Derek Hersey

Derek Hersey (1956 to 1993) was a British rock climber who specialised in free soloing, climbing without a rope, and for many years took part in the climbing scene around Boulder, Colorado. Born in Stretford, Greater Manchester, he learned to climb on the gritstone of the Peak District and moved to the United States in 1983. He treated Eldorado Canyon as his office and became known for many of Colorado hardest traditional routes done solo, including Crack of Fear at Lumpy Ridge and a day on the Diamond of Longs Peak in which he free soloed two routes and downclimbed a third. His efforts to push free soloing earned him the nickname Dr. Death. He died in 1993 in a fall while soloing the Steck-Salathe Route on Sentinel Rock in Yosemite National Park, and he features in the film Front Range Freaks.