A Tribute to Robert H. Moore (1968 - 2004) Robert "Rock" Moore - One of Utah's Climbing Elite

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    Robert Moore had hiked world class terrain for more than 10 years from the mountains of Alaska and Canada to the Rocky Mountain's Wind River range. His friends and climbing partners call him an elite alpinist who spent up to 80 days a year traversing rock and ice walls.
    So his day trip Sunday to Maple Canyon in Sanpete County seemed routine -- especially considering he'd done it before. But just 20 feet from the top, Moore, 35, noticed a horizontal crack in the ice. Thinking it would hold, he placed another two screws into the frozen wall as he advanced up the rope. "He was just about to the top when the whole thing collapsed," said Mike Morris, one of three climbing partners and friends, who choked back tears while talking to reporters Monday.
    Moore died after plunging 100 feet, despite his climbing partner's frantic attempts at resuscitation. The Sandy man leaves behind a wife, two boys ages 5 and 3 and a 3-week-old daughter.
    Friends say Moore, who was born and raised in Sandy, was a dedicated family man, who loved outdoor adventure, golf and worked in real estate. "He was funny and loud but gentle as a deer," Morris said.    
    Around 2:30 p.m., Moore and partner Marcus Porter were climbing the day's second route -- what hikers call Frankenchrist -- when the thick wall of ice broke free. Porter trekked out through thigh-deep snow and found hikers with a cell phone who called search and rescue. But due to massive trauma, immediate care could not have saved his life, friends say.
    Mike Morris, Moore's friend, who guides for climbers around the world, said the duo had "favorable" conditions Sunday even though the window for ice climbing in Maple Canyon can be as short as two months.
    "It's pretty safe if you're well-educated like Robert and Marcus were," he said. "If Robert would have sensed [trouble] he probably would have come back down."
    Moore placed six ice screws for protection in the wall as he climbed, but when the ice collapsed, it took with it the top two screws, and a third screw failed. The combined weight of the climber and the slab of ice stressed the rope, causing Moore to hit the ground. "A lot of it was rope stretch," said Nole Walkingshaw, a climbing companion.
    His love of mountaineering notwithstanding, friends say Moore was most devoted to his children and thrilled about the recent birth of his daughter. Friends of the Moore family hope to pass Moore's passion for outdoor recreation on to his children as they get older, said Walkingshaw.
    A trust fund for The Children of Robert Moore has been created at Zions Bank.
    Morris, said those close to Moore feel "shattered" by the loss. And losing an experienced member of Utah's climbing community, he says, changes the sport. "This will always be in the back of my mind for the rest of my life as I go into the mountains." (Story from the SLTribune)

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