Billy Westbay

Billy Westbay, Jim Bridwell, and John Long after the first one-day ascent of the Nose in 1975

Billy Westbay was an American rock climber, known for his ascents of El Capitan in California.[1]

Westbay worked as a climbing ranger in Rocky Mountain National Park, and was known for his skills in mountain rescue.[1] He was a skilled and adventurous climber, and was part of the climbing scene that had gathered around Lumpy Ridge.[2]

Westbay was a member of the Stonemasters, an influential group of climbers in California who gathered in locations such as the Yosemite Mountains.[3]

Westbay died on 29 July 2000, of bladder cancer at the age of 47.[1] Some of Billy's ashes were taken and released on top of Longs Peak, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado in the summer of 2004.

  1. ^ a b c "Rock-climbing legend Westbay, a quiet hero, dies". denverpost.com. 2019-06-16. Archived from the original on 2019-06-16. Retrieved 2021-02-05.
  2. ^ Achey, Jeff; Chelton, Dudley (2002). Climb!: The History of Rock Climbing in Colorado. The Mountaineers Books. p. 127. ISBN 978-0-89886-876-0.
  3. ^ Zaleski, Luke (19 September 2016). "Meet the California Crew That Brought Sex, Drugs, and Free Jazz to Rock Climbing". GQ. Retrieved 2021-02-05.
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