John Bachar
Encyclopedia
John Bachar was an American
rock climber
noted for his skill at free soloing
. A fitness fanatic, he is the father of the climbing training device known as the Bachar ladder
.
and started climbing at the bouldering
hot spot of Stoney Point
in the northern San Fernando Valley
. After attending Westchester High School
, graduating in 1974, he attended UCLA, where his father was a math professor, but dropped out to climb full-time. Obsessed with the sport, Bachar immersed himself in books on physical training and nutrition, and soon was able to outperform his fellow climbers. Fellow students at his high school remember him scaling the exterior high school gym walls on many occasions.
John Long
, John 'Yabo' Yablonski, Ron Kauk, and Mike Graham, whom Bachar met in the early 1970s all free soloed with Bachar, starting with the classic Joshua Tree
route Double Cross (5.7). Bachar also put up notorious bouldering problems in Joshua Tree such as Planet X (V6) and So High (V5). The committing crux move of the latter problem is 25 feet off the ground.
Bachar was first noted for his climbs in Yosemite with his unroped ascents of New Dimensions (5.11a) and The Nabisco Wall, a three-pitch affair (Waverly Wafer (5.10c), either Wheat Thin (5.10c) or Butterballs (5.11c R), and Butterfingers (5.11a) as the final pitch). Noted for his physical fitness, his campsite at Camp 4
was filled with exercise equipment, including the hanging ladders since associated with his name. At his peak Bachar was able to perform a two-finger pull-up with 12.5 lbs of weight in his other hand, and two-arm pull-up with 100+ lbs. of weight strapped around his waist.
Along with Ron Kauk and John Long, Bachar was part of the team that freed the East face of Washington Column, ushering in a new age of free climbing with their first free ascent of "Astroman". This route, containing numerous pitches of 5.10 and 5.11 difficulty, set a new standard for long and continuously difficult free climbs. Bachar played a key role in making the first free ascent of the technical and difficult "boulder problem" pitch low on the route.
Bachar posted a note in 1981 promising a "$10,000 reward for anyone who can follow me for one full day." No one took the challenge. That same year he put up Bachar-Yerian (5.11c R/X) in Tuolumne Meadows
with Dave Yerian. One of the outstanding first ascents of the time, the 500-foot face climb is protected by 13 bolts
(including anchor bolt
s), each one placed either from a stance (9) or while hanging from a hook (4). Bachar was a vocal critic of climbing tactics such as bolting on rappel, which came into vogue during the 1980s.
In 1986, Bachar and Peter Croft
made a link up
of El Capitan
and Half Dome
, climbing a vertical mile in under 14 hours. In the 1990s, Bachar free soloed Enterprise (5.12b) in the Owens River Gorge
and The Gift (5.12c) at Red Rocks
for the Masters of Stone video series. He was featured in the documentary Bachar: One Man, One Myth, One Legend (2005) by Michael Reardon.
Bachar lived in Mammoth Lakes, California
and was Director of Design of Acopa International LLC, a company which manufactures rock climbing shoes.
On December 3, 1996 Bachar became a father when his only child Tyrus was born to Valerie Vosburg.
On August 13, 2006, Bachar was involved in a serious car accident while traveling home from the Outdoor Retailer Trade Show in Salt Lake City. He suffered multiple fractured vertebrae.
On July 5, 2009, John Bachar died in a free solo accident at Dike Wall near Mammoth Lakes, California. While the exact reasons for his fall may never be known, some have speculated he may possibly have been hit by a loose rock that fell from above.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
rock climber
Rock climbing
Rock climbing also lightly called 'The Gravity Game', is a sport in which participants climb up, down or across natural rock formations or artificial rock walls. The goal is to reach the summit of a formation or the endpoint of a pre-defined route without falling...
noted for his skill at free soloing
Free solo climbing
Free solo climbing, also known as free soloing, is a form of free climbing where the climber forgoes ropes, harnesses and other protective gear while ascending and relies only on his or her physical strength, climbing ability, and psychological fortitude to avoid a fatal fall...
. A fitness fanatic, he is the father of the climbing training device known as the Bachar ladder
Bachar ladder
The Bachar ladder is form of rope ladder used as a training device by rock climbers to improve overall upper body strength.Named after noted free soloist John Bachar, Bachar ladder's typically consist of PVC rungs joined by webbing or cord to create an unstable structure similar to the ratlines of...
.
Biography
Bachar was born in 1957. He grew up in Los Angeles, CaliforniaLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
and started climbing at the bouldering
Bouldering
Bouldering is a style of rock climbing undertaken without a rope and normally limited to very short climbs over a crash pad so that a fall will not result in serious injury. It is typically practiced on large natural boulders or artificial boulders in gyms and outdoor urban areas...
hot spot of Stoney Point
Stoney Point (California)
Stoney Point, also known as the Stoney Point Outcroppings, is a city park near the north end of Topanga Canyon Boulevard in Chatsworth, California...
in the northern San Fernando Valley
San Fernando Valley
The San Fernando Valley is an urbanized valley located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area of southern California, United States, defined by the dramatic mountains of the Transverse Ranges circling it...
. After attending Westchester High School
Westchester High School (Los Angeles)
Westchester High School is a public high school in the Los Angeles Unified School District, Local District 3.It is located in Westchester , USA, a suburban neighborhood adjacent to Los Angeles International Airport and bordered by Playa Vista to the north, Inglewood to the east, El Segundo to the...
, graduating in 1974, he attended UCLA, where his father was a math professor, but dropped out to climb full-time. Obsessed with the sport, Bachar immersed himself in books on physical training and nutrition, and soon was able to outperform his fellow climbers. Fellow students at his high school remember him scaling the exterior high school gym walls on many occasions.
John Long
John Long (climber)
John Long is an acclaimed American rock climber and author whose stories, ranging from adventure yarns to literary fiction, have been translated into many languages. He has more than forty titles and two million books in print...
, John 'Yabo' Yablonski, Ron Kauk, and Mike Graham, whom Bachar met in the early 1970s all free soloed with Bachar, starting with the classic Joshua Tree
Joshua Tree National Park
Joshua Tree National Park is located in southeastern California. Declared a U.S. National Park in 1994 when the U.S. Congress passed the California Desert Protection Act , it had previously been a U.S. National Monument since 1936. It is named for the Joshua tree forests native to the park...
route Double Cross (5.7). Bachar also put up notorious bouldering problems in Joshua Tree such as Planet X (V6) and So High (V5). The committing crux move of the latter problem is 25 feet off the ground.
Bachar was first noted for his climbs in Yosemite with his unroped ascents of New Dimensions (5.11a) and The Nabisco Wall, a three-pitch affair (Waverly Wafer (5.10c), either Wheat Thin (5.10c) or Butterballs (5.11c R), and Butterfingers (5.11a) as the final pitch). Noted for his physical fitness, his campsite at Camp 4
Camp 4 (Yosemite)
Camp 4 is a campground in Yosemite National Park. It became notable after World War II as the hangout for rock climbers with many spending months there . It is located near Yosemite Falls, on the north side of the valley. There is a single parking lot at the campground, and no driveways connecting...
was filled with exercise equipment, including the hanging ladders since associated with his name. At his peak Bachar was able to perform a two-finger pull-up with 12.5 lbs of weight in his other hand, and two-arm pull-up with 100+ lbs. of weight strapped around his waist.
Along with Ron Kauk and John Long, Bachar was part of the team that freed the East face of Washington Column, ushering in a new age of free climbing with their first free ascent of "Astroman". This route, containing numerous pitches of 5.10 and 5.11 difficulty, set a new standard for long and continuously difficult free climbs. Bachar played a key role in making the first free ascent of the technical and difficult "boulder problem" pitch low on the route.
Bachar posted a note in 1981 promising a "$10,000 reward for anyone who can follow me for one full day." No one took the challenge. That same year he put up Bachar-Yerian (5.11c R/X) in Tuolumne Meadows
Tuolumne Meadows
Tuolumne Meadows is a gentle, dome-studded sub-alpine meadowy section of the Tuolumne River, in the eastern section of Yosemite National Park. Its approximate location is . Its approximate elevation is 8619 feet .-Natural History:...
with Dave Yerian. One of the outstanding first ascents of the time, the 500-foot face climb is protected by 13 bolts
Bolt (climbing)
In rock climbing, a bolt is a permanent anchor fixed into a hole drilled in the rock as a form of protection. Most bolts are either self-anchoring expansion bolts or fixed in place with liquid resin....
(including anchor bolt
Anchor bolt
An anchor bolt is used to attach objects or structures to concrete. There are many types of anchor bolts, consisting of designs that are mostly proprietary to the manufacturing companies. All consist of a threaded end, to which a nut and washer can be attached for the external load...
s), each one placed either from a stance (9) or while hanging from a hook (4). Bachar was a vocal critic of climbing tactics such as bolting on rappel, which came into vogue during the 1980s.
In 1986, Bachar and Peter Croft
Peter Croft (climber)
-External links:*...
made a link up
Enchainment
Enchainment is a mountaineering term that denotes climbing two or more mountains – or routes on a mountain – in one outing . Rock climbing two or more routes in this manner is called a "link up" in the US...
of 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...
and Half Dome
Half Dome
Half Dome is a granite dome in Yosemite National Park, located in northeastern Mariposa County, California, at the eastern end of Yosemite Valley — possibly Yosemite's most familiar rock formation. The granite crest rises more than above the valley floor....
, climbing a vertical mile in under 14 hours. In the 1990s, Bachar free soloed Enterprise (5.12b) in the Owens River Gorge
Owens River Gorge
The Owens River Gorge is a steep 10 mi canyon on the upper Owens River in eastern California in the United States. The canyon is located at the eastern edge of the Sierra Nevada mountains in southern Mono County, along the stretch of the river where it exits the Long Valley near its source...
and The Gift (5.12c) at Red Rocks
Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area
Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area in Nevada is an area managed by the Bureau of Land Management as part of its National Landscape Conservation System, and protected as a National Conservation Area. It is located about west of Las Vegas, and easily seen from the Las Vegas Strip...
for the Masters of Stone video series. He was featured in the documentary Bachar: One Man, One Myth, One Legend (2005) by Michael Reardon.
Bachar lived in Mammoth Lakes, California
Mammoth Lakes, California
-History:The European history of Mammoth Lakes started in 1877, when four prospectors staked a claim on Mineral Hill, south of the current town, along Old Mammoth Road. In 1878, the Mammoth Mining Company was organized to mine Mineral Hill, which caused a gold rush. By the end of 1878, 1500 people...
and was Director of Design of Acopa International LLC, a company which manufactures rock climbing shoes.
On December 3, 1996 Bachar became a father when his only child Tyrus was born to Valerie Vosburg.
On August 13, 2006, Bachar was involved in a serious car accident while traveling home from the Outdoor Retailer Trade Show in Salt Lake City. He suffered multiple fractured vertebrae.
On July 5, 2009, John Bachar died in a free solo accident at Dike Wall near Mammoth Lakes, California. While the exact reasons for his fall may never be known, some have speculated he may possibly have been hit by a loose rock that fell from above.