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velvet!
Trad climber
La Cochitaville
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Topic Author's Original Post - Nov 18, 2017 - 10:47am PT
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“Silence buries someone deeper than dirt.” Niels told me after another friends fatal climbing accident. So here I am, shouting at the internet:
It is with the deepest of sorrow that we share the loss of Niels Tietze.
A self professed Luddite, he wasn’t much for the internet but those of us that knew him and climbed with him will forever feel his absence.
Thank you to YOSAR for bringing one of their own home last night.
Those if you who didn’t know him can get a glimpse of his light in this short film by Chris Alstrin
https://vimeo.com/135824574
I will write more when time and sadness allow.
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mikeyschaefer
climber
Sport-o-land
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Nov 18, 2017 - 11:39am PT
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This makes me really sad. Niels energy was off the charts. He really was a special man.
I'd always hoped to roped up with him at some point.
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Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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Nov 18, 2017 - 01:11pm PT
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Let's remember to tell those we love that we do,
make the most of every moment we have, (we have few),
and celebrate in that making our friends who would be with us if they could.
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E
Ice climber
mogollon rim
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Nov 18, 2017 - 02:38pm PT
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wtf
what happened? I was jus cillin with nils about a month ago.
one of the nicest guys ever
safe travels over the rainbow bridge friend
rip
EE
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crackers
climber
portlandia
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Nov 18, 2017 - 03:29pm PT
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Yep. Been talking to Libby.
F*#k 2017!
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WBraun
climber
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Nov 18, 2017 - 04:27pm PT
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Neils was a very good man ....
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Mom
Social climber
So Cal
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Nov 18, 2017 - 05:39pm PT
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Totally unaware of Niels passing, I put in a call to my ranger son this afternoon. He returned my call but by the tone & cadence of the “Hello, Mom. I .. “ spoken by him, I knew something close to his heart had happened. He went on to share that a ‘climbing buddy’ who had served on YOSAR WITH & FOR him had lost his life and that he and his wife, who has also worked YOSAR as medical staff, were on their way to bring him to the valley. “You know, Mom, he was at our house last week, hanging out, just chillin’ and talking world, climbing & SAR stuff. And now.... gotta go... we’ve got to get on the road and get him down here...”
My sincere and most heart felt condolences to Niels’ family, loved ones, climbing cadre, friends, buddies, and admirers. And especially his mother and dad if they are still with us. No family should lose their three sons to the granite and the chalk dust.
PS - Ed, Thank you for reminding us what is the most important part of our lives... there is the secret of life wisdom in your monologue, advise, admonishment .... if only that was somehow embedded in our genetic material so that it would be a natural daily occurance instead of a conscious have to be reminded part of who we are & what we do.
To all who climb, to all who love climbers and the sport may you be well, be safe, be blessed. Mom
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Slim Bob
Trad climber
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Nov 18, 2017 - 05:58pm PT
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Here he is on a run up to El Cap Spire, smiling, positive as ever!!
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ryankelly
climber
Bhumi
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Nov 18, 2017 - 06:45pm PT
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damn...dude was an inspiring climber
Heart goes out to all who loved that guy
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velvet!
Trad climber
La Cochitaville
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 18, 2017 - 09:04pm PT
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Slim Bob - that photo is perfection. He loved that route best of them all.
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Plaidman
Trad climber
West Slope of Powell Butte, Portland, Oregon, USA
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Nov 19, 2017 - 01:33am PT
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Damn! I owed Niels a huge debt as he bailed me out of a huge epic a few years ago. I’ll just have to pay it forward now by helping someone that’s in trouble.
Sure loved that guy. He will always be one of my heroes.
Thx Niels. You will be in my heart and live on in stories forever!
Plaid
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Rhodo-Router
Gym climber
sawatch choss
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Nov 19, 2017 - 05:34am PT
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Humble, encouraging, and wise. I am so sorry.
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kdc
Mountain climber
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Nov 19, 2017 - 07:09am PT
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Niels and I met in the Silencio Valley in Patagonia and became close friends. He was a rare soul, kind and true.
His quote "Silence buries someone deeper than dirt" comes from one of his favorite poems by Gegorgy Orr he shared with me once:
"Silence. Does silence
Make things vanish?
Or confirm
their disappearance?
Is the beloved
Who has died
Buried more deeply
By silence
Than by earth?
Even closed
And locked away
The Book whispers
About the beloved
In dreams. Still,
It's a whispering
Difficult to understand,
Impossible almost.
But if we find
The Book and open it,
If we find the poem
That is trying to find us,
The poem the beloved
Wrote and sent out
On the long journey
Toward our heart- if
We find that poem
It all makes sense
And the silence recedes
Before the beloved's
Quiet voice speaking to us."
Silence will not bury him, and he will be deeply missed by all who knew him.
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Gnome Ofthe Diabase
climber
Out Of Bed
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Nov 19, 2017 - 07:51am PT
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As a passing gust of wind , a schoking thing is here;
The resovior is empty, There are no more tears to shed
Agreat Man is dead
His heavy heart'd friends must trudge on
Heads bow'd against the torrent in saddness,
Against the torrent feet like clumps of lead
The paths shared now clouded, by shared memories and dread
How could one so bold and Vital
So stong of will and moreHow came this Tradgedy
Why is this ala' ways so hard to justify?
A climbers world is full of ghosts
Whos mortal coil shed,
have
we must always hope
Gone on to fly among us as we balance on the edge.
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cellardoor
Trad climber
berkeley,ca
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Nov 19, 2017 - 08:07am PT
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Mungeclimber
Trad climber
Nothing creative to say
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Nov 19, 2017 - 08:23am PT
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Noooooooooooooo
This sucks.
Niels was the "strong back, weak mind," that he said in a self deprecating way, that met us on top of Zod. Generous of spirit immediately extended an invite to beers.with the locals.
Had hoped.to return the favor one day as climbers do.
Rest well dear Valley Spirit
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SC seagoat
Trad climber
Santa Cruz, Moab, A sailboat, or some time zone
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Nov 19, 2017 - 08:31am PT
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Absolute heart ache.
This has been a horribly tough year.
May his family and friends find peace and serenity through their grieving.
Susan
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WanderlustMD
Trad climber
New England
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Nov 19, 2017 - 08:37am PT
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Very sorry to hear this.
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neebee
Social climber
calif/texas
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Nov 19, 2017 - 09:07am PT
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hey there, say, velvet! :( oh my, this is very awful... very sad...
my condolences to his family and loved ones... :(
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astray
Sport climber
where the heart was
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Nov 19, 2017 - 09:28am PT
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his carbon is back within the matrix.
i hope some of mine merries up with his
and we, together as some future entity
author a proud mutual reality.
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Grippa
Trad climber
Salt Lake City, UT
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Nov 19, 2017 - 10:12am PT
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Another brutal loss. 2017 has been a trying year.
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Lambone
Big Wall climber
Ashland, Or
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Nov 19, 2017 - 10:41am PT
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I’m sorry to hear this tragic news. I didn’t know Niels but I’ve heard so much about him over the years. So many wild stories from all the monkeys. I hope those stories are never lost or forgotten.
Sad day for the tribe...
I don’t know the details of the accident but when hero’s like Niels and Richie fall it reminds us never to let our guard down. 😪
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nopantsben
climber
europe
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Nov 19, 2017 - 01:46pm PT
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I’ll miss Niels deeply. My sincere condolences to Niels’ parents and sister, you Lib, and everyone else who had the chance to share time with him.
Sadness ...
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mouse from merced
Trad climber
The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.
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Nov 19, 2017 - 02:21pm PT
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I can only add my condolences here, especially to Libby.
You've had a rough patch here lately, kid.
I wish a handstand could help, but can't do them any longer.
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Mousey
climber
Heaven Headquarters, CA
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Nov 19, 2017 - 05:05pm PT
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That time Niels plugged his pottery wheel into the Camp 4 bathrooms and we threw mugs together in the middle of the walkway.
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drF
Trad climber
usa
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Nov 19, 2017 - 08:25pm PT
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Damn terrible loss
Another gem moved onto the next life
Sorry to those that were close to him ;-(
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cellardoor
Trad climber
berkeley,ca
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Nov 19, 2017 - 09:09pm PT
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This one time, on Freerider, Niels rapped in to Long Ledge with a food and water drop, insisting that he could long line it to us at Sois Le Tois. We were dubious of his tactics, but it did in fact land right at us. He saved us. Then, he proceeded to rap the headwall and microtraxion it out, CLEAN. All the while talking to me as I lead the first Enduro Corner. At one point, I had to tell him to stop distracting me so I could climb the crux.
Passionate, impulsive, flashy, talented, tormented, a whirlwind of poetics and science, here one day and hidden the next. Niels was a ridiculous human. F*#k...
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Delhi Dog
climber
Good Question...
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Nov 19, 2017 - 09:24pm PT
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Super bummed to hear.
While I did not know Niels it's always tough losing someone you care for.
Condolences to all Niels family and friends:(
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neebee
Social climber
calif/texas
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Nov 19, 2017 - 09:57pm PT
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hey there say, mousey... oh my...
thank you for sharing this... thank you for teaching who
this climber was...
as to this 'skill' of his,
what a really neat, sweet, and fun thing
to do! THERE...
Nov 19, 2017 - 05:05pm PT
That time Niels plugged his pottery wheel into the Camp 4 bathrooms and we threw mugs together in the middle of the walkway.
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The Abundant Ambassador
Social climber
Reno, NV
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Nov 19, 2017 - 10:03pm PT
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Truly, one of the most magical unicorns I have ever met!
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The Abundant Ambassador
Social climber
Reno, NV
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Nov 19, 2017 - 10:19pm PT
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Some appropriate words from his mouth last month-
"Attachment. Well there's the rub. To recognize that we all must pass from this world, that even our loved ones too are but temporary visitors. Where then does the possesiveness and betrayal that people feel for one another?
I was just reading an exercise in one of the dalai lama's books where, in order to express true compassionate equinimity(not just to your identified tribe), one visualizes circumstances of friendship dissolving or loved ones doing harm so as to free the mind from attachments to a distorted reality. Which is a lot of words to say, the inward journey is the last true adventure. "
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BLUEBLOCR
Social climber
joshua tree
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Nov 19, 2017 - 10:46pm PT
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a very unfortunate loss to the tribe
Sincere condolences to Niels family
RIP young monkey
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Fluoride
Trad climber
West Los Angeles, CA/Joshua Tree
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Nov 19, 2017 - 11:21pm PT
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Heartbreaking.
Never met this wonderful soul but he helped so many in Nepal and Africa with the gift of sight as he and Timmy O'Neill got trained as ophthalmology techs a few years back to help in Dr.Geoff Tabin's Himalayan Cataract Project. That's some serious medical commitment. People in far off lands are now able to see this beautiful world through Niels' volunteer efforts. Have followed their amazing and inspirational work. What a huge loss.
Such insanely talented climber, and so kind and selfless. RIP. Awful to lose such a valued member of our community. Just remember all of those people who he helped give the gift of sight. Very few of us can pass on without doing such inspiring and life-changing work for total strangers.
http://theprobar.com/dr-tabin-myprobarstory/
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Vitaliy M.
Mountain climber
San Francisco
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Nov 20, 2017 - 07:15am PT
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I'm tired of bitching about nice people passing away. Maybe our climbing community is simply full of good guys and ladies? Niels was very fun to hang out with, even though he was like a phantom, he is here and in a few minutes he was somewhere else. I ran into him in random places and always enjoyed his positive go for it attitude. Last year I took a few nice shots of him sending this 5.13 at Indian Creek. He had a f*#king smile on his face through the powerful, overhanging crux with thin fingers and very shitty feet. His spirit will live in within those that had the pleasure to interact with him on earth. Really hope that we do have souls and move on to a better place...people like him deserve a better place.
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Dan McDevitt
Social climber
tioga cliff or fifi buttress
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Nov 20, 2017 - 11:00am PT
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Niels was the friendliest badass climber i've ever known. Glad i was able to hang with him. Here's some shots from a few years ago. Gonna miss you buddy
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shylock
Social climber
mb
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Nov 20, 2017 - 06:47pm PT
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Definitely a larger than life kind of guy. Last I heard he was gettin his ranch on the east side all squared away. Too damn sad..
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BLUEBLOCR
Social climber
joshua tree
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Nov 20, 2017 - 08:06pm PT
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Beautiful pics Dan!
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gumbyclimber
climber
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Nov 21, 2017 - 12:43am PT
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We didn’t do a lot together, but got way out there when we did; farther out there than I know he’d want me to detail. Our relationship wasn’t built around rocks and ropes, but loss, the physical world we’re stuck in, and improving our own mental condition. We pushed and challenged each other with the subtly of our words and I owed him a debt of gratitude I don’t feel was ever fully expressed. It hurts much to hear this. My heart goes out to Libby and his parents.
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anita514
Gym climber
Great White North
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Nov 21, 2017 - 08:23am PT
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JLP
Social climber
The internet
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Nov 21, 2017 - 09:13am PT
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Chatted with him a bit when he was working on the free linkup. He seemed like a solid guy - friendly, talented, psyched, full of life. Very sorry to hear of this.
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North
climber
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Nov 21, 2017 - 09:49am PT
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This news is absolutely heartbreaking. I met Niels on top of El Cap about 4 years ago after my friend and I finished up The Shield. Niels is gonna help us out with humping loads down. He shows up that evening with a huge smile and congratulations for us. “Man, I was wondering if you guys were gonna just move in up there”, he says as we had to bivy on the headwall for a couple of days waiting out a storm. His enthusiasm was infectious. Then comes the man’s strength. As darkness sets in, he sets up both haulbags and ledges and starts the hump down with both loaded up like a T. We enjoy a pleasant night on top and an easy stroll down the next morning. When we meet up with him at his YOSAR site, we ask how much. He smiles and replies, “132 pounds!”. I’m dumbfounded and then say, “no, how much do we owe you?” “Oh, that”. We pay him and his smile gets even bigger as he says, “cool, now I can get my clutch fixed.” Awesome!!
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velvet!
Trad climber
La Cochitaville
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 22, 2017 - 05:47pm PT
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My friends...the family is planning a memorial on December 2nd in Salt Lake.
More details to come.
All heart and fuerza as Niels would have written.
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edinburgh_man
climber
Midpines, California
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Nov 22, 2017 - 06:37pm PT
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To be alive: not just the carcass
But the spark.
That's crudely put, but…
If we're not supposed to dance,
Why all this music?
~ Gregory Orr
You are missed, buddy.
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Fletcher
Boulder climber
Institute of Better Bouldering-DirtbagDad Division
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Nov 24, 2017 - 07:16pm PT
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I am so sorry.
I am now on the one post per calendar year plan (all I can afford according to Chris Mac), so I have to choose what to post very judiciously and with great care. This seems like the one for 2017.
I didn't know Neils, but as happens with our clan, I already do know him. That recognizable spirit, lightness, and sense of presence are familiar. The connection and friendship that comes easily for those who are at home moving through the natural world. The awareness, unspoken, that we share the same perspectives and approaches.
This has been a strange and difficult year. Neils, we painfully know, is not the first to have suffered an event that brings us to dark reflection. "I wiped away my millionth tear of the season and cracked a cold one in his honor." So well put.
I am so sorry.
Peace, cold ones, and hugs (apply in order as you see fit).
Eric
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donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
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Nov 24, 2017 - 07:28pm PT
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I didn’t know Neils but it sounds like he was an exceptional person. It has been a dufficult year with the loss of so many young climbers whose human qualities exceeded even their exceptional climbing ability.
Having lost my son when he as twenty, I know what the heartache is like.
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Nicojah
climber
Bogota, Colombia
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Nov 25, 2017 - 05:28am PT
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From a text i wrote about NielsT
Niels inspired trust. He exuded the affection of a lovable wombat, yet he was as patient as a rattler sunning on a ledge. His empathy permeated every conversations, from the deepest to the most superficial. He listened and knew to tune out distractions. He countered and delved into perspectives you hadn’t thought of yet. We often end up using the word real to describe these types of friends. Perhaps real is how we want to differentiate what we deem authentic from the rest of our noisy lives and the relentless performance. Niels once told me that all societies wear masks, and that Americans were specialized in constantly doing things just to prove they can. Maybe this explains his disdain for Instagram and social media, little more than a performer’s stage, a parade of fine physiques engaged in the ungraceful dance to win contests of sponsorship, likes, and popularity. Do we have to continually prove to ourselves that we exist?
“I got dropped from a big climbing trip to the Chilean Patagonia for not being famous and pretty enough. There are all kinds of hilarity surrounding the growing number of climbing expeditions these years. Where are those in pursuit of total adventure? Seems a rare breed to me.”
full text: https://nicoparco.com/eulogy-niels-tietze/
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cellardoor
Trad climber
berkeley,ca
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Nov 25, 2017 - 08:16pm PT
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I thought he drove off, peering from the Meadow out of the corner of my eye, heading who knows where - Florida, Ethiopia, maybe back to Tuolumne? I walked out to my van with a sunken heart. He just left. No goodbye.
But he hadn’t. He’d been packing away his life into the mess of his truck - haul bags, journals, books of poetry, dead flowers, animal bones, incense, body odor.
Keep it cool, Alix. I reminded myself. Walk on past.
He stopped in the middle of the road. Confused, I was. He got out, kissed me, said he might never see me again and then drove away.
Am I in love? Who is this person? What the f*#king f*#k was that?
Minutes later, I found his scribble on a piece of paper on my van, ‘Don’t break too many holds or hearts this season. Stay Gold. - Niels’
A few days later, he told me to check the post office. There, he'd left a package with a small mug he'd made, just big enough for a morning coffee from a percolator (his favorite method of caffeinating). I loved that mug.
--
I've been writing memories of our time shared together. Niels was so ridiculous. I loved it. I loved him. As Libby said earlier this week, 'hard to love, hard to hate.' Despite the heartache and frustration at times, he always made me smile and laugh. He was such a romantic. Oh, Niels...
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donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
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Nov 30, 2017 - 11:49am PT
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What a nice remembrance! I think you should post it in a new thread so that it doesn't get lost. Sometimes people don't go back to threads they have already visited.
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Clint Cummins
Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
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Nov 30, 2017 - 03:36pm PT
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Beautiful piece, Libby. So sorry for your loss(es).
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Mungeclimber
Trad climber
Nothing creative to say
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Nov 30, 2017 - 07:58pm PT
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thx Velvet. He won't be forgotten.
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velvet!
Trad climber
La Cochitaville
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 30, 2017 - 09:09pm PT
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For anyone interested in joining Niels' friends and family at his Storytelling Memorial December 2nd, please reach out to me for the specifics.
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Lambone
Big Wall climber
Ashland, Or
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Nov 30, 2017 - 09:12pm PT
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Amazing writeup, thank you. ((Hugs))
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Wen
Trad climber
Bend, OR
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Nov 30, 2017 - 10:14pm PT
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Libby your sadness is shared, he sounded like an incredible soul. I'm sorry you're having to endure his loss.
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ryankelly
climber
Bhumi
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thanks for writing and sharing these stories here Libby (I'm not on FB so wouldn't see otherwise)
i'm sad and simultaneously inspired
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Shiho
Trad climber
Salt Lake City
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I recently learned about his passing through mutual friends and it broke my heart.
I met him about 8 or 9 years ago in Yosemite. He was growing spinach in the back of his truck. I wanted to ask him if the plant I saw then was really spinach the next time I ran into him. He was also spraying lots of bleach all over his truck, telling me that bleach would keep the bears off. Did it work, Niels?
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Ezra Ellis
Trad climber
North wet, and Da souf
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Niels was the real deal,
My life is poorer for not having known him.
My sincere condolences Libby.
He certainly squeezed the marrow out of life.
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Bad Climber
Trad climber
The Lawless Border Regions
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I never met Niels, and now I never will. What an amazing guy. Hang in there, friends and family. Sincere condolences.
BAd
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TomCochrane
Trad climber
Cascade Mountains and Monterey Bay
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Hey all the rest of you incredibly wonderful young climbers, how about if you stay around with us in the material universe for a good while longer; so you can share with us the magic of your vision and knowledge!
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Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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YOSAR representing at the bridge, May 30, 2011
"To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time"
Robert Herrick
Gather ye rosebuds while ye may,
Old Time is still a-flying;
And this same flower that smiles today
To-morrow will be dying.
The glorious lamp of heaven, the sun,
The higher he's a-getting,
The sooner will his race be run,
And nearer he's to setting.
That age is best which is the first,
When youth and blood are warmer;
But being spent, the worse, and worst
Times still succeed the former.
Then be not coy, but use your time,
And, while ye may, go marry:
For having lost but once your prime,
You may forever tarry.
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Mungeclimber
Trad climber
Nothing creative to say
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Nov 17, 2018 - 07:24pm PT
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Happened to click through to Niels thread from another series of posts.
How can it be I stumbled on this one today, originally posted a year ago, almost to the day?
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