RIP Michael Ybarra - WSJ correspondent killed in CA climbing accident

[Freuchen Icepick]

From the WSJ: "Michael J. Ybarra, a freelance writer and extreme-sports correspondent for The Wall Street Journal, was killed in a fall during a weekend mountain-climbing trip in the Sierra Nevada, according to his sister, Suzanne Ybarra." (Note: Accident happened sometime last weekend.)

http://online.wSportsJournalists.com/article/SB10001424052702303684004577507032803420796.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

I didn't know him, but was familiar with some of his work and he seemed like an interesting guy. The area where he died, Sawtooth Ridge, is pretty burly -- usually it's undertaken as a long, complex traverse across multiple summits and ridges.

 

[Inky_Wretch]

Nice tribute on Alpinist.com ...

http://www.alpinist.com/doc/web12x/ednote-ybarra

 

[WriteThinking]

Wow. The name rang a bell for me, and I suddenly thought back about 20 years, and wondered if this was someone with whom I had worked at the place where I held my first regular full-time job in newspapers.

Unfortunately, it was.

I'd lost contact with and track of Mike in the years since we both worked at that Southern California suburban newspaper, and I had no idea what he'd been doing recently. But the thread headline brought him immediately to mind.

As I recall, he had a full head of curly brown hair back then, but I also remember him being exactly as described by others: extraverted, fun and, yes, an interesting and good guy who apparently went on to accomplish some extraordinary things.

This is so sad. Again we are reminded that life is too short, and so precious.

RIP, Michael.