Goodbye to Glen Denny, climber and photographer of Yosemite’s Golden Age

American rock climber and photographer Glenn Denny (1939 - 2022) has passed away. Author of numerous classics such as West Face of Leaning Tower and Astroman, his images captured the Golden Age of rock climbing in Yosemite National Park.

Born in Modesto in California in 1939, a first trip to Yosemite in September 1958 to learn to climb proved life-changing. “At El Cap Meadow I ran into a traffic jam of people watching the first ascent of El Capitan. Through binoculars I could see tiny people inching up a magnificent wall. I instantly realised I had come to the right place."

This is how the young Glen Denny began his lifelong love affair with Yosemite valley and, camera in hand, during the fervent 1960’s and 1970’s he chronicled the known as the Golden Age of Yosemite climbing.

After that first visit Denny soon became a proficient climber himself with numerous important ascents to his name, such as the first ascent of Astroman on Washington Column in 1959, the first ascent of West Face of Leaning Tower in 1961 and the third ascent of The Nose in 1963.

It was during these climbs that he produced photographs considered timeless masterpieces of icons such as Jim Bridwell, Yvon Chouinard, Tom Frost, Warren Harding, Chuck Pratt, Royal Robbins and Layton Kor. His shots of life at Camp 4 document a vibrant era when Yosemite valley was the center of the rock-climbing universe.

His life and contribution to climbing was celebrated a few years ago in this excellent short film by the American Alpine Club Legacy Series.