Craig DeMartino

Craig DeMartinoClimber

In 2002, Craig climbed to the top of the classic Rocky Mountain National Park route Whiteman, momentarily took himself off belay and then leaned back to be lowered. He fell 100 feet straight onto the talus below him. He shattered his feet and ankles. The shockwave broke his back and neck.  Rescuers were able to airlift him to a hospital where doctors weren’t sure he’d survive the night.  Amazingly, Craig pulled through. A year later, he was forced to amputate his right leg, which had never healed.  During the recovery process, Craig laid out an audacious plan, known simply as The List – with one leg, he would repeat the hardest climbs of his pre-accident career. This season, Craig’s crossing off the final difficult climbs and pushing beyond the past.

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