Dean Potter

I had seen Dean Potter in the mags and on videos and he seemed like a true ancient spirit. I loved the whole thing he had about being the bird and how different he was from all the other climbers. I thought he was great, still do. He was obviously hot property here for he stood ridiculously tall in the center of a small group arranged around him protectively. He was like a big scruffy lighthouse with wave upon wave of hangers-on breaking onto his rocks. We were psyched.

The American climber pushed the boundaries of free soloing and speed soloing, and was a preeminent highliner and BASE jumper.

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Oh, plus miles of approach and descent for Jordan Cannon and Scott Bennett, who also biked between the walls.

This interview was published a little less than a year before Dean Potter's death on May 16, 2015.

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Celebrating the life of Dean Potter with inspiring photos and original quotes

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