RIP Charles Cole III
Posted: Thu Jul 19, 2018 4:39 pmCharles Cole, the inventor of Stealth Rubber and founder of 5.10 company, died Saturday at age 63. He was not only incredible inventor but also a leading climber of his day with many first ascents in Joshua Tree, Tahquitz Rock and Yosemite. I had an opportunity to sample climbing before his rubber compound hit the climbing world and the difference was incredible. The Stealth rubber created one of the fundamental changes in our sport in the 80s. Charles was one of the few guys, who scrambled up 50 pitches in J Tree in a day when that kind of climbing was absolutely out of this world. He was a very friendly and unassuming guy and will be missed by all who knew him. RIP Charles.