Craig Luebben

Craig Luebben (20 May 1960 – 9 August 2009) was an American rock climber and author.

Luebben was born in Iowa and moved to Colorado at age seven, where he cultivated his love of the outdoors. A climber since the early 1980s, Luebben wrote a number of climbing-oriented books, and designed the wide-crack climbing protection device–now manufactured by Trango–as part of obtaining his degree in Mechanical Engineering from Colorado State University, and was a senior contributing editor for Climbing Magazine.

Luebben made many first ascents in the United States and abroad, including China, Madagascar, Puerto Rico and France.

Death

Craig Luebben was killed on August 9, 2009, in an accident while climbing on Mount Torment in the Cascade Range of Washington. A car-size block of ice calved off, taking Craig with it and resulting in a fall. While not struck by the initial block, Craig was pelted by debris as he hung from his rope.

After his death, the American Mountain Guides Association established the Craig Luebben Education Fund in his honor to provide scholarships for new mountain guides.

Writing

Luebben's 2004 book, Rock Climbing: Mastering Basic Skills, won that year's National Outdoor Book Award (Instructional).

Published works Knots for Climbers (1st & 2nd editions), The Globe Pequot Press, 1995 and 2001, Advanced Rock Climbing, co-authored with John Long, The Globe Pequot Press, 1997, How to Climb: How to Ice Climb!, The Globe Pequot Press, 1999, How to Rappel!, The Globe Pequot Press, 2000, Go Climb!, North South Publications, 2001, Betty And The Silver Spider: Welcome To Gym Climbing, Sharp End Publishing, 2002, Rock Climbing: Mastering Basic Skills, The Mountaineers Books 2004, Rock Climbing Anchors: A Comprehensive Guide, The Mountaineers Books, 2006,