James Barry Corbet 1936 - 2004 [LWN.net]

James Barry Corbet, your editor's father, passed away on December 18, 2004. To say that he will be greatly missed is an understatement; he lived a life which was full in the extreme, and he touched the lives of a great many others. This is a sad time.

Barry grew up in Vancouver, British Columbia. He attended Dartmouth College, but never completed his degree; instead, he moved to Wyoming to pursue his great loves of that time: skiing and mountaineering. He married Mary French, and was father to three children: Jonathan, Jennifer, and Michael.

He was in the group which performed the first ascent of the Southwest Rib of Denali. He was a member of the 1963 American Everest expedition, where he helped place the highest camp on the West Ridge ascent and lost one of his best friends to an avalanche; he also helped to film the whole exercise. With John Evans, he made the first ascent of Mount Tyree in Antarctica. If certain accounts are to be believed, he participated in an expedition to plant surveillance hardware in the Himalayas to monitor China's nuclear missile tests.

Barry also worked as a ski instructor in Jackson Hole; the infamous ski run Corbet's Couloir was named after him. He started the Jackson Hole Mountain Guides, and a mountaineering store as well. He joined Roger Brown's Summit Films, and the two of them created a classic series of ski movies, including the seminal Ski the Outer Limits.

Much of this came to an end in 1968. While filming a ski event in Aspen, his helicopter crashed, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down. Many people would have responded to such an event with depression and surrender; Barry Corbet was never one of those people, however. He built a new life for himself in a new house in the Colorado mountains. He continued making films, traveled around the country, and, increasingly, began to write. He learned to kayak, to the point of being able to roll up even without the vital hip muscles normally required for that maneuver. He spent three weeks rafting down the Grand Canyon, got dumped into the Colorado River when his raft flipped in Lava Falls, and swam his way out. He went to Korea to watch his daughter compete in the Olympics.

Disability was another mountain to climb. Barry accepted that challenge without hesitation, despite his full knowledge that he would have to climb for the rest of his life and still never catch sight of the summit. He wanted to show the world how far he could get. As time went on, however, he left this phase (which he called "supercrip") behind and turned his attention to helping others cope with disability. He traveled across the U.S., talking to spinal cord injury victims and learning how they had rebuilt their lives; the result was a book called Options, a concentrated distillation of experience with spinal cord injury. The message from Options was clear: it is possible to live a good life with disability.

Other books and films followed, along with a long period as the editor of New Mobility magazine. He feared no topics; his article on life with ventilators attracted much attention, but the annual issue on sex and disability was often the most controversial. Consider this classic quote from the Associated press:

Barry Corbet and Larry Flynt have at least three things in common. Both use wheelchairs. Both are in the magazine business. And both have been accused of peddling filth.

New Mobility has put up a collection of Barry's articles which is worth a read.

Barry's end came sooner than he had expected, but far later than anybody would have predicted after his injury in 1968. He ended his life as he lived it: in his own house, surrounded by family and dear friends, and on his own terms. In a letter sent to people he loved, he wrote:

I've had love overflowing, impassioned careers, a life of adventure and everything I've ever wanted. Nothing missed and no regrets.

Barry's accomplishments in his life are amazing. But what your editor remembers most is a loving father who insisted that his children be prepared and willing to follow their dreams, wherever they may lead them, and despite any obstacles that may appear in the way. He was an example of what life can be when it is truly lived without compromise. There is a huge empty space where Barry Corbet used to be, but the memories live on in the minds of the many people whose lives he touched.

A web site is being created at BarryCorbet.com for stories and photos.

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James Barry Corbet 1936 - 2004

Posted Dec 22, 2004 14:49 UTC (Wed) by tres (guest, #352) [Link]

Jon,

As someone who has kayaked The Grand Canyon, including Lava Falls, and had to swim twice on my trip (in Crystal Falls and a smaller rapid named for the river mile -- I think Rapid 223) I can tell you that his rafting that canyon as a paraplegic is an amazing feat, accomplishment, and inspiration to all of us river rats in the world. In fact I'm pretty much amazed by that and his many other accomplishments! (Thanks for providing the links that you did.) I can't tell you how much it means to me to run into people like that on the river; I'm sorry that I never had the opportunity to run into your father.

I am, however, greatful that he passed on his drive to you and that you have applied it to making LWN into the great publication that it is today. I am sincerely sorry for your loss and the loss to all of the outdoor enthusiasts out there by the passing of your father: James Corbett.

Sincerely,
Tres

Isn't this off-topic for LWN?

Posted Dec 23, 2004 15:57 UTC (Thu) by obobo (guest, #684) [Link]

One of the strengths of the LWN community (and Free software communities in general) are that they are just that, communities. Jonathan's personality and humanity shine through each issue of LWN, and are a big reason why I read it. I think that news of such an important event in Jonathan's life should certainly be on the front page.

Jonathan, let me add my condolences. Your father's story and spirit are an inspiration.

-Bill

Isn't this off-topic for LWN?

Posted Dec 24, 2004 1:16 UTC (Fri) by sbergman27 (guest, #10767) [Link]

Wookey, I truly do not understand the motivation for your post. As a long time reader of LWN, and now a long time subscriber, I value this publication, and the ability of its chief editor to choose stories which are relevant to this site, as well as to create engaging original content. This story is quite relevant to this site, and to FOSS in general. And for more reasons than one. I suspect that it is a case of "If you don't understand it, it probably can't be explained."

Peace, and long life,
Steve Bergman

James Barry Corbet 1936 - 2004

Posted Jan 6, 2005 19:31 UTC (Thu) by vinn (guest, #23971) [Link]

Jon, I'm so sorry to hear of your loss.

I've done my fair share of climbing and skiing, but the accomplishments of your father are amazing. The two expeditions you cited are some of the greatest in mountaineering.

A few years ago I got off the tram at Jackson and stood looking over the edge of Corbet's Couloir. Even in today's world of extreme sports, Corbet's is enough to send a shiver up anyone's spine. There's a famous saying in skiing - if you're brave enough to look over the edge, you have to ski it. It's the only time I've looked over the edge and backed away. Most of you probably haven't heard of it, but it's a classic line - one of the all time greats. The drop into the couloir (chute) is at least a 10 foot minimum with most entrances 25 - 40 feet. After you drop over the edge, there's a massive boulder that springs up in the middle of the chute just waiting to eat you alive. From there's it's a mere 4100' vertical (1250m) of skiing down some of the steepest terrain in North America to get to the bottom.