I sweated and staggered up the long, steep approach, assuming he had packed a gigantic rack for the six-pitch climb that included long splitter hands, off hands and wide sections. He disgorged a huge pack from his truck and helped me swing the pig on. He could still lead the climb but hoped I would hump the rope and rack to the base. Niels also told me he had tweaked his ankle in a bouldering fall. He was incredibly bright and extremely well-read. During the four-and-a-half-hour drive we discussed philosophy, medicine and life. The next weekend we set out to climb Washerwoman Tower in Canyonlands, Utah. His crazy skills and strength were immediately evident. I’d love to join you sometime.” Thirty minutes later we roped up in Little Cottonwood Canyon, outside of Salt Lake City. Photo: Ace Kvale.Īfter the clinic finished with our last patient, Niels politely said, “Dr. He said he was considering following his father, Chris’s, path into medicine. He was two years shy of graduation from Westminster College and had just returned from his second season living in Camp 4 and working on Yosemite Search and Rescue. The youngest Tietze child came to observe my day as an ophthalmologist in my clinic at the University of Utah. In reaching out to thank them, I met the force of nature that was Niels. The family had asked for donations to the Himalayan Cataract Project in lieu of flowers. I met Niels in 2010, shortly after the death of his brother Kyle. Niels Tietze died in a rapelling accident on FiFi Buttress in Yosemite.
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