Big Wall Climber John Middendorf has Died

John Middendorf was one of his generation’s greatest climbers, from climbing the hardest routes in Yosemite to opening a new route on Great Trango to pioneering big wall equipment. The Bob Brown Foundation announced on Facebook this weekend that Middendorf had died of a stroke. Middendorf’s wife, Jeni, confirmed the news on Instagram here. According to his Wikipedia page, Middendorf was born on April 13, 1959, in New York City, and died on June 21 while visiting family in Rhode Island. He was 65.

In 1992, Middendorf, a mechanical engineer, and Xaver Bongard made the first ascent The Grand Voyage, a 1,350-metre wall on the east face of Great Trango to the East Summit at 6,231 metres. They spent 15 days and nights climbing and three descending. The big wall gear they used had been designed by A5 Adventures, Middendorf’s compnay. It’s still considered one of the hardest big wall routes in the world. Middendorf spent years perfecting the portaledge before Great Trango, a journey that included one near-death experience on Half Dome with Mike Corbett and Steve Bosque in 1986. In the end, A5 Adventures made gear that climbers used for decades on big walls around the world, including haul bags, packs, slings, and other aid climbing equipment.

In 2017, Middendorf set out to design several new portaledges, including the D4 Delta2p and D4 Delta3p, which you can learn more about here and here. Over the decades, he published several papers on climbing equipment under the title Mechanical Advantage, which you can read more about here.

Middendorf was in regular communication with us here at Gripped, sending monthly emails about his most recent research and stories about climbing. We’re going to miss his insights, enthusiasm and overall brilliance when it came to anything to do with big walls. Our sincerest condolences to his family and friends.

Middendorf Interview 1995

Middendorf’s 2023 Slideshow