David F. Rearick (August 5, 1932 – August 21, 2024) was an American rock climber and mathematician. A pioneer of Yosemite's golden age of climbing, Rearick – frequently climbing with Bob Kamps – was instrumental in shifting the focus from aid climbing to free climbing in the 1950s.
Rearick and Royal Robbins climbed the Vampire at Tahquitz Rock in California in 1959; though some aid was used (not eliminated until 1973), the route required 5.10 climbing, exceptionally difficult for the times. A year later the team of Robbins and Rearick established Yosemite's first 5.10 climb: the East Chimney of Rixon's Pinnacle.
In August 1960, Kamps and Rearick made the first ascent of the Diamond, the massive headwall on the east face of 14,255-foot (4,345 m) Longs Peak, in Colorado. Their ascent was reported in newspapers across America.
Rearick received a PhD in mathematics from Caltech, defending his thesis during the spring of 1960. He became a mathematics professor at the University of Colorado at Boulder, retiring in the 1990s.
Rearick died on August 21, 2024, at the age of 92.
See also
References
- "David Rearick". Greenwood & Myers Mortuary. Retrieved 24 September 2024.
- Ament, Pat (2002). "Wizards of Rock: A History of Free Climbing in America", Wilderness Press
External links
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