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'Dan Osman' (February 11, 1963–November 23, 1998) was an extreme sport practitioner, known for the dangerous sports of "free-soloing" (rock climbing without ropes or other safety gear) and "controlled free-falling" (falling several hundred feet from a cliff then being caught by a safety rope), for which his record was over 1200 feet. He was known for living a bohemian lifestyle, rarely working, and living in a tree house for months at a time. He was the star of several rock climbing videos, which brought free-soloing to a wider audience. Dan had one daughter^[1].

Contents

Death

Notable climbs

Biography

References

External links

Death

He died on November 23, 1998 at the age of 35 after his rope failed while performing a "controlled" free-fall jump from the Leaning Tower rock formation in Yosemite National Park. The failure was investigated by the National Park Service with assistance from Chris Harmston, Quality Assurance Manager at Black Diamond Equipment. A change in jump site angle probably caused the ropes to cross and entangle, leading to the rope cut by melting.^[2]

Notable climbs

★ 1997 'Ride the Lightning', VI 5.10 A4 WI3, Middle Triple Peak, Kichatna Mountains, Alaska. FA with Kitty Calhoun, Steve Gerberding and Jay Smith^[3]

★ Lover's Leap. Speed solo. 400+ ft. in 4 min, 25 seconds.^[4]

Biography

★ Fall of the Phantom Lord: Climbing and the Face of Fear, , Andrew, Todhunter, Anchor Books / Doubleday, , ISBN 0385486421

References

1. Terminal Velocity
2. Dan Osman's Rope Failure Analysis—Possible cause for his death
3. American Alpine Journal: vol 40, 1998, issue 72, , Christian, Beckwith, editor, American Alpine Club, , ISBN 0930410785
4. Free-Climbing Lovers Leap

External links

★ Article about Dan Osman in Outside Magazine

★ Video of many safety rope jumps and free-soloing up to a 5.12b (11 min)

★ Video of Dan Osman climbing in different moments of his life

★ Smithsonian Magazine Book Review - Fall of the Phantom Lord by Andrew Todhunter

★ Dan Osman's Rope Failure Analysis - Possible cause for his death

★ Collection of 6 videos of Dan Osman