Charlie Porter (June 12, 1950 in
Massachusetts
Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...
– February 23, 2014 in Punta Arenas) was an American
mountaineer
Mountaineering, mountain climbing, or alpinism is a set of outdoor activities that involves ascending mountains. Mountaineering-related activities include traditional outdoor climbing, skiing, and traversing via ferratas that have become sports ...
and climate change scientist. He is best known for his bold first ascents in
Yosemite
Yosemite National Park ( ) is a national park of the United States in California. It is bordered on the southeast by Sierra National Forest and on the northwest by Stanislaus National Forest. The park is managed by the National Park Service ...
(particularly on
El Capitan
El Capitan (; ) is a vertical Rock formations in the United States, rock formation in Yosemite National Park, on the north side of Yosemite Valley, near its western end. The El Capitan Granite, granite monolith is about from base to summit alo ...
), Canada and Alaska;
and his significant influence on other notable climbers and the climbing community, in part due to his creation and development of innovative climbing equipment. He has also garnered a reputation as an adventurer (he was one of the first people to round Cape Horn in a kayak
[''New York Times'' 6 May 2001]
/ref>) and geoscientist in South America.
Notable ascents
El Capitan, Yosemite, USA
Porter's notable first ascents on El Capitan
El Capitan (; ) is a vertical Rock formations in the United States, rock formation in Yosemite National Park, on the north side of Yosemite Valley, near its western end. The El Capitan Granite, granite monolith is about from base to summit alo ...
include
* ''Zodiac'' 1972
* ''The Shield'' 1972
* ''Mescalito'' 1973
* ''Tangerine Trip'' 1973
* ''Excalibur'' 1975
Prior to the above routes, Porter's 1972 solo ascent of ''New Dawn'' (a variation of Warren Harding
Warren Gamaliel Harding (November 2, 1865 – August 2, 1923) was the 29th president of the United States, serving from 1921 until his death in 1923. A member of the Republican Party, he was one of the most popular sitting U.S. presidents w ...
and Dean Caldwell's ''Wall of the Early Morning Light'') in which he dropped his haul bag early in the route but continued to complete the climb 9 days later, sleeping in slings and an improvised sleeping bag made from ensolite foam, gained him significant notoriety in the climbing community.[
]
Alaska
*First solo of the Cassin Ridge, Denali
Denali (), federally designated as Mount McKinley, is the highest mountain peak in North America, with a summit elevation of above sea level. It is the tallest mountain in the world from base to peak on land, measuring . On p. 20 of Helm ...
1976. Described as "ahead of its time".
* West Face of Middle Triple Peak in the Kichatna Mountains with Russell McLean 1976.
Canada
* First-ever grade VII route, done solo on Baffin Island
Baffin Island (formerly Baffin Land), in the Canadian territory of Nunavut, is the largest island in Canada, the second-largest island in the Americas (behind Greenland), and the fifth-largest island in the world. Its area is (slightly smal ...
’s Mount Asgard
Mount Asgard (, ''Sivanitirutinguak'') is a twin peaked mountain with two flat-topped, cylindrical, rock towers, separated by a saddle. It is located in Auyuittuq National Park, on the Cumberland Peninsula of Baffin Island, Nunavut, Canada. Th ...
1975, described by Doug Scott
Douglas Keith Scott (29 May 19417 December 2020) was an English Mountaineering, mountaineer and climbing author, noted for being on the team that made the 1975 British Mount Everest Southwest Face expedition, first ascent of the south-west fac ...
as "a remarkable achievement".
* ''Polar Circus'', V, WI 5, Cirrus Mountain, Banff National Park.
Tierra del Fuego
*Monte Sarmiento, West Peak. In 1995 he joined with Stephen Venables, John Roskelley, Jim Wickwire and Tim Macartney-Snape
Tim Macartney-Snape (born 5 January 1956) is an Australian mountaineer and author. On 3 October 1984 Macartney-Snape and Greg Mortimer were the first Australians to reach the summit of Mount Everest. They reached the summit, climbing without ...
; however, during high winds Porter was blown off an icy ridge, managing to stop his slide off the mountain by jamming his arm in a crevasse
A crevasse is a deep crack that forms in a glacier or ice sheet. Crevasses form as a result of the movement and resulting stress associated with the shear stress generated when two semi-rigid pieces above a plastic substrate have different rate ...
, breaking a bone and dislocating his shoulder in the process, but saving his life.
Adventurer and scientist
In 1979, Porter was the first person to kayak around Cape Horn.[ From the 1980s onward, he lived in South America where he continued his spirit of adventure, sailing to remote locations, regularly chartering his yacht and guiding services to marine and climate scientists whose research is based in southern South America.Madre de Dios Speleo 2008 Oxford University Expedition]
/ref>
References
External links
Gary Bocarde "Waiting for Dawn", July 21, 2014 ''Alpinist''"Charles Talbot Porter", "The Free Press"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Porter, Charlie
American rock climbers
1951 births
2014 deaths
American climatologists