Dan Osman

Dan Osman
Born	February 11, 1963(1963-02-11)
Died	November 23, 1998(1998-11-23) (aged 35) Yosemite National Park
Nationality	American
Other names	"dano"
Occupation	Rock Climber
Known for	"rope jumping" and other stunts

Daniel Eugene Osman (February 11, 1963 – November 23, 1998)^[1] was an American extreme sport practitioner, known for the dangerous sports of "free-soloing" (rock climbing without ropes or other safety gear); and "rope jumping" (falling several hundred feet from a cliff then being caught by a safety rope), for which his record was over 1000 feet/300 meters. 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.^[2]

Climbing Films

Dan Osman appeared in Eric Perlman's Masters of Stone series, free soloing Atlantis (5.11+) on The Sorcerer in Needles and Airy Interlude (5.10b, then 5.9) on The Witch, also in Needles (in California's Sierras). He also is featured crashing a bmx bicycle, ziplining off The Witch, taking a gigantic 192 foot whipper just for the fun of it (in Yosemite), and perhaps most impressively, on-sight free-soloing Bolder Display of Power (5.11).

Death

Dan Osman died 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. Osman had come back to Yosemite to dismantle the jump tower but apparently decided to make several jumps (over a few days) before doing so.^[2] 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.^[3] 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.^[2]

Notable climbs

• 1997 Ride the Lightning, VI 5.10 A4 WI3, Middle Triple Peak, Kichatna Mountains, Alaska. FA with Kitty Calhoun, Steve Gerberding and Jay Smith^[4]
• Lover's Leap. Bear's Reach, 5.7. Speed solo. 400+ ft in 4 min, 25 seconds.^[5]
• The Gun Club, 5.12c, Free solo. New River Gorge

Biography

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

See also

• Free solo climbing
• Bouldering
• Extreme sport

References

1. ^ Ghiglieri, Michael P. and Farabee, Charles R. "Butch", Jr. (2007). Off the Wall: Death in Yosemite. Flagstaff: Puma Press. pp. 349–354, 366. ISBN 978-0-9700973-6-1. 
2. ^ ^{a b c} Vetter, Craig (April 1999). "Terminal Velocity". Outside Magazine. http://outsideonline.com/magazine/0499/9904terminal.html. Retrieved 2007-08-09. 
3. ^ Dan Osman's Rope Failure Analysis—Possible cause for his death
4. ^ Calhoun, Kitty (1998). "Wet and Wild in Kichatnas". American Alpine Journal 1998 (Golden, CO, USA: American Alpine Club) 40 (72): 88–95. ISBN 0930410785. 
5. ^ "Free-Climbing Lovers Leap" (Video). YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5D0P9aPu51A. Retrieved 2007-08-10. 

External links

• Article about Dan Osman in Outside Magazine

Persondata
Name	Osman, Dan
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	February 11, 1963
Place of birth
Date of death	November 23, 1998
Place of death	Yosemite National Park