What's being called "The Coolest Obituary Photo EVER"
Posted on 10/06/2010 10:32:52 AM PDT by a fool in paradise
He developed the idea in the early 1970s on expeditions to the Franconian Jura mountains, when he would paint a red “x” on each piton he could avoid using for a foot- or handhold. Once he was able to complete a route avoiding all of them, he would paint a red dot at the base of the climb so that others could have a go. Albert’s “redpoints” sparked the development of the sport climbing movement and the term “redpoint” is used as a measure of performance....
A turning point in his life came in 1973 during a trip to the Elbsandstein in Saxony, where he met climbers who were more interested in pushing the physical limits of rock climbing than in conquering peaks. From then on the ascent became the main challenge, and the more craggy and vertiginous the route the better. As he explained to an interviewer, he liked his climbs to be 80 per cent rock face. Trudging through snow held little appeal.
Albert was not a typical fitness fanatic. He liked strong coffee and cigarettes, and confessed to being “lazy” at home. His commitment to redpointing, however, extended to his mode of travel to and from base camp. He considered it a point of honour to get to the rock face which he intended to climb using “natural”, non-mechanical means of transport and using no advance supplies or porters. On one occasion he undertook the journey from South America to Antarctica in a sailing boat...
Though Albert claimed to have strong feelings about climbing safety, one famous photograph showed him, clad in lederhosen, dangling from a precipice by one hand, while brandishing a stein of beer in the other.
He died from injuries sustained after falling 18 metres from the Höhenglücksteig via ferrata in Bavaria.
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
What's being called "The Coolest Obituary Photo EVER"
PING!
That guy was nucking futz!
That’s crazy.
Amazing he lived to be 56 years old.
Many will say he really LIVED his life ... outside of the every day routine and rather bland existence experienced by many. There always a few that push the barriers to the max.
NOTICE ...
Do not try this ... as pictured above!!! Dangerous!
Well, he did what he enjoyed. RIP.
I agree with you!
I can barely look at those photos of free-climbers dangling off a cliff by one hand (or finger)
What’s more, you don’t want to be climbing up the mountain several yards below such a person...
Wow! Thanks for posting.
live by the redpoint, die by the redpoint
Live fast
Die young
and leave a redpoint
Better that than by Powerpoint.
>> A turning point in his life came in 1973 during a trip to the Elbsandstein in Saxony
Apparently *another* turning point in his life came September 27...
The guy thought he could fly and guess what........ he couldn’t. RIP
Show me the pix of the mangled body of this ego maniacal fool.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.