Beloved climber who lived in Yosemite cave for 13 years dies ice climbing in Canada

Brooke Baitinger
·2 min read
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A skilled free solo climber known for his daring endeavors and thoughtful demeanor died ice climbing in the Canadian Rockies last week, according to multiple reports.

Zach Milligan, 42, was renowned in the climbing community, notably for living in a cave in Yosemite National Park for 13 years and becoming one of the first people to descend the park’s Half Dome on skis in 2021, SFGATE reported.

Alberta’s Lake Louise Royal Canadian Mounted Police told Gripped Climbing Magazine that Milligan’s body was found at the bottom of a cliff near Polar Circus on Saturday, Feb. 11.

Located on Cirrus Mountain in the Rockies, Polar Circle is one of the most ”sought-after” ice climbs in the world, according to Avalanche Canada.

Someone called authorities to report an abandoned car in the parking lot at the trailhead, and Parks Canada’s visitor safety team flew a drone over the climb and “found what appeared to be the deceased person at the bottom of a cliff in that area,” Gripped reported.

Friends and family remembered his kind spirit, larger-than-life personality and dedication to his craft, the Calgary Sun reported.

His close friend and climbing partner Chris Van Leuven recalled his “insatiable love for adventure.”

“He climbed at a very, very high level both on rock and on ice as a free soloist…and he would always be training his body and mind for performing in the mountains,” he told the outlet. “He would climb in the Tetons and solo these routes at a high and strict level. He was like a marathon-fit rock climber/dedicated dirt bag to the core, but also an intellectual.”

Van Leuven wrote about his friend’s death for Outside Magazine. He shared a Facebook post about Milligan from his sister, Martha Milligan Hart.

“He was a world-class climber, incredible alpine skier, gifted musician, wicked smart; he could tell a wildly entertaining story and make almost anything funny,” she wrote. “He will be missed more deeply than there are words.”

They skied down Half Dome to Yosemite Valley. It was a lifelong dream with ‘relentless risk’

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