Dale Bard

W Braun has reported on another site that Dale Bard past last night.

No specifics given,

RIP Dale 

Dave Diegelman has a wonderful post on his Facebook page. 

Dale passed in hospital in Moab. He had been battling cancer.

These losses only get harder....climb on, legend.....

RIP, Dale.

Huge tragedy

Dang.
RIP Dale. 

I hope his passing was as peaceful as possible. That generation of climber really built an amazing foundation for the rest of us, and I’ll never tire of learning from them. I’m sorry that his family, friends and our climbing community as a whole have lost another great one.

Sad to hear Dale is gone. I got to know him when he lived in SLC. It was was always fun to chat with him. One day I asked Dale to sign my copy of Yosemite Climber which he gladly did. He asked where he should sign I said next to one of the pictures of him. He didn't sign it once, instead he signed all the pictures of him in the book. Though he did miss one. I got chuckle out of that.

Dave Diegleman's ultra classic shot of Dale arriving at a belay on the first ascent of The Sea of Dreams.

So long Dale, the "Yosemite Hopeful ".....

I met Dale, his brother Allan, and David Moss the first weekend of March 1973. Mike Caldwell had very kindly introduced me to the world of Yosemite that weekend. That was just before Dale's "Yosemite Hopeful " days. Sometime later that spring he took up residence in Sunnyside, aka Camp 4. As they say, the rest is history. 

I remember Allen in the 1970s replying to people who asked " Yes ,I climb with my brother " .

I just found out an hour ago and I’m pretty sad.

After corresponding with a friend who knew the younger two (of 3) Bard brothers well and read the posts here, I want to respectfully mention that “Bardini” was the nickname for Allan Bard, who passed on in 1997, and not Dale.

May they both Rest in Peace.

RIP 

we’ll keep him in mind the next time we climb at his spot out in the buttermilk country.

My wife just told me. Damn. About a year ago, we went to the Moab liquor store and one of the cashiers looked familiar. I said to the wife, “holy shit, that’s Dale Bard!”, having recognized him from Valley Uprising. He looked really good, and gave me some ski beta for the La Sals.  
RIP Dale. 

I always enjoyed reading about Dale’s climbing exploits from back in the glory days in Yosemite.  

I haven’t really thought of him in quite some time but last week at work I thought of him.  I’ve always thought the photo of him at the ‘rurp” belay is timeless.  The next morning I woke up and learned of his passing.  

Dale invited me to have coffee with him when I was kid working for Curry. He was very kind to an outsider. One morning  I told him I had found a cave in the rocks full of packs, ropes, skis etc. "What should I do" I asked?

 "Nothing, don't go there again, don't tell anyone." Ha Ha. I didn't.

On my first trip to the Valley, my partner and I walked in to the Cookie Cliff and found a couple of obvious hardmen roping up under an inside corner. To get our bearings, we asked about the difficulty.

“It’s hard,” said one.

Our puzzled look elicited a follow up explanation from his partner.

“Dale thinks there’s only three grades: easy, hard, and too hard for Bard. This one is ‘hard.’

RIP to an inspiration. 

I first met dale in 1979 in the "sub lounge", a small hallway between the main lounge, now the bar, and the gift shop. I asked him his name and he replied Dale.  I asked him his last name and he said BARD, and my jaw hit the floor.  he was busy sitting down sewing something. I asked him "what are you doing" .  it was midwinter.  he said he was sewing a hole in his ledge fly that had happened on by a falling ice fragment on a new route attempt. Rad. My jaw again.  so, we became friends and this was the first of many experiences, both climbing and other events.  so sad to see another Yosemite legend go.  rest in peace buddy, yours truly, Steve Schneider

I offer my sincere condolences to Dale’s Family and many friends.

Dale was most friendly to a noob who wandered into Camp 4 - Thank you. 

Damn, I considered Dale a friend although I hadn’t seen him in years.

He was an idol of mine and I got to climb with him a few times.

Rest in peace, Dale. 

Randy Leavitt wrote this touching letter to Dale

"I look at the way you’ve lived your life, and in so many ways, you embody what our climbing community has lost. Your freedom, independence, open-mindedness, and refusal to conform defined an era—a spirit that ran through our early years. You had authenticity before anyone even started reaching for it."