Bill Serniuk aka Blitzo

One of the great photo-documenters of rock climbing has passed away early this morning. I got a chance to meet him at Gordo-Fest about a year ago. He succumbed to cancer but was surrounded by some great people who saw him through to the end. Rest in peace. A one of a kind individual.

RIP Blitzo

Number 3 all time contributors to Mountain Project, number 1 in our hearts.

RIP Blitzo. Thanks for the views!

What a huge loss! I never met the man but always was a huge fan. His photos are incredible. And his contributions to the site were second to none. RIP

I was fortunate enough to be able to call him a friend.

supertopo.com/climbing/thre…

What?! How sad and how weird. I know him by are his photo contributions on this site ALL OVER southern California. I've come to know him as a foundation for Joshua Tree especially, among many others in Calif. Clearly, he is a founding member of the development of this site.

My condolences to his family and friends. He has a beautiful eye.

RIP, Blitzo. May your memory live on through your great work.

Sad to hear but his memory will live on through his many friends and vast portfolio of amazing photographs, many of which grace this website.

He set the standard for photography here. Thanks is all I can say. RIP.

I never met Blitzo, but as many others have said, his photo's were truly enriching. RIP

So many great photos!

After years of clicking on almost every photo of his that came up on the homepage slide-show, I finally just sent him an email thanking him for such inspiring shots. I'm sorry to hear he's gone, but it seems he lived a remarkable life. Does anybody know if his work is purchasable in book form? If not, I think it'd be a great project for someone near and dear to him to undertake, to commemorate his gift as a photographer.

RIP

Your photography will continue to inspire future generations of climbers, just as they have many of us here. RIP Blitzo.

blitzo gets my vote for best landscape photographer of all time. i know that sounds like a bold statement, but if you look at the number of once-in-a-lifetime photos he captured it is absolutely unreal. the number of beautiful settings that he witnessed is amazing. the number of photos that he took of these settings is beyond amazing. the number of these photos that did justice to the beauty of the settings is an unparalleled achievement in my book.

thanks for all of the great photos blitzo, as well as your kind comments on other people's photos.

RIP Blitzo... tku for the photos that have made my imagination roam for the past few years! Wish I got to meet him but through this site I feel like I did if even ever so slightly.

So sad. I was hoping to get to meet the man someday. He seemed like a great guy. All you have to do is browse through his photos to know this man lead a memorable life. RIP Blitzo.

Locker, can you post up the nOOb doing his little dance? That to me is the essential Blitzo right there.

RIP for sure. I always enjoyed his contributions and his photos were amazing.

Our friend Blitzo is deeply missed something not only his friends and family struggle with but the community at large. The legacy he left us is a special one with beautiful views, vistas, flowers and climbing photos in his huge portfolio. No doubt our lives have forever been changed by his absence and I mourn not only the loss of our friend but his ability to capture and share the wonderment of nature with us all.

Mike M - that photo you posted was of great pride for Blitzo. He won a photo contest with that shot and part of the reward included a 16 x 20 print. I was honored and moved the day he gave me his award print. That photo helped to keep my sanity as I worked my last few years of my 20+ year job and now hangs proudly among other Blitzo Photos in our home. Many pictures posted online over the past few months you can see it on the wall behind. I love it, I loved him and will be forever touched by his friendship.

I never met Blitzo but had serious respect for all of his images I'd seen through MP. Great, great stuff.

Earlier this year I noticed he voted one of my MP photos "Great" and commented on it. I was super flattered and even considered the notion that his MP account had been hijacked because a "Great" vote from Blitzo on one of my photos seemed just crazy.

RIP Bill Blitzo Serniuk