Maria Cranor - Stonemaster

Got word yesterday that Maria Cranor died. What a remarkable woman: climbing, business, and a late-in-life physicist... 

She is someone I wished I had had more time to be with.

Maria at John Bachar's memorial in Mammoth, 2009

presenting at the 2014 Oakdale Climbers Festival A Woman's Reach

Maria was a real gem of a person. Always nice, always thoughtful and personable. She was a tremendous person in so many ways. It's sad I'll never see her again.    :(

R.I.P. Maria

We have lost a friend and one of the greats. She touched so many lives with grace and a keen intellect.

She was also one of the instrumental individuals (so I was told) in creating Black Diamond from Chouinard in '89.  When I first started at BD, her name was still spoken around the building, but her tenure was way before my time.  Respect.  

The Divine M.

The BD crew used to stop by and spend the night at my place while on their way to JT for weekends.  Always made sure to have some M&Ms on hand just for Maria.

Fond memories of her laugh.

She hooked me up with work in the late 90s when I was just starting out on my own, learning how to balance obsessions like climbing and making a living at the same time. We had no real personal relationship but that one referral really helped out, even to this day. 

Maria leading the ultra classic Figures on a Landscape.

I met Maria some 30+ years ago. We were both on the AAC Access Committee (and what became the Access Fund in 1992). She was great help when I co-organized the Mountain Management Workshop which was one of the first national workshops on climbing management. When BD moved to Salt Lake City it was always good fun to stop in and chat. Her high heal Sportiva shoes were hilarious. After she retired from BD we would get together while she was studying at the U. It has been a while since I had seen her. She will be missed greatly.

Sad. Maria was one of the “gang” hanging out at Taquits and JT BITD. She was always fun to climb with and she wasn’t like the usual girl friends, hangers on. Maria was a climber and a dam good one. She earned her Stone Masters title the right way- leading Valhalla- and she had the respect from the “guys”. I always enjoyed running into her at the crags and cherish the memories of her.

I offer my sincere condolences to her Family and many Friends.

I first met Mariah out at JT in 1975...instantly friendly to my young self, and full of stoke. Years later, I believe it was summer of '81.....Tim Wagner and myself were up at Suicide, and climbed Sundance. Tim was cleaning that last pitch, and really struggling with one of my cam placements. (Friends were pretty new to us then) After 30 minutes and no success, he was over it, and I belayed him up. Once he was at the anchor, I had him lower me back down so I could have a go at one of my newest pieces of gear. Whilst using my homemade nut tool (modified aluminum shelf bracket), I managed to hook one of my fingers when the tool popped off the cam....the hook digging in behind the fingernail, and laying me open all the way to the second knuckle. Gushing blood, I continued to work on the stuck Friend, finally succeeding in it's extrication. By the time I reached Tim back at the belay, my shirt was soaked in blood, as was my entire arm. I caked the blown finger with chalk and we began the descent down the Weeping Wall gully. Nearing the bottom, Mariah spotted us....me in particular.....and my aforementioned bloodiness. She came BOUNDING up the descent route, wanting to assist.....thinking that I must have blown my juggler with the amount of blood on my sorry self. She led me to her pack at the base and proceeded to doctor me up enough to stop the blood until I arrived at the ER for a dozen stitches.

Mariah was the real deal....an astounding climber, and even better person. God rest her soul.