Derek Hersey

Derek Geoffrey Hersey (26 October 1956 – 28 May 1993) was a British rock climber who specialized in free soloing, and was for many years an active participant in the Boulder, Colorado climbing scene in the United States. Climbing career Originally from Stretford, Greater Manchester, England, Hersey was based in Colorado, US, and referred to Eldorado Canyon as his 'office', where he could be seen on any day of the week, if not on a road trip to Yosemite National Park or elsewhere. He also referred to Boulder, Colorado's Liquor Mart as 'The Shrine', and described his climbing-chalk bag as 'my bag of courage'. Hersey was featured in Climbing Magazine and posthumously in the film Front Range Freaks. He was tall and weighed . He spoke with a strong Manchester accent. Hersey was introduced to climbing by his father, who went hiking near Manchester every week. Hersey learned to climb on the gritstone of the Peak District National Park in Derbyshire. In 1983, after being unemployed for five years in England, Hersey decided to travel to the United States, where he lived for the rest of his life. Hersey specialized in unroped free solo climbing, often in the 5.10–5.11 range; he died during such a free solo climb. Few climbers have tried to repeat his achievements, which include many of Colorado's hardest traditional routes.