Legendary New Hampshire climber and photographer, Lee Hansche, has lost his life following a tragic accident in the Vertical Dreams gym he managed.
Hansche was setting a route (creating/designing the climbs on a wall) when he suffered a catastrophic fall.
He sustained fatal injuries from the fall and could not recover.
His partner announced Hansche’s death in an emotional post shared on his Instagram page, @xxleeweexx.
According to her, Hansche’s accident occurred on Tuesday, May 21st, 2024.
Describing him as the ‘brightest red star’ and ‘light’ she ever encountered, Hansche’s partner highlighted his love, positivity, empathy, and patience radiated out towards everyone he dealt with.
“He lived more in his short 46 years than most people could live in two lifetimes. He put in 110% into everything he did,” she said, adding that Hansche was “brilliant, funny clever, kind, and caring…”
Hansche’s partner lamented losing the love of her life but recognized he was loved by many more people aside from herself.
She ended her post by calling on all those who loved Hansche to share their favorite memories of his.
“This is so profound a loss to the entire climbing community. Lee touched many people through climbing, be it with his media, guidebooks, MP descriptions, new routes, anchor replacement, or his kind words online or at the crag. Lee was like a member of my family, and losing him feels like losing a part of me,” one jayknower said in response to the post.
Lee Hansche accident
Popular New Hampshire climber Lee Hansche died on Tuesday, May 21st, 2024 in an accident that occurred while he was route setting in his gym.
Hansche was the manager of a gym known as Vertical Heights in NH and was setting a new route for climbers in the gym when he tragically fell!
The fall was a serious one and left him with fatal injuries.
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Hansche’s death has thrown an entire community of climbing lovers not just in New Hampshire but also across the United States into mourning.
Tributes have been flowing in for the late Hansche with most highlighting not just how completely talented he was but also the fact he was an amazing human being to work with.
“Lee was full of life and enjoyed the pull of adventure. His kindness for others was well known and his photography was first class capturing the magic of NH climbing and climbing throughout North America,” the page Common Climber said in tribute.
Hansche would be missed for his tenacity and enthusiasm in his pursuit of his love for climbing.
He has inspired many in that community to face their fears and conquer all sorts of challenges and will always be remembered fondly for that.