Legendary Rock Climber Dies by Falling

[liveonearth]

Nice article here on John Bachar, the climber who died last month. He started climbing at age 14, in Yosemite, in 1952. On the day of his death he was free soloing--climbing without a rope--and fell. He often climbed without backup. I like to contemplate the kind of skill and confidence that it takes to free solo. Either skill or confidence alone is not enough. Even with both, death is one tiny mistake away.