Michael Reardon falls into the Irish Sea

Yeah, heres the better story of it.

http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2007/jul/15/oak-park-climber-missi...

No but here's another one...
www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2007320668,00.html

Climbing Shirts for Climbing Bums

for real, or was this from The Onion?

(Somehow I just double-posted on the wrong page while trying to post here.)

It's one thing to see the guy on the cover of a magazine and quite another to hear fate's finally gotten the better of him.

to quote" fate's gotten the better of him" from the crashpad, you can go fuck yourself... mike never took chances that were over his head. i am a friend and student of mike's, he was great to those that he knew and didn't, always teaching those with a willing ear.
mike, rest in peace. from angelo and richie

Hey man, EVERY climber who goes up tempts fate, whether due to equipment failure, rock fall, bad placement, or countless other senarios. Human Crashpad, I'm sure meant no harm with her statement, and may not have put her thoughts well. I'm sure if you knew him, you are upset by what has happened, as we all, as fellow climbers, are. The feats he achieved, show what a well rounded climber he was, and his amazing ability will be sorely missed in our community. I'm sure I speak for Human Crashpad and every other climber who has read about his exploits in awe, when I say our hearts and thoughts go out to those whose lives were touched by such a great climber.
Cheers!

agree 100%. No bad egos here or negativity. Every day on rocks is a chance of death from god knows what loose rock from above, and we all accept it, even ignore it for the most part. It's always sad when the famous ones fall, but think of it; they are out there pushing the limits and risks much more than we are every day so it is to be expected every now and then. Sad but true.

My thoughts go out to his wife and daughter. Mike led an amazing life. And like medicfung said, mike never took risks over his head. When I first met him, I had assumed he was going to be an arrogant and reckless person. It took about 30 seconds of listening to him that I found myself completely wrong. He put everyone before himself. And climbed only what he knew he could do, even if it meant downclimbing several pitches. I climbed with him in salt lake city at the HERA event in 06' and he visited philly to raise money for HERA and show some great slideshows and talk to everyone and have a guiness with anyone who would come out. I didnt get a chance to know him as well as angelo and richie, but he has made a large impact on me as a climber and my life in general. He is a true Hero. Cheers Mike.

I got the Chance To meet Mike once, and It was a great experience, and I'm still trying to get used to the idea of Him gone in the Irish sea. My thoughts are with his wife and daughter. Rest in Peace.

Medicfung, I'm going to put that one down as a grief-induced insult. We can't help but defend him when someone says "hey, he was asking for it", I know...I defended him on that point too...he's a friendly legend after all...but you gotta remember that we're all climbers here, we're all shocked and more than a little sorrowful. I've been down to his gym in Boulderdash a couple times so I've met him, and most I've likely met you, too. Think about that. Sorry if you were offended by my first comment.

when you say that fate got the better of him, you are saying that he was destined to die young and in such an unfortunate way, and not that he might actually control his "destiny", or "freewill". Mike didnt die climbing,he was standing, and it was straight dumb luck that a wave big enough to knock him off that ledge happened to be there at exactly the time he was standing on it. you dont think he was clever enough to watch a few sets roll through? remember he's a surfer as well. you guys as climbers have to have complete "faith" in yourselves, and not in a GOD.

I think you guys are straying from the point. I dont think Mikes family would like to come to this page and start seeing all the nonsense that this ended up amounting to. If you want to argue whether soloing is an unnecessary risk or not, do it on another page. Regardless of how he died or what he did prior, he was a climber, you are a climber. Whether you thought of him as a great guy or a dangerous person, we should still honor his life instead of debating and arguing about his death.

A couple of things here. I did not want to start a debate on any of the following:
1) whether or not soloing is a stupid risk or not.
2) whether or not Mike was a moron for doing it
3) whether or not God or any other higher being exists.
4) I knew Mike as well, he even came to my uncle's (who got me into climbing) funeral. All I was doing was realizing something incredidbly tragic may have happened and wanted to know if it was verified, and also, to bring attention this tragedy and the life an amazing climber, role model, and person.
All who knew Mike, or was just influenced by him, is affected by this loss, I understand Medicfung, but you are not alone in you grief, And I would appreciate if you didn't act like you are the only one. Please watch your language a little bit, I know the air is thicker and more polluted down here, but don't get angry with us when you come down from your high horse and have to breath the same air as us common folk.
Yes, Michael did tempt fate, as we all do as climbers, as CW said, an Yes, fate did catch up with him, as it will with all of us. But HumanCrashpad wasn't sconing him by that comment, she was just stating a fact. It's tragic that fate caught up to him as soon as it did, and my tears go out to his wife and daughter.

Michael, It was a honor having you in my life, and you will be missed inmesurably. Slainte Mike.

Licentia Haud Vestigium

Yeah, sorry, I got carried away a little. What a touchy subject! R.I.P.

I met Michael Reardon only once in a slide show he gave at REI after seeing him in some movies. He seemed like a great guy. I always checked his website http://www.freesoloist.com and have great admiration for his strong mind. He was an inspiration for me as to many others I believe. I still can't believe he is gone after hearing about it from the LA times. "Life is short. Play hard". He surely lived by that.

The first time I met Michael, I was struck by his friendly nature. I never knew him as The Famous Climber, only as a warm, enthusiastic, friendly guy who loved to climb. I'll miss seeing him at the gym, and will always remember him for what he left me with, which was always a smile and good will. Michael, I'm sorry you're gone, but you won't be forgotten. My heart goes out to those closest to him, especially his wife and daughter. Peace be with you.

im the one with the big ego? you guys are so gay thinking climbing is as dangerous as you say it is... with my background in emergency medicine, i can give you statistic after statistic on what truly is dangerous, like getting behind the wheel of your car, or crossing the street. secondly, when one brings in the comment of tempting fate, then you are already bringing religion into the conversation. im not the brightest guy, but surely the brightest of this group. so watch what you say in casual blogging about peoples friends, or you get a reality bitch slap from people like me. my original comment stands, i wouldnt care if i met you or not, cuz id still say and act the same.

btw, fate is not a loose word used by all religions, look it up in the dictionary. what, did you take some second rate philosophy class at a community college, then call yourself an "athiest buddhist"?

dude chill out. why are you guys arguing? Why don't we all just focus on the awesome things he did and what a cool guy he was. Crash was simply stating her thoughts. She meant no harm. I think every climber is pretty bummed about this incident, and so how about we all just take it easy and stop getting onto eachother. OKAY, cool.

medicfung, there is a site for you, it's called "Rockclimbing.com", go enjoy it there, where all the people act like you; a mindless teenager who can only prove his self-worth by debasing others'. We won't miss you, hope that doesn't offend you. Prove me wrong by acting like a grown-up...I dare you.
Cheers!

Sorry GB, it needed to be said. I will not respond to any other comments posted by medicfung, and I hope no one else does, if we ignore him, he might go away.
Cheers!

buncha mindless drones that cant think for yourselves... much less put fuel into a fire you cant put out. i bet you probably still live with mom while you type on her computer, eat her food and basically mooch off her and society. read what it says in my name or have one of your literate friends give you lessons on real philosophy. when was the last time you brought someone back to life, never? when that happens, then we will be on the same page.

YourClimbing.com has a clearly stated set of rules and terms of service (links at bottom of every page), and one of the rules is no personal attacks. It's so rare that we have to remove someone from the site, but here's an instance.

Steve
Founder and publisher, YourClimbing.com / Enthusiast Group LLC

We're on thin ice now...

Medicfung, no one (or at least I don't) doubts you specifically. You're probably a tolerable and decent person offline, so I'm going to keep my exasperated replies on the off-chance that we meet in person. HCp never turns down a good philosophical arguement (you don't need a degree in college to have an opinion, that's for sure). I really do look forward to this.

Might be in Boulderdash this week, look for a blonde girl with shoulder-length copper/purple streaked hair and green shoes.

I never met Michael Reardon, but would like to think I got to know him a bit through his videos, articles in climbing rags, and his blogs etc. I am in awe of his climbing ability and personality. It's a damn shame he checked out early, but he did it on his terms, climbing until the end and never had to say "take". My thoughts go out to his family and friends.

Honor and grieve your friend with dignity...

Good call steve, this was a nice post gone bad. Micheal Reardon was an icon in the climbing community and thats all that matters when we remember him!!!!!!!!!!!

Climb On Micheal Climb On!!!!!!!

"Need a Belay?"