tim klein

The truth about going for it.

Below is our annual tribute to Climbers We Lost, here honoring those who left us in 2018. The climbers range in age from 20 to 96. Some people broke our hearts by leaving much too soon. Some lived long and at least died naturally. Climbers We Lost has in the six years since inception become an affirmation of how meaningful our endeavor is and how important our identities as climbers are to us. This year one young contributor, Danika Hill, in contacting us about her friend Haley Royko, 25, wrote, "Climbing was her life's joy, and she told me in 2015 that when she passed, she wanted to be included in your annual tribute. It is actually the only dying wish she made of me, and I want to make sure it happens." Each year we are concerned to think that we will inadvertently leave out some people. We encourage you to use the comments field to add photos and remembrances of others.

Tim Klein, 42, along with his climbing partner Jason Wells, died in a tragic accident on El Capitan, Yosemite, on June 2, 2018. Here, Jim Herson remembers his close friend Tim---his incredible capacity for compassion and empathy, and his nearly unparalleled resume on the Big Stone.

The two deaths of two beloved members of the climbing community has shaken the greater climbing world in a season during which speed-climbing has been front and center.