbed and explored with John in AZ. Some of his memorable routes in the Homestead, near Globe AZ, await your pleasure. He put a lot of effort into creating fun hard routes. Aside from that, he was a pleasure to spend time with. He is missed and my condolences go out to his loved ones.
harihari

Trad climber
Squampton
Nov 18, 2010 - 02:09pm PT
There's a story from Peder about Rosholt, Peder and others coming up north from the Valley. After a month of big walls and whatnot, they were driving north through Oregon, Squamish bound, and the driver of the van (the only guy who had any $$ left) realised one evening on gassing up that he had lost his wallet. With no bank account, no credit cards etc, the rest of this crew of filthy dirtbags sat in the parking lot at a Chevron off I-5, wondering how they were going to get the next 900 miles home, pay for the current tank of gas, and where the beer would now be coming from.

It was getting dark and Rosholt glanced up and saw some neon in the distance. His eyes lit up.

"Boys," he said, "we need every coin we've got."

The crew of filth emptied-- EMPTIED-- that van and managed to scrounge together $5 or so in greasy pennies and rusted quarters from under seats and carpets.

"Later," said Rosholt, and set off, on foot, up the highway. The dirtbags bedded down and fell asleep.

The next morning Rosholt woke everybody and herded them into the coffeeshop. He'd found a Native rservation that had a casino, and had parlayed his $5 into $200...enough for breakfast, beer and gas back to Squampton.
GOclimb

Trad climber
Boston, MA
Nov 18, 2010 - 03:11pm PT
I never got a chance to meet John, but in a way I feel connected to him. I started climbing in the Northeast, and it seemed that every time I hit a new milestone of hardest, longest, most beautiful and fantastic route for me, I would find out that John had led it - always in better style of course - TWENTY FIVE YEARS earlier. Nearly every damn time. I almost started to feel like it was a matter of time before I'd run into him soloing past me some day.

Oddly enough, lately I've been enjoying playing poker. I sure do wish I could have run into him at the crags one day, or had him take my money and teach me a thing or two about poker. The guy was clearly very cool, and he's missed even by those of us who've never met him.

Gabe O
the Fet

climber
Tu-Tok-A-Nu-La
Nov 18, 2010 - 03:40pm PT
harihari that story was awesome!
karabin museum

Trad climber
phoenix, az
Nov 18, 2010 - 03:41pm PT
I am bummed at the situation but really glad that John has been found.

John, I'll see you on the other side.........

Rock on! Marty
Floridaputz

Trad climber
Oakland Park Florida
Nov 18, 2010 - 04:43pm PT
Pretty impressive

http://www.rockclimbing.com/cgi-bin/routes/review.cgi?username=gambler;sb=Review_ClimbDate;format=short;mh=50
gumbyclimber

climber
Nov 18, 2010 - 04:49pm PT
RIP, John. You've been missed buddy.
SteveW

Trad climber
The state of confusion
Nov 18, 2010 - 04:52pm PT

I never met John, but it's always sad when
we lose a 'brother.'
My sincere condolences to John's family and friends.
MrHajji

climber
Phoenix
Nov 18, 2010 - 05:01pm PT
KPHO-TV in Phoenix covered John's disappearance in 2005 and is again working on the case today with the news that remains are identified. We are reaching out to any friends or family who might care to appear on camera to share thoughts about John's life and death. Please contact cbs5news@kpho.com. Thank you.
TwistedCrank

climber
Ideeho-dee-do-dah-day boom-chicka-boom-chicka-boom
Nov 18, 2010 - 05:10pm PT
John used to keep a tiny wired stopper - can't recall the size - on his key chain. That sliver held the result of an aerial boulder problem in the Black Canyon on a route he aptly named "The Plunge". Not a route that sees much tourist traffic, I believe. As John described it, he was going to retrieve that trinket no matter what.

RIP
MisterE

Social climber
Bouncy Tiggerville
Nov 18, 2010 - 05:28pm PT
RIP, John. Good to have some closure for those who have had concern over your disappearance all these years.

Erik Wolfe
looking sketchy there...

Social climber
Latitute 33
Nov 18, 2010 - 05:45pm PT
Only met John a few times at Red Rocks. Always a pleasure and replete with good stories. Glad there is some closure.
The Lisa

Trad climber
Da Bronx, NY
Nov 18, 2010 - 06:04pm PT
I have never met John Rosholt but it is sad when anyone in the community passes, and from reading the stories here it is certainly a loss for everyone who knew him.
I am so sorry for his family and friends.
susan peplow

climber
www.joshuatreevacationhomes.com
Nov 18, 2010 - 06:05pm PT
http://www.kpho.com/index.html

As mentioned in a previous post. AZ local TV is showing their spots at 5:30 & 6:45pm tonight.

~Susan
bmacd

Trad climber
100% Canadian
Nov 18, 2010 - 06:17pm PT
If his climbing gear was missing fom his residence and car then he wasn't soloing. Everything I have read leads me to suspect there was another person involved. Who drove John from the Casino to the climbing area ? The bits and pieces don't add up. This looks like a climbing accident, because it was made to look like a climbing accident.

Condolences to all friends and family. John was well known and admired by the Squamish climbing community
harihari

Trad climber
Squampton
Nov 18, 2010 - 06:43pm PT
A few more Rosholt stories (crosspost from mountainproject):

John and Peder Ourom were working on a new pitch on the Squamish Buttress. This new pitch was right beside the 10c pitch. Anybody who has climbed in Squamish knows that, on weekend afternoons, this pitch is a bottleneck, where party after party throws themselves at it and lineups are long. Fortunately, there is a palatial balcony from which to watch the action.

Anyway, Rosholt is up there in his aiders, flicking rocks out of the 12- crack they are working on. And along comes a guided party. The guide gets up in a huff when the odd bit of moss and pebble come down from the new crack fifteen feet right of the tourist route.

"Hey!" he yells up at Rosholt, "would you mind waiting until my clients and I have climbed past?"

"No way" says Rosholt, "progress can't wait!" They sent a few hours later and they called the pitch Progress Can't Wait, 5.12a


The Filth and I were once in Real Hidden Valley, and Filth was getting ready to try Fisticuffs. Rosholt was about to solo Illusion Dweller and Filth went up to him and said

"Have you done Fisticuffs?"

"Yeah."

"Do you know what size cams it takes?"

"Couldn't tell ya. When I climbed it, we didn't have cams."
divad

Trad climber
wmass
Nov 18, 2010 - 07:15pm PT
Sad, strange story.... condolences to all JR's family and friends.
CBclimber

Trad climber
Gunnison Valley, Colorado
Nov 18, 2010 - 07:52pm PT
Thank you for all the posts. My good friend Brent Armstrong was telling stories about Rosholt while bouldering at Red Rocks, just before they found the spine. I never met him, but feel connected, as I've lived in Gunnison for the last 11 years, and followed in his footsteps in Taylor Canyon, The Black and Red Rocks; it's incredible to read about these Rosholt stories, and I hope people keep sharing.

Condolences to all of his friends and family.

peace,
Luke
MH2

climber
Nov 18, 2010 - 08:36pm PT
One afternoon at Squamish John hooked up with Sig Isaac, who I happened to be climbing with that day. It seemed like a couple older guys who thought they were hard were checking each other out, but the difference is that John was hard. John had half a dozen books on poker theory and practice on the back seat of his car.

I hope his relatives (a sister?) can rest a little easier. The news makes a difference to me, too.




Messages 21 - 40 of total 127 in this topic << First  |  < Previous  |  Show All  |  Next >  |  Last >>
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