The Terrifying Last Minutes of John Bachar
July 5, 2009. Dike Wall, California. No ropes. No harness. Just climbing shoes. Just eighty feet off the ground. His left hand reached for a hold he’d grabbed hundreds of times before. This is what happened in the final minutes of John Bachar.
1. The Man Who Climbed Without a Net
John Bachar was born on March 23, 1957, in Los Angeles, California . He grew up climbing at Stoney Point in the San Fernando Valley and dropped out of UCLA to climb full-time . By the late 1970s and early 1980s, he was widely considered the best climber in the world .
Bachar was a free soloist—a climber who ascends without ropes, harnesses, or any protective gear. In 1981, he famously offered $10,000 to anyone who could follow him for a single day of free solo climbing . No one ever took the challenge .
His legendary climbs included :
New Dimensions (5.11a) – the first 5.11 free solo in Yosemite Valley (1976)
Nabisco Wall (5.11c) – a three-pitch solo that shocked the climbing world (1979)
Moratorium (5.11b) – an on-sight solo, meaning he climbed it without ever having seen it before (1980)
The Gift (5.12c) – one of the hardest free solos of its time
Father Figure (5.13a) – his hardest free solo ever
A fitness fanatic, he invented the “Bachar Ladder,” a hanging training device still used by climbers today . He was the director of design for Acopa climbing shoes .
2. The Final Day: July 5, 2009
On July 5, 2009, Bachar went to Dike Wall, a rock formation near his home in Mammoth Lakes, California . Dike Wall is located at an elevation of 9,400 feet . It was a place he knew well—a “home” crag where he had climbed countless times.
Around noon, Bachar began his solo climb . He was doing what he had done thousands of times before. No ropes. No partner. Just him and the rock.
He fell approximately 80 feet (25 meters) to his death .
The accident occurred on the north face of Dike Wall . According to reports, some climbers nearby heard the impact and began searching, followed shortly by rescue teams . When they arrived, they found Bachar unconscious at the base of the wall . He was rushed to the hospital but was pronounced dead shortly after arrival . He was 52 years old .
3. What Went Wrong?
The exact cause of the fall remains unknown. There were no witnesses to the accident . However, several factors may have contributed:
The weather: Bachar’s friend and climbing partner Steve Edwards noted that the day of the accident was “a typical Mammoth day; sunny and warm” . Conditions were normal.
A familiar route: Bachar had climbed Dike Wall many times before. Some accounts say the route was one he had done hundreds of times . He was not on an unfamiliar or exceptionally difficult line.
A minor mistake: As one friend put it, “He was on a route he’d climbed 100 times before and he just missed a hold that he’d grabbed 100 times before” .
The tragedy of free soloing is that a single mistake—a single foot slip, a single misjudged handhold—can be fatal, even for the most skilled climber in the world.
4. The Legacy of a Legend
Bachar’s death sent shockwaves through the climbing community . He was one of the last living legends of the “Stonemasters”—the groundbreaking group of climbers who revolutionized Yosemite climbing in the 1970s .
In the years before his death, Bachar had faced personal tragedy. In August 2006, he was in a serious car accident that left him with multiple fractured vertebrae . His business partner, Steve Karafa, died in the crash . Bachar reportedly felt responsible and carried that guilt with him .
Yet he returned to climbing, even while still recovering from his injuries . He was also a vocal critic of climbing tactics he considered unethical and a defender of the “pure” style of climbing .
His final words, spoken metaphorically through his life, were that climbing was not about the summit but the “dance” itself .
Primary Sources:
Wikipedia — John Bachar
The New York Times — John Bachar obituary (2009)
Montagna.TV — John Bachar death report (2009)
Desnivel.com — John Bachar dies on Dike Wall (2009)
Steve Edwards’ blog — Tribute to John Bachar (2009)
Wspinanie.pl — John Bachar interview (2008)