RIP Jim Detterline

^^ Great, Kyle. ^^

Jim was truly an old school HARD MAN. Hard fucking core. And a big heart and big smile and the list goes on. Everyone who ever climbed with him was impacted by him.

What a bunch of mother fucking shit.

As folks hear details of what happened and details of memorials, wakes, slideshows and the funeral please post.

My most-Detterline, Detterline experience:
A Saturday in Ouray Ice Park,about '07: Jim solos a WI6 and waits to clip in on top. Curtain collapses and Jim slams into the hard floor 35ft below.

Next day,Sunday morning 4am: My partner bails,Jim's partner bailed. He couldn't sleep that night cause of aching bones from 35ft groundfall. We climbed Stairway to Heaven together. He had on tight Wranglers beneath thin rainpants. He insisted on leading the crux. He didn't carry water and drank from the climb, per usual. 8hrs car-to-car.

Wow, sad to hear. I met Jim during my climbing partner's rescue on Longs years ago. He ended up writing our entry in ANAM. An interesting thing I learned about him: apparently he is responsible for the fact that federal employees can count their years toward retirement from different federal job positions. He won a suit when he was transferred to another position and was told his years earned toward retirement would not count.

I've known Jim for a while, mostly early morning or late night encounters at the SAR cache in RMNP. but I most recently reconnected with Jim when I learned he was leading a team up the West Buttress on Denali this spring, and leaving Denver just two days before my own team! We finally met up at the 14,200' camp and shared some great memories and old times in our cook shelter. what a great guy, and what a tragic loss. I'll miss Jim a lot. RIP.

I first met jim in 1980 when we were both in school in Memphis Tn. He was the driving force behind the Memphis Mountaineers and his boundless enthusiasm led to expeditions to the Mexican volcanoes and later Aconcaqua as well as numerous ice climbing adventures over the years. His uniqueness was always on display personified by his reptile room in his house and his penchant for practicing his beloved trumpet at all hours of the night. I will never forget showing up late at his place at longs peak and talking him down from going ice climbing at midnight. His passion for climbing was legendary and i will miss desperately trying to keep up with him on an approach. enjoy bouldering in heaven jim.

I met Jim while assisting with a rescue at Hidden Falls and ran into him many times during the time I had a cabin in Estes. He epitomized everything I thought a Ranger should be.

I remember one time when he was on patrol and approached us as we were ice climbing. He politely asked if he could join us for a lap on the ice. He produced a harness and crampons out of his pack and I gave him a belay. He was a climber's climber.

To his family, I'm sorry for your loss. He will be missed by many whose lives he touched.

Jim was my biology teacher at Aims Community College in 2006. He was great! He was very knowledgeable and I remember when he took us up on a field trip to Estes and we hiked part way up Longs Peak. He also showed us all of his reptiles he had at his home. His passion for nature and exploring was contagious. As a Allenspark and Estes Park native, I know how influential he was in the community. I hope I impact lives the way that Jim impacted mine. Rest In Peace.

The current information on Jim's passing is that he was found on the ground between two boulders or crags in climbing attire near his home. To my knowledge, the cause leading to his demise has not yet been reported or made public.

I had the pleasure of meeting Jim in 2010 while doing a web site on Longs Peak. A treat to hear a few of his climbing tales. Wish I had known him more. I did get a good photo. ShepHusted.net

I met Jim through his passion for the history of long's Peak, in which I played a bit part compared with his. We both had the Park Service's medal for valor in common, but he plunged unroped into an icy torrent to save a life at a very real risk to his own. I was part of getting a climber with a broken ankle and in no immediate danger down from Broadway in good weather and with a full rescue team, at no more risk than a climb would present. Valor involves someone who takes on a substantial risk under uncontrolled conditions, which apty fits that occasion in Jim's career, and is emblematic of the man.

I had harbored the hope that Jim could drag me up Longs for the 150th Anniversary of the 1868 ascent. I had spent the night of the 100th anniversary on Longs' summit in a minor snow storm on ranger duty for the occasion. We have all missed our chances for more of his company, and my heart goes out to his wife.

Behind his house lie the Ironclads and some other rocks. Is there any ice there this time of year? What climbing gear would he carry for a solo on rock? Not that it makes any difference.

I am posting this tribute to Jim on behalf of Lisa Foster -

For 4 days I’ve been mired in sadness and unable to carry on with the normalcy of life after learning of the untimely and shocking death of my good friend, Jim Detterline. Jim’s beautiful wife Rebecca called me Tuesday evening after Jim’s body was discovered at the base of a series of rock cliffs near Allenspark. Jim sustained significant internal trauma determined to be caused by a fall in a roped-solo climbing accident from a 15-20 foot high cliff that is about a half mile from their home. He was 60 years old.

Jim worked for Rocky Mountain National Park from 1984 to 2009. He worked for many years as a Longs Peak Supervisory Climbing Ranger and Law Enforcement Officer. He climbed Longs Peak more times than anyone in history—a total of 428 times. I was lucky enough to share 8 of these successful Longs Peak summit trips with Jim, as well as innumerable failures where we went out to attempt to climb the peak but got thwarted for various reasons, mostly due to high winds and unstable snow conditions. These “failures” were some of my favorite times with Jim, as we laughed and shared stories and reveled being in the elements. Outside of our time shared on Longs Peak, Jim and I spent many, many hours rock climbing, ice climbing and mountaineering in RMNP and elsewhere in Colorado.

Jim was larger than life. He lived passionately and vibrantly, and had a dry, witty sense of humor and infectious laugh that became his trademark. He was a dear friend and an impressive climbing mentor. He was the toughest guy I knew.

Jim was a talented trumpet player who played with the Estes Park Village Band for many years. He graciously volunteered to play music for weddings, funerals and all kinds of community events.

Jim was well educated, with a Master’s degree in vertebrate zoology, and a Ph.D. in invertebrate zoology. As a herpetologist, he kept many reptiles as pets, including several species of turtles, a caiman, snakes, a chameleon, and other creatures. He saved an African spur tortoise from the Colorado flood in 2013.

Jim was hearing impaired, but it didn’t slow him down. He was an effective advocate for those with hearing loss and routinely helped children with hearing problems.

Jim took me under his wing in the late 1980’s and taught me how to ice climb, and instilled a great respect and sense of admiration for Longs Peak in my soul. He encouraged me to pursue the female ascent record on Longs Peak, which became a reality in August of 2015. Jim fueled my passion for the outdoors and always supported my alpine dreams and goals.

Jim had many stories to tell. Thankfully, he recorded many of them in his unpublished book, “From Zero to Hero and Back Again.” I have read this book and it is enviably well written, excessively engaging and ultimately entertaining. In the introduction, he states “There is a fine line between being a “Zero” and a “Hero.” I don’t believe that anyone actually desires to be a Zero. And most persons who outwardly desire to be Heroes are incapable of becoming such, as the very nature of being a hero generally precludes those who lust for the status. Although I have been cited both as a Zero and as a Hero, I didn’t ask for, nor aspire to either title. I simply tried to do my best when faced with certain critical situations.” Jim was presented the Department of the Interior’s Medal of Valor for the 1995 rescue in which he saved two people from drowning in a rushing river near Horseshoe Falls in Rocky Mountain National Park. The Valor Award is presented to Department of the Interior employees who have demonstrated unusual courage involving a high degree of personal risk in the face of danger. This was the rescue for which Jim was most publicly lauded, but he mused that his “most difficult rescues were not those we had been commended for.” He went on to say “The Horseshoe Falls rescue, for example, took place in only ten minutes, compared to the continually dangerous and frigid all-night rescue of Matt McClellan from the Narrows of Longs Peak in 1991.” He performed over 1,200 rescues in his career, saving many lives. He always made it a point to spend extra time with the victim’s families and treated every person he met with honor and respect.

Jim married Rebecca Stegura Detterline on November 17, 2012, and I am so grateful that she came into his life. She brought him immeasurable joy, and I am so happy that the last few years of his life were spent with someone so loving, kind, and generous. Oh, and she's hilarious too!!!

Jim touched tens of thousands of people with his passion for Longs Peak, his dedication to the sport of climbing, his interest in statistics and history, and his devotion to his friends and family.

Jim freely presented hundreds of slideshows and talks, inspiring countless people with his stories of adventure and hard-won life lessons. Steve Volker was impacted by one of Jim’s slideshows in 1986. “From Jim I learned not only what adventures he had experienced, but also what adventures I could experience.”

Although Jim never had children, he loved kids and always took a keen interest in my daughter, Ellie. Ellie climbed Longs Peak for the first time when she was 6 years old, and then again for her second time this past summer at the age of 7. The last time she saw Jim, he got down on his knees and gave her a hug. “I’m so proud of you!” he told her. “Do you know how old I was when I first climbed Longs Peak?” Ellie stared up at Jim with interest. “Nope,” she said. “I was 29!” he exclaimed. She let out a squeal of delight and told him, “I beat you!!!” Jim threw his head back, laughing. “You sure did!”

Jim was the kindest and best of men. He was a talented climber on rock, ice and snow. I am so fortunate to have known him so well and to have been able to share so many amazing and beautiful adventures with him. I will be forever grateful that I knew Jim, and he will continue to inspire me, and thousands of other people, to be the best we can be at all we do in life. Jim always put his best foot forward and encouraged others to do the same. He was an inspiration and a LEGEND. I will always miss him.

Lisa Foster

Pine Sap wrote:I am posting this tribute to Jim on behalf of Lisa Foster - For 4 days I’ve been mired in sadness and unable to carry on with the normalcy of life after learning of the untimely and shocking death of my good friend, Jim Detterline. Jim’s beautiful wife Rebecca called me Tuesday evening after Jim’s body was discovered at the base of a series of rock cliffs near Allenspark. Jim sustained significant internal trauma determined to be caused by a fall in a roped-solo climbing accident from a 15-20 foot high cliff that is about a half mile from their home. He was 60 years old. Jim worked for Rocky Mountain National Park from 1984 to 2009. He worked for many years as a Longs Peak Supervisory Climbing Ranger and Law Enforcement Officer. He climbed Longs Peak more times than anyone in history—a total of 428 times. I was lucky enough to share 8 of these successful Longs Peak summit trips with Jim, as well as innumerable failures where we went out to attempt to climb the peak but got thwarted for various reasons, mostly due to high winds and unstable snow conditions. These “failures” were some of my favorite times with Jim, as we laughed and shared stories and reveled being in the elements. Outside of our time shared on Longs Peak, Jim and I spent many, many hours rock climbing, ice climbing and mountaineering in RMNP and elsewhere in Colorado. Jim was larger than life. He lived passionately and vibrantly, and had a dry, witty sense of humor and infectious laugh that became his trademark. He was a dear friend and an impressive climbing mentor. He was the toughest guy I knew. Jim was a talented trumpet player who played with the Estes Park Village Band for many years. He graciously volunteered to play music for weddings, funerals and all kinds of community events. Jim was well educated, with a Master’s degree in vertebrate zoology, and a Ph.D. in invertebrate zoology. As a herpetologist, he kept many reptiles as pets, including several species of turtles, a caiman, snakes, a chameleon, and other creatures. He saved an African spur tortoise from the Colorado flood in 2013. Jim was hearing impaired, but it didn’t slow him down. He was an effective advocate for those with hearing loss and routinely helped children with hearing problems. Jim took me under his wing in the late 1980’s and taught me how to ice climb, and instilled a great respect and sense of admiration for Longs Peak in my soul. He encouraged me to pursue the female ascent record on Longs Peak, which became a reality in August of 2015. Jim fueled my passion for the outdoors and always supported my alpine dreams and goals. Jim had many stories to tell. Thankfully, he recorded many of them in his unpublished book, “From Zero to Hero and Back Again.” I have read this book and it is enviably well written, excessively engaging and ultimately entertaining. In the introduction, he states “There is a fine line between being a “Zero” and a “Hero.” I don’t believe that anyone actually desires to be a Zero. And most persons who outwardly desire to be Heroes are incapable of becoming such, as the very nature of being a hero generally precludes those who lust for the status. Although I have been cited both as a Zero and as a Hero, I didn’t ask for, nor aspire to either title. I simply tried to do my best when faced with certain critical situations.” Jim was presented the Department of the Interior’s Medal of Valor for the 1995 rescue in which he saved two people from drowning in a rushing river near Horseshoe Falls in Rocky Mountain National Park. The Valor Award is presented to Department of the Interior employees who have demonstrated unusual courage involving a high degree of personal risk in the face of danger. This was the rescue for which Jim was most publicly lauded, but he mused that his “most difficult rescues were not those we had been commended for.” He went on to say “The Horseshoe Falls rescue, for example, took place in only ten minutes, compared to the continually dangerous and frigid all-night rescue of Matt McClellan from the Narrows of Longs Peak in 1991.” He performed over 1,200 rescues in his career, saving many lives. He always made it a point to spend extra time with the victim’s families and treated every person he met with honor and respect. Jim married Rebecca Stegura Detterline on November 17, 2012, and I am so grateful that she came into his life. She brought him immeasurable joy, and I am so happy that the last few years of his life were spent with someone so loving, kind, and generous. Oh, and she's hilarious too!!! Jim touched tens of thousands of people with his passion for Longs Peak, his dedication to the sport of climbing, his interest in statistics and history, and his devotion to his friends and family. Jim freely presented hundreds of slideshows and talks, inspiring countless people with his stories of adventure and hard-won life lessons. Steve Volker was impacted by one of Jim’s slideshows in 1986. “From Jim I learned not only what adventures he had experienced, but also what adventures I could experience.” Although Jim never had children, he loved kids and always took a keen interest in my daughter, Ellie. Ellie climbed Longs Peak for the first time when she was 6 years old, and then again for her second time this past summer at the age of 7. The last time she saw Jim, he got down on his knees and gave her a hug. “I’m so proud of you!” he told her. “Do you know how old I was when I first climbed Longs Peak?” Ellie stared up at Jim with interest. “Nope,” she said. “I was 29!” he exclaimed. She let out a squeal of delight and told him, “I beat you!!!” Jim threw his head back, laughing. “You sure did!” Jim was the kindest and best of men. He was a talented climber on rock, ice and snow. I am so fortunate to have known him so well and to have been able to share so many amazing and beautiful adventures with him. I will be forever grateful that I knew Jim, and he will continue to inspire me, and thousands of other people, to be the best we can be at all we do in life. Jim always put his best foot forward and encouraged others to do the same. He was an inspiration and a LEGEND. I will always miss him. Lisa Foster

Thanks for posting this. Jim was a colleague of mine at FRCC in Fort Collins and while I didn't realize the depth and breadth of his background and achievements at the time, I remember him as an extraordinarily friendly, generous, and energetic individual. So many great stories. The climbing community in Colorado has suffered an immense loss.

Thanks very much for posting that up, Lisa. I hope to see Jim's autobiography in print very soon.

Thanks for this, Lisa. I will miss Jim a lot.

I ran into Jim occasionally, I didn't know him well, but just an occasional handshake and hello, I really wish that I had gotten to know him more. I had known Jim's Ranger friend Walter Tishma through the years and visited Walter at Good Samaritan as his health was declining, and the first thing that Walter always asked was if I had seen Jim and how Jim was doing! Walter told me many stories about Jim. Not a lot of people go through life and impact so many as Jim did. The last time that I talked with Jim was at the 2015 Longs Peak Reunion before his presentation, he had that wonderful smile and seemed so jazzed about being there!

Allnut has a tribute page for Jim.

allnutt.com/obituaries/Jame…

"I hope you are ready to climb today" says Jim, my only reply was "you know it". With that short exchange we got onto a helicopter bound for a lake at the base of Chaquita.

I worked at the Park with Jim, we did several trainings, rescues, various small projects and hikes together. Of course, being Jim, his reputation and legend preceded him. During one of these moments I had seen Jim playing around on short stones and noted to myself that he wasn't as strong as I had thought given his legendary notoriety. In 2005 I quickly realized just how wrong I was... while on search and rescue.

2005 was the summer that we lost Jeff Christianson and initiated a search and rescue that lasted about a week. Jim and I were put together due to our climbing abilities and experience, of which Jim was far superior. Going into the idea I wasn't apprehensive because in my mind "Jim wasn't a strong climber", so off we went.

It was clear from the beginning that Jim had the exact same idea about how the search was going as everyone else on the ground, FUCKING FUBARED. Everyone knew where we would find Jeff. Jim's main intention was to get a climb in that day and clear a couloir of any evidence of Jeff. But really it was the FA on Chiquita.

We stepped off the helicopter at the foot of Chiquita and faced the shortest approach to a snow climb I had ever had and Jim wasted no time. We were gone before the bird!

Our gear was light, a couple of stoppers, harnesses, crampons and axes, a couple of slings and 1 one hundred foot 8mm static line. A 10 minute warm up hike and we are at our couloir. I look up the thing and my first response is "holly shit that is steep!" We start up in good style, harnesses on and gear still in the packs. Instantly the climb shows us its nature, loose, chossy pile of melting sand and snow sitting at about 75 degrees or more. Jim goes first, but it is of little consequence because I stay right up his ass so anything knocked loose won't kill me and this thing was raining rocks and sand. We kept going past a small snow pile and under the cracked, corniced arch to gain the couloir above a pinch, which required a couple of mixed moves over loose large blocks set almost vertically. Jim fly's up it leaving little choice for me but to do the same. Above this step the terrain seemed to turn to absolute shit, things got steeper and everything we touched would fall away. I don't know whether to call it half frozen or half thawed but it was a wet nightmare, so up we went.

We climbed another short pitch to the bottom of another steep blocky step with a cornice below it. During the climb I had been keeping my eyes out for gear placements, but the walls of the couloir were trash rock with no real cracks and even if there were I wouldn't have trusted the weak rotting stone. Jim didn't seem to notice or care. From this point we could see up most of the rest of the couloir and the next head-wall weighed heavily upon me. Keep in mind at this point we are only about 100' up this thing, but it took us an hour to get there. Also this couloir,as are most, was above a couple of hundred feet of steep talus slope.

So now I am left starring up at this twenty or thirty foot step made of giant loose jagged blocks that are dead vertical and this is when I called it. "Jim, we are on rescue right now, this thing has no pro and we are free soloing. Should we be doing this?" I watched his heart sink to his heels and I could not help but feel ashamed of my pusillanimous attitude. He quickly reassured me that he was uncomfortable as well and the right decision was to descend. We both expressed that neither one of us wanted to be responsible for complicating Jeff's search and rescue, but I could see he wanted the climb, as did I. Just not this day.

At that we pulled out his rope and started to carve the snow cornice to make a rap station, threw the 8mm around it and wrapped our forty foot throw. From there we made our way down to the next snow rap, carved it out and rapped our last pitch to the ground wet, cold and humbled.

While we did not climb our route, we did achieve a vantage point to clear the search area of that couloir, so that was good. However the best part for me was that I had the wonderful experience of climbing and having my ass handed to me with the legend Jim Detterline.

Godspeed Jim.

I was deeply stunned and saddened to learn that my friend Jim Detterline had recently died in a climbing accident and that today the world will say a last goodbye to an all-around great person, my sincere condolences to you Rebecca Detterline. I believe that Jim’s enthusiasm for life and his mountain spirit will live on through you and the thousands of lives he has touched.

Sometimes you just don’t think certain things are possible and this was one. Yet we all know how fine the line can sometimes be. Whether we ski, drive, climb, bike, paddle, hike or simply sit on the couch we all exist but a short period of time in this universe. During our time we share many friendships, learn things, make others happy and sad and seek to find tranquility in an often crazy world. Jim brought many great things to others including information as a ranger, comfort as a rescuer, entertainment as a musician, knowledge as a scientist and professor, and just plain joy that emanated from his always smiling face no matter the circumstances.

I last saw Jim in July and am glad I made it a point to stop by. Although he was working on repairing the siding on his house the day we stopped by, he graciously stopped to take us climbing in his backyard – the Ironclads – where ultimately he would come to rest. It was clear how much passion he had for this little area. Big mountains, the jungle, or little crags – Jim appreciated them all equally. He showed us some of his favorite climbs and gave us route beta. Dressed in his characteristic blue jeans he led 5.11s as if they were 4th class leaving us feeling a little more humbled. We shared several climbs that day and little could I know that that would be my last visit with Jim.

I still carry clear memories of the many rescues in Rocky with Jim at the helm that occurred over 25 years ago. Whenever I would bring friends to meet him Jim was always so eager to talk about others and their moments and accomplishments yet he rarely told of own accomplishments. Among his many accomplishments were participating in over 1200 career mountain rescues – amazing in and of itself. He was there for so many when it counted. Time of day, weather, fatigue, other plans, it didn’t matter. He would go on to tell stories of climbs with Tom Hornbein and Glenn Porzak and other Himalayan greats, he would recall stories of the Gillette clan from the late 80s as if they were yesterday, an on and on.

I had the good fortune of sharing a trip to Venezuela with Jim that he organized to teach SAR skills back in 1991. He prepared expedition information in exquisite detail. We had hoped to get to the tepuis to do some potential first ascents but a local transport strike prevented it. He relished telling my friends about a particular Petit Grepon rescue where I rappelled with an injured climber using an old red tragzitz which I think to this day Jim still had on a shelf as his house was a mini mountaineering museum, his circle of friends huge. He loved his pets – his beloved Annie, the collie who I understand was at his side till the end, and the many reptiles, big and small, that lived in his house. At times going to Jim’s was like going to the reptile zoo – I guess that’s life with some with a PhD in zoology!

On another visit he wanted to take us to cave. In one section, we had to chimney down a slot about 25’ and, in the darkness of the cave, my friend slipped. In true Jim form he simply caught her in his arms and on we went with our journey. Jim had a fervor for life that was unmatched. Although I didn’t see him often in recent years, he always seemed so happy to have found a life partner in Rebecca. She will carry his spirit forward eloquently. Gone way too soon is all I can say.

I am sorry to not be able to make Jim's funeral today. However, I will be flying over the Rockies to Red Rocks today and I suspect when we we pass, the plane will dip as we fly over the big hole left by Jim.

One day while heading up to climb on the Diamond, we stumbled across the remains of a climber we had searched for earlier in the year. Among his belongings we found the following note which I think could have just as easily been written by Jim.

“But ultimately, when I ask myself, Why? ... Why do I go? Why do I do this?... I just smile... for in spite of a little physical arduousness, a little psychological rigor, and all associated risks and attendant perils, the emotional, aesthetic and spiritual rewards far outweigh any pains to get there. Exhilarating freedom and sheer ecstasy, ineffable beauty and romantic enchantment, awesome sublimity and aesthetic humility are just some feeling and experiences which come to mind. And it is for these very feelings that I go; it is for these very experiences that I do this. I am smiling now for I am going on another pilgrimage. I am going home...” — Memoirs of a fallen mountaineer

Onto the next mountain Rebecca and RIP Jim.

^^^^^^^^^^
These posts are amazing!

At the time I was working as a climbing guide in Estes and the park service had some open slots for a high angle week long rigging for rescue course so I signed up.

Jim was in the class and one day some weather was moving in on our location, like the kind that makes ur hair stand up.

Jim promptly called the park services weather center to find out what was coming. After they told them a thunderhead was heading our way he relayed the info from the highest point around to all of us and said with his hands raised as high as he could "whats the problem"

Having been struck I think three other times he didn't seem to mind tempting fate.....

We all survived, I learned a TON and got a new level of respect for the rangers that come to rescue peeps in the wrong or just a bad spot.

Prior to that week long course I had poo pooed most rangers as well peeps that drove around the park handing out tickets. But the crew for rescues were 100% spot on solid folks.

A legend for sure...