John Middendorf
A big-wall climber who literally engineered the tools, from portable ledges to innovative haul bags, that made the impossible walls possible.
1959–2024 (age 65)·American mountain climber and inventor·Birthday: April 13·Baby Boomers
Biography
John Middendorf approached vertical granite with the mind of an engineer and the soul of a poet. In the 1980s and '90s, he was at the sharp end on some of the world's most daunting big walls, from the frozen sweep of Antarctica's Mount Scott to the sun-baked expanse of the Nameless Tower in Pakistan. But his lasting impact came from his workshop. Dissatisfied with clunky gear, he designed and manufactured equipment—like the iconic A5 haul bag and the Big Wall ledge—that became standard issue for a generation of climbers. His writings and detailed diagrams distilled the art of vertical living into a shared language of possibility.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
John was born in 1959, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When John Was Born
The biggest hits of 1959
#1 Movie
Ben-Hur
Best Picture
Ben-Hur
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
John's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1959Born
Fidel Castro takes power in Cuba
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $12,400Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"The Battle of New Orleans" — Johnny HortonBest Picture: Ben-Hur
1964Started school
Civil Rights Act signed; Beatles arrive in America
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $13,450Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"I Want to Hold Your Hand" — The BeatlesBest Picture: My Fair Lady
1972Became a teenager
Watergate break-in; last Apollo Moon mission
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $19,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" — Roberta FlackBest Picture: The Godfather
1975Could drive
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1977Could vote
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1980Turned 21
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1989Turned 30
Berlin Wall falls; Tiananmen Square protests
Gas: $1.00/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Look Away" — ChicagoBest Picture: Driving Miss Daisy
1999Turned 40
Columbine shooting; Y2K panic builds
Gas: $1.17/galHome: $113,900Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Believe" — CherBest Picture: American Beauty
2009Turned 50
Michael Jackson dies; Bitcoin created
Gas: $2.35/galHome: $148,500Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Boom Boom Pow" — The Black Eyed PeasBest Picture: The Hurt Locker
2019Turned 60
First image of a black hole; Hong Kong protests
Gas: $2.60/galHome: $224,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Old Town Road" — Lil Nas XBest Picture: Parasite
2024Died at 65
AI reshapes industries; Paris Olympics
Gas: $3.31/galHome: $372,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Espresso" — Sabrina CarpenterBest Picture: Anora
Key Achievements
- Made first ascents of major big walls including the East Face of Mount Babel in Canada and the West Face of Mount Asgard.
- Co-authored the seminal two-volume reference work 'The Big Walls,' chronicling techniques and history of large-scale rock climbing.
- Founded A5 Adventures, a company that manufactured innovative and durable big-wall climbing gear.
- Designed the 'Big Wall' portaledge, a lightweight and stable hanging tent system for multi-day climbs.
- Completed a significant first ascent on the remote Mount Scott in Antarctica in 1990.
Did You Know?
He held a degree in mechanical engineering from Stanford University.
He once spent 27 consecutive days on a wall during an attempt on the Reticent Wall on El Capitan.
His gear company, A5, was named after the most difficult aid climbing rating.
He was an accomplished trad climber, with early ascents of classic routes like the Phoenix in Yosemite.
He contributed technical illustrations and articles to major climbing magazines for decades.
“We sewed our own portaledges, trusting our stitches against the void.”
