Hewett cleaned the device and continued to the ground, knowing from the magnitude of the fall that there was no hope, but moving quickly nevertheless. He reached Skinner’s body some 20 minutes later in the talus at the base of the wall, and then waited, in shock, with his friend. After an hour, Hewett concluded that nobody was coming and hiked out to the Bridalveil Falls trailhead. Here, he called the rangers around 4:30 p.m.; they responded in minutes, along with YOSAR. The belay loop was found the next day “ … in vegetation at the base of the wall. It was very worn at the spot where the break had occurred,” according to an incident report posted at nps.gov (an investigation is pending).
All this, of course, begs the question, how could such a thing happen? “A normal belay loop doesn’t fail,” says Hewett emphatically. “It was totally preventable.” To wit: On October 19, while they racked up, Hewett had noticed Skinner’s leg loops looking worn out, as well as Skinner’s belay loop, which he says was “15 to 20 percent” frayed. “I very much stressed to him that that’s not good,” says Hewett. “Todd said, ‘You’re right. I’ve got a new harness on the way.’” They discussed the worn harness, talking about how people back up the belay loop with a tied sling, but neither considered it a significant safety hazard. “The belay loop must have got a lot worse over the next few days,” says Hewett, adding that Skinner had belayed him on it with no problems (they spent four out of the next five days working the route). “We didn’t talk about it again.”
Hewett surmises that the belay loop continued fraying due to intensive wall work. He says that Skinner had his two ascenders girth-hitched directly into the loop, the higher one connected via an arm’s-length sling; the lower was attached to an aider, with a similar-length sling girth-hitched around the loop. Hewett speculates that the action of these against the loop while jugging wore it in one spot, perhaps not visible to Skinner under his leg loops.
Skinner was a larger-than-life character known as much for his strength, drive, and talent as for his open heart and open door. He is survived by his wife and climbing partner, Amy Whisler Skinner, and their children: Hannah (8), and twins Jake and Sarah (both 6). Friends and family held a well-attended (500-plus people) celebration of Skinner’s life in Lander, Wyoming, on October 27 — what would have been his 48th birthday — and have set up the Skinner Memorial Fund at: Atlantic City Federal Credit Union, 704 West Main Street, Lander, WY 82520.