In 2004, I was barely 23 and utterly obsessed with mountains and those who journeyed high amongst them. That summer I moved to Jackson Hole and worked as an intern at
Alpinist Magazine — an obscure upstart climbing rag, just a year and a half old at the time. Learning my way around the office and the mountains, I distinctly recall hearing the term "hardman" for the first time and its direct reference to
Bean Bowers. At the time I didn't know what exactly a "hardman" was, but came to understand its meaning as a dirtbag mountainman who suffered in silence and pushed the barriers of human capacity, endurance and strength while never uttering a self-aggrandizing word about it. Without exaggeration, that pretty much described Bean.
I got to know Bean better when
I helped sponsor a climbing exploit that he and Josh Warton went on in Patagonia in 2006, in which they together bagged the first free ascent of Fitz Roy's North Pillar (5.11). Later, upon moving back to Jackson, I would run into Bean on multiple occasions in the mountains and always appreciated his gruff brevity, laced with genuine friendliness. I can't say I knew Bean well, but his accomplishments and humble demeanor left a permanent mark. For me, Bean will forever be synonymous with what an alpine hardman is and should be.
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Bean Bowers died peacefully with family Sunday afternoon in his home after a 2 year battle with brain cancer. He was 38. Below is an excerpt from a letter he wrote OuterLocal / Alpinist Magazine Editor Christian Beckwith after a near fatal fall off the summit of Torre Egger in 2005:
All in all it was the most climactic non-summit I could ask for, and this week I’m just really appreciating life. Friends, health, the colors in the sky…. The experience was simply a vivid reminder that all is good and mundane and seemingly going your way until suddenly it is not, and then luck or the lack thereof steers our inevitable destiny. Guess it just wasn’t my day, so I am taking my winnings to go live fully through a few more, and trying hard to remind myself to keep it nonmundane and dynamic, always.
Go do something wild today.
Photos: Bean Bower sending Fitz Roy's North Pillar & enjoying the summit.
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