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Gene
climber
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Jul 16, 2007 - 02:19am PT
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Eternal Father, Strong to save,
Whose arm hath bound the restless wave,
Who bid'st the mighty Ocean deep
Its own appointed limits keep;
O hear us when we cry to thee,
for those in peril on the sea.
I pray for God's grace and love for his daughter, wife, family and friends.
I saw a shooting star last night.
GM
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up2top
Big Wall climber
Phoenix, AZ
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Jul 16, 2007 - 03:17am PT
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My thoughts and prayers go out to Mike's friends and family, and like many have expressed, I'm still hoping for a miracle. Mike and I had our differences in the online world but I know several people who were his close friends -- it's clear that he loved those around him as with as much passion as he devoted to his climbing and likely even more so. Mike was unapologetically himself and by all accounts lived a very empassioned and intense life. It's hard to believe that he may no longer be with us.
I ran into Mike at JTree last Thanksgiving. He was having a usual Reardon day soloing around the routes at Indian Cove. We had met briefly a couple of times before but it was the first chance I'd had to speak with him about some nasty and personal conflicts we'd had online during the time he was running things over on RC.com. We spoke a few minutes about how unimportant the whole web bullshit really is and how silly those interactions are compared to the things that really matter in our lives -- family, friends, climbing...living. I'm glad I had the chance to bury the proverbial hatchet.
Mike was wise to walk away from the cyber-strife. Life really is too short to get wrapped up in the conflict of personalities and issues we often help to perpetuate in these forums. Hats off to him for focusing his energy in more meaningful and positive directions. The void his passing will leave in the lives of those close to him must be tremendous and my heart goes out to those of you coping with his loss.
Ed
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Curt
Boulder climber
Gilbert, AZ
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Jul 16, 2007 - 03:19am PT
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I certainly enjoyed the times I spent bouldering with Michael in Joshua Tree and the evenings I spent with him at the Crossroads Cafe and around the campfire listening to his tall tales of adventure. I also remember how happy Michael was that I could introduce him to John Gill a few years ago so that he could interview Gill for his upcoming film about John Bachar. Michael did indeed have an infectious enthusiasm for our sport that will be dearly missed.
Curt
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Anastasia
Trad climber
California
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Jul 16, 2007 - 03:30am PT
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I have been traveling and I just heard about Mike from John. I am shocked, horrified and feeling very numb. Mike is a wonderful person that makes me laugh so hard that it threatens to break a rib.
I am not able to think of him as gone so I won't.
Marci, my heart is out in Ireland with you.
Sending all my love, hopes, strength,
Anastasia Frangos
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Sammatt
climber
Boulder
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Jul 16, 2007 - 05:35am PT
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It's so good to see everyone thinking of Michael right now. One thing you all need to know is that we don't know, nor do we need to know, how soon before the wave hit the photo was taken -- that's not important, and any number would be speculation.
What's important is that it's Michael doing his thing -- being Michael Reardon -- at play with the sea and the rocks, and that's what matters. Thanks for all of your kind thoughts. Stay safe on the rocks and off.
Matt
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Patrick Sawyer
climber
Originally California now Ireland
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Jul 16, 2007 - 09:36am PT
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Nothing new to report. They are still searching for Michael. Like others, I would like to think that he is sitting on some ledge or shelf off the water, waiting to be plucked up by some boat or helicopter.
Unfortunately, that is not the case, so it appears.
Reardon apparently loved Ireland so it is poetic in some sense that his last days were spent here.
RIP Michael Reardon (and I do hope that this is premature).
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full stottie
Trad climber
North East UK
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Jul 16, 2007 - 09:55am PT
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It does look as if its true. The news is all over the UK climbing websites today. Sad news indeed.
e.g.
http://planetfear.com/news_detail.asp?n_id=6335&dm_i=136236801
He seemed to be a very rare type of climber and person - inspirational and willing to push it out. You never know what's going to get you and when, so he did his thing as he wanted. Its a lesson I need to keep re-learning too......
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happiegrrrl
Trad climber
New York, NY
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Jul 16, 2007 - 10:09am PT
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There's a post update on rc.com, about a memorial that will be held for Michael on Tuesday, over in Ireland.
Here's the link(this is page 3 of the thread, instead of the start, fyi), and a copy of the pertaining post.
http://www.rockclimbing.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?do=post_view_flat;post=1630467;page=3;sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC;mh=25;guest=17379393
This update is via the main Irish Climbing site: www.climbing.ie
In order to honour Michael and his great love of climbing here in Ireland, a memorial gathering of his family and friends will take place next Tuesday 17/07 at 4pm. This gathering will take place at the Fogher Cliffs, adjacent to the Coast Guard Station, where Michael was taken from us. All are welcome to attend.
The site can be reached by taking the 'Ring of Valentia' road from Knightstown on Valentia Island and following the signs for 'The lighthouse Café' and 'Tetrapods'. We hope that some of you can attend and if so please respect the local community, who have self-lessly helped in the search, by driving and parking sensibly on the small roads of the island.
I can't help but think it would be quite something if he pulled a Tom Sawyer and showed up at his own memorial, with stories of days spent at an "uninhabited island"(in climbing parlance, that would be unclimbed cliffs), and "dreams" had of those in mourning - word for word accounts(gleaned from the internet of course - what Huck would have done if he'd been around about now!), just like in The Adventures of.... The hide-tanning would be well worth it, though.
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Crimpergirl
Social climber
St. Looney
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Jul 16, 2007 - 11:39am PT
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Here are some more photos of him. These are from Crossroads in March 06. It was such a fun evening - Reardon, Bacher, Anastasia, Aldude, me and several others. It was this evening that I met Happiegrrrl and others too. Such fun - lots of laughing.
While these photos are similar, I post them for Mike's family and friends.
A quick story that still makes me cackle: I was out in J-tree in November of 05 hanging out with Mike, Hottie Wes, Mark Niles and a couple of youngins' from the L.A. area. Shack came out to play for a day as well. Every time that Mark would walk away and leave his camera unattended, Mike would pick it up and snap a lot of hilarious shots involving near-nudity. Pictures down pants, pictures down shirts, near-topless photos, etc. Mark would come back and we'd be snickering like a bunch of 5th grade boys and he'd wonder why.
Here is one of the youngins' (sorry I forgot his name) "belaying" at Coarse and Buggy. We were silly beyond silly.
One of the cool things about Mike is he really is/was a sensitive soul and a gentleman. I really respected the loving way he talked about his wife and daughter. And he walked that walk too.
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paganmonkeyboy
Trad climber
the blighted lands of hatu
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Jul 16, 2007 - 12:00pm PT
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My sincerest condolences for the friends and family - this is very very sad news. I only met him briefly but I thought Mike was a great guy...
Tom
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Micheal
Mountain climber
Valentia
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Jul 16, 2007 - 12:52pm PT
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I never knew Michael Reardon, but was at his lecture in Dublin earlier this year. I am from Valentia Island, and have climbed on the rocks where he was taken away last Friday (on the easier routes!). Many people have been swept off the rocks on Valentia Island over the years and the only cases of survival involved the fallers swimming away from the rocks and awaiting the lifeboat. It is hard to understand how he disappeared, given that he was conscious and away from the rocks. The current may have been extremely strong, and low body fat would be a disadvantage in the cold water.
The people of Valentia are in shock over his latest tragedy. Michael's joie de vivre has made an impression on us all, even for those who have only heard second-hand accounts of his life. Assuming the worst, the only thing that remains for the rest of us is to take care of his family.
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handsome B
Gym climber
SL,UT
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Jul 16, 2007 - 12:59pm PT
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I met Mike last year while he was volunteering at and ovarian cancer fund-raiser. http://www.herafoundation.org
He was super-psyched to be helping out and his boundless enthusiasm helped push everyone towards their goals.
We will miss you Mike.
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Jul 16, 2007 - 01:07pm PT
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So very sad.
My heart goes out to the family.
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Patrick Sawyer
climber
Originally California now Ireland
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Jul 16, 2007 - 01:37pm PT
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Micheál, what’s the latest from Valentia?
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Micheal
Mountain climber
Valentia
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Jul 16, 2007 - 01:45pm PT
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Weather is much better today. Boats still going out. Divers have been down and may have been into the nearby caves by now.
Will update with any further news later this evening or in the morning. I'll try to contact Con Moriarty though he is very upset by the whole thing and probably needs another phone call like a hole in the head.
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tradgirl
Trad climber
Las Vegas, NV
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Jul 16, 2007 - 03:38pm PT
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I'm posting this quote from a reporter from crimpermag who posted it at rc.com
"from an interview I did with Michael on Crimpermag.com:
JM. To conclude, if the unthinkable ever happened, what would you most like to be remembered for? (This needn't be climbing related - I personally believe that the reason I was put on this planet is for my son Sam).
MR. Don’t shed a tear, raise a pint and laugh because I’m living hard and loving harder than anyone has a right to. Besides, the devil won’t have me and we know the old man upstairs isn’t opening the gates so I’ll still be around and giggling right along with you until we meet again."
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P.B.
Trad climber
Granite Bay, CA
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Jul 16, 2007 - 03:57pm PT
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Been out of the scene so just heard the news...
Michael was one a handful of people in this world I counted as one of my best and most trusted friends. We trusted each other with our lives, our thoughts and our fears. We loved each other like brothers, you know a love hate sort of thing. Though we have seen little of each other in recent years we talked about once a month and in fact the last time I spoke to him was just prior to his recent departure for Ireland. I had him calandered for a call this morning.......Fk. I will never forget the countless days of climbing with Michael and the rest of the gang, Mark, Frank, Ronnie, Wes, Tad, Mike, Diana etc. Josh, Idylwild, The Needles, Lovers Leap, Donner etc. The days filming for the Climb On series with the "Traveling Road Show". The nights BSing around the campfire drinking "glasses" of wine and potent Meyers coctails...........Fk. So much more to say but I can't see the screen through my tears...
Michael, Marci & Nikki you are in our prayers.
Love,
Warren, Sharon, Brandon & Ally
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EZHarrison
Boulder climber
Boulder, CO
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Jul 16, 2007 - 05:08pm PT
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Michael Reardon
7/14/2007
As I sit here contemplating what to do next, I am staring at the Rockies with a massive storm pounding the mountain range with a purple furry of rain and lightning. I just hung up the phone with my good buddy Buck and he just informed me about a mutual friend not only to myself and Buck, but to the climbing community as a whole. I guess Michael Reardon has fallen into the ocean while checking out a climb on the coast of Ireland. A rogue wave washed Mike into the ocean and swept him out to sea. Another climber that was with Mike, called the Coast Guard and other authorities for help on Friday. They are still searching for him. There are articles on line for the full details.
He was just in town not but a month ago and we drank beer laughing about stupid sh#t. Mike has made a name for himself with his amazing solos, but he will always be just Mike, the kind of guy who screams hello from across the bar and always shakes your hand with a huge smile on his face. Genuine is the one word that I would use to describe Mike. A lot of people talked a lot of sh#t about Mike’s accomplishments, but he did what he loved to do. I get pissed when people have to down talk anyone who does something big even if it is out of character. Mike was one of those people who liked everyone and never judged anyone who was maybe not as crazy as he was or didn’t climb as hard. In my eyes, Mike was just being Mike and living life as he knew how. He loved his family, his friends and his climbing. I am happy for Mike, because he did what he loved to do and proved everyone wrong.
I bumped into Mike years ago in Bishop while he was working on “High Plains Drifter”. He was having a hell of a time. He tried and tried, but couldn’t send on that trip. I would bump into him at JTree after he just soloed some route and asked if I would go with. There was no way I was going to go soloing, and I thought to myself, you crazy bastard, you can solo this, but you can’t do “High Plains Drifter”. He eventually sent “High Plains Drifter”, but I would always trip how he could do such hard ass routes and not do “High Plains”. I have no idea what his motivation was or why he did what he did, but I do know, he did do what he did and he did it well.
I don’t want to think that he is gone forever; I want to have hope that the Coast Guard will find him in some cave just kickin it, waiting for the seas to calm down. Mike, if you are out there, come home and make us all laugh again.
Thank you for reading this and please pray for Mike and his family.
Eric “EZ” Harrison
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Ksolem
Trad climber
LA, Ca
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Jul 16, 2007 - 06:11pm PT
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I refuse to believe this latest news about Michael Reardon unless someone can show me a video, certified to be unedited, and confirmed by the testimony of at least 10 reliable witnesses.
nevermind.
MR was a great guy. Every time I would run into him he would brighten my day with his brilliant attitude.
I am deeply saddenned by this news, and to Marci and Nikki I wish to express my most heartfelt good wishes for a wonderful future.
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