JOHN MIDDENDORF

WE DIDN’T KNOW JOHN WELL BUT WE KNEW THROUGH MEANINGFUL WAYS, THAT OVER THE LAST DECADE OR SO MADE HIM PART OF THE FABRIC OF FEEDING THE RAT EXPEDITIONS. ANYONE WHO HAS FOLLOWED US FROM THE EARLY DAYS WILL RECALL THE D4 LOGOS PLASTERED ACROSS THE SITE, AND WE EXCHANGED A LOT OF DATA IN HIS QUEST TO DOCUMENT GEAR FROM JAPAN.

JOHN WAS A TRUE HERO FOR US AS HIS GRAND VOYAGE ROUTE WITH XAVER BONGARD ON TRANGO WAS A HUGE INSPIRATION BOTH AT THE TIME AND STILL TO NOW, EMBODYING A VISION AND ATTITUDE THAT WE THINK IS BECOMING RARE WITHIN CLIMBING. JOHN LIVED THE CONCEPT THAT THE NEXT THING WOULD NEED TO BE DESIGNED FOR FROM THE GROUND UP, AND THAT THE WHOLE POINT OF THIS WAS TO DO THINGS THAT WERE PREVIOUSLY CONUNDRUMS.

ENGAGING, BIG HEARTED, GENEROUS AND EXCITABLE, JOHN LOOKED AT CLIMBING PROBLEMS WITH AN EYE FOR INNOVATION AND CREATIVITY. THIS WAS A PLACE WHERE IDEAS COULD BE DEVELOPED THEN TESTED FOR REAL, OUT IN THE VERY REAL FRONTIER OF THE WORLDS BIGGEST ASCENTS. THE D4 LEDGES HE SENT US OPENED UP NEW POSSIBILITIES IN PLACES IMPOSSIBLE TO ACCESS WITH THE OLD HEAVIER ONES, PUTTING TIBET ON THE BIG WALL MAP WHERE IT PREVIOUSLY WASN’T.

HIS D4 PORTALEDGES CHANGED WHAT WAS POSSIBLE AND THE SPATE OF CUTTING EDGE ASCENTS THAT CAME FROM THEM SAY ALL THAT NEED TO BE SAID. WE WERE PART OF THE PROCESS OF GETTING THE 3P TRAPEZOIDAL LEDGE TO REALITY, SOMETHING JOHN WAS EXCITED BY OVER THEIR USE IN TIBET, THAT CAME WITH A COMPENDIUM OF CASUAL THOUGHTS ON THE HOW AND WHAT OF BIG WALL EXPEDITIONS AT ALTITUDE. MUCH OF THE VERY DNA OF FEEDING THE RAT EXPEDITIONS, ALL THE INVENTIVENESS, DIY PUNK STUFF AND DESIGN ATTITUDE COMES DIRECTLY FROM THIS, AND THOUGH WE NEVER MADE IT TO TASMANIA DESPITE HIS MANY INVITATIONS TO COME AND WORK DIRECTLY, HIS OPEN SOURCE DESIGNS HE HELPED TWEAK INTO VERSIONS OF LEDGES MADE WITH DYNEEMA.

JOHNS RADICAL INITIATIVES OVER PROTEST, OPEN SOURCING, EXPEDITION IDEAS AND HANDS-ON WORK WE SHARE, PROTECTING WILDERNESS, DESIGNING BETTER, AND GOING FURTHER BY OUR OWN STEAM ARE ALL STANDARDS WE UPHOLD WITH ALL THE OTHER COMPANIES WE COLLABORATE WITH. AS SAD AS IT IS TO KNOW HE’S NOT OUT THERE TINKERING AWAY AND EXPERIMENTING, IT’S GOOD TO KNOW THAT EVERY BIG WALL HAS HIS DNA IN IT.