Will Stanhope

William Joseph Stanhope and learned to climb in a North Vancouver climbing gym from the age of nine. and "one of Canada's boldest climbers". In 2024, Stanhope and Tim Emmett made the FFA of a new graded traditional climbing route on the south ridge of Mount Combatant. Stanhope climbed with Alex Honnold, who said about him, "he likes scary trad routes ... He's just a real climbing dude, the kind you want to have sitting around the campfire."

Stanhope was also known for free solo climbing at climbing grades up to . In an interview, he stated that he would free solo routes early in the morning before beginning work as a mountain guide. In 2015, he made the FFA of a graded traditional climbing route called The Tom Egan Memorial Route on Snowpatch Spire in the Bugaboos, considered one of the most difficult multi-pitch rock climbs in Canada. Stanhope and his partner, Matt Segal, spent 100 days over four years working on the climb. Their ascent was made into a climbing film, Boys in the Bugs. Despite multiple attempts, the route was never repeated and was wiped out in a 2022 rockfall event.

He worked as an Association of Canadian Mountain Guides certified guide. at the age of 39.

At the time of his death, Stanhope was facing trial on nine criminal charges, including breaking and entering and sexual assault, for offenses allegedly committed between November 2024 and November 2025. Although he was not intoxicated at the time of his death, he had been to rehab multiple times for alcohol addiction. Some of his friends were concerned about his increasing alcohol use and mental health challenges, possibly exacerbated by the death of some of his close friends, including Hayden Kennedy, Marc-André Leclerc, and Michael Gardner.