Hayden Kennedy (1990 – October 8, 2017) was an American

rock climber Rock climbing is a sport in which participants climb up, across, or down natural rock formations. The goal is to reach the summit of a formation or the endpoint of a usually pre-defined route without falling. Rock climbing is a physically an ...

and

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 ...

who made difficult ascents in North America,

Patagonia Patagonia () refers to a geographical region that encompasses the southern end of South America, governed by Argentina and Chile. The region comprises the southern section of the Andes Mountains with lakes, fjords, temperate rainforests, and g ...

and in the

Himalaya The Himalayas, or Himalaya (; ; ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the planet's highest peaks, including the very highest, Mount Everest. Over 100 ...

. He died by suicide in 2017 after the sudden death of his partner. He was the son of renowned writer and mountaineer Michael Kennedy and he won the

Piolet d'Or An ice axe is a multi-purpose hiking and climbing tool used by mountaineers in both the ascent and descent of routes that involve snow, ice, or frozen conditions. Its use depends on the terrain: in its simplest role it is used like a walking ...

for his ascent of The Ogre in 2013. In 2012, Kennedy came to prominence following a "fair means" ascent of the Compressor Route on

Cerro Torre Cerro Torre is one of the mountains of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field in South America. It is located in Argentina and Chile, west of Fitz Roy (also known as Cerro Chaltén). The peak is the highest of a four mountain chain: the other peak ...

during which he and his partner Jason Kruk chopped the bolt ladders left by Cesare Maestri on the

first ascent In mountaineering, a first ascent (abbreviated to FA in guide books) is the first successful, documented attainment of the top of a mountain or the first to follow a particular climbing route. First mountain ascents are notable because they en ...

. Kennedy and Kruk's actions created a local controversy in

El Chaltén El Chaltén is a small mountain village in Santa Cruz Province, Argentina, Santa Cruz Province, Argentina. It is located on the riverside of Rio de las Vueltas, within the Los Glaciares National Park (section ''Reserva Nacional Zona Viedma'') near ...

and they were arrested shortly after returning. Following their release from jail, their actions generated an ethics debate about bolting practices in the mountains in the international climbing community. The environmental and ethical motivations of their actions during this climb were recognized by the

council. In 2013, Kennedy and his climbing partners Kyle Dempster and Josh Wharton won a

for their

alpine style Alpine style is mountaineering in a self-sufficient manner, thereby carrying all of one's food, shelter and equipment as one climbs, as opposed to expedition style (or siege style) mountaineering which involves setting up a fixed line of stocked ...

first ascent of the south face of the

Ogre An ogre (feminine: ogress) is a legendary monster depicted as a large, hideous, man-like being that eats ordinary human beings, especially infants and children. Ogres frequently feature in mythology, folklore, and fiction throughout the world ...

. Kennedy was a regular contributor for '' Alpinist'', and for ''

Rock & Ice ''Rock & Ice'' is a magazine published by Outside focusing on rock and ice climbing. The first issue came out in March 1984. The first publisher was Neal Kaptain. George Bracksieck worked for him, beginning in January 1984, and the two became e ...

'' magazines. On October 7, 2017, while skiing on Imp Peak in

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columb ...

's Southern

Madison Range The Madison Range is a mountain range located in the Rocky Mountains of Montana and Idaho in the United States. The range was named in honor of future President of the United States, then U.S. Secretary of State James Madison by Meriwether Lewis ...

, Kennedy and his partner Inge Perkins were caught in an

avalanche An avalanche is a rapid flow of snow down a slope, such as a hill or mountain. Avalanches can be set off spontaneously, by such factors as increased precipitation or snowpack weakening, or by external means such as humans, animals, and eart ...

. Surviving the avalanche, Kennedy attempted to rescue the buried Perkins but failed to locate her avalanche beacon. Later the following day, Kennedy committed suicide.

Notable ascents

* 2008 - Onsight ascent of the ''Bachar-Yerian Route'' (5.11+, R/X), Tuolumne Meadows,

Yosemite Valley Yosemite Valley ( ; ''Yosemite'', Miwok for "killer") is a glacial valley in Yosemite National Park in the western Sierra Nevada mountains of Central California. The valley is about long and deep, surrounded by high granite summits such as Hal ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

* 2008 - Free ascent of ''El Nino'' (5.13b/c, A0),

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 ...

, Yosemite Valley, California * 2012 - First 'fair means' ascent of the Compressor Route,

with Jason Kruk * 2012 - First free ascent of ''Carbondale Short Bus'' (5.14- R), the most difficult traditional rock climb in Indian Creek,

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

* 2012 - First ascent of South Face of

Baintha Brakk __NOTOC__ Baintha Brakk ( ur, بائنتھا براک) or The Ogre is a steep, craggy mountain, high, in the Panmah Muztagh, a subrange of the Karakoram mountain range. It is located in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan.This region is disputed, and is ...

(the Ogre),

Karakoram Range The Karakoram is a mountain range in Kashmir region spanning the borders of Pakistan, China, and India, with the northwest extremity of the range extending to Afghanistan and Tajikistan. Most of the Karakoram mountain range falls under the ...

, Pakistan with Josh Wharton and Kyle Dempster * 2012 - First ascent of East Face of K7, Karakoram Range, Pakistan with Kyle Dempster and Urban Novak * 2014 - First ascent of ''Light Before Wisdom'' (ED+ 5.11 WI6 M6 A2, 1200m), Cerro Kishtwar, Kishtwar Himalaya, India

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kennedy, Hayden 1990 births 2017 suicides 2017 deaths American mountain climbers American rock climbers Suicides in Montana Piolet d'Or winners