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Zach Milligan Wiki – Bio
Zach Milligan,42, a well-known climber who made history two years ago by becoming the first person to ski Half Dome in Yosemite National Park has been found dead in the Canadian Rockies.
Milligan was found at the base of the 2,300-foot Polar Circus ice climb in Banff, Alberta on February 11. His death was confirmed by his sister, Martha. He was a world-class climber, an incredible downhill skier, a talented musician, highly intelligent; he could tell a wildly entertaining story and make almost anything funny,” he wrote on Facebook. “We will miss him more deeply than there are words.” His brother Austin added: “Not only was he my brother, he was my best friend.” Parks Canada rangers discovered Milligan’s body near the bottom of the famous 2,300-foot ice climb in Jasper National Park on Saturday, February 11, a day after they found his abandoned vehicle and asked a drone search.
They found what appeared to be the deceased person at the bottom of a cliff in that area,” said Sgt. Susan Richter of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police from Lake Louise, SFGATE reported. Parks Canada released an incident report stating that Milligan had likely fallen from one of the upper fields at Polar Circus.
Zach Milligan Age
Zach Milligan was 42 years old.
Milligan lived in a cave in Yosemite for 13 years
Milligan was born in Tucker, Georgia. Milligan became fascinated with climbing when he was 18 years old and saw a picture of Half Dome on the wall of a barbershop. He bought a rope soon after and started climbing, quickly becoming addicted. He moved to Yosemite and lived there for 13 years in a cave, The Daily Mail reported. Working for a cleaning company, Milligan made a meager living before moving to Montana and starting a flooring company. He often slept in his truck. He met Kristin Anderson, a climbing partner, in 2004, and the two began dating in 2011. At the time of her death, the couple resided in a modest home on the western side of Yosemite.
Milligan rose to fame after his descent of the Half Dome on skis in 2021
Chris Van Leuven, a journalist and fellow climber, said Milligan was reluctant to stand out, but his adventurous nature made him stand out. In a 2021 interview with Van Leuven, Milligan compared rock climbing to moving meditation. “You feel that you are in contact with God. He makes me feel like I’m in a magical place.” Milligan, who despised photography and mistrusted the media, became an overnight celebrity in the après-ski climbing community at Half Dome in February 2021.
In a remarkable and dangerous achievement, Milligan and Jason Torlano finished the descent in five hours by skiing and rappelling back to the bottom of the valley. The men in the nail-biting film can be seen cautiously picking their way through the crunchy snow and rappelling down multiple bits of bare rock known as the “slabs of death” below the infamous Half Dome face. .
Originally with the sole intention of filming Torlano’s skiing, Milligan says he later made a conscious decision to ski himself. He claimed that when he skid over part of a climbing cable and lost control, the situation quickly turned deadly. Milligan was able to right himself after using an ice ax to stop his slide. “He was just trying to stay in control and stay alive,” Milligan said. “You’re on that backbone and you don’t have a lot of room for error.” He added: “I didn’t have to be at Half Dome. I’m not a real skier.”
Anderson praised the spirit of the man. “Zach is the most interesting person I’ve ever met,” she told Outside magazine. “I fell in love with him the moment I met him in 2004 during my first summer in Yosemite. I credit Zach for showing me what he was capable of; he challenged and pushed me beyond my perceived limits, and made me a best climber.” She added: “My favorite days with him were waking up at 3am, running on the high peaks of the Sierra and enjoying the sun and wind. Aside from the climbing, he offered unique perspectives on the world and was always the person I could go with. talk. for hours, even if I called him with nothing to say.”
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