Goodbye to Bob Schultz

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Messages 1 - 30 of total 30 in this topic
Dtails

climber
South Lake Tahoe, CA
Topic Author's Original Post - Aug 12, 2010 - 10:35am PT
One of the best guys on the planet, long time South Lake Tahoe local, Bob Schultz died Tuesday in a backcountry accident in the Tuolumne area.

Bob was loved by everyone who knew him and has left a void in all of our hearts that will be impossible to fill.

Details of the accident will follow as we learn more.
Petch

Gym climber
knapsack crack
Aug 12, 2010 - 10:38am PT
Definately one of the best. Big heart, big smile, and a great climber.

Super sad.

H M P

Trad climber
Tamarack Flat, Ca.
Aug 12, 2010 - 11:55am PT
Bob's kindness, generosity, and concern for others well-being will not be matched anytime soon. The loss to Sierra at Tahoe Ski Patrol will not be easy to overcome, only with Bobby's resolve will the Team carry on. He will not be forgotten,and his spirit will endure and strenghten those who knew and loved him.
Strawbilly Dave

Social climber
Strawberry, CA
Aug 12, 2010 - 12:55pm PT
One of a kind. Hard drive down Echo this morning, beautiful view and everywhere I look a memory. Gonna miss you Bob!!!
altieboo

Boulder climber
Livermore, Ca
Aug 12, 2010 - 05:13pm PT
Terrible news to hear about. My condolences go to the family and friends.
RIP Bobby Shultz

Social climber
jacksonville, fl
Aug 12, 2010 - 08:16pm PT
If I could change back time you would be here with me today.. I still remember that time as if it was yesterday you were so happy with a big smile on your face.. you will always be remembered in a very special way & in my heart you will stay.. There you will live forever & no one can take that away from me.. I Love You Bobby and U will be missed by all who you have touched.. Xo! Pamela Koller
MisterE

Social climber
Bouncy Tiggerville
Aug 12, 2010 - 08:20pm PT
Damn, that's sad news. RIP, Bob. This song is playing in my head today:

The Mountains Win Again
dirtbag laurie

Trad climber
slt
Aug 12, 2010 - 08:33pm PT
He was everybody's hero. I thought he was immortal. most humble and kind person i've ever met. I was honored to have known you, Bob. You will never be forgotten. Loved and missed by everyone.
bluering

Trad climber
CA
Aug 12, 2010 - 08:34pm PT
Oh no. God bless him. Sorry to hear this.

Sorry for his friends and family. This really sucks....
Brock Berry

climber
tahoe
Aug 13, 2010 - 12:41am PT
A life and attitude we should all strive for. RIP Bobby.
Bless Nicole.
terryl

Trad climber
south lake tahoe ca
Aug 13, 2010 - 02:07am PT
I feel so blessed to have had so many adventures with Bobby and Nic. My heart feels broken, but his love, kindness and inspiration will live on.
Dtails

climber
South Lake Tahoe, CA
Topic Author's Reply - Aug 13, 2010 - 11:10am PT
I have had a lot of questions about what happened with Bob and though I don’t have, and probably never will, a complete picture of what happened, as of Fri Aug 13th, this is what I do know...

On Monday Bob had gone backpacking with his brothers and nephew in Tuolumne High Country around the Saddlebag Lake area. On Tuesday his brothers wanted to hang out and fish so Bob headed out for a day hike on his own. We are guessing, but not at all sure, that he may have wanted to find an easy way up North Peak, a mountain just above their camp so he could take his nephew up the next day.

When Bob didn’t return by evening one of his brothers and nephew hiked out and alerted the sheriffs’ department that Bob was missing. On Tuesday the Search and Rescue team found Bobs’ body in a talus field at the base of a ramp heading up toward North Peak. It was clear that he had fallen but at this point we have no idea why as the terrain above was a relatively trivial series of ramps and terraces, nothing even close to technical rock climbing and Bob had been hiking in tennis shoes.

At this point there is no date set for a memorial service but I will keep you posted.

Any of you that have ever had a chance to speak with Bob know what an incredibly warm and positive person he was.

We will all miss him terribly.

D
Colleen McDonough

Trad climber
South Lake Tahoe
Aug 14, 2010 - 12:34pm PT
A reminder of how fragile life can be with such a sudden and untimely demise. Bob touched my heart with his kindness and empathy, and I will miss him. Much love to Nicole.
BurnRockBurn

climber
South of Black Rock City (CC,NV)
Aug 14, 2010 - 01:26pm PT
My condolences to all his family and friends. I was fortunate to have climbed with him and enjoy his great company and his smile. He was the kind of guy that was an instant friend and touched your soul. Keep your thoughts with Nic and the rest of the family. He is and will be missed.
Shawn
terryl

Trad climber
south lake tahoe ca
Aug 14, 2010 - 11:14pm PT
There'a a facebook page for Bobby here - with photos and a place to write a note.

http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=139818349390763

Footloose

Trad climber
Lake Tahoe
Aug 15, 2010 - 12:21am PT
This is so sad. RIP, Bob.
Dtails

climber
South Lake Tahoe, CA
Topic Author's Reply - Aug 16, 2010 - 05:16pm PT

Robert (Bob) Arnold Schultz 06/02/1950 -08/10/2010

Survived by his wife and best friend Nicole, brothers Dave and Jim, sister Martha, mother in-law Gail, brother in-law Steven and sister in-law Pam.

Bob was born in Shenandoah, Iowa but grew up in Lincoln Nebraska. Spending a summer hiking the length of The Pacific Crest Trail opened his eyes to the beauty of the mountains; the boy from Nebraska made Tahoe his home in 1978 and never looked back.

Bob worked for years as a bartender at Harrahs’ Casino, and then as a Professional Ski Patroller at Sierra Ski Ranch. He was one of those incredibly rare people that injected his positive energy and enthusiasm for life into everyone that surrounded him. He always had a warm smile and relaxed unflappable demeanor.

Through the years he worked up the ranks and eventually was named Patrol Director at Sierra at Tahoe. Not the type to be content inside behind a desk, he was happiest out on the slopes, skiing, working the resort and interacting with customers and employees; always the first to offer a helping hand, respond to an accident or tackle a dirty job and was the last to leave the mountain after closing.

As an avid backpacker, mountain biker and rock climber, for Bob life was to be lived outdoors. In addition to climbing in the US, Canada, Mexico, Australia and Thailand, Bob had a passion for climbing Yosemite’s big walls often spending days at a time on the rock. He eventually climbed El Capitan over a dozen times.

In 2000 he met Nicole Koller, a Barton nurse charged with running the medical clinic at the ski resort. They quickly became inseparable and married, (outside of course), in 2008.

In 2002 Bob joined the Operations Department at the South Tahoe Public Utility District, but skiing or climbing only on his days off wasn’t enough for Bob and, he would often get off work grab his gear and go for a climb or charge up Waterhouse for a quick ski tour before bed.

In the winter he continued ski patrolling part-time at Sierra, not just for the pleasure he got from the people there and the chance to spend time on the mountain, but as a way to spend more time with Nicole.

Bob was one of those rare souls loved by all. He listened with focus and intensity and had the ability put anyone at ease. He exuded warmth and caring, always finding the perfect words to support and inspire the people around him.

Bob died doing what he loved, outside, in the mountains that had been his life for so many years.

He was that special person in all of our lives. All of us that were lucky enough to know him will miss him terribly.

A celebration of Bob's life is planned for Sunday August 29th, 2010 at 2pm at the Sierra at Tahoe Main Lodge//
Footloose

Trad climber
Lake Tahoe
Aug 16, 2010 - 05:45pm PT
That's an awesome picture of Bob.

A month or so ago watched him float One Of These Days at Woodfords. What a hardman! He didn't know it, but I took inspiration from him - he modeled for me what was possible.

Very sad.


Rock on, Bob.
Holden on

climber
South Lake Tahoe, CA
Aug 16, 2010 - 06:50pm PT
We were so lucky to know you, Bob. Your wonderful smile and amazing outlook on life will always be an inspiration. Nicole, we are thinking of you and sending you love.

Doug, thank you for the beautiful words and capturing the essence of Bob's life.
Anne & Dave
flakyfoont

Trad climber
carsoncity nv
Aug 16, 2010 - 09:18pm PT
our condolences to Bobs family....
skiing out of bounds at Sierra ski resort will
never be the same.
RIP Bob Schultz.


BT
Niece_Anna

climber
Lincoln, NE
Aug 16, 2010 - 09:52pm PT
On behalf of Bob's family in Nebraska, I would like to say thank you for this forum and all of your kind words. It has brought a lot of comfort to our family.
Gary

climber
Desolation Basin, Calif.
Aug 16, 2010 - 10:39pm PT
Sounds like a pretty good guy. RIP.
terryl

Trad climber
south lake tahoe ca
Aug 17, 2010 - 11:51am PT
A Celebration of Life will be held for Bob Schultz at the Sierra at Tahoe Ski Resort on August 29th at 2:00.

Come share your stories and memories with Bob’s family and friends.

It will be pot luck, with beer and wine available for a very small fee. Please do not bring your own liquor as this is a violation of Sierra at Tahoe’s license.

Please do not feel you need to bring a dish. We always have more than enough food and absolutely do not need everyone to participate. If you do want to bring something we suggest the following:

Last name: A–E: appetizer
Last name: F-K: pasta salad
Last name: L-N: green salad
Last name: O-R: fruit salad
Last name: S-Z: dessert

Of course - if anyone has something they particularly want to bring – go for it. The above is just a guideline.

Hope to see you there.
SteveW

Trad climber
The state of confusion
Aug 17, 2010 - 01:30pm PT

My sincere condolences to Bob's family and friends.

Strawbilly Dave

Social climber
Strawberry, CA
Aug 17, 2010 - 05:52pm PT
Stolen from Kerouc-modified for Bob

"So in America when the sun goes down and I sit on the old broken-down river pier watching the long, long skies over New Jersey and sense all that raw land that rolls in one unbelievable huge bulge over to the West Coast, and all that road going, and all the people dreaming in the immensity of it, and in Iowa I know by now the children must be crying in the land where they let the children cry, and tonight the stars'll be out, and don't you know that God is Pooh Bear? the evening star must be drooping and shedding her sparkler dims on the prairie, which is just before the coming of complete night that blesses the earth, darkens all the rivers, cups the peaks and folds the final shore in, and nobody, nobody knows what's going to happen to anybody besides the forlorn rags of growing old, I think of Bobby."
em kn0t

Trad climber
isle of wyde
Aug 18, 2010 - 12:29am PT
So sorry to hear of this tragic accident. I only saw Bob once, climbing at Woodfords; it was a beautiful day on the rock. Clearly from this thread Bob was a very special and accomplished person.
Deep condolences to his wife, friends and family.
John Harrod

climber
South Lake Tahoe, CA
Aug 21, 2010 - 04:18am PT
I worked at Sierra Summit from 1983 until I came to Sierra Ski Ranch in 1989, worked for Pete Sprock for a few seasons, then worked for a few years at Sierra At Tahoe. For some reason, I was the avalanche cat every year I groomed, in every storm. I loved going to pick up the boys in the morning for blasting or ski cutting. So I got to know Bob, maybe not as well as most of you, but I can say this; out of many great crew over the years, he was the nicest patroller I ever knew. For that matter, he was one of the two or three kindest, most thoughtful people I ever met at Sierra. And for years after, every time I saw him, he would stop and ask me how I was doing. He cared. He treated me like an old friend who was important to him. He was a genuine, straightforward man who talked from the heart and meant what he said. And he was competent. I would have trusted my life in his hands in any situation. I don't understand what happened. We'll probably never know. I'm sure he wasn't being reckless, but it is an inherently dangerous sport.

What Doug Nurock said, sums it up, about Bob.
~Bob was one of those rare souls loved by all. He listened with focus and intensity and had the ability to put anyone at ease. He exuded warmth and caring, always finding the perfect words to support and inspire the people around him. Bob died doing what he loved, outside, in the mountains that had been his life for so many years.~
I could not say it better.
I will never forget you, Bob. You will be in my heart till my dying day.
John H.
lightninglycett

climber
Aug 22, 2010 - 07:38pm PT
bob, i will miss your smile on the trails in tahoe, may your spirit live free, forever guiding us through the mountains. karen
johntp

Trad climber
socal
Aug 22, 2010 - 08:28pm PT
Unfortunately, I never crossed paths with Bob. That smile travels light years and tells a story in itself. Condolences to family and friends.

John
JEleazarian

Trad climber
Fresno CA
Aug 27, 2010 - 02:31pm PT
I am sorry I didn't know him, but those I know who did all loved him. My deepest condolences to all.

John
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