【訃報】ヨセミテ渓谷のレジェントのひとり、トム・フロスト死去

2018年8月24日、ヨセミテ渓谷のレジェンドのひとりであるトム・フロストが死去した。81歳だった。

トム・フロストは、1950年代から1960年代のヨセミテ黄金時代を代表するクライマーのひとりで、1961年にロイヤル・ロビンス、チャック・プラットと共にエルキャピタンのサラテを初登。1964年には、ロイヤル・ロビンズ、チャック・プラット、イヴォン・シュイナードと共にエルキャピタンのノースアメリカンウォールを初登している。

逝去に伴いアレックス・オノルドやトミー・コールドウェルなどの多くのクライマーや、パタゴニアなどの企業が追悼のコメントを述べている。

Tom Frost – what an inspiration. Visionary climber and photographer (and gear tinkerer), but more importantly a genuine, kind, and positive man. He came up to the Valley for moral support when @hansflorine and I set the speed record on the Nose in 2012. He joked that while us shaving 9 minutes or so off the record was impressive, it paled in comparison to the 40 odd days that he shaved off the record on the second ascent. One of the highlights of last fall was doing an interview with Tom in El Cap Meadow for an upcoming documentary about his life from Flatlander Films. To hear his account of the first ascent of the Salathe while looking up at the wall was truly inspiring. Thanks, Tom.

Alex Honnoldさん(@alexhonnold)がシェアした投稿 – 2018年 8月月26日午後12時48分PDT

Tom Frost was quite possibly my greatest hero. He exemplified the values that I hold highest. Creative vision, kindness, boldness, and a motivation to serve others. He would occasionally send me hand written notes or prints of his more famous photos (like the one posted here) just because he knew I would like them. Those have become some of my most cherished possessions. We will miss you always Tom.

Tommy Caldwellさん(@tommycaldwell)がシェアした投稿 – 2018年 8月月29日午後3時59分PDT

Patagonia mourns the loss of Tom Frost, Yvon Chouinard’s former climbing and business partner, who passed away Friday morning. ⠀ Tom, with Yvon, Chuck Pratt and Royal Robbins, made the first ascent of the North America Wall of El Capitan in 1964. He made other notable first ascents with Valley pioneers and others in Yosemite, the Tetons, the Northwest Territories, the Andes and the Himalaya. Along with Yvon and Royal, Tom was a passionate early advocate of clean climbing. And he was also a remarkable alpine photographer, whose un-staged shots captured the unexpected moments and the raw spirit of American climbing’s golden age.⠀ ⠀ From 1965 to 1975, Tom brought his engineering skills and Stanford University training to Chouinard Equipment, working in tandem with Yvon to redesign and improve every major tool then in use by climbers. Their most notable innovations included the RURP, Hexentrics and the Chouinard-Frost Piolet. After leaving the partnership, Tom, along with Gary Regester, joined Chimera Photographic Lighting, another company known for excellence and design innovation.⠀ ⠀ One of Tom’s greatest achievements, though, was his campaign in 1997 to preserve Camp 4, the historic base camp for climbers in Yosemite Valley, from closure by the National Park Service. His passion ignited support from his old friends Yvon and Royal and The American Alpine Club. The successful effort led to the listing of Camp 4 on the National Register of Historic Places.⠀ ⠀ Those wishing to remember Tom, or learn more about him, can look forward to a book on his life, expected at the end of this year from climbing historian Steve Grossman; and a feature-length movie about Tom, seven years in the making.. The crowd-sourced documentary draws on scores of interviews from three generations of climbers. Grossman says Tom will be honored at an already planned memorial for Royal Robbins on Friday, October 12, 2018, at the Oakdale Climbers Festival.⠀ ⠀ For all he did, Tom was noted for his humility, a low-key style and egalitarian presence in the workplace. He will be deeply missed by those who had the pleasure to work with him. His legacy lives on in everyone who climbs.

Patagoniaさん(@patagonia)がシェアした投稿 – 2018年 8月月25日午前11時38分PDT