Charlie Porter
Encyclopedia
Charlie Porter is an American rock climber, mountaineer
and adventurer. He is best known for his bold first ascents in Yosemite (particularly on El Capitan
), 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) and geoscientist in South America.
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Prior to the above routes, Porter's 1972 solo ascent of New Dawn (a variation of Warren Harding 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.
Since the 1980s he has lived in South America where he continues 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.
Mountaineer
-Sports:*Mountaineering, the sport, hobby or profession of walking, hiking, trekking and climbing up mountains, also known as alpinism-University athletic teams and mascots:*Appalachian State Mountaineers, the athletic teams of Appalachian State University...
and adventurer. He is best known for his bold first ascents in Yosemite (particularly on El Capitan
El Capitan
El Capitan is a vertical rock formation in Yosemite National Park, located on the north side of Yosemite Valley, near its western end. The granite monolith extends about from base to summit along its tallest face, and is one of the world's favorite challenges for rock climbers.The formation was...
), 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) and geoscientist in South America.
El Capitan, Yosemite, USA
Porter's notable first ascents on El CapitanEl Capitan
El Capitan is a vertical rock formation in Yosemite National Park, located on the north side of Yosemite Valley, near its western end. The granite monolith extends about from base to summit along its tallest face, and is one of the world's favorite challenges for rock climbers.The formation was...
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- 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 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, Mount McKinleyMount McKinleyMount McKinley or Denali in Alaska, United States is the highest mountain peak in North America and the United States, with a summit elevation of above sea level. It is the centerpiece of Denali National Park and Preserve.- Geology and features :Mount McKinley is a granitic pluton...
1976. Described as "ahead of its time". - West Face of Middle Triple PeakMiddle Triple PeakMiddle Triple Peak is the second highest peak in the Kichatna Mountains, a subrange of the Alaska Range in Alaska, United States. It is a striking rock tower, with immense, sheer walls on the east and west sides....
in the Kichatna MountainsKichatna MountainsThe Kichatna Mountains are a small mountain range in the northwestern part of Matanuska-Susitna Borough of the U.S. state of Alaska, approximately southwest of Mount McKinley...
with Russell McLean 1976.
Canada
- First-ever grade VII route, done solo on Baffin IslandBaffin IslandBaffin Island in the Canadian territory of Nunavut is the largest island in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, the largest island in Canada and the fifth largest island in the world. Its area is and its population is about 11,000...
’s Mount AsgardMount AsgardMount Asgard 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. The peak is named after Asgard, the realm of the gods in Norse mythology...
1975, described by Doug ScottDoug ScottDouglas Keith Scott CBE, known as Doug Scott , is an English mountaineer noted for the first ascent of the south-west face of Mount Everest on 24 September 1975. Scott and Dougal Haston were the first Britons to climb Everest during this expedition...
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 VenablesStephen VenablesStephen Venables is a British mountaineer and writer, and is a past president of the South Georgia Association and of the Alpine Club.-Mountaineer:...
, John RoskelleyJohn RoskelleyJohn Roskelley is a noted mountain climber and author from Spokane, Washington, and is known for his first ascents and notable ascents of 7000 and 8000 meter peaks in Nepal, India, and Pakistan.-Notable ascents:...
, Jim WickwireJim WickwireJim Wickwire is a retired attorney in Seattle, Washington, most famous as the first American to reach the top of K2, the world's second-highest mountain, and then for surviving the night in the open just below the summit....
and Tim Macartney-SnapeTim Macartney-SnapeTim Macartney-Snape is a 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 supplementary oxygen, via a new route on the North Face...
, 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 crevasseCrevasseA crevasse is a deep crack in an ice sheet rhys glacier . Crevasses form as a result of the movement and resulting stress associated with the sheer stress generated when two semi-rigid pieces above a plastic substrate have different rates of movement...
, breaking a bone and dislocating his shoulder in the process, but saving his life.
Adventurer and Scientist
In 1979 Porter kayaked around Cape Horn, becoming one of the first people to do so.Since the 1980s he has lived in South America where he continues 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.