by Ian Vorster. Unless otherwise noted all images as well.
According to the National Park Service, on June 4, 2024, Charles Barrett, 40, was sentenced to life in prison for two counts of aggravated sexual abuse and one count of abusive sexual contact. The three incidents occurred during a weekend in Yosemite National Park.
“Barrett’s long history of sexual violence supports the imposition of a life sentence,” said U.S. Attorney Talbert. “He used his status as a prominent climber to assault women in the rock-climbing community, and when his victims began to tell, Barrett responded by lashing out publicly with threats and intimidation. This case is a testament to the courage of the victims who reported these crimes. The U.S. Attorney’s Office will continue to investigate and prosecute violent crimes in National Parks like Yosemite.”
During the trial, prosecutors told the court that Barrett had lured the victim into an isolated area by inviting her to watch a meteor shower. He then aggressively assaulted the victim while strangling her. Court documents revealed that he also assaulted her while swimming in the Tuolumne River and again in a communal shower. Three other women testified during trial that Barrett had sexually assaulted them as well, beginning in 2008.
While in custody, Barrett made hundreds of phone calls. On these calls, he showed no remorse or regret. Instead, he threatened to use violence and vindictive lawsuits against the victims, claiming that they designed a conspiracy to ruin his life.
Robert T. Matsui United States Courthouse, Sacramento. Courtesy Wiki CC2
Prominent Climber
Barrett’s prominence as a climber stems from the pioneering climbing he did on some of the most difficult bouldering routes in California. Many of these were published in a series of guidebooks. While bouldering was his primary discipline, he was also known to be a strong big-wall climber. In a feature article in a 2019 Tahoe Quarterly, leading U.S. climber Alex Honnold commented on the help he had received from Barrett. Honnold was the subject of the climbing documentary, Free Solo in which he climbed Yosemite’s El Capitan rock face without ropes. The documentary won an Oscar Award and a slough of Emmy nominations. The Tahoe Quarterly article positions Barrett in thin air with some other big climbing names.
Left: Bouldering in the Eastern Sierra Nevadas. Courtesy Markus76 CC2 Right: A portaledge (overnight campsite) on big wall El Capitan in Yosemite National Park. Courtesy AS CC2
Sexual Harassment in Climbing
A special report conducted by the American Alpine Club, Safe Outside, and Alpinist Magazine showed that 47% of women and 16% of men said they’d experienced sexual assault or harassment during a climbing activity. The survey pool consisted of around 5,000 climbers with roughly half male and half female.
Content from an Alpinist Magazine article entitled “Safety Means More than a Good Belay,” by Phil Powers and Deanne Buck was used in the report. It noted “as more and more people find joy, challenge, friendship and passion at the gym and crag, we have a special opportunity to share what we know about managing risk — such as tying in and belaying correctly — and about protecting the places we climb and cherish — such as advocating for the conservation of public lands or avoiding climbing on fragile sandstone after the rain. But there is another type of safety that doesn’t get mentioned much: the right to feel physically and emotionally safe from the discrimination, harassment and assault.”
Stay safe out there, climb with a trusted partner, and bail if you feel at all insecure.
Camp 4 at the base of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park is listed on the National Register of Historic Places because of its nationally significant role in the development of rock climbing as a sport. Courtesy Almonroth Wiki CC2
Call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or text START to 88788 if you require any help. For support outside the U.S., please visit findahelpline.com
