Lost Another Climbing Buddy

[Brody]

I just got this in an email from another friend, Bob Pearson, who runs climbs for the CMC. Craig was a good friend of mine and fellow author. We did quite a bit of climbing together, he helped with a lot of information on my Front Range Crags guidebook, specifically for the Cache La Poudre/Big Thompson areas, and we had plans to co author a couple of other guidebooks.

Everything that was said in the article is true and leaves no room for expansion...ie: big heart, generous, and extremely experienced. He is also the person responsible for almost all of the route development on Combat Rock, the big rock on the left up past Drake on the way to Storm Mountain, and a major route developer for rock climbing routes on Grey Rock and the whole Cache La Poudre valley. At one point we found out that we were dating the same woman, who had professed to be carrying on a closed relationship with both of us. We both got a laugh out of that one and promptly dropped her...

Just another note to let folks know that Mother Nature is a royal *****, the outdoors is something that you cannot control, and you can get hurt or killed no matter how safe and experienced or well equipped, mentally or physically, you are.

We'll miss ya, Man!

From Bob Pearson:

Craig Lubben is author of- amongst other books- "Rock Climbing", the text for new climbers and possibly one of the best new climber to expert climber books written. Craig (met him at the opening of the AMC Museum) was a low key, really nice guy in person, and a good climber.
He will be missed. Be careful out there.
bob

Taboo Glacier approaches the notch by the South Ridge route, via Boston Basin and a tongue of snow over the top of the moat is commonly the best and safest way to the notch. Ugh.

Colorado mountain climber Craig Luebben killed in North Cascades
By Susan Gilmore
Seattle Times staff reporter

A well-known Colorado mountain climber was killed and his partner was injured Sunday when ice fell from beneath in North Cascades National Park.

The climber who was killed, Craig Luebben, and Willie Benegas were training for an American Mountain Guide exam at the time of the accident, said Mark Gunlogson, with Seattle's Mountain Madness. Benegas worked for Mountain Madness.

The accident happened early Sunday morning on Mount Torment in the North Cascades, near Marblemount.

Benegas was briefly hospitalized.

According to Gunlogson, Luebben fell into an ice moat, like a crevasse. Benegas said there was no warning, according to Gunlogson.

"It's one of those things, a hazard climbers confront in the North Cascades," said Gunlogson. "These were two incredibly experienced climbers."

Kelly Bush, the district ranger with North Cascades National Park search and rescue, said the two climbers had crossed the upper part of the Taboo Glacier, with Luebben leading. A chunk of ice fell beneath him and he fell about 40 feet into the moat, hanging from his rope and suffering massive trauma.

Luebben was still alive when Benegas was able to climb down to him, move him to a ledge and call 911 for rescue. But Luebben died before he could be rescued, said Bush, adding that neither climber did anything wrong in their ascent. "This kind of thing is inherent in mountaineering," she said. "These men were highly skilled, on top of their game. Some of the elite of mountain climbing."

Luebben lived in Colorado and was a well-known climber, writer, photographer and teacher, said Simon Fryer, with Colorado Mountain School.

According to his Web site, Luebben climbed all over the world and made first ascents on rocks in Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, West Virginia, Canada, Mexico, Cuba, Puerto Rico and other climbing locations. He also wrote seven books on climbing.

"Craig was an incredible, generous individual with a huge heart," said Fryer. "He was a teacher at heart. He always went way out of his way to help people. Craig did it all. Anything in the mountains he loved."

[4Runninfun]

wow very sorry to hear this tragic story. But you're absolutely right any time you venture out of the city you need to be prepared.

[Funrover]

I was reading about that yesterday. Prayers are with the family/friends

[WINKY]

Sad to hear of this Pete. It is hard to lose good friends. We are here for ya if you need anything.

[Trailrat99XJ]

Rest in peace Craig! Sorry about your buddy Brody.

[1freaky1]

Sorry to hear that sad news Pete, we are all here for you! Prayers out to his family also.

[Funrover]

http://www.craigluebben.com/

http://www.denverpost.com/sports/ci_13034249

http://www.climbing.com/news/hotflashes/craig_luebben_killed_in_north_cascades/

[Brody]

Thanks to you all! I appreciate this and the good thoughts behind it.

Since I started doing climbing and all sorts of other back country sports-about 40 years ago- I started losing friends and people I know. Mostly this was caused by the inherent dangers involved with any 'high risk' sport, some of it was caused by simple human error. If you pursue high risk activities, simple human error many times is ...well...simply fatal.

Many of the friends and climbing/skiing/boarding buddies that I had are no longer with us. I was, at one point, losing at least 2 people I knew a year. Many of my friends have survived some 'death fall' with only bruises or rope burns...and by a quirk of fate, nothing more...myself included. Many of my friends have stopped climbing due to accidents and close calls and taken up other, less hazardous, sports. Quite a few of my friends have committed suicide after injuring themselves beyond the point of no return. I had another that did that when he was diagnosed with a terminal illness. Their life,their call, as I do not judge this one way or another..

Many others, including myself, simply dust ourselves off, call it good enough, give a little 'thank you' that it wasn't us, and vow to be a little more on top of things next time. If you continue with 'high risk' sports, you are going to need to come to terms with the fact that you can die doing them and that you need to get a handle on the whole 'death' thing...or quit and do something else. Craig was like this.

Anyway, thanks again. Losing people you are friends with or love is never easy no matter the manner of death. It leaves a hole in your heart that will never be filled with anything other than memories...

[Aaron]

I am sorry to hear this Brody. You and your friends family and friends will be in our prayers.

[Roostercruiser]

im sorry .our condolences

[white collar redneck dad]

Sorry to hear brody. Our condolences are out to you and his family.

[Patrolman]

Sorry to hear brody. Our condolences are out to you and his family.

Same here. Let us know how any of us can be of help.

[Chris]

Missed this Pete, echoing everyone else. Sorry to hear you were friends, heard it on the news.

[dr350jja]

Unexpected 'things' can happen anytime, anywhere. Brings to mind the recent incident where someone went off Mt. Herman Road, when part of it collapsed. You just NEVER know.

[Rob]

Sad news, Pete. Good friends are hard to find. As someone once said, a friend is someone who will bail you out of jail. A good friend will be sitting next to you in the cell saying, "Damn, that was fun." You're the kind of guy who has those kinds of friends.

[WINKY]

not to be cold but im sure he died doing what he loved. I hope i go out that way, doing what i love.

[Brody]

not to be cold but im sure he died doing what he loved. I hope i go out that way, doing what i love.

That's not cold, Randy, and he was doing what he loved to do. Like I had mentioned, doing high risk sports, you better get a handle on the dying thing pretty quick and if it bothers you, you need to do something else...

[Chris]

I may be splitting hairs but the "died doing what he loved" phrase drives me nuts. I've told my kids that if I die due to effing up on a mountain and tumble 1000's of feet to my death that they can be certain I didn't die doing what I love.

[Brody]

I may be splitting hairs but the "died doing what he loved" phrase drives me nuts. I've told my kids that if I die due to effing up on a mountain and tumble 1000's of feet to my death that they can be certain I didn't die doing what I love.

I like it! Yes indeed! Climbing I love, falling is something that happens. Hitting the deck is no fun and the ground is hard. The 'fun' is in the climbing part....

Maybe it should have been clarified a bit: Up until the huge, car sized block of ice tagged him, knocking him off the rock, causing serious injuries that resulted in death, Craig was doing what he loved to do. I am sure that Craig, wherever he is, is laughing a bit at this and would agree wholeheartedly....

I have taken some huge (200' plus...that is like falling from a 20 story building) climbing falls and many that weren't huge, merely big (50-100'). I was 'doing what I loved' until the time of the fall, then it became...well...something else...but still part of the sport.

Bren used to compete professionally in mountain bike racing and he told me this story that relates. He was practicing for an upcoming race that had a few big jumps on it. He was looking at this BMX double jump wherever he was and the people there were looking at him on his mountain bike and going "No way". Well, Bren eyes this double, figures he can do it, and takes off. He gets it a bit wrong, sticks his front wheel on top of the second jump, craters himself, demolishes the bike, misses the race and ends up with some broken bones. He also was doing what he loved until he realized that he was going to hit his front wheel on the top of the hill.

I was doing some back country boarding and managed to end up high in the air over a 40x40' patch of scree that was filled with some impressive rocks..I though that I was going to break some bones for sure as there was nothing else to do except suck the board up to my butt and relax when I hit. Well, I didn't break anything, but it sure felt like it. I managed to gimp down to my car for some liquid first aid and ice at Jenny's in Empire. I was having "doing what I loved" up until I topped that ridge top at high speed and saw all of that scree with no snow on it and realized that there was no way in the world that I was going to avoid it.

Anyone that rides motorcycles or has ridden them hard in the past knows the same feeling...One minute you are "doing what you love" the next you are in very serious "Oh ****!" land...

[4Runninfun]

yup it's not the falling that i mind so much, it's the sudden stop at the end.

[Pathrat]

Missed this Pete, echoing everyone else. .

Losing good guys is a tough part of life, we are sorry you lost a friend.

[DETN8R]

Sorry to hear about your friend Pete.

[Brody]

This article was sent to me by my friend Bob Pearson and was written by another friend, Stewart Green, yet another Falcon author like Craig and I are. Stewart has written many books, of which Climbing Colorado is but one of them.

Details on Craig Luebben's Tragic Climbing Accident

Monday August 10, 2009
http://z.about.com/d/climbing/1/0/_/8/-/-/CraigLuebben_WhenDovesCry_RedRiverGorgeKY_2.jpg
Details are emerging about the death of Craig Luebben, a well-known climbing guide and author from Colorado, who died yesterday in a freak climbing accident on the southeast face of 8,120-foot Mount Torment in North Cascades National Park (http://usparks.about.com/blplanner-ncascades.htm).
Leubben and partner Guillermo “Willie” Benegas were climbing the Torment-Forbidden Traverse route, a mile-long Grade III rock and ice route that connects Mount Torment and Forbidden Peak. The long moderate route includes technical snow and ice up to 50 degrees, rock climbing, and scrambling on easier terrain.
http://z.about.com/d/climbing/1/0/Z/8/-/-/MountTorment_Cascades_2.jpg
As the pair neared the top of the Taboo Glacier below Mount Torment’s southeast face at about 6 a.m., they encountered a bergshrund or huge gap in the glacier. While leading, Craig climbed onto the upper part of the bergshrund when without warning an immense slab of ice broke away from the glacier. The chunk of ice, approximately 100 feet high, 20 feet wide, and ten feet thick, swept Leubben about 45 feet into an ice moat. Large pieces of ice hit and critically injured him, leaving him hanging on the rope. Apparently a cam he had placed kept him from falling further. Benegas immediately climbed down to Craig, pulled him onto a ledge, and called 911 on his cell phone. Luebben, however, died before rescuers arrived by helicopter. Rangers then rescued Benegas and removed Luebben’s remains.
Craig Luebben was not only a genuine person, but also an incredibly experienced and careful climber. He was the author of seven books about climbing, including Advanced Rock Climbing (http://about.pricegrabber.com/mrdr.php?url=http%3A%2F%2Fabout.pricegrabber.com%2 Fsearch_getprod.php%3Fisbn%3D9781575400754%26nrd%3 D1%26found%3D1%26search%3DAdvanced+Rock+Climbing+C raig+Luebben&mode=about_climbing) coauthored with John Long, and Rock Climbing: Mastering Basic Skills (http://about.pricegrabber.com/mrdr.php?url=http%3A%2F%2Fabout.pricegrabber.com%2 Fsearch.php%3Fform_keyword%3DRock%2BClimbing%2BMas tering%2BBasic%2BSkills%2BCraig%2BLuebben&mode=about_climbing), which won a 2004 National Outdoor Book Award. Craig, a fellow author for FalconGuides, knew all about climbing technique and safety, and taught lots of skill classes in setting up anchors (http://climbing.about.com/od/topropeclimbing/a/TRAnchBelay2.htm), climbing safety (http://climbing.about.com/od/letsgoclimbing/a/ClimbJudgment.htm), and self rescue techniques.
Last evening when I first heard the news about Craig, I was sitting on my front porch talking with my son Ian Green. We didn’t have any details about the accident but both agreed that it had to have been rockfall (http://climbing.about.com/od/staysafeclimbing/a/LooseRockTips.htm) because Craig was just too smart and cautious and experienced climber to mess up.
Whenever we venture into the high mountains, there is always the possibility of stuff happening that is simply beyond our control. That was the case here. A terrible event happened to two extremely experienced and competent alpinists. There was nothing they could do. It was the mountain—taking Craig home.
Photographs above: Top Craig Luebben climbing the off-width crack “When Doves Cry” at Red River Gorge, Kentucky. Bottom: Mount Torrent in North Cascades National Park. Photographs courtesy Summit Post (http://www.summitpost.org/parent/223215/mount-torment.html) and Craig Luebben/Facebook

















Let people know what you're up to, or share links to photos, videos, and web pages.

[DETN8R]

I'm taking the Rock Climbing course at Metro and one of the assigned readings is one of his books. Look forward to reading it.

[huey9876]

Very sorry to hear about Brody. His loss does teach us to be prepared at what Mother Nature may throw at us.

Steve

[Brody]

Very sorry to hear about Brody. His loss does teach us to be prepared at what Mother Nature may throw at us.

Steve


Hey Steve....wait! Brody is still alive! Or at least I am awake enough to be typing!

My friend Craig is the guy that died. I still have some time left it looks like...

Man....I don't even know this guy and he already wants me dead! People must have been talking...

And Craig was a very experienced and careful climber. The climb he was on was actually a very easy climb. No matter how well prepared you are or experienced, things just happen, especially outdoors.

Most of the climbing friends I have lost or who have been injured over the years have done so on 'easy' climbs. Most of the worst falls I have ever taken climbing, skiing or boarding have been on 'easy' stuff. I don't think you are quite as focused as you are doing something at your limit.

Craig got killed by a huge chunk of ice that broke off from high above him. Not much you can do about that stuff like that, prepared or not...

[huey9876]

Brody,

Sorry I forgot to put in sorry about that Brody. God I must have been really tired that night.

Steve

[BOYoda]

my condolences. its tough losing someone. lifes a *****.
robert

[Brody]

Brody,

Sorry I forgot to put in sorry about that Brody. God I must have been really tired that night.

Steve

Hey...no problem at all! Both LaDawn and I got a laugh out of it!

Thanks again, everyone. It is never easy losing someone.....