The day Superman died

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

By Bill Sniffin

Live your life / like a thrown knife. – Todd Skinner

One of the largest circulated magazines in the world, National Geographic, devoted almost a full page of a recent issue to a tribute for a Wyoming man who died a year ago this week.

Todd Skinner, 47, died in a climbing accident on Oct. 23, 2006. National Geographic reported it had lost “a great friend” when Todd died when his climbing harness failed during a climb in Yosemite National Park. His friend Steve Bechtel said, “It was like Superman died. There was no safer climber than Todd Skinner. For him to die in a fluke like this, well, it was unheard of and unbelievable for us in the climbing community.”

National Geographic has often covered the exploits of Skinner, considered by many to be the best free climber in the world. Some years ago, it gave 10 pages to him and his compatriots when they climbed what was believed to be the most difficult climb in the world – a free climb of 20,500-foot Trango Tower in the Himalayas.  He also appeared regularly in other magazines, too, like Outside and Climbing.

Todd grew up in Pinedale and climbed the Wind Rivers and the Tetons in Jackson Hole. He honed his mountaineering skills in the Laramie area before moving on to bigger accomplishments. The last time I saw him, he was cheering his 6-year-old son during a soccer game in his hometown of Lander. He was grieving for the recent death of his mother. Who could have thought he would soon be dead, too, and on a climb that was not nearly as dramatic as many in his long professional life?

Mr. Skinner was much more than a professional rock climber. He had become one of the most in-demand motivational speakers in the world. Companies like Microsoft, Apple, Silicon Graphics and General Electric had utilized his services. His theme was called “Beyond the Summit.”

In his keynote presentation, stunning expedition photography featured in National Geographic would light up the stage with fantastic views of the Karakoram Himalayas as he recounted the story of his ascent of the east face of Trango Tower. It remains the most technically difficult ascent ever in the Himalayas. High altitude, extreme weather, unknown terrain and living 24 hours a day suspended thousands of feet up combined to form a striking parallel to the challenges encountered everyday in the business world.

When a company brought Todd in to speak, they heard what it is like to break new ground, challenge traditional thought and keep the summit in sight. He explored unique strategies for goal setting, leadership and decision-making. By giving his audience a different way to look at challenges, he helped them gain insight into their own personal mountains to climb.

Todd would journey from isolated Wyoming to talk to employees of these huge companies. An Apple spokesman said of his talk, “Todd honed in on the similarities between ascending an unscalable piece of stone and maneuvering through the computer industry mine field. The audience was spellbound. He received a standing ovation.”

My daughter, Shelli, wrote a feature article about Todd Skinner 10 years ago called “Go Hard or Go Home.” She knew Todd well. She said that whenever she ran into him on the trail or at a kids’ soccer game, she always felt she owed him money because even in a few short minutes his words inspired. She called these “drive-by motivational speeches.”

After she attended the memorial for Todd, which was more of a huge celebration of his life, she said, “If anyone could die and come back to life, it was Todd Skinner.” He continues to live thanks to his inspiring words and the lives he touched. He certainly seemed alive and well at that gathering.

His book and DVD, “Beyond the Summit,” in which he shares his winning presentation, can be found at BeyondTheSummit.com. Enter 102306 at checkout for a discount. A share of proceeds will benefit the Skinner Memorial Fund.
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