Passion, courage that most 'dream of': Will Stanhope, pioneering free solo climber, dies after fall on Squamish Chief

Free solo climber Will Stanhope on Smoke Bluffs overlooking Squamish in 2014. The 39-year-old died Thursday. Photo by Mark van Manen /PNG

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Top Canadian professional free solo climber Will Stanhope has died after a fall on the Stawamus Chief, a 700-metre granite cliff overlooking Squamish.

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Stanhope suffered a severe head injury after falling on a traditional route known as Rutabaga, according to a statement shared Friday on his Instagram account by his family. The 39-year-old died Thursday.

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“It is with shattered hearts that we share the news that our beloved Will passed away yesterday,” the post reads.

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“Will lived with a passion and courage that most of us only dream of,” his family wrote. “He had a prodigious memory and great stories. He was a kind and gentle man with a fantastic sense of humour. The rock was his home, and the climbing community was his family.”

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B.C. Emergency Health Services received the emergency call about 3 p.m. Thursday on the Stawamus Chief.

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An ambulance with primary care paramedics and an advanced care paramedic was at the scene. Stanhope was transported to hospital in serious but stable condition, said spokesperson Brian Twaites.

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Stanhope died 10 days after the fall. The Squamish Chief reported the incident involved at least a 20-metre descent, according to Squamish Search and Rescue.

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Friend and fellow climber, Michael Pang, said Saturday: “Will was one of the kindest and most humble people I know. His passing is a huge loss for the climbing community and the world at large.”

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“Whenever I ran into him in Squamish or Bishop Creek or Indian Creek he would stop and take the time to catch up. He always invited me to rope up with him, even though we both knew I couldn’t keep up with him as strong as he was.”

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Stanhope was widely known for his expertise in free solo climbing — a style that involves climbing without ropes or safety gear. He worked as a rock guide with the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides.

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Stanhope ticked off a long list of first ascents and free solos on major alpine routes across B.C., Yosemite and Patagonia, including the first free ascent of The Prow on the Stawamus Chief in 2007. In 2021 he completed a difficult new route on the Chief that he dubbed Heavy Fuel in the Western Dihedrals.

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Stanhope previously told Postmedia that he would rise early to free solo routes up the global mecca of the Chief before starting his job as a climbing guide.

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Will Stanhope at Smoke Bluffs in 2014. Photo by Mark van Manen /PNG

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He started climbing at age nine, introduced by his father at the climbing gym at The Edge Climbing Centre in North Vancouver. At 14, he took up free soloing.

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“I loved it from the word go,” Stanhope said.

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“By the time I was in my teens, my friends and I were hitching up the Sea-to-Sky Highway to Squamish, begging older climbers for rides.”

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One of his key rules was never to free solo at the maximum of his abilities. Closely tied to that was a commitment to always be able to descend if conditions were difficult during an ascent.

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“I’m not climbing at my physical limit without a rope,” he said in 2014. “And I don’t go up somewhere I can’t climb down. I have fudged that a little bit but, for the most part, that’s your escape.”

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The Stawamus Chief, an imposing 700-metre granite cliff overlooking Squamish. Photo by Submitted, Sea to Sky RCMP /PNG

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Stanhope said at the time his parents worried about him but remained supportive.

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In a video filmed about a decade ago, the climber described what it feels like reaching the top of the mountain.

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“I’m looking between my legs, seeing a whole bunch of air and Howe Sound, and I’m just thinking — this is the coolest spot to be,” he said.

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It is not the first fatality on the popular Squamish mountain. In August 2019, two climbers died within six weeks on the mountain, including a 33-year-old who fell around 200 metres on the Angel’s Crest route and another who fell 30 metres on the Grand Wall.

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Condolences have poured in on social media, with fellow climbers and coaches remembering his kindness and passion for the sport. Others said he had been an early inspiration in their own climbing journeys.

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A celebration of life for Stanhope is expected to be held in Squamish later this spring, according to the family.

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