Will Stanhope, one of his generation’s most accomplished and visionary climbers, has died after a climbing accident in Squamish. His family shared the news on social media, stating, “A severe head injury sustained after a fall on a route called Rutabaga, on the Squamish Chief was the cause.” He was 39.
Each of Stanhope’s climbs, journeys, and epics stands as a story in its own right. From remote alpine first ascents to bold free solos, to endless laps on local classics in his backyard, he spent much of his life immersed in the mountains and close to nature.
In 2007, he made the first free ascent of The Prow via Teddy Bear’s Picnic on The Chief. The following year, he wrote about it in Prow Wall Free for the Canadian Alpine Journal: “At 6 a.m. we started from the south gulley and soon arrived at the hard climbing. The first 5.12a pitch was quick and soon I was in the business section of the three stacked 5.12ds. The Elevator Shaft went well: laser-cut corner-work with tricky TCU placements culminating in a desperate boulder problem at the end. The splitter went well also, though both feet blew off at the very top. I shock-loaded my shoulders but managed to hang tough. The last 5.12d corner-switch sport pitch fell after a couple tries and soon we found ourselves on top, basking in the late summer sunlight.”
Over the next few years, Stanhope would go on to climb Cobra Crack in Squamish, free solo Separate Reality in Yosemite and repeat The Prophet on the right side of El Capitan. He’d return often to Yosemite for lines like Southern Belle on Half Dome with Alex Honnold, and El Corazon on El Capitan with Mike Doyle. After climbing Southern Belle, Honnold said this about Stanhope in a story called Top Athlete: Will Stanhope for Explore Mag: “It’s just the stuff he likes to do—some people like hard bouldering, he likes scary trad routes… He’s just a real climbing dude, the kind you want to have sitting around the campfire. You know, a real climber.”
Will Stanhope. Photo by John Price
In 2011, Stanhope and Andrew Boyd climbed the south face of the Turret in B.C. In a story that Stanhope wrote for Gripped called Battling With Turret’s Syndrome, he said: “The chopper lands on the shore of Kinbasket Lake and we sift through a mountain of wet gear steaming in the afternoon sun. Across the lake, clouds are still spiraling around the Adamants. So much of climbing is luck. We threaded the needle and had a chance to dance with that secluded beauty: a rare gift.”
In 2014, Stanhope visited the Turbio Valley in Patagonia with Marc-Andre Leclerc, Paul McSorley and Matt Van Biene. Together, they made the first ascent of La Vuelta de los Condores. In his story called Cerro Mariposa, La Vuelta de los Condores in the American Alpine Journal, Stanhope wrote: “After a few days of hiking and rafting out, we clinked Heinekens on the banks of Lago Puelo. Miraculously, we had been blessed with a two-week spell of perfect weather for our climb. We didn’t have a SAT phone, so we did weather forecasting the old-school way: squinting at the clouds. By the time we drained our first beers, the archetypal Patagonian winds and rain had returned.”
In 2015, Stanhope made the first free ascent of the Tom Egan Memorial Route in the Bugaboos alongside Matt Segal. Despite several attempts by other accomplished climbers, nobody ever repeated the Tom Egan Memorial Route again, as it collapsed in a rockfall a few years later. In his story called Let the Progression Continue!, which appeared in the American Alpine Journal after his first free ascent, Stanhope wrote: “As soon as Matt and I arrived in the Bugaboos we quickly matched the previous year’s high point. I managed to free the Blood on the Crack pitch (5.14-), and both of us were consistently one-falling the Drunken Dawn Wall pitch—a big improvement. Hiking across the glacier toward Snowpatch for the umpteenth time, I had Bob Dylan queued up on my iPod: ‘Any day now, any day now, I shall be released.’”
Stanhope continued later in his story: “We rigged the rappels and threw our ropes down the Sunshine Route raps, just as the storm began in earnest. On the descent we got hit with savage hail and terrifying thunder. We arrived back at camp soaked and frazzled, but otherwise safe, thanking the Bugaboo spirits profusely for allowing us safe passage. Our friend Ian Welsted had left us a bottle of Ballantine’s Scotch. After a few swigs I passed out, unable to comprehend the long saga that was now complete.”
The following year, Stanhope travelled to Tasmania with Sonnie Trotter and Cameron Maier, who produced a short film about their trip called As a Guide. The film captures Stanhope’s repeat of Wizard at Ben Lomond, interwoven with moments of humour and lighthearted dialogue – watch it here.
And then in 2017, Stanhope partnered with Leo Houlding for an epic push in the Bugaboos where they climbed the South, Central and North Howser Towers in a day. In his story The Trifecta: All Free, No Falls, In a Day on the Three Howser Towers in the American Alpine Journal, Stanhope wrote: “It was hard to believe we’d just stood on each of them. The sky had turned smoky orange from the wildfires blazing across British Columbia. My fatigue was strangely gone, I felt infused with boundless energy by the rising sun. We shuffled down the standard rappels and arrived back at camp to hugs from the boys.”
Will Stanhope. Photo by John Price
In 2021, Stanhope completed a difficult new route on The Chief that he dubbed Heavy Fuel in the Western Dihedrals. He concluded his Canadian Alpine Journal story that he titled simply Heavy Fuel with: “Arriving at the rim at dusk I was drenched in sweat and cramping badly in my forearms and hands. After coiling the ropes, I walked barefoot over to my favourite vantage point on the rolling slabs looking south. The highway snaked to Murrin Park, and the dark green, choppy waves blackened as night set in—an age-old view enjoyed by so many.
“Sometimes it seems almost serendipitous that one discovers a perfect climb that can push you out of your comfort zone, and also out of a rut. After mulling that thought over, I made my way to the dark forest, feeling the lattice work of granite crystals and lichen under my toes. Feeling connected, feeling grateful. Hail to the Chief.”
In 2024, Stanhope teamed up with Tim Emmett for the first free ascent of the south ridge of Combatant in the Waddington Range via Smoke and Mirrors. Like so many times before, Stanhope wrote a memorable story about the adventure in the American Alpine Journal called Combatant Mountain, South Buttress, Free Ascent of the Incisor, where he said: “Upon awakening, we started up a couple of wet, loose, groggy and coffee-less pitches which led us to the end of the Jawbone ridge, a huge ramp, and possible escape. But like the guys before us, we wanted to summit Combatant, so we opted to join the south-facing route called Kshtatrya (Down-Cairn, 1982) to reach the top.
“The rock went from awful to sublime. Golden knobs and dishes granted passage between the fissures. A handful of hours of simul climbing later and we gained the summit of Combatant. The vista was incredible, with views of the Coast Range in all directions. We could also make out Bute Inlet, and the ocean, which filled me with a sense of comfort, though we were a long way from home.”
Will Stanhope. Photo by John Price
Stanhope’s family shared the news of his passing on social media here, saying, “To all of you who climbed with him, followed his journey, and loved him: thank you for being part of his adventurous life. Your memories of Will are hugely appreciated. At some date this spring, we will organize a celebration of life in Squamish.”
Personally, I was lucky to have the chance to work alongside Will as climbing guides in Squamish nearly 20 years ago. The few days we spent together belaying new climbers sparked a lasting inside joke – one we’d laugh about every time we ran into each other afterward. “Opa-hey,” I’d call out to Will, and he’d echo it right back – trust me, it was hilarious. And it was an honour to have him write stories for Gripped about his adventures, which he did several times, with his final being about his and Tim’s ascent of Smoke and Mirrors, which you can read here.
I’m truly sorry to have to share this news with you like this, and our deepest condolences to Will’s family and friends.
Will Stanhope. Photo by John Price