Graham Hunt (1986-2015)
Birthplace:
Shingle Springs, California
Born:
January 1, 1986
Died:
May 16, 2015
Graham Hunt, born in 1986, is an American climber known for his daring free solo climbs. He was born in 1986 and tragically lost his life on May 16, 2015, at the age of 29, during a wingsuit jump in Yosemite National Park, California. Graham Hunt, or "Grambo" as some friends called him, was originally from Shingle Springs, California, near Placerville. He had progressed rapidly in his early twenties, from climbing gyms in Sacramento to the walls of Yosemite, and excelled at soloing, with first ascents of 5.12 to his credit. He was often called upon when a solid partner was needed for exploits in the valley. In his later years, he focused more on wingsuit jumping and flying, and although he'd only been practicing the sport for five years, he'd thrown himself into it, going from apprentice to one of the best in the sport. "Whatever he was into, he excelled at it, and he was probably one of the best wingsuit pilots in the world," says Shawn Reeder, a photographer and climber who met Hunt shortly after arriving in Yosemite at the age of 22. He became passionate about jumping, and Graham and Dean became very good friends through him. He was Dean's partner, his accomplice. They would go on to achieve a string of accomplishments, including the record for the longest wingsuit BASE flight, a nearly three-minute, six-kilometer flight from the Eiger in the summer of 2013. On the evening of May 16, 2015, Hunt and Potter attempted a wingsuit jump from Taft Point, a 2,285-meter rocky promontory in Yosemite National Park. During the technical section of the flight, the two men struck a rocky ridge and were killed instantly. Their deaths deeply affected the climbing and base jumping community, which praised their courage and contribution to these extreme sports. While tributes poured in for Dean Potter, Graham Hunt, on the other hand, was virtually unknown outside of the Yosemite base jumping and climbing community. Furthermore, his complete disinterest in self-promotion and his near-zero digital footprint made him unsearchable on Google, which explains why most non-specialist media articles following his death made little or no mention of his identity and story. Graham Hunt will remain a respected figure in the world of climbing and base jumping, and his legacy continues to inspire lovers of adrenaline rushes and vertical adventures.