Tragic Lesson

A recent phenomenon has struck the climbing community, it is called solo climbing. This sort of climbing is really just a test of fate. Solo climbers test their strength, and the force of nature, when they decide to climb mountains without climbing equipment. Recently, Michael Reardon, perhaps the best known practitioner of solo climbing fell to his death in Ireland. Shortly after, on a rock ledge in Custer State Park, a sixteen year old boy who was solo climbing fell to his death. The boy was hiking with a group of male friends when he decided to try out the sport of solo climbing. Leaving his friends behind on the trail, this young teen decided to use his hands and feet in order to scale the mountain ledge.

The terrain that the boy was attempting to climb is even difficult for professional climbers to steep pitches and massive boulders that line the valley. This park has bolts and handles permanently attached into the side of trails because the routes are so difficult. The boy fell forty feet to his death when he made the fatal decision to try and climb the mountain side without equipment. This park is known to climbers from all over the world, and boasts some of the best terrain for climbers, but most climbers rely on bolts and safety equipment in order to complete the treacherous climbs. It took expert climbers and park rangers quite awhile to life the boy’s broken body from the rocks below the trail as the ridges are so steep and dangerous. Solo climbing is a risk that is not necessarily worth the benefits, and so far (no matter what age) solo climbing has proven to be the one sport that cannot be won.