Recently, the climbing community lost a remarkable figure when Michael Reardon, the famed soloist was swept away by a wave while soloing on seaside cliffs in Ireland. In the latest issue of Climbing Magazine, there is a moving and memorable article written by Matt Samet, a close friend to Michael and editor of Climbing. Online, there are two great photo memorials to Michael, one by Damon Corso and the other by Mark Niles.
Last summer I had the chance to meet Michael while climbing at Tahquitz. My wife and I had just bailed from the classic Tahquitz route, The Vampire, and sheepishly had our tails between our legs when we ran into him. We struck up a conversation while he took a rest and lunch break from soloing. We described our meek efforts on The Vampire but instead of telling us how he soloes it, he went on and on about how hard it was and how some holds had broken off and proceeded to give us some excellent beta for a future attempt. Soon, we realized we had a mutual friend in Matt and quickly an hour and a half went by, swapping stories and sharing laughs.
Eventually, we all went on to our next climbs and my wife and I walked away feeling like we had just met one of the most sincere and pleasant guys we had ever met. Michael had an obvious enthusiasm for climbing and listened with excitement as we recounted climbs from that road trip and previous road trips. He made us feel important and valued and we talked about all sorts of things, climbing and non-climbing. When I heard he went missing I staggered around for a day in disbelief. Surely I thought he would show up on some beach, smiling and with a beer in his hand. Even though I only shared an hour and a half with him, I too felt a great loss, like losing a good friend. Rest in peace Michael, you’ve helped me see the joy, excitement and love in life.
