Charles Cole

Charles David Cole III, known as Charlie Cole, lived from 29 April 1955 to 14 July 2018 and was an American rock climber, inventor and entrepreneur. He founded the climbing shoe company Five Ten in 1985 and is best known for the sticky Stealth Rubber outsole, introduced in 1986, which changed grip in rock climbing and mountain sports footwear. Born in Mineola, New York, he grew up in Pasadena, California, and earned an engineering degree at the University of Southern California and an MBA at the University of Michigan. He began climbing at university and then climbed full time from Camp 4 in Yosemite, making first ascents there including Jolly Roger with Steve Grossman, and free climbs at Joshua Tree such as Run For Your Life. Adidas bought Five Ten in 2011.