Knots for Climbers

Craig Luebben was an AMGA Rock Guide Instructor and served on the Board of Directors for six years. He was the author or co-author of nine books on climbing and wrote numerous gear reviews and travel articles for Climbing and Rock & Ice magazines. He had a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Colorado State University and had done graduate work in rocket science. An off-width aficionado, Craig invented the expandable tube chock known as a Big Bro (see page TK), which is still sold by Trango. On August 9th, 2009, at the age of 49, Craig was killed while leading a pitch on Mount Torment in North Cascades National Park when a car-sized block of ice broke off sending him on a 30-foot fall. Craig is survived by his wife Silvia and his daughter, who was 6 at the time—both of whom he loved deeply. Clyde Soles is a freelance writer and photographer with four decades of climbing experience. He is former Senior Editor of Rock & Ice magazine and the founder of Trail Runner magazine. Clyde has authored or co-authored nine outdoor how-to books, including two other knots books.