Everest climber Barry Corbet dies at age 68 (December 2004)

Barry Corbet was a pioneer climber and extreme skier. He was a member of the 1963 Mount Everest expedition. As a young man Barry built a life for himself which revolved around adventure in the mountains. Barry was Born in Vancouver, BC and later moved to the States to attend Dartmouth College. After dropping out of school several times Barry eventually went west and settled in Jackson Hole, WY.

As a climber Barry set routes around the world and in his back yard, Grand Teton National Park. He made a first ascent up the South Ridge of Baxter’s Pinnacle, which has become on of the parks most popular climbing routes. For almost 10 years Barry worked as an Exum Mountain Guide in the Tetons and with partners Jake Breitenbach and Dick Pitman ran the Outhaus, selling climbing equipment. He and his wife also ran the Alphorn Lodge and Barry taught skiing at the Snow King and the Jackson Hole ski area.

In 1963 Barry was a member of the first American team to summit Everest, though Barry gave up his summit spot to other team mates, assuming he would have an opportunity in the future to try again. Barry’s business partner Breitenbach died on the expedition. Barry however, would not have a chance to summit Everest in the future. In 1968, just a few short months after securing a permit to start a new guide service in Teton NP, he was in a helicopter crash while filming a ski movie near Aspen, CO. The crash left him paralyzed from the waist down.

Corbet made a miraculous transition into a new life bound by wheelchair. He continued to Kayak and he co-produced more then 100 films. He became the editor of New Mobility Magazine, a publication covering disability culture and lifestyle. He wrote numerous articles and publications, including Options: Spinal Cord Injury and the Future.

Barry Corbet died of natural causes at his home in Golden, CO he was 68. He is survived by his ex-wife Mary Moore, his brother Burke, three children and four grandchildren. Corbet was best known in Jackson Hole for Corbet’s Couloir, a 10,450 ft high, double-diamond ski run on Rendezvous Peak. A run which will continue to test skiers and snowboarders from around the globe. 

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