Todd Skinner

Tuesday 24th October, 2006
Posted By: Admin

Free-climbing pioneer Todd Skinner was killed yesterday, October 23, while descending fixed ropes on the Leaning Tower in Yosemite. Details of the accident are incomplete, but it appears that he and his partner Jim Hewitt were working on a free route on the 1,200-foot monolith.

Skinner, with some 300 ascents, mostly all-free, in 26 countries, was arguably the most accomplished rock climber of the generation that marked the birth of sport climbing. Most notably, he was the first to free El Cap, via the Salathe Wall (VI 5.13b), with his longtime partner, Paul Piana, in 1988. Although their ascent marked El Cap’s first free climb (Lynn Hill wouldn’t free the Nose until 1994) it was controversial at the time because the duo applied sport and siege tactics to what was then considered a traditional wall. Skinner was also the first to free Half Dome's Direct Northwest Face, and helped put Hueco Tanks on the map, with his numerous hard free ascents including When Legends Die (5.13b), at the time one of America's hardest sport routes.

Today, Skinner is heralded as a pioneer for showing climbers worldwide the free potential of big walls, and how strength and determination can overcome adversity. Details on Skinner and the accident will follow as we receive them.

Skinner is survived by his wife Amy, son Jake, and daughters Hannah and Sarah.

From the NPS incident report:

...Skinner's fall occurred when he was rappelling. (Skinner's partner, Jim) Hewitt told investigators that he had been above Skinner when he fell. As he was rappelling on the low-stretch ropes that they had fixed on the route, Hewitt came to Skinner's Grigri descent device on the rope at the point where he’d fallen. The Grigri had a still-locked carabiner attached which had been connected to Skinner's harness. When Skinner's body was recovered, the belay loop on his harness was missing. The next day, rangers recovered a broken harness belay loop in vegetation at the base of the wall. It was very worn at the spot where the break had occurred. Hewitt later told investigators that Skinner was aware that the belay loop on his harness was in a weakened condition prior to the climb, and that they had talked about its poor condition three days earlier...

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From SF Chron story:

..."It's really affecting the climbing community because harness failure is pretty unusual -- it is not supposed to happen," said Ken Yager, president and founder of Yosemite Climbing Association. "It's gotten people thinking about their old harnesses now. I know I'm going to go out and buy a new one."

The part that broke, called the belay loop, is designed to be the strongest part of the climbing harness, but Hewett, 34, said Skinner's harness was old.

"It was actually very worn," Hewett said. "I'd noted it a few days before, and he was aware it was something to be concerned about." Friends of Skinner said he had ordered several new harnesses but they hadn't yet arrived in the mail.

On Monday's climb, Hewett said the belay loop snapped while Skinner was hanging in midair underneath an overhanging ledge.