RIP Eddie Phay

Search
Go

Discussion Topic

Return to Forum List
This thread has been locked
Messages 1 - 27 of total 27 in this topic
Prezwoodz

climber
Anchorage
Topic Author's Original Post - Dec 12, 2015 - 10:35am PT
I know many of you have probably never heard this name but some may have and I'd like to let those of you who knew him know that he's passed on.

He was an Alaskan legend who helped develop many crags and put up some serious climbs. We lost a great peice of the community as well as a friend...


Here's some videos from Eddie climbing classic Alaska style.

[url=" https://player.vimeo.com/video/62314050"] https://player.vimeo.com/video/62314050[/url]

Damn.



johntp

Trad climber
socal
Dec 12, 2015 - 10:50am PT
First I've heard of him. Sorry for your loss and condolences to family and friends.
climbski2

Mountain climber
Anchorage AK, Reno NV
Dec 12, 2015 - 10:54am PT
Really sucks to hear this. I'm not sure I met him but have friends who knew him.

Some more vid.
[Click to View YouTube Video]
F

climber
away from the ground
Dec 12, 2015 - 12:34pm PT
Eddie was a character. I remember a 20 hour storm bivy under a boulder nose to nose with him, getting the full stream of conciousness spray down. The next day on a route that was way over both our heads at the time. The sufferfest walk out with no water because we had used up our fuel the day before. Had some good times. With all the s hit he'd climbed, fallen off of, fallen into, and flew by, the last thing I expected to take him was ALS. Peace bro.
Erik Sloan

Big Wall climber
Yosemitebigwall.com
Dec 12, 2015 - 06:39pm PT
Wow, that is awful. I grew up down the street from Eddie. Super fun high energy guy. Eddie was the star pitcher on our little league team....and was always psyched...does anyone have more info/link to an article about this?
neebee

Social climber
calif/texas
Dec 12, 2015 - 08:29pm PT
hey there say, prezwoodz... oh my, :( thank you for sharing about someone
very special in your neck of the woods, and:

my condolences and prayers to and for his family and loved ones, :(
i will go learn who he was, thank you for sharing...
ß Î Ø T Ç H

Boulder climber
ne'er–do–well
Dec 12, 2015 - 10:58pm PT
bruh ...
Bent knee

Ice climber
VT
Dec 13, 2015 - 06:39am PT
What!

Eddie was such a great guy, I always loved climbing with him. I spent countless hours piddling about at Pivot Point doing traverses and listening to Ziggy Marley.

RIP Eddie
ncskains

Ice climber
Alaska
Dec 13, 2015 - 09:23am PT
This deeply saddens me.. Me and Eddie just met while on a local paragliding hill. I just moved from the bush back to anchorage area, we started to become good friends. We would "para-wait" talking about valley trips, flying and wanting to do some hard lines in the Alaska Range at the end of the summer, Eddie Vanished. I tried multiple times to find out where he went, no one in the valley climbing scene or flying crew knew or would say. Those of us who were mildly acquainted, assumed he travel south in his van and join the van life climbers and hope he one day returned to the great white north. Never in a million years we dreamed of eddie having ALS. I wish i reached out harder and was there because we had a ton of fun together. I was looking forward to climbing with you and sad that i never got the chance. RIP Brother, Ill miss you!
AKDOG

Mountain climber
Anchorage, AK
Dec 13, 2015 - 09:32am PT
Wow! Sad news
Only knew Eddie a little, but He was quite a character and he sure did love to spray, way to young

Condolences to his family and friends
christoph benells

Trad climber
Tahoma, Ca
Dec 13, 2015 - 09:39am PT
I've watched many of his videos for beta and stoke on Ak range climbs.

Here is props, to a life well lived, and knowing where to put your priorities. Not sure of what his family is like or if he had any, but it sounds like he sure had a family in the climbing community.

Hopefully he died happy and satisfied, with what he has seen and done in his lifetime.
Erik Sloan

Big Wall climber
Yosemitebigwall.com
Dec 13, 2015 - 02:15pm PT
I believe Eddie had an older brother that was quite a bit older. I couldn't find anything online about this. Did it just happen?
Chugach

Trad climber
Vermont
Dec 13, 2015 - 06:35pm PT
Power Bar Eddie. Damn, RIP Eddie
F

climber
away from the ground
Dec 13, 2015 - 06:42pm PT
Power bar Eddie!! Classic. I remember that now. He was proud of that. I choked down a few of those bars with him in the cold. I remember my jaw getting pumped. I think I was with him the first time he wore that blue Moonstone one piece. I feel bad about giving him so much sh#t for retro bolting a route I'd done. It's just fuking rock climbing, man. Human life is precious and fleeting.
cavemonkey

Ice climber
ak
Dec 13, 2015 - 10:58pm PT
RIP Eddie FA
King of the one bolt variations
They don't make em like that anymore
One of a kind
Always psyched
Annoying as hell and anti-social but in your face chatty with a smile
right before he hiked your proj
I had some major issues with his "style"
but it was just difference of opinion
cause style meant everything to EFA
so I never bothered bringin it up
life is so painfully fleeting
I climbed 1000' wi6/desert trad/ drytooled roadcuts/ and climbed trees for 20 years with the dude.....haven't seen him for a few....poof....gone
I hope those close to him see through the pain to finish living out their lives in style
Prezwoodz

climber
Anchorage
Topic Author's Reply - Dec 14, 2015 - 06:39pm PT
From those I've talked with a lot of us didn't know he had ALS. I talked with him when he was just heading out on his trip and how great it would be to get together. I contacted him a few times and tried to connect when he was down climbing but each time he didn't seem to be where I was and wouldn't respond until I had already moved on. I was really hoping to climb with him again and I always enjoyed his excitement for climbing. I don't have an article yet Erik. I only heard about it through Facebook so I'll let you know if I hear anything else.
bergbryce

climber
East Bay, CA
Dec 14, 2015 - 11:16pm PT
Eddie Phay from the SCAR?
Damn'. A Seward Highway hard man.
Erik Sloan

Big Wall climber
Yosemitebigwall.com
Dec 15, 2015 - 08:05am PT
Rest In Peace Eddie! Keep going big on the other side! Woot Woot!
William Finley

Social climber
Anchorage
Dec 15, 2015 - 10:21am PT
My condolences to the friends and family of Eddie. SCAK climbing wouldn't be the same without Eddie's vision and enthusiasm. I knew he had left the state... didn't know he was sick. I hope his final journeys on rock and in the air prepared him for what comes next.

Here is Eddies SCAK guide. 20 years of hard climbing:

And a couple good Phay videos. He never did learn how to edit - but that's ok.
Big whipper on eating crow. Jump to 55:00. Proof that that specter things actually work.
Shaken not stirred
Havard route
evanphillips.ak

Mountain climber
Anchorage
Dec 26, 2015 - 03:58pm PT
Thanks for the link Billy. I just watched the Eatin' Crow video with a nice warm cup of coffee. It almost felt like being with Eddie. What a character.
JMoncrieff

Big Wall climber
Houston
Dec 30, 2015 - 03:04pm PT
Whoa Dude! (as Eddie would often say)

He was a radster for sure. Climbed and pioneered many hard lines. Peace Bro
dafut

climber
Jan 6, 2016 - 06:08pm PT
Hi,
I'm not a climber, unless you're talking bits and bytes. I did, though, know Eddie Phay. We worked together at a couple different companies and in some ways, my company "sponsored" him on his trip to CA a couple years back.
Eddie was a friend. Don't think a person can ask for a better friend, really. And if you knew Eddie, you know why I say this.
In keeping with our memory of Eddie Phay, I'm working to keep his website, www.cragalaska.com, alive. It's now back up and running after a short period of downtime. At some point, I hope to move it--pretty much intact.

Here's to you, Eddie Phay. Thank you for the opportunity to share a part of my life with yours. You taught me so very much. Most importantly, you taught me grace, dignity and humility when, for you, all was lost. Be at peace, my friend.

Dan
johntp

Trad climber
socal
Jan 6, 2016 - 06:11pm PT
Cheers Dan; thanks for your efforts to keep things alive.
GDavis

Social climber
SOL CAL
Jan 7, 2016 - 12:50am PT
Thanks for your words Dan. It sounds like a tight community in Alaska, good people as well up there. Condolences to those who knew him, sounds like he was a great guy and looks like a damn talented climber. He'll be missed, and yet another one I wish I'd had the chance to meet.
Keri Lord

Trad climber
Anchorage, Alaska
Feb 12, 2016 - 08:05pm PT
My heart broke today when I ran into an old friend and she told me that Eddie had past away. As small as Anchorage is, sometimes it can be years before you run across people from your past. Be it fate or not , this friend was the one who introduced me to rappelling which turned into a love of climbing. I have the great privilege of saying I bought the first rope that ever crossed Eddie's hands and the first climbing shoes he ever put on his feet. We had a lot of great firsts. We had a climbing book, youth and Eddie's incredible dedication to any thing he set his sights on. We met a lot of fantastic people along the way, and I watched him embrace climbing with ever fiber in his body. Climbing is what also ended our bumpy six year relationship. I loved to climb, but like many things, it's different for everyone. Ed was completely taken by it. We were young and drifted apart. I saw him from time to time after we split, we were always friendly to each other and would play a quick game of catch up and how's the family. I can't remember now as I write this, the last time I saw him. With a heavy heart I say goodbye and thank you for all the memories. I will hold them close to my heart. Alaska is a little darker now that your light has left us. Rest in Peace, Ed.
BLUEBLOCR

Social climber
joshua tree
Feb 12, 2016 - 08:37pm PT
Thank You Keri, for that loving letter:)
cellardoor

Trad climber
berkeley,ca
Mar 11, 2016 - 05:57pm PT
Wow, this deeply saddens me. The news also comes at an interesting time... I moved back to Bishop and climbed in the Gorge for the first time today in two years. The last time I was here Eddie and I climbed all season together. We met in the coffee shop and made plans within 2 minutes of talking. I loved his intensity and drive to climb. He was efficient, meticulous, and driven to ALWAYS get after it. He perpetuated the stoke. It's hard to find compatible climbing partners and Eddie was PSYCHED, on it all, not just climbing. We were on the same stoke level and created a beautiful climbing partnership.

He changed my life and my climbing and was a big inspiration and mentor to me. I had been climbing for a few years and he taught me the ways of sport climbing, trying hard, and projecting efficiently. He nicknamed me the Stoke Engine and was always really supportive. We spent many days in that dusty ole' gorge and we'd talk about his alpine adventures and potential adventures we would share in the mountains. He came to Yosemite for a few days and we reversed roles and I took the leadership role when we did a new-school Yosemite classic, Voyager, 11c. Eddie can climb 5.13 regularly, but he wasn't as good at handjamming. On the last pitch, he tried the crux off the ledge without pro and fell back to the ledge. I finished the pitch for him and then he left towards Alaska the next day. That was the last time I saw him, but we were psyched to share more amazing adventures together in the future.

I thought SO much about him today climbing in the Gorge and how he would be saying "rock on sister" with the hang loose hand. He was hilarious. I have NEVER met anyone like him, truly a unique person. The world lost one of the coolest people I have ever encountered and one of my favorite climbing partners.

Rest in Peace Eddie. I will carry on your enthusiasm and stoke. Remember to stay close to the people you connect with, and really embrace that moment. One day we're here, and the next we're gone... I don't understand it. Maybe some day...

Alix
Messages 1 - 27 of total 27 in this topic
Return to Forum List
 
Our Guidebooks
spacerCheck 'em out!
SuperTopo Guidebooks

guidebook icon
Try a free sample topo!

 
SuperTopo on the Web

Recent Route Beta