style="font-size: larger;" | Climber Profile: Michael Reardon

Name:	Michael Reardon
Birth:	1965-5-1, Quonset Point Quonset Point Quonset Point, also known simply as Quonset, is a small peninsula in Narragansett Bay in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. It is contained entirely within the town of North Kingstown. "Quonset" is a Native American word likely meaning "small long place".Quonset Point was the location of Naval Air... , Rhode Island Rhode Island The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area... , USA
Death:	2007-7-13, Valentia Island Valentia Island Valentia Island is one of Ireland's westernmost points, lying off the Iveragh Peninsula in the southwest of County Kerry, Ireland. It is linked to the mainland by the Maurice O'Neill Memorial bridge at Portmagee, as well as by a ferry which sails from Reenard Point to Knightstown, the island's... , County Kerry County Kerry Kerry means the "people of Ciar" which was the name of the pre-Gaelic tribe who lived in part of the present county. The legendary founder of the tribe was Ciar, son of Fergus mac Róich. In Old Irish "Ciar" meant black or dark brown, and the word continues in use in modern Irish as an adjective... , Ireland Ireland Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
Type of Climber:	Free Solo
Notable Solo Ascents:	Equinox (5.12c/d) at Joshua Tree National Park, CA Joshua Tree National Park Joshua Tree National Park is located in southeastern California. Declared a U.S. National Park in 1994 when the U.S. Congress passed the California Desert Protection Act , it had previously been a U.S. National Monument since 1936. It is named for the Joshua tree forests native to the park...   EBGBs (5.10d) at Joshua Tree National Park, CA Joshua Tree National Park Joshua Tree National Park is located in southeastern California. Declared a U.S. National Park in 1994 when the U.S. Congress passed the California Desert Protection Act , it had previously been a U.S. National Monument since 1936. It is named for the Joshua tree forests native to the park...   Ghetto Blaster (5.13b) at Malibu Creek State Park, CA Malibu Creek State Park Malibu Creek State Park is a California state park in the Santa Monica Mountains near Malibu, in Calabasas. It opened to the public in 1976.-Location:Malibu Creek State Park stretches from below Malibu Lake in the west to Piuma Road in the east...   Urban Struggle (5.12b) at Malibu Creek State Park Malibu Creek State Park Malibu Creek State Park is a California state park in the Santa Monica Mountains near Malibu, in Calabasas. It opened to the public in 1976.-Location:Malibu Creek State Park stretches from below Malibu Lake in the west to Piuma Road in the east...   Lateralus (5.14a) at Malibu Creek State Park Malibu Creek State Park Malibu Creek State Park is a California state park in the Santa Monica Mountains near Malibu, in Calabasas. It opened to the public in 1976.-Location:Malibu Creek State Park stretches from below Malibu Lake in the west to Piuma Road in the east...   Pirate at Suicide Rocks, CA
Notable On-Sight On-sight climbing On-sight climbing means to attempt a rock climbing route for the first time without inspection or any form of "beta" ....  Solo Ascents:	Outrage (5.13a) at Boney Bluffs in the Santa Monica Mountains, CA Santa Monica Mountains The Santa Monica Mountains are a Transverse Range in Southern California, along the coast of the Pacific Ocean in the United States.-Geography:...   Romantic Warrior (V 5.12b) at Needles, CA  Sea of Tranquility (V 5.11d, A0) at Needles, CA  214 routes in England England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...  including Neon Dust (5.13b/c) at Froggatt Froggatt -People:* Jack Froggatt , an English football player* Joanne Froggatt , a British actress* Kathryn Froggatt, former member of the band Wheatus* Sir Leslie Froggatt , British-born Australian businessman...   Palisade Traverse (VI 5.9) in 22 hours (the previous ascent took 12 days) in the Sierra Mountain Range, CA California California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
Notable First Ascents Solos:	More than 150, including: Waiting for Guntess (5.13a) at Malibu Creek State Park, CA Malibu Creek State Park Malibu Creek State Park is a California state park in the Santa Monica Mountains near Malibu, in Calabasas. It opened to the public in 1976.-Location:Malibu Creek State Park stretches from below Malibu Lake in the west to Piuma Road in the east...   Shikata Ga Nai (V5.12) at Needles, CA  MRSR (5.12a) at Joshua Tree National Park, CA Joshua Tree National Park Joshua Tree National Park is located in southeastern California. Declared a U.S. National Park in 1994 when the U.S. Congress passed the California Desert Protection Act , it had previously been a U.S. National Monument since 1936. It is named for the Joshua tree forests native to the park...   Rainy Days (5.12d) at Ailladie Ailladie thumb|right|300px|The middle sectors of Ailladie. On the left is the Aran Wall sector, with several climbs in the E2-E5 grade range. To the right is the inset Mirror Wall, with many climbs in the E4-E6 range... , Ireland
Favorite Climb:	The Vampire (III 5.11) at Tahquitz, CA
Sponsors:	Metolius Climbing Acopa Nemo Equipment Leki Poles Jetboil

Michael Reardon was a professional American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 Free Solo Climber, filmmaker, motivational speaker

Motivational speaker

A motivational speaker or inspirational speaker is a speaker who makes speeches intended to motivate or inspire an audience. In a business context, they are employed to communicate company strategy with clarity and help employees to see the future in a positive light and inspire workers to pull...

 and writer

Writer

A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....

. Reardon perished after being swept to sea by a rogue wave, shortly after climbing a sea cliff in County Kerry

County Kerry

Kerry means the "people of Ciar" which was the name of the pre-Gaelic tribe who lived in part of the present county. The legendary founder of the tribe was Ciar, son of Fergus mac Róich. In Old Irish "Ciar" meant black or dark brown, and the word continues in use in modern Irish as an adjective...

, Ireland

Ireland

Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

.

General information

Michael Reardon was one of only a few professional Free Solo climbers. He traveled the world looking for the next ultimate solo climb, giving motivational speeches

Motivational speaker

A motivational speaker or inspirational speaker is a speaker who makes speeches intended to motivate or inspire an audience. In a business context, they are employed to communicate company strategy with clarity and help employees to see the future in a positive light and inspire workers to pull...

 and presenting slideshows.

Reardon was known for leaving mementos for those who follow him. Examples include plastic tigers attached to bolts

Bolt (climbing)

In rock climbing, a bolt is a permanent anchor fixed into a hole drilled in the rock as a form of protection. Most bolts are either self-anchoring expansion bolts or fixed in place with liquid resin....

 and over-sized panties in summit register

Summit register

A summit book is a record of visitors to the summit of a mountain, usually one without a maintained trail. It is usually enclosed in a weatherproof, animalproof metal canister. Some books are maintained in an informal manner by an individual or small group, while others are maintained by a club...

s.

He lived with his wife Marci and daughter Nikki in Oak Park, California

Oak Park, California

Oak Park is a census-designated place located in the Simi Hills, in Ventura County, California. As of the 2010 census, Oak Park had a population of 14,266, up from 14,225 at the 2000 census...

.

Climbing History

Reardon started climbing as a child on the boulders in his grandfather’s backyard. Together with his cousins, both his climbing skills and his interest in climbing were challenged and developed. Bouldering

Bouldering

Bouldering is a style of rock climbing undertaken without a rope and normally limited to very short climbs over a crash pad so that a fall will not result in serious injury. It is typically practiced on large natural boulders or artificial boulders in gyms and outdoor urban areas...

 in a backyard turned to 3-day hikes in the Appalachian Mountains

Appalachian Mountains

The Appalachian Mountains #Whether the stressed vowel is or ,#Whether the "ch" is pronounced as a fricative or an affricate , and#Whether the final vowel is the monophthong or the diphthong .), often called the Appalachians, are a system of mountains in eastern North America. The Appalachians...

, and then to ridgerunning in the Rocky Mountains

Rocky Mountains

The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...

. Reardon eventually found himself in California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

 where his climbing skills were fostered even further.

Reardon’s first formal climb was at Tahquitz, CA on a 1,000-foot route called Whodunit (5.9), with a “crusty old climber.” As the story goes, halfway up the route, the crusty handed Michael some gear and told him, “You’ll use these when you’re scared.”

After the successful ascent, the pair had enough time to climb a 500 foot 5.7. Reardon had now officially caught the climbing bug. Because he didn’t have any friends to climb with, or any gear of his own, Reardon was forced to start climbing without ropes. He returned to the 5.7 climb, and soon found himself at the top, without having to rely on any ropes.

Scholastic History

Reardon attended the University of California at Los Angeles, graduating with B.S. degrees

Bachelor of Science

A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...

 in Philosophy

Philosophy

Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...

 and Political Science

Political science

Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...

, then later graduated from the Pepperdine University School of Law

Pepperdine University

Pepperdine University is an independent, private, medium-sized university affiliated with the Churches of Christ. The university's campus overlooking the Pacific Ocean in unincorporated Los Angeles County, California, United States, near Malibu, is the location for Seaver College, the School of...

 with a Juris Doctor Degree.

Professional History

Reardon acted as the Head of Business Affairs for Harvey Entertainment, then as a Partner/the Head of Production of Black Sky Entertainment. At the time of his death, he owned Jumprunner Productions, a video production company that produced several documentaries

Documentary film

Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...

 about notable rock climbers.

Reported Missing in Ireland

At 5pm IST

British Summer Time

Western European Summer Time is a summer daylight saving time scheme, 1 hour ahead of Coordinated Universal Time. It is used in the following places:* the Canary Islands* Portugal * Ireland...

 on July 13, 2007, Reardon was reported missing after he was hit by a rogue wave and swept out to sea, shortly after climbing down the 600 ft (180m) Fogher Cliff (Lat 51.9236; Long -10.3556) just west of Valentia

Valentia Island

Valentia Island is one of Ireland's westernmost points, lying off the Iveragh Peninsula in the southwest of County Kerry, Ireland. It is linked to the mainland by the Maurice O'Neill Memorial bridge at Portmagee, as well as by a ferry which sails from Reenard Point to Knightstown, the island's...

 Coast Guard Station in County Kerry

County Kerry

Kerry means the "people of Ciar" which was the name of the pre-Gaelic tribe who lived in part of the present county. The legendary founder of the tribe was Ciar, son of Fergus mac Róich. In Old Irish "Ciar" meant black or dark brown, and the word continues in use in modern Irish as an adjective...

, Ireland

Ireland

Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

.http://www.rte.ie/news/2007/0714/kerry.htmlhttp://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article2080434.ece A coastal search was immediately undertaken by the nearby Coast Guard lifeboat, a rescue helicopter, cliff rescue teams and local people, who searched unsuccessfully http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30200-1275216,00.html. His body was never recovered.

Notable Achievements

• Equinox (5.12c/d) and EBGBs (5.10d), Joshua Tree National Park, CA, USA
• 1,000 individual solos in 30 days and 100 first ascent
  First ascent
  In climbing, a first ascent is the first successful, documented attainment of the top of a mountain, or the first to follow a particular climbing route...
  
   solos up to 5.12 at Joshua Tree National Park, CA
• Ghetto Blaster (5.13b) and “Urban Struggle” (5.12b) at Malibu Creek, CA
• Pirate at Suicide Rocks, CA
• Onsight
  On-sight climbing
  On-sight climbing means to attempt a rock climbing route for the first time without inspection or any form of "beta" ....
  
   solo of Outrage (5.13a) at Boney Bluffs
• Onsight solo of Romantic Warrior (V 5.12b) which National Geographic gave Michael "Adventurer of the Year for in 2005, Sea of Tranquility (V 5.11d, A0) and the first ascent
  First ascent
  In climbing, a first ascent is the first successful, documented attainment of the top of a mountain, or the first to follow a particular climbing route...
  
   solo of Shikata Ga Nai (V 5.12) at the Needles, CA
• Onsight solo of 214 routes in England including Neon Dust (5.13b/c)
• Onsight solo of 240 routes in Ireland including the first ascent of Rainy Days (5.12+) at Ailladie
  Ailladie
  thumb|right|300px|The middle sectors of Ailladie. On the left is the Aran Wall sector, with several climbs in the E2-E5 grade range. To the right is the inset Mirror Wall, with many climbs in the E4-E6 range...
  
  
• The first solo of the Palisade Traverse (VI 5.9) in 22 hours (the previous ascent took 12 days) in the Sierra Mountain Range, USA

Sponsors

· Metolius Climbing

· Acopa

· Nemo Equipment

· Leki Poles

· Jetboil

· Livity Outernational WWW.LiViTY.Org

Media Appearances

· The New York Times

The New York Times

The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...

· National Geographic

· Climbing Magazine

· NBC

NBC

The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...

 World of Adventure Sports

· CNN

CNN

Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...

· HBO

· The “Climb On” video series

· Film: “Return to Sender”

· Film: “No Strings Attached”

Related Companies

· Damon Corso – Photographer

· Mark Niles – Photographer

· Jumprunner Productions – Production Company

Production company

A production company provides the physical basis for works in the realms of the performing arts, new media art, film, television, radio, and video.- Tasks and functions :...

· Petrala – Production Company

Production company

A production company provides the physical basis for works in the realms of the performing arts, new media art, film, television, radio, and video.- Tasks and functions :...

· Westlake Marketing Works – Marketing Company

External links

The Official Michael Reardon Website - http://www.freesoloist.com


Michael's MySpace - http://www.myspace.com/freesoloist


In Memory of Michael Reardon - http://euroclimbing.com/?p=437


Michael Reardon circuit video at Stony Point, CA - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0TO2Hrp7cYI


Michael Reardon circuit video at Malibu Creek, CA - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E89t8qI1tH8


Michael Reardon circuit video at Joshua Tree, CA - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dojDFsoZ0ms


Michael Reardon circuit video at The Needles, CA - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1S25J99Wmgc


Michael Reardon video at Dalkey

Dalkey Quarry

Dalkey Quarry is a disused granite quarry located in the Dublin suburb of Dalkey. It was used for quarrying during the 19th century, and is now part of Killiney Hill Park, a public park...

, Ireland - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aa-WFmpTde8

http://rockandice.com/articles/people/article/683-letters-from-michael-reardon