Rick Collier  (August 21, 1941 - August 15, 2012)

This obit was published in the "Calgary Herald" on August 21, 2012.

Richard was killed in a climbing accident in the mountains that he loved. He was a committed activist, a wholehearted environ-mentalist, an avid outdoorsman, and a proud family man. Richard is survived by his wife and best friend, Mardy Roberts; his three sons, Timothy Collier, Paul Roberts, and David Roberts; five grandsons; and members of his extended family. A Memorial Celebration will be held at Knox United Church (506 - 4th Street S.W.) at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, August 23, 2012. If desired, memorial donations may be made in Richard's name to Amnesty International or the Alberta Wilderness Association.

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Bill Holscher posted the following article from an unnamed source:

Rick Collier was killed on August 15, 2012, in a climbing accident on Mount Geikie, in Mount Robson Provincial Park, near the Tonquin Valley, Alberta, Canada. Over the past 40 years, Rick Collier ascended hundreds and hundreds of peaks in the Canadian Rockies, Selkirks, Coast Range, as well as in the US, South America, Europe, and New Zealand - no peak was too obscure for him, and no peak too well-known either. He was the first to climb all 54 of the 11,000' peaks in the Canadian Rockies without use of air support (on August 25, 2005, he climbed with Alstair Desmoulins, David Henry, & Michael Graham a newly discovered 11,000-er, Mt. Warren (11,050').

Living in Calgary, he retired from teaching at Mount Royal College in 1996 and along with the other "old goats" intensified his climbing schedule. Rick was one of the active founding members of the Old Goats Climbing Club. On August 18, 2004, with Bob Saunders and Martin Taylor he climbed the Feuz/Gardiner route on Mt. Prince Edward (10,650 feet) for his 1000th ascent. On September 18, 2005, with Manfred Czechak, David Henry, and Michael Graham, he finally struggled to the summit of Split Peak (9610') to complete his project of climbing all the peaks in the Southern Rockies listed in the classic 1973 edition of the Guidebook (approx. 572).

He also finished off all the peaks in Kane's Scramble book in 2006 and climbed all the named summits on the continental divide between the US border and Saskatchewan River Crossing (2005). He was working on all the peaks between 10,850' and 11,000' in the Rockies (33 peaks, 25 climbed); all the named peaks on the topographic maps not listed in any of the various guidebooks; and) Andrew Nugara's Scrambles book (2 remaining).

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Doug Orms posted this personal remembrance:

Attendees of our 2009 WGHS '59 Reunion may recall that Rick paused a bicycle trip he was making, cycling the entire length of the Mississippi River, to say hello to his high school friends.  The day after our reunion dinner, Rick resumed his bike ride, ultimately pedaling all the way south of New Orleans to the river's mouth.  He had started this trip in Minnesota.  Yes, whether bike riding or mountain climbing, Rick gave it all he had!  Not bad for a trombone player!   JDO 

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The Carlton College Website contains this post by Steve Stigler, Rick’s college classmate:

Richard “Rick” Collier died August 15, 2012, in a fall while climbing Mt. Geikie in eastern British Columbia, when a part of the rock face gave way during a vertical ascent he was leading.

He retired from teaching English at Mount Royal University in Calgary in 1996, where he won three distinguished teaching awards, and where his wife, Mardy Roberts, still teaches. He was best known, though, as an accomplished mountain climber, having climbed all the 583 named peaks in the southern Canadian Rockies, including all 53 over 11,000 feet in height.

He also, notably, made a night-time exterior ascent of Carleton’s Chapel in 1961 to install a banner reading “Sophs, God’s Children.” In recognition of this achievement, Dean Jarchow called him in the morning to invite a repeat ascent. Collier wrote extensively on pedagogy, climbing, and social justice causes, and helped maintain a blog on behalf of the Old Goats Group. In 1998 Carleton gave him the Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award, and his address on Carnivals was the highlight of his 35th Reunion.

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Following is a compilation of articles published in Canadian newspapers following Rick’s death:

Calgarian Rick Collier is being mourned by friends and family, after the experienced climber died in a climbing accident in Mount Robson Provincial Park on Wednesday. Collier is a former Mount Royal University literature professor, who ran for the provincial NDP in the last election. He was also a social justice and environmental activist. Collier leaves behind a wife, three children and five grandchildren.

Earlier this week, Collier was leading a party of four up Mount Geikie in B.C., when a rock face gave way, causing Collier and the others to fall. The B.C. Coroner's office says the 71-year-old died within minutes. The other members of the party were rescued. Two of them were injured.

In his 71 years, Collier was known for standing up for what he believed in. In 2009, he was calling on the federal government to offer asylum to Americans who didn't want to fight in Iraq.  Collier empathized with those opposed to the war.  He first came to Canada to escape the Vietnam war. "That was 42 years ago,” said Collier in a 2009 interview with CTV.  “It did not make any sense.”

Collier devoted himself to fixing the things that he described as making no sense in the world. He took part in social justice work with project ploughshares, he protesting logging in the Castle wilderness, and he ran as an NDP candidate in the Calgary-Glenmore riding in Alberta’s most recent provincial election.

“Just a powerful and courageous individual that shared his courage, strength and passion with the rest of the people he came in contact with,” says Julie Hrdlicka, a friend of Collier’s. 

“Depending on who you talk to, it may be a totally different person who will be remembered,” says David Roberts, Collier’s step-son.

He gave his energy to righting wrongs, but his heart belonged in the high places. “When it was coming into the climbing season there would be these conversations about what we should be doing, but then we'd say 'Yeah, but that will have to wait until he returns from the climbing season," says Grant Neufeld.

For Collier, there was always another adventure in the making. “We’d sit around and say ‘Oh, we should do this’ and he's the kind of guy that would say "Okay, let's do it!" and make it happen,” says David Roberts.

Despite his experience, the mountains remain a dangerous place. Collier was leading the way up Mount Geikie when a rock hold broke off, sending him tumbling. Two climbers with him were injured, but Collier did not survive. Collier lost his life among the peaks he loved so much. Very few climbers have logged as many miles as he did.  Collier completed dozens of first ascents, covering roughly 1,400 different peaks and counting.

“When it comes to the memorial in the coming days, the tears are going to flow,” says Neufeld, “some are already flowing.”