Hayden Kennedy (1990 – October 8, 2017) was an American rock climber and mountaineer who made difficult ascents in North America, Patagonia and in the Himalaya. He died by suicide in 2017 after the sudden death of his partner.[1][2][3][4] He was the son of renowned writer and mountaineer Michael Kennedy and he won the Piolet d'Or for his ascent of The Ogre in 2013, and for Light Before Wisdom in 2016.
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1990 Carbondale, Colorado |
| Died | October 8, 2017 (aged 26–27) Bozeman, Montana |
| Climbing career | |
| Type of climber | |
| Known for | Piolet d'Or (2013, 2016) |
| First ascents | East Face of K7; South Face of Baintha Brakk, the Ogre (7,285m); East Face of Cerro Kishtwar, Light before Wisdom (1,200 m) |
Climbing career
editIn 2012, Kennedy came to prominence following a "fair means" ascent of the Compressor Route on Cerro Torre during which he and his partner Jason Kruk chopped the bolt ladders left by Cesare Maestri on the first ascent. Kennedy and Kruk's actions created a local controversy in El Chaltén 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.[5] The environmental and ethical motivations of their actions during this climb were recognized by the Piolet d'Or council.
In 2013, Kennedy and his climbing partners Kyle Dempster and Josh Wharton won a Piolet d'Or for their alpine style first ascent of the south face of the Ogre.[6][7]
On October 7, 2017, while skiing on Imp Peak in Montana's Southern Madison Range, Kennedy and his partner Inge Perkins were caught in an avalanche.[8] Surviving the avalanche, Kennedy attempted to rescue the buried Perkins but her avalanche beacon was turned off and in her backpack at the time of the accident.[9] Later the following day, Kennedy died by suicide, after leaving detailed instructions on where to find Perkins' body.[1][10][9]
Writing
editKennedy was a regular contributor for Alpinist,[11] and for Rock & Ice magazines.[12]
Notable ascents
edit- 2008 - Onsight ascent of the Bachar-Yerian Route (5.11+, R/X), Tuolumne Meadows, Yosemite Valley, California[13]
- 2008 - Free ascent of El Nino (5.13b/c, A0), El Capitan, Yosemite Valley, California
- 2012 - First 'fair means' ascent of the Compressor Route, Cerro Torre, Patagonia with Jason Kruk
- 2012 - First free ascent of Carbondale Short Bus (5.14- R), the most difficult traditional rock climb in Indian Creek, Utah[14]
- 2012 - First ascent of South Face of Baintha Brakk (the Ogre), Karakoram Range, Pakistan with Josh Wharton and Kyle Dempster
- 2012 - First ascent of East Face of K7, Karakoram Range, Pakistan with Kyle Dempster and Urban Novak[15]
- 2014 - First ascent of Light Before Wisdom (ED+ 5.11 WI6 M6 A2, 1200m), Cerro Kishtwar, Kishtwar Himalaya, India
References
edit- ^ a b Gripped (11 October 2017). "American climber Hayden Kennedy (1990–2017)". Gripped Magazine.
- ^ Canadian Press. "Renowned climber kills self after girlfriend dies in avalanche". Huffington Post.
- ^ Swenson, Kyle. "An avalanche killed his girlfriend. Then this world-class climber took his own life". The Washington Post.
- ^ CBS News. "Climber Hayden Kennedy kills himself after avalanche kills girlfriend Inge Perkins". CBS News.
- ^ "Kennedy Kruk Release Statement". alpinist.com.
- ^ "Hayden Kennedy, Kyle Dempster, The Ogre, New Route, South Face - Piolets d'Or 2013 Winners". Epic TV.
- ^ Solomon, Matt Skenazy and Chris (10 October 2017). "Climbers Hayden Kennedy and Inge Perkins Die".
- ^ "Imp Peak Avalanche Fatality | Gallatin National Forest Avalanche Center". www.mtavalanche.com. Retrieved 2024-07-04.
- ^ a b Solomon, Christopher (2017-10-10). "Climbers Hayden Kennedy and Inge Perkins Die". Outside Online. Retrieved 2024-07-04.
- ^ Staff and agencies (11 October 2017). "Mountaineer kills himself after girlfriend dies in freak skiing accident". The Independent. Archived from the original on 2022-05-09.
- ^ Kennedy, Hayden. "Light before Wisdom". Alpinist Magazine. Height of Land Publications.
- ^ Kennedy, Hayden (10 October 2017). "Facing the Monster". Rock & Ice.
- ^ Black Diamond. "Hayden Kennedy on the Bachar-Yerian (5.11c R/X)". Black Diamond Equipment.
- ^ "Hayden Kennedy on the first ascent of Carbondale Short Bus". 24 September 2012.
- ^ VanRoekel, Taylor. "Full Report: Two Attempts, Two New Routes in Pakistan". Alpinist Magazine. Height of Lands Publications.