Legendary Yosemite Climber TM Herbert Dies

Yosemite big wall climber TM Herbert, who began climbing in 1957, died on March 23 at the age of 87. The climbing world found out about his passing after several people shared words by Tom Herbert, TM’s son, on social media, as Tom is not on social media.

Herbert was in California during the Golden Age of Yosemite climbing, when some of the most classic routes were opened. In 1965, Herbert and Yvon Chouinard made the first ascent of the Muir Wall, and in 1967 Herbert and Royal Robbins made the first ascent of the West Face of El Capitan.

“He loved Yosemite,” Tom said in the shared post. “He was an authentic Yosemite Climber for over five decades. Hours before he passed, I sat with him as he stared at his poster of Yosemite on the wall. He said, ‘That is the most beautiful place I have ever been.’ He talked about how much he loved being a Yosemite guide. I told him he was my hero.”

The Muir Wall was the first big wall route climbed on El Capitan by a team of two in a single push without fixed ropes or reconnaissance. In the 1966 American Alpine Journal, Chouinard said that near the top of the route TM “placed pitons behind the gigantic loose blocks that could break off at any moment.” Watch as TM recounts some of his earlier climbing days in a video posted to YouTube in 2008.

Herbert touched the lives of many climbers over the decades, and thankfully several stories have been shared by his friends and partners over the years on a SuperTopo forum titled TM Herbert Appreciation, which you can read here.

In 2020, Tom climbed the Muir Wall in an attempt to set a new speed record on his father’s famous route. The climb was documented in a film by Max Buschini called Legacy on the Muir, which includes TM Herbert speaking about Yosemite climbing, watch it below. TM Herbert was a true legend of Yosemite climbing. Our condolences to his family and friends.