Dan Osman
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Dan Osman (February 11, 1963 – November 23, 1998) was an Asian American extreme sport practitioner, known for the dangerous sports of "free-soloing" (rock climbing without ropes or other safety gear); and "rope jumping" (falling several hundred feet from a cliff then being caught by a safety rope), for which his record was over 1000 feet / 304.8 meters. 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]
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[edit] 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. Osman had come back to Yosemite to dismantle the jump tower but apparently decided to make several jumps (over a few days) before doing so.[1] The failure was investigated by the National Park Service with assistance from Chris Harmston, Quality Assurance Manager at Black Diamond Equipment. Harmston concluded that a change in jump site angle probably caused the ropes to cross and entangle, leading to the rope cutting by melting.[2] Miles Daisher, who was with Osman when he made the jump, stated that the ropes used in his fatal jump had been exposed to inclement weather — including rain and snow — for more than a month before the fatal jump, but that the same ropes were used for several shorter jumps on the previous and same day. [1]
[edit] 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. Bear's Reach, 5.7. Speed solo. 400+ ft. in 4 min, 25 seconds.[4]
- The Gun Club, 5.12c, Free solo. New River Gorge
[edit] Biography
- Todhunter, Andrew (1999). Fall of the Phantom Lord: Climbing and the Face of Fear. New York City, USA: Anchor Books / Doubleday. ISBN 0385486421.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Vetter, Craig (April 1999). "Terminal Velocity". Outside Magazine. http://outside.away.com/magazine/0499/9904terminal.html. Retrieved on 2007-08-09.
- ^ Dan Osman's Rope Failure Analysis—Possible cause for his death
- ^ Calhoun, Kitty (1998). "Wet and Wild in Kichatnas". American Alpine Journal 1998 (Golden, CO, USA: American Alpine Club) 40 (72): 88-95. ISBN 0930410785.
- ^ "Free-Climbing Lovers Leap" (Video). YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5D0P9aPu51A. Retrieved on 2007-08-10.
[edit] External links
- Article about Dan Osman in Outside Magazine
- Video of Dan Osman climbing in different moments of his life
- Collection of 6 videos of Dan Osman
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