Charlie Porter (June 12, 1950 in
Massachusetts
Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...
– February 23, 2014 in Punta Arenas) was an American
mountaineer
Mountaineering or alpinism, is a set of outdoor activities that involves ascending tall mountains. Mountaineering-related activities include traditional outdoor climbing, skiing, and traversing via ferratas. Indoor climbing, sport climbing, an ...
and climate change scientist. He is best known for his bold first ascents in
Yosemite (particularly on
El Capitan
El Capitan ( es, El Capitán; "the Captain" or "the Chief") is a vertical rock formation in Yosemite National Park, on the north side of Yosemite Valley, near its western end. The granite monolith is about from base to summit along its talles ...
), Canada and Alaska;
and his significant influence on other notable climbers and the climbing community, in part due to his creation and development of innovative climbing equipment. He has also garnered a reputation as an adventurer (he was one of the first people to round Cape Horn in a kayak
[''New York Times'' 6 May 2001]
/ref>) and geoscientist in South America.
Notable ascents
El Capitan, Yosemite, USA
Porter's notable first ascents on El Capitan
El Capitan ( es, El Capitán; "the Captain" or "the Chief") is a vertical rock formation in Yosemite National Park, on the north side of Yosemite Valley, near its western end. The granite monolith is about from base to summit along its talles ...
include
* ''Zodiac'' 1972
* ''The Shield'' 1972
* ''Mescalito'' 1973
* ''Tangerine Trip'' 1973
* ''Excalibur'' 1975
Prior to the above routes, Porter's 1972 solo ascent of ''New Dawn'' (a variation of Warren Harding
Warren Gamaliel Harding (November 2, 1865 – August 2, 1923) was the 29th president of the United States, serving from 1921 until his death in 1923. A member of the Republican Party, he was one of the most popular sitting U.S. presidents. A ...
and Dean Caldwell's ''Wall of the Early Morning Light'') in which he dropped his haul bag early in the route but continued to complete the climb 9 days later, sleeping in slings and an improvised sleeping bag made from ensolite foam, gained him significant notoriety in the climbing community.[
]
Alaska
*First solo of the Cassin Ridge, Denali
Denali (; also known as Mount McKinley, its former official name) is the highest mountain peak in North America, with a summit elevation of above sea level. With a topographic prominence of and a topographic isolation of , Denali is the th ...
1976. Described as "ahead of its time".
* West Face of Middle Triple Peak
Middle Triple Peak is the second highest peak in the Kichatna Mountains, a subrange of the Alaska Range in Alaska, United States. It is a striking rock tower, with immense, sheer walls on the east and west sides.
Its ''East Buttress'' route (rou ...
in the Kichatna Mountains
The Kichatna Mountains are a small mountain range in the northwestern part of Matanuska-Susitna Borough of the U.S. state of Alaska, approximately southwest of Denali. Unlike the major snow peaks of much of the rest of the Alaska Range, the Kicha ...
with Russell McLean 1976.
Canada
* First-ever grade VII route, done solo on Baffin Island’s Mount Asgard
Mount Asgard ( iu, ᓯᕙᓂᑎᕈᑎᖑᐊᒃ, ''Sivanitirutinguak'') is a twin peaked mountain with two flat-topped, cylindrical, rock towers, separated by a saddle. It is located in Auyuittuq National Park, on the Cumberland Peninsula of Baf ...
1975, described by Doug Scott
Douglas Keith Scott (29 May 19417 December 2020) was an English mountaineer, noted for being on the team that made the first ascent of the south-west face of Mount Everest on 24 September 1975. In receiving one of mountaineering's highest hon ...
as "a remarkable achievement".
* ''Polar Circus'', V, WI 5, Cirrus Mountain, Banff National Park.
Tierra del Fuego
*Monte Sarmiento, West Peak. In 1995 he joined with Stephen Venables, John Roskelley
John Roskelley (born December 1, 1948) is an American mountain climber and author from Spokane, Washington. He made first ascents and notable ascents of 7,000-meter (22,966 ft.) and 8,000-meter peaks (26,247 ft.) in Nepal, India, and Pakistan.
...
, Jim Wickwire
Jim Wickwire (born June 8, 1940) is the first American to summit K2, the second highest mountain in the world (summit at ). Wickwire is also known for surviving an overnight solo bivouac on K2 at an elevation above ; considered "one of the most ...
and Tim Macartney-Snape
Tim Macartney-Snape (born 5 January 1956) is a mountaineer and author. On 3 October 1984 Macartney-Snape and Greg Mortimer were the first Australians to reach the summit of Mount Everest. They reached the summit, climbing without supplementary ...
; however, during high winds Porter was blown off an icy ridge, managing to stop his slide off the mountain by jamming his arm in a crevasse
A crevasse is a deep crack, that forms in a glacier or ice sheet that can be a few inches across to over 40 feet. Crevasses form as a result of the movement and resulting stress associated with the shear stress generated when two semi-rigid pie ...
, breaking a bone and dislocating his shoulder in the process, but saving his life.
Adventurer and scientist
In 1979, Porter was the first person to kayak around Cape Horn.[ From the 1980s onward, he lived in South America where he continued his spirit of adventure, sailing to remote locations, regularly chartering his yacht and guiding services to marine and climate scientists whose research is based in southern South America.Madre de Dios Speleo 2008 Oxford University Expedition]
/ref>
References
External links
Gary Bocarde "Waiting for Dawn", July 21, 2014 ''Alpinist''"Charles Talbot Porter", "The Free Press"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Porter, Charlie
American rock climbers
1951 births
2014 deaths
American climatologists