Dan Osman

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Dan Osman (February 11, 1963 – November 23, 1998) was an Asian American extreme sport practitioner, known for the dangerous sports of "free-soloing" (rock climbing without ropes or other safety gear); and "rope jumping" (controlled free-falling) (falling several hundred feet from a cliff then being caught by a safety rope), for which his record was over 1200 feet. He was known for living a bohemian lifestyle, rarely working, and living in a tree house for months at a time. He was the star of several rock climbing videos, which brought free-soloing to a wider audience. Dan had one daughter[1].



Contents

[edit] Death

He died on November 23, 1998 at the age of 35 after his rope failed while performing a "controlled free-fall" jump from the Leaning Tower rock formation in Yosemite National Park. The failure was investigated by the National Park Service with assistance from Chris Harmston, Quality Assurance Manager at Black Diamond Equipment. Harmston concluded that a change in jump site angle probably caused the ropes to cross and entangle, leading to the rope cutting by melting.[2] Miles Daisher, who was with Osman when he made the jump, stated that the ropes used in his fatal jump had been exposed to inclement weather - including rain and snow - for more than a month before the fatal jump, but that the same ropes were used for several shorter jumps on the previous and same day.[3]

[edit] Notable climbs

  • Lover's Leap. Bear's Reach, 5.7. Speed solo. 400+ ft. in 4 min, 25 seconds.[5]

[edit] Biography

  • Todhunter, Andrew (1999). Fall of the Phantom Lord: Climbing and the Face of Fear. New York City, USA: Anchor Books / Doubleday. ISBN 0385486421. 

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Vetter, Craig (April 1999). Terminal Velocity. Outside Magazine. Retrieved on 2007-08-09.
  2. ^ Dan Osman's Rope Failure Analysis—Possible cause for his death
  3. ^ Terminal Velocity, the death of Dan Osman
  4. ^ Beckwith, editor, Christian (1998). American Alpine Journal: vol 40, 1998, issue 72. New York City, USA: American Alpine Club. ISBN 0930410785. 
  5. ^ Free-Climbing Lovers Leap (Video). YouTube. Retrieved on 2007-08-10.

[edit] External links

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