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Jim Ratz 1953-2005
Environmental advocate and climber Jim Ratz died in a climbing accident in Sinks
Canyon, Wyoming, on May 4. 2005. He was 52.
I first came to know Jim during his years with the National Outdoor Leadership
School (NOLS), 1973 to1995, which culminated with 11 years as executive
director. Under Jim's leadership, NOLS grew in both size and scope; he opened
the Patagonia, Southwest, and Canada programs. He published Soft Paths, the
authoritative book on minimum-impact backcountry travel. Jim was also
instrumental in starting NOLS's Leave No Trace research and public-policy
programs.
In 1999, Jim and I joined Rob and Kathryn Hess in purchasing Jackson Hole
Mountain Guides. With Jim as president and guide, we grew substantially. Guides
and clients were extremely fond of Jim as an employer, mountain guide, and
friend.
Frequently, Jim's work and love for the mountains took him into the Tetons and
Wind Rivers, and occasionally to more distant peaks including Denali, Aconcagua,
and Kilimanjaro. While he was passionate about preserving time with his family,
Jim loved sunny afternoons climbing with his friends in Sinks Canyon, where he
made numerous first ascents.
At times, Jim came off as quiet and sometimes even shy, but he held strong
opinions and had a truly rowdy side. He was the first to say yes when the guides
suggested we drill a hole through a refrigerator door and devote the entire
thing to cooling and tapping a keg. At a party, he was the one ready to dance,
asking for the music to be turned up. And if that party was outside, we always
knew who was behind those mysterious fireworks.
Jim was a leader, and involved in many organizations that ranged from serving as
Director of the American Mountain Guides Association, and later as the board's
vice president, to chairman of Leave No Trace, Inc. He was on the advisory board
of the World Wildlife Congress and he even took time to be the Director of the
Lander Valley High School Swim Club Board.
--Phil Powers, September 2005
Read more . . .
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About Brad Washburn by Michael Chessler
Top of the world: Bend team set to scale Mt. Everest
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Climbing Legends returning for another shot at Everest
Fred Beckey, icon and living legend
Galen and Barbara Rowell die in plane crash
Mike Bearzi spearheads donation of rescue cache to Smith Rock
Veteran alpinist Mike Bearzi dies while climbing in Tibet
Bend's Midge Cross with women's team on Everest!
Bend's Nancy Knoble climbs Aconcagua!
Interesting essays reviewed 07.01.05
The Sport of Alpine Mountaineering
Climbing Together
Following the Leader
The Mountaineers' Rope
Basic Responsibilities
Cuatro Responsabiliades Basicas de Quienes Salen al Campo
The Ten Essentials
Los Diez Sistemas Esenciales
About our World Wide Website:
Important information updated 07.01.05
Information
Mission
South Sister, Middle Sister, North Sister (the sinister sister) and Broken Top in the Three Sisters Wilderness near Bend, Oregon USA
Photo Copyright© 2005 by Robert Speik. All Rights Reserved.
