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Sean Allen RIP good buddy, you will be missed
         One of my very best climbing partners, and more importantly a very dear friend, Sean Allen, has passed on. He experienced a very unfortunate accident while descending Mount Mystery in Olympic National Park. I don’t have many details at this time but I just wanted to say some things about Sean and also wanted to post some pictures of some great times we had together. Sean had this lovely calm demeanor about him and was very positive about our goals in the mountains and on the rocks. He was a true pleasure to be around, while we experienced unforgettable moments of joy and suffering. He helped get me through some very tough times with his encouragement and optimism. He will be greatly missed by me, many others in the climbing community, and his family and friends in Port Angeles WA and Vista CA. You all will be in my thoughts and prayers for a very long time. I’ve never been a big fan of throwing around the term ‘brotha’, unless speaking about my actual brother. But in the case of Sean, it fits perfect. Love ya brotha. Miss ya homie. |
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I am going to miss Sean dearly. He was an amazing friend and a great guy. He's the reason I started climbing and taught me everything I know. He's also an amazing skateboarder, which is how we initially met. Life is precious, never take it for granted. I hope to see you again one day Sean. Love you.         |
       Dang Russell, thanks so much for sharing. This is the 1st time I’m seeing pics from your trip up the Nose - so rad, he looks so happy. And thanks for posting the footage of Sean skating, I never really saw him skate and to see the early footage is pretty special. The trips us three had at Tahquitz/Suicide, Red Rock & Eagle Peak are very special memories Sean loved adventures — and fuckin’ going for it. I’ve never heard anyone say anything bad about Sean and he got along with so many people from all over the world. He loved to travel, he loved summits, he liked his coffee black, and he liked shooting pics of his many adventures. Today is a rough day, I woke up crying. Trying to bond with people is impossible today. All I can think about is Sean. I know he’s in a better place right now, standing on the summit of heaven and looking down at all of us, smiling. And I bet he had a phenomenal time standing on the summit of Mount Mystery. Giving this a bump cause he deserves it - a real special character. Hope others will chime in with thoughts about Sean. |
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Thank you guys for sharing these photos. So many of us are hurting from his loss, which is a testament to what a beautiful and unique person he was. He will be deeply missed. |
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I climbed with Sean once at index and had a great time toiling around. A memorable day actually. I was a bit hungover from a party the night before (I’m not much of a drinker) and we warmed up on Japanese gardens. I had the route pretty wired and had a few pieces of gear I would usually use. Somehow I forgot two of the pieces that I normally take and wound up super run out and cruxing. Barley kept it together, but it goes down as one of my most gripping leads. I’m not sure if Sean thought I was insane but he didn’t pass any judgement on my foolery and we continued on with the day. if I remember correctly we climbed 4 or 5 pitches then hit the river. I hadn’t climbed with a ton of “strangers” at that point, but Sean had alot of stoke and was really welcoming.
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You're climbing now at the Sky Sean, The most important thing that I have to say is "Gracias" , Thanks for joining me to rock climbing, summer 2019 was a great one, after work going to Elwah's river for some great routes     My heartfelt condolences to his family From Colombia |
Brian Mannisto-Meyerswrote: Brian, so great to hear from you. Sending much love to you and sister Katie. Brian and I met through Sean. Also, Russell and I met through Sean. He had a knack/gift/art (whatever you want to call it) connecting great people with other great people, then those people would all get together and have some epic times together. @Matt Carroll, tfpu, sounds like a great day at the crag to get the head in the game with some rando stranger. Haha. Great thing about Sean was he didn’t think you were insane, he was just understanding and non-judgmental in all situations. @Andres, gracias for posting up. Sean spoke to me highly of his travels in Columbia. Glad you got to climb with him. |
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Condolences to you all. Your friend sounds like a good one. |
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I'm so sorry for your loss. I saw him on Saturday and thinking that I may have been the last person to talk to him or see him alive is surreal. He seemed like a very good guy, stoked for his trip and happy to be there. I watched him glissade into Deception basin, and then he stopped to chat when he got down to our camp. Wishing that the pain of his loss eventually becomes peace in the happy memories that you shared. ❤️  (Mt. Mystery - NE side, Mystery Glacier, and lake. 7/16/2022)  (Anemone flower, Deception Basin, 7/16/22) |
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Miss you big time, cutty. Love you and hope to see you sooner than later Katie, I’m glad you got to meet Sean. He was a special person. Your experience means a lot and I’m glad you got to experience his gracious and friendly demeanor. I’ve had some very enjoyable climbs with Sean and some not so very enjoyable climbs. Literally and figuratively. I’ll share some climbing photos and stories in the next few days. |
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Hi everyone, so nice to see new pictures. Russel, that video! So good to hear his voice. I worked with Sean and his buddies at Lake Crescent Lodge for two summers. He led me and Logan Chismar up Rainier and did not make a single peep of a complaint the whole way. I felt so tired from the altitude and I felt awful for slowing him down, but he would stop and wait when I needed, taking pictures like I did. Never again will I meet someone with such a happy, calm demeanor. If anyone has details on where he fell besides the south side of Mt. Mystery, I would love to know so I could visit it. I'm reposting what I wrote on FB/Instagram because I'd like to speak good of him here too. It's written a little more towards people who are outside of the sport, but I'm leaving it in its entirety. -- Oh, Sean. Rest peacefully, friend. To everyone who knew Sean, to my little Lake Crescent family, I'm so sorry you lost that amazing guy. I'm going to miss him too. Genuinely, and I mean this, he was one of the nicest, coolest people you could have met. He was a great leader and a once-in-a-lifetime man. His smile is one of the things I was looking forward to seeing when I visit you all again. I talk about it here and there, but I love to climb mountains. I can directly point to four people who inspired and mentored me; one of them was Sean. He was the most skilled and driven climber I've ever met, and anyone else who's been on a rope with him will probably say something similar. Death is the hard-to-swallow part about mountaineering. It's an elephant in the room for loved ones outside of the sport, and it's a possibility all climbers learn to make peace with when they're on the mountain. All it takes is a handhold to break off, a snow bridge to collapse, an avalanche to start, a rock to fall, or a storm to blind you among many other things. I would wager that in mountaineering most final moments are that of acceptance and peace, as if you simply drew the short stick this time and realized what needed to happen. I cannot speak for those who have passed, so I will stop there. Sean was not only gifted enough to excel at the sport himself, but he was able to lead others effectively without making mistakes. He led me and Logan up massive Mount Rainier with the wisdom and patience of a good man. Sean would talk about life among the peaks with me while we worked, and he'd congratulate me with a smile and a glimmer in his eyes whenever I came back from a climb. It was almost fatherly, the air about him. He and his best friend Matt made such a tangible impact on me and Sarai that we did little things after moving away like naming our favorite plants after them. I still look up to Matt the same way I looked up to Sean. The question everyone always asks is, "why?" "Why climb if it's so dangerous?" A summit is pointless to such an inquiry; there is no food, treasure, or promotion to be gained. You're usually greeted with a blast of cold wind and a bed of hard, pointy rocks to rest on while you quickly consume whatever small snack you brought, then you take some pictures and head down. The point is not material but almost spiritual in its reward. The mountain is a perfect mirror that forces reflection; it exposes you to the very depths of who you are in that moment, and it is a blade that whittles away the material things we so often worry about. With each step your flesh is cut away, until at the summit it’s as if you exhale your soul and exist only as a force of will and longing. Often I’ve approached the mountain full of pride and frustration, but then left full of gratitude and a focus shifted off of myself (never before have I so quickly been humbled.) To climb a literal mountain is to climb the mountains elsewhere in your life at the same time, and you walk away a wiser man with a great achievement to be proud of. I believe I have failed in many areas of my life, but for me each accomplished summit marks a great victory and shows me that I am still capable of succeeding. Sean not only was a frequenter of these deep journeys, he was a master of them. I do not know what the mirror showed him each time he went out, but Sean never turned away. Again and again he would go out, then again and again he would return. What lessons he learned I do not know, but I know that true leaders seek out such lessons in order to better themselves. I know that when I walk through those lodge doors again, I will expect to see his smile and hear his voice. If only I could have thanked him again for his kindness, patience, and wisdom. I know he’s impacted everyone who’s worked at that lodge greatly, and I hope that his memory and his stories will continue to mentor and edify the spirits who choose to listen. We love you, Sean. I hope you’re resting now. (P.S. I might try to take your dream summit one day. You told me what it is and I will never forget.)       |
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Chad – thank you for starting this thread. It means so much to me, as I know it does to others. You and I met when climbing with Sean at City of Rocks in the fall of 2020. It was great to see him and you together. You clearly had a strong bond that went way back. From the conversation with the rangers, we think Sean got slightly off route during his descent, ending up slightly too far east of the climber’s trail above a short headwall. The ranger mentioned visibility might have been an issue that morning. He had his large backpacking pack on him when he fell. We believe he was making a loop out of the Mystery summit, heading up from Deception Basin and down toward Del Monte ridge to Home Lake. If you have other information or are looking for information, feel free to reach out. Sean had become such a key player in my life over these past 4 years. We bonded over climbing, and he was just so dang inspiring. He was a mentor to me as well as so many others, and a great adventure buddy. We lived down the street from each other and hung out often – though, of course now doesn’t feel nearly often enough. We traveled together, had cookouts together, played poker, watched movies, sat and watched the mountains together… Sean was just that kind of guy. You could just sit there together and enjoy it. But usually you were in some epic place because he always wanted to get out there. He knew there were grand rewards to be gleaned in life if one pushed past their comfort zone. This summer, him and I had so many plans to climb together. He was inspiring me to be a better climber – hold back less, give it more. He was working on that for himself. It feels like we were just really at the beginning of what was supposed to be a long journey climbing together. Having fun together. But I am just so grateful for the memories we made recently and the summits we shared. Leading up to this weekend, he asked some of us regular suspects to partner up for something grand. We all had other obligations this weekend; told him to push it out a week. But Sean didn’t mind soloing. He liked experiencing the mountains on his own schedule, looking out into the distant rocks dreaming about the world. He talked about climbing in the Deception Basin and Needles area often. He loved its raw beauty and ruggedness. It was his backyard playground. If he had to choose somewhere to lay to rest, I think he may very well have chosen this place. I just know all of us wanted it to be another 50 years off….. I can’t stop thinking about him. These wounds will be here for a very long time. But I know he was out there just being Sean. Tackling the mountains. Experiencing them. Enjoying fresh air and righteous views. He had come so far from where he was as a youngster to today, with so many huge accomplishments. I’m going to try my best to live up to his name and all of the potential he saw in me. He would expect nothing less. We love you so much, buddy. If you have photos you want to contribute to his family, or want to see what others have posted, there is a shared drive here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/ctDguJk4oDCpJQm3A       |
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Spent a lot of my skateboarding youth with Sean. Even though I was a little older he became a good friend who I’m truly going to miss. I’m glad to see he lived such an amazing and adventurous life. Gotta live life to the fullest and that’s exactly what Sean did. My heart goes out to his friends and family. |
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Wow....what a great life, great family and friends he had...RIP Sean |
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Someone should write a book about this man |
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I was moved by Sean's story and his impact on everyone's lives. He seems like an amazing man with a boundless passion for love and life. I created this design in remembrance based on Etienne's photo. Wishing the best for all his friends and family.  |
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Wow. What a beautiful human being Sean was, and from all these heartfelt messages, will continue to be throughout your lives and even in the lives of “strangers” that did not know Sean, like myself. I just happened to read the article about the accident and Sean’s passing. And then I went on to read all of your profound, wonderful memories of a kind and totally inspired young man. It’s such a shame when a young and strong life is cut short. I’ve had this experience in my family. I will be and am given strength and hope as I read about Sean and all of you that knew and loved him. Blessings on all of you. And may we all aspire to the giant summits of the great outdoors AND to those of our inner longings. Thank you for sharing Sean with all of us. I wish that I’d known him. I feel like I have at least been given a small gift of this superb young man from all of you, and from Sean and his life. Peace, Kat |
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I wanted to share this video we made for Sean's memorial in vista the other day. |
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I’m sorry I never met the man. But we have stood on some of the same summits. I offer my sincere condolences to Sean’s Family and many Friends. |
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Hey Sean, We love and miss you. We want to keep celebrating you so we created this. https://bold.org/scholarships/sean-allen-memorial-scholarship/ Cheers, Peter |
