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Remembering John Bachar |
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Friday, 17 July 2009 |
 photo by robin thompson John Bachar
Special to the Mammoth Times
Last week, we noted the passing on July 5 of longtime Mammoth resident and iconic rock climbing hero John Bachar. It is a testament to his influence that the media has been filled with recounts of his exploits, 30 years after his first step into the national spotlight (the climbing magazines had never stopped running the Bachar Stories, which readers still love). Since his death, those stories – the futuristic climbing, the uncompromising ethic, the dry humor – have been filling the pages of national and international publications, from the New York Times to the British Economist and Guardian U.K. A memorial thread on the climbing forum Supertopo.com ran at press time to 600 posts, with many prominent figures of the sport sharing glimpses of the man once known as “Johnny Rock.”
One thing that was generally missing from the press or the climbing community was the controversy that followed Bachar in his heyday. It would appear that not one well-known climber would oblige with even a faintly critical quote.
In recent years, Bachar had transcended his legendary status and its burdens. He was able to become a social climber who was happy to go cragging with friends and lucky strangers of all abilities, as if Michael Jordan was available for casual Saturday afternoon games down at the park.
A shaken Dave Talsky of Mammoth Mountaineering, a frequent partner in recent years, said in a statement that, “Although John had many talents and interests, he was a climber to his core—still climbing nearly every day despite injuries, age and work. During his prime (which lasted many years) there was no better climber in the world. John was a leader by nature. His ethics and spirit were of the purest kind, and his style will be felt in the Sierra forever. Our community can’t replace John; he was one of a kind to this world, but he leaves much for us to remember.”
It’s not just the climbing partner that locals are remembering now, but the friend who had worked hard to come terms with life. Bachar mentored many of us, including Nathan Wallace, a local who has moved on from Mammoth to become one of the more accomplished steep skiers in Chamonix, France.
Instruction from the ultimate master has no doubt aided Wallace’s own impressive career spent balanced high in the air, but it’s not the endless days of crimping at the Bachar Boulders or the Gorge that he mentions when remembering JB; it’s the friendship, the jokes, playing music in John’s garage, shredding around the ski hill, driving back roads with Miles Davis blaring from the stereo, and how John spoke about his son. Wallace recalled spending time with a happy Bachar in Italy last year, and said simply “He fought the ultimate battle with himself, and won. He had become a complete person and he was at peace.”
According his father, John M. Bachar Jr., family and friends have established a living trust in memory of John Bachar for his son, Tyrus. Donations can be made via paypal (Email:
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
) or checks to The Tyrus Bachar Living Trust, care of:
Acopa USA/ TBLT
2328 Jeanne Drive
Las Vegas, Nv, 89108
As of press time a public memorial is being planned, but no further information is available.
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Last Updated ( Friday, 24 July 2009 )
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