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Johno
Big Wall climber
Cape Town / Japan
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Jun 10, 2009 - 01:57am PT
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I first read this post a couple of days ago just prior to flying back to work in Yemen, then opened up the Taco hoping to find some positive outcome to the situation. But alas, this was not to be.
My deepest condolencese to the families & friends of all 3 of the deceased. They were a inspiration to us all and Micah was one motivated & funny dude to hang with. The Valley will not be the same without him.
Johnathan Gordon
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mcreel
climber
Barcelona, Spain
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Jun 10, 2009 - 03:45am PT
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bump climbing content
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Anastasia
climber
Not here
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Jun 10, 2009 - 11:51am PT
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I'm so sad... We will never forget them, ever. Thanks for the music at New Years.
AF
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John Mac
Trad climber
Littleton, CO
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Jun 10, 2009 - 12:35pm PT
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Tommy Caldwell is fundraising to help efforts to recover the bodies of Wade Johnson, 24, of Arden Hills, Minnesota and Jonny Copp, 35, of Boulder, Colo. from southwestern China. Micah Dash, 32, is still missing. The trio were attempting a climb of Mount Edgar in the Sichuan province of China,
The fundraiser is Friday, June 12, 8 p.m. at the Estes Park Mountain Shop. Caldwell will present "For the Love of Climbing: Adventures in Patagonia and on El Capitan."
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Toker Villain
Big Wall climber
Toquerville, Utah
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Jun 10, 2009 - 12:51pm PT
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How about an address to send checks to?
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a.s.
Big Wall climber
SF, CA
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Jun 10, 2009 - 01:50pm PT
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I'm so so sorry to hear this -- condolences to Jonny Copp and Wade Johnson's families and friends, and i'll keep hoping for better news on Micah.
Somber week following this story.. brings to mind other friends lost to rock / mountaineering accidents.
I'd like to think they're hanging in the climbers valhalla. Whether to them that means mixed snow and ice, some limestone beach paradise, or just lots of windgate sandstone splitters.
they're fortunate to have friends willing and able to travel half-way around the world to find them.
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AAC
climber
Golden
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Jun 10, 2009 - 06:53pm PT
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The AAC has put together an animated slideshow tribute to Jonny, Micah and Wade, which can be found on our homepage (http://www.americanalpineclub.org); as well as the facebook tribute page (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Micah-Dash-Jonny-Copp-and-Wade-Johnson/101106931136);.
It wasn’t too long ago that they showed up with Peter Mortimer to film in our library, as part of the NatGeo First Ascent episode on their then-upcoming trip. I treasure that afternoon in my mind, as I’m sure you all treasure your own memories with them.
Jonny and Micah were longtime, generous supporters of the AAC: doing benefit slide shows, manning the club’s booth at the Outdoor Retailer and other events, and donating many photos and stories to the American Alpine Journal and other AAC publications. In fact, Jonny and Micah’s first ascent of the Shafat Fortress in India was featured in the 2008 AAJ. Jonny served on the committee that bestows the AAC's David A. Sowles Memorial Award, reserved for mountaineers who have gone to the assistance of fellow climbers at personal risk or the cost of their own objectives. Most recently, they were among eight climbers who authored an AAC membership-drive letter, which mailed just a few days before they were known to be missing (I mention that partly as an apology to those that received the letter after the bad news came in). Wade too was a member of the AAC, and had been helpful to the club by filming at our last Annual Dinner. In the slideshow there's a good shot of him and Jonny catching up at the event.
The AAC is extremely grateful to the Chinese Mountaineering Association, the Sichuan Mountaineering Association, and Chinese officials for their help in the search operation, along with climbers and donors from around the world who are helping out. It's my understanding that as soon as the Chinese authorities became aware that Jonny, Micah and Wade were overdue, the newly elected Vice President of the CMA, Mr. Wang, flew to Chengdu from Beijing to personally supervise the rescue/recovery effort. And we've been told by our colleagues at the CMA that hundreds of soldiers have been mobilized in the search effort. (Thank you Eliza for fostering this partnership!)
Jonny, Micah and Wade - you are sorely missed.
Dave M., AAC
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donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
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Jun 10, 2009 - 09:23pm PT
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Bump!
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Studly
Trad climber
WA
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Jun 10, 2009 - 11:46pm PT
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May I humbly suggest that it would help our cause as climbers with the Chinese in many ways if, as climbers, we wrote letters of thank you to the Chinese government(your closest local Chinese embassy) and the other respective Chinese mountaineering associations for their help and their volunterred manpower in this search. The Chinese appreciate recognition, and they respect people who respect their efforts. Its all about face. So if we all wrote letters of appreciation, it would go a long way the next time something like this happens or when favors are asked of Chinese government authorities by US mountaineers and associations.
Here is the link to Chinese embassies in the US:
http://www.visarite.com/chnConsulate.htm
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nature
climber
Tucson, AZ
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Jun 10, 2009 - 11:57pm PT
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Studly, that is a most excellent idea. Thanks for the link.
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Wade Icey
Trad climber
www.alohashirtrescue.com
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Jun 11, 2009 - 12:14am PT
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Emergency visas at the San Francisco Embassy for Pete Takeda and Steve Su in less than an hour - with less than 24 hr notice - on a Sunday morning. Take that capitalist pig DMV..
I guess they did make Pete do some manual labor- he had to change the H20 bottle on the cooler while the nice lady stamped visas.
Excellent idea Studly- The right kind of Supertopo politics.
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Jan
Mountain climber
Okinawa, Japan
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Jun 11, 2009 - 03:17am PT
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Does anybody have the address of the Chinese Mountaineering Association and the Sichuan Mountaineering Association?
Living in Asia for 30 years now, I would agree that face saving and expressing thanks are incredibly important over here and will go a long way toward ensuring future cooperation for our climbers.
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Ottawa Doug
Social climber
Ottawa, Canada
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Jun 11, 2009 - 10:47am PT
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Studly is right on track!
Cheers,
Doug
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Crimpergirl
Sport climber
Boulder, Colorado!
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Jun 11, 2009 - 11:26am PT
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From the Boulder's Daily Camera:
BOULDER, Colo. — Bad weather and mounting avalanche danger has ended the search for for Boulder's Micah Dash, the last missing American climber on Mount Edgar, according to Xinhua News, China's government-run press agency.
"Weather condition is quite bad, with fog, rain, snow hampering the work," said Lin Li, general secretary of the Sichuan Mountaineering Association, according to Xinhua News. "Sometimes stones fell off the peak -- another avalanche is quite possible according to our experience."
Boulder-based climbers Jonathan Copp, 35, Dash, 32, and Wade Johnson, 24, were reported missing when they did not make their flight out of Chengdu on June 3. The climbers were in southwest China to attempt a new route on the Mount Edgar, one of the lesser peaks on the Gongga Shan massif at the eastern edge of the Tibetan Plateau.
The bodies of Copp and Johnson have been recovered above the team's basecamp in avalanche debris, but a rescue team made up of four Boulder climbers -- Eric DeCaria, Nick Martino, Pete Takeda and Steve Su -- and four Chinese climbers were still searching for Dash.
According to Xinhua News, the rescuers began to descend from the mountain Thursday at noon -- or about 10 p.m. Wednesday Colorado time.
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philo
Trad climber
boulder, co.
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Jun 11, 2009 - 11:53am PT
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Thank you for the update Crimpergirl. Such a sad task to have to face.
I had a Lakota medicine man, who I know, and who had come over to the house to pick up a video studio I was donating to the tribe, ask me why I was so blue. I explained this terrible hurt. He went to his truck and brought me a spiritual gift. Three individual braids of sweet grass from their ceremonial lands and a fourth made of three braids into one. He explained he made these during a sweat lodge ceremony last weekend. He had no idea why he made a triple braid, as he always makes singles and quad braids. This compelling strangeness had him puzzled until we talked. No mystery for him now.
Without realizing it at the time he was blessing the passing of the fallen. I cried like a baby.
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jfailing
Trad climber
Lone Pine
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Jun 11, 2009 - 12:07pm PT
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Following this news has been heartbreaking - it's terrible that we've lost these awesome climbers.
I hope we can all continue to be inspired by them through stories about them, and their film projects.
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