New Film Traces Dean Potter's "Disturbing" Rise and Fall

In 1997, Dean Potter soloed* the northwest face of Half Dome, blowing the doors off the previous record time and placing himself squarely on the throne of all that is gnarly—and crazy—in Yosemite climbing.

In 2006, he became famous (infamous?) for his pre-rehearsed ascent of Utah's Delicate Arch—an important symbol of the Beehive state as it appears on license plates there.

But his biggest contribution to "climbing" will likely always be his development of "free base"—a combination of ropeless solo climbing while wearing a parachute. When he couldn't make a move or a hold broke off, he could fall safely, knowing that his chute would deliver him happily to terra firma.

Potter was loved, hated, and feared in the climbing community. He died (along with Graham Hunt) in 2015 in a wing suit accident in Yosemite.

(To be fair, he was also known for his tremendous amount of work with volunteering, public service, the Access Fund.)

Now, a new film has been released on what can only be called the dark side of Dean Potter. The film doesn't reveal much about Potter—we all knew of his flaws. But what it does is pack them together in a bundle that offers an online audience with limited time a chance to understand those flaws like a small tray of hors d'oeuvres.

"I just felt a little uneasy listening to the narrator discuss Potter's 'flaws' in, what seemed to me, a very non-clinical way," said Tony Yeary, a Potter friend.

"Almost like slinging mud to see what sticks or in this case, what resonates. I think Dean was a very complex and private person, much more so than the film gives credit or space to. Someone whose inner battles were every bit as big as his worldly accomplishments deserves more than a scratch of the surface if one is going to point out his flaws."

Some will surely hate this film because there's nothing new; some will like it because of that Slurpee-like appeal: short, powerful, and without much substance. I asked around and no one seemed to know where the film came from. It was posted on YouTube a few days ago by an outfit called The Realm of Rad.

I'm not going to say any more. I recommend you just watch the film (link above). If you're interested.

Stay safe out there, sports fans!

*Solo means climbing alone. It doesn't necessarily mean without gear. Potter used a rope on a few sections of his Half Dome climb.