John Bachar, R.I.P.

[boardman]

For the rock climbing enthusiasts in the T4T crowd like me, and I know there's a fair number, another revered member of the tribe passed away this past weekend. One of the true Yosemite legends, his is yet another in a long line of untimely well-known climber deaths this year. It's been a tough year. There's many posts on www.supertopo.com/climbing/forum.html

[RR]

Makes me want to retie my Bacchar Ladder and hang it higher and longer this time. He inspired much of my best progress in the early '90s.

I'll be climbing locally this w/e and thinking about him.

[PwdrHound]

Wow! That guy was amazing!!!!

Where's everyone climbing this weekend???? I'll be around North Conway...

[Rider.Steve]

I'm not a climber, but I couldn't help but dig a little into the Bachar story last night - such an amazing athlete and clearly an inspiration to many. Very sad that he won't be there for his son in the flesh.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03udLvtNR6Y
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0oIeK0YtclU&feature=related

[PwdrHound]

Great finds Steve!

I have come to admire John for many reasons. First, he did climb for the rest of his life, as he said he would do. His confidence in life and on the rock is admirable. It is still sad that he is gone. Mostly because he seemed like such a friendly, easy to like kind of guy. Today, so many climbers who reach his level and stature seem to be prone to growing huge egos and developing an elitists mindset, "Climbing Snobs" for the lack of a better term. It may have something to do with the $ponsors and VIP treatment. Non of which existed until much later in John's climbing career.

As I say, all that I have read about John over the last couple of days make it sound like he was a very likable and modest individual. Let him be an example to all those who play in the outdoors! Be kind, be gentle, be safe! Challenge yourself, not others!

[boardman]

If you search around over in the Supertopo.com forum, there are many posts from JB himself ("bachar") from past years. Some of his stories are just so amazing.

[RR]

I took it easy Sunday and after just the one route (the usual rope-solo 3x) fired up a Churchill and considered how much I owed to inspirational folks such as Bachar.

Then the heat drove me off the rock and into the trees where I took a longish walk and continued thinking about what it took to get me out from under that car and back to living.

My doctors all agreed that climbing would strengthen my core and support my ravaged spine...quite an Rx http://www.telemarktalk.com/phpBB/images/smiles/icon_eek.gif Naturally, it wasn't their idea, it was mine...but the credit for it goes to reading from and about Messner, Bonnington, Haston, Long and Bachar, and so many others.

One has no tolerance for TV month after month, reading of the climbs and the climbers was not just an inspiration it was an analgesic. I mentioned that to my RPT and was instantly pushed into a new level (of pain, in case it matters) and I started making better progress.

Bachar's training ideas and his ladder were practically the first serious guides I happened upon, so up went the ladder and so did I, eventually getting two dozen laps daily.

If anybody sees me on .10 these days they are seeing somebody else. Give me my little adventure climbs and I'm happy...except for the hikes out....the knees just hate that part!

Anyway, between the skiing and the climbing my spine gives less trouble than my insurance company worried about when it looked like I might loose the ability to walk.

So yes, Bachar was heroic, and not alone! It tickles my funnybone when I think of all the pet-doctors and lawyers for the insurance company and how they owe so much savings to a few climbers and not to their own efforts.

Thanks for restoring my "vision"!