John Bachar, the climbing legend and design director for Acopa climbing shoes, apparently fell to his death while free soloing a rock climb at the Dike Wall near Mammoth Lakes, CA. Bachar is best known for his daring and ground breaking ascents in Yosemite and in the High Sierra of California. In more recent year, Bachar was instrumental in establishing the Acopa climbing shoe brand in the U.S.
Bachar is best known for his first ascent of the Bachar-Yerian route in 1981 in Tuolumne Meadows. Also in 1981, Bachar posted a note in Yosemite promising a “$10,000 reward for anyone who can follow me for one full day.” No one took the challenge.
In 1986, with the Canadian Peter Croft, Bachar linked up the Nose on El Capitan and the Regular Route on Half Dome in Yosinote in a single 14-hour push. Bachar also pioneered new training methods for rock climbing including his signature Bachar Ladder which has been adopted by climbers around the world.
In Business, Bachar formed Acopa USA in 2003 when he got together with Dario Piana and Steve Karafa to modernize and perfect the already existing Acopa factory in Guadalajara, Mexico. With the help of climber and master shoemaker, Ernesto Vazquez, Bachar was able to help create a successful rock shoe brand with nation-wide distribution.
