Legendary Colorado alpinist Edwin “Bean” Bowers , six months after he was diagnosed with stage-four cancer. Bowers, 38, had undergone months of treatment in Denver and Grand Junction, Colorado. A former National Outdoor Leadership School instructor and Exum guide, Bowers was known for his free ascents on steep Patagonian peaks like Cerro Fitz Roy and Aguja Saint Exupery. In what may be his most famous adventure, Bowers took a 100-foot fall from near the top of Torre Egger when the fin of rime ice he was standing on collapsed beneath him; the force of the fall ripped out his partner Jonny Copp’s anchor, but left Bowers with only a minor back injury. After Bowers’ diagnosis, many climbers banded together to help cover his medical bills; attended a fundraiser held for him at a bar in Boulder this April, and climbers including Tommy Caldwell and Sonny Trotter offered up guided climbing trips in a charity auction.
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