Dean Potter facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Dean Potter
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Potter on August 28, 2009
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Dean Spaulding Potter
April 14, 1972 Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, U.S.
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| Died | May 16, 2015 (aged 43) Yosemite National Park, California, U.S.
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| Cause of death | Wingsuit flying crash |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Rock climber |
| Known for | Rock climbing, Alpinism, BASE jumping, highlining, FreeBASE (climbing) |
| Height | 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) |
| Spouse(s) | |
Dean Spaulding Potter (born April 14, 1972 – died May 16, 2015) was an amazing American adventurer. He was known for his skills in rock climbing, alpinism (climbing big mountains), BASE jumping (jumping from tall places), and highlining (walking on a rope high up).
Dean achieved many difficult "first ascents" (being the first to climb a route). He also did "free solo" climbs (climbing without ropes). He set speed records and linked multiple climbs together. Much of his famous work happened in Yosemite National Park and Patagonia. Sadly, he passed away in 2015 during a wingsuit flying accident in Yosemite.
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Early Life and Passion
Dean Potter was born in 1972 in Kansas. His father was an Army officer. Dean grew up in New Hampshire. He taught himself how to climb when he was in 10th grade. He went to the University of New Hampshire and was on the rowing team. But his love for climbing was too strong. He left college to follow his dream of being a climber.
Climbing Adventures
Free Solo Climbing
Dean Potter was famous for climbing without ropes, called "free soloing." He created new climbing paths and completed many solo climbs. These were mostly in Yosemite and Patagonia. He even free-soloed a part of El Capitan in Yosemite. He called his route Easy Rider. This was the first time a major part of El Capitan was free-soloed.
Big Wall Speed Records
Dean also loved climbing huge rock faces, known as "big walls." In 2006, he climbed The Reticent Wall on El Capitan. This is one of the hardest routes there. He did it in less than 35 hours with his climbing partners. This was much faster than anyone before him.
In 2010, Dean and Sean Leary set a new speed record. They climbed The Nose of El Capitan. This route has 31 sections. They finished it in just 2 hours, 36 minutes, and 45 seconds. This was a world record at the time! Later, other climbers like Alex Honnold and Tommy Caldwell broke this record.
Delicate Arch Climb
In 2006, Dean Potter climbed Delicate Arch in Arches National Park. This caused some discussion. Many people felt that climbing famous natural features in national parks should not be allowed. Even though there was no law against it at the time, it was a strong tradition not to climb such places.
Dean said he didn't see any harm in climbing it. He felt he didn't damage the arch. However, this event led to a new rule. Now, climbing is not allowed on named arches in Arches National Park. Dean had also caused discussion before by walking on a slackline between the Three Gossips rock formations.
Highlining, BASE Jumping, and FreeBASEing
Dean Potter was also well-known for his skills in highlining and BASE jumping. Highlining is like slacklining, but very high off the ground. He learned about slacklining from Charles Victor Tucker III.
Dean did many highline crossings without a safety rope or a parachute. Some of these lines were over 3,000 feet (about 914 meters) above the ground in Yosemite National Park.
In 2008, he created something new called "FreeBASE." This combines free solo climbing with BASE jumping. A climber would climb without ropes but wear a BASE parachute. If they fell, they could open the parachute and land safely. He used this method to climb Deep Blue Sea on the Eiger mountain in Switzerland.
In 2014, Dean made a short film called When Dogs Fly. It showed his adventures with his hearing dog, Whisper. The film became very popular online.
His Passing
On May 16, 2015, Dean Potter and his friend Graham Hunt were doing a wingsuit flight. They were flying from Taft Point in Yosemite Valley. They had flown this route before. It required them to fly through a small gap in a rocky ridge. Graham hit a side wall. Dean flew past the gap but then crashed. Both of them passed away instantly. Neither had opened their parachutes.
Amazing Achievements
Here are some of Dean Potter's most notable climbs and achievements:
- 2002 Supercanaleta, Cerro Fitz Roy, Patagonia. He was the first to climb this route alone.
- 2003 Concepcion 5.13+ (67m), Day Canyon, Moab, Utah. This was his first time climbing this route.
- 2006 Heaven (5.12d/13a) Glacier Point, Yosemite Valley. This was his first time free soloing this route.
- 2006 Southern Belle (V 5.12d R/X), Half Dome, Yosemite Valley. He climbed this with Leo Houlding.
- 2008 Deep Blue Sea (5.12+), Eiger, Bernese Alps, Switzerland. This was the first "FreeBASE" climb of the Eiger.
- 2010 The Nose, El Capitan, Yosemite. He set the fastest climbing record at the time (2 hours, 36 minutes, 45 seconds). This record was later broken.
See also
- History of rock climbing
- List of first ascents (sport climbing)
- Alex Honnold
