Jose Pereyra RIP

[Dru]

I just read on rec.climbing newsgroup that Jose was killed in an accident at Potrero Chico. Jose was one of my heroes for all around trad climbing putting up big wall speed records and also hard trad like No way Jose (13d crack) and big wall free routes in the Venezuelan jungle.

 

Im going home and to his memory.

[erik]

WE'VE ALL BEEN BUMMED SINCE MONDAY.....

 

SUCKS BUT JOSE AND CO. RIDE A THIN LINE!!

 

BEST TO HIS SPIRIT AND ADVENTURES!

 

[TimL]

RIP

 

[chelle]

Was it a climbing accident or something else?

[iain]

rec.climbing still lives on eh?

[Lambone]

The Information is here

 

RIP

[forrest_m]

some more details (in spanish) on xpmexico.com

 

from this article, it sounds like he was about 3/4 of the way up the route Las Auras in El Portrero Chico, an 800 meter route that goes to the summit of one of the peaks in the valley. The web site reports that rock fall "cut the rope he was hanging from", it was unclear to me whether he was at a belay or climbing.

 

I never met Jose, but I noone I know ever had anything but good words for him. RIP.

[Dr_Flash_Amazing]

This business of climbers dying; does it not leave you feeling a little fucked up and weird inside? Thinking about being dead, about how easily it could have been any one of us, just gone like that? At least he passed doing what he loved. A far greater bummer, it would seem, to die in a car crash or what have you, at least when viewed through eyes yet six feet above ground, eyes looking for some grain of comfort, of reassurance that maybe death might be not so bad.

 

 

Man ...

[cracked]

Problem is, once you're dead you're dead. It doesn't matter how you died. God, so many great climbers have died recently. Some that I have admired the most include Doc Bayne, Rod Wilard, Goran Kropp, and others. RIP

[ivan]

hendrix...morrison...elvis...shit, all the cool people are dead, it's practically a requirement

 

but they sure don't smell too good

[Wallstein]

I was woken by a phone call on Sunday morning by a close friend. I couldn't believe that what he told me was true. I didn't want to believe it.

The last time I saw Jose was in November when I was leaving the valley and I never thought it would be the last time. I first met jose 4 years ago during a winter trip to Yosemite. My partner and I were hauling loads to the base of el cap and we ran into Chongo, whom I had met from previous trips, he was sitting underneath the Sea talking to a man I had never met. I couldn't understand a word they were saying but the conversastion sure seemed to be important. We kept walking. On the way back by I saw chongo but not the other man. After bullshitting with chuck for a while I noticed something moving in a very large tree. To my amazement it was this man standing on the very top of the tree. He was barefooted and shirtless in december standing on the top of a 150+ft tree. I was in awe. He stood in the tree for at least an hour stairing out towards the valley. My partner and I made our way back to the car followed far behind by Chongo and his friend. With a lack of better things to due we decided to burn a little hurb, Chongo's highly trained nose lead him to our spot. We passed it around and chongo's friend took a small hit, Chongo explained something in spanish to his friend and showed him what to do. Chongo then told us his friend Jose just started smoking yesterday. I thought that was a little wierd considering Jose was probably 20 years my senior.

I ran into Jose many more times over the years but it wasn't until this last year that I really got to know him. We made a couple early season trips up to tuolumne and did some sport climbing together. We had a great time, but I really wanted to do a long route with Jose. I had heard of Jose's amazing talents at speed climbing. The regular route on half dome in 1:50 something, onsighting the Salathe in under 9 hours and numerous other amazing times. I consider myself to be a good climber but wouldn't even consider myself in the same league as Jose. But what the hell I thought he might do half dome with me. So I asked him and he thought it would be a great idea. I warned him that I would probably be slowing him down alot, but all he kept saying is "it will be fun..." I have never known speed climbing to be very fun but he kept reassuring me that "it will be fun" We met in the cafe at 7:00 and had a leisurly breakfast, Jose instisted that we go to the boulders for a quick "session" but I thought we should maybe get going, he said "don't worry it will be fun." Nine o'clock rolls around and we are just getting ready to go. I throw a rack together and Jose looks at it and says "all we need are doubles to .75 camalot and a #1 camalot." I laugh at what I thought was a joke, but his insists thats all we'll need. He "says when Dean and I did it we only brought a single set to .75." (thats 4 cams) I explain to him that I ain't Dean Potter. He looks me straight in my eyes and says "all you need is is doubles to .75 and a 1 camalot," he laughes "it will be fun" He had more faith in me than I had in myself. We finally escaped the parking lot at 10:00am and made our way to the base of Half dome. We took our time stopping to take in the scenery and talk about pyhsics, something Jose had a passion for (and a masters degree in) like he did climbing. He tried to explain relativity to me but I thought we should probably be hurring but Jose didn't think we needed to. I don't think Jose ever hurried anything. He just let it happen. We eventually reached the base and got ready to go. We talked about the route and decided that it would be better if he went first, I aggreed. He explained to me that when the rope comes tight start climbing, once again he stated, "it will be fun." I was about ready to puke from being so nervous. Once I started climbing I forgot about everything and just climbed. Things were going great, we were cruisin. Eventually it was my turn to lead, I looked at my anorexic rack and quitely said "this will be fun!" To my amazement I lead 7 continuous pitches without tagging any rack, I even ended up with 2 cams at my last belay. He was right, like he almost always was. We decided we should stop and have a little safety meeting, what the heck we had plenty of daylight I think. (we left the watch in the car so we wouldn't worry about how fast we were going.) The safety meeting might of been a mistake. Jose started leading but something seemed wrong, he was moving really slow. I didn't understand what could of happened. He yells down "sorry, but I forget what to do...." I didn't understand, he had climbed this route 10 times and had been climbing for longer than I had been alive, how could he forget. Well that was Jose.... He eventually fiqured out how to climb again and we were soon on our way to the top. We topped out as the sun was going down so we coiled the ropes and imediately headed down. We reached Curry village at around 10:30, a little over 12 hours after we left. It was indeed "fun"

We did things on and off together the rest of the season. We went to parties, slacklined, went hot-tubbing on the eastside and talked. Well actually he talked and I listened. I finally started to understand Jose and his way of life. He was the only person I knew that could get all of his material possesions into the trunk of a Honda civic. Yet Jose had more in his life than the richest person in the world. He could go anywhere, do anything, anytime. I once asked him what his plans were for the winter, he responded " plans? plans can only tie you down." Jose not only said this but lived like this.

I caught a ride from Yosemite to Squamish with Dean and Jose a couple years ago. During the ride Jose read me a story he had wrote on a climb he did in his native land of Venezuela, on a formation called Autauna. He was in venezuela visisting family not intending to go climbing. He was bouldering around at a little cliff in town and ran into a couple of old climbing friends. These friends had plans of climbing Autauna and invited Jose. He explained that if he hadn't of gone bouldering during that exact time he wouldn't of ran into his friends and would of never gone to Autauna. Who needs plans? Jose had dreamed of climbing Autauna his whole life and had even atttempted it before. But this was the time it was meant to happen.

Jose taught me more about life than he will ever know. I looked up to him and his way of life. He probably wouldn't want me say this as he would rather have me live and make my own life and not follow anyone elses. Images of him have been running through my head for days now. I hope these images never fade, I don't ever want to forget Jose.

As i sit here in front of my computer I wonder if he would of thought it was his time to leave. I hope not...I know there are hundreds out there that wish he was still with us. He will never be forgotten....

 

[dr._jay]

damn, mike, thanks for sharing that. i've always been impressed by the guy, now even more so since i've been reading about him since the accident. rest in peace jose.