Austin Howell, Free Soloist, has died.

LynneLeicht

The famous 31-year-old fell to his death on June 30th when a hold broke. My sincere condolences and prayers go out to his loved ones, family and friends.

The Gnome

Blessings of condolence to all his family ~ light & love sent ~

A true member of the modern-day tribe.
Many were touched in some way by Austin's drive.
An ephemeral thing in some ~
A tangible thing we call "Stoke" always evident
in the way Austin went about his life.
Peace to all who grieve and wonder what if ?
'

of the many jaw-dropping videos, I chose those that showcase
The good, the Bad & the o.m.g.-ly
I hope that they remain 'active' as a testament to his bold existence
``

I had a candle lit all day yesterday
And left heartfelt words on the appropriate thread.
"

Over 2 years ago I had a few back & forths with Austin.
It always seems like it was more substantive than it was when things turn tragic.
From our brief interaction, I am sure that Austin was fully aware of the risks & eventuality of his fulfilling his need to climb.
He was passionate about the cordless climbing, felt strongly about the benefits it brought to him & was accountable for his actions.
.

.

I have been trying to put it better . . .
Though the 1st try is often the most honest
so I will re-post this here:

Awe Man !Austin ! m`mahn

`
That sux,
blessings of light & love

.
Candle lit, head held high

To honor and remember

a climber who climbed

For the Love of Climbing

'
A life lived at the edge where the real is
a send ascend attain ascent (s){=L

.
It will be a high gravity day for me.
'
I'm sad to hear it

`
a regular stop on my video surf,
I always watched his videos with an open-mouth: in awe of the climbs that he sent
Many on sight .

Peace Out Brother

Heresy

Tangerine ~Onsight~.12a

_ *

The Dirty Dozen

This next, & the Reddit debate all led to our contact:

Austin's comment's:
Absolute proof that I'm too weak to sport-climb,
because I don't have the strength to clip bolts, and I can only send on jugs!
This is a bouldering ascent of "The Lion" 5.12b at Little River Canyon,

and I included the wandering 5.10 down-climb for folks who wonder "how do you get down????"

Note: at one point I mutter
"That was dirty" as I'm nearing the top.
The holds were clean and dirt free,
I was just giving myself shit for the fact that I climbed a move poorly.
Luckily
I make a deliberate choice to only solo routes which are easy enough that I can screw up and still not get into trouble with old man gravity.

The Lion (12b) after 2 previous roped ascents