A Climbing Mystery

A professional gambler and an expert rock climber disappeared in January, 2005. His remains were just discovered last week on a ledge on the “Prince of Darkness” route in Red Rocks, NV. An article about him published in 2005 says this:

 

“During the second week of January 2005, John ‘The Gambler’ Rosholt parked his black 1989 Toyota truck in a Las Vegas casino lot, pocketed the keys and disappeared. The 48-year-old climber and professional poker player left behind a tidy townhouse in the upscale Phoenix suburb of Scottsdale on December 28, 2004, for a two-week New Year’s holiday. …

John Nicholas Rosholt III was a climber and gambler. Though he’d done his share of sport routes and bouldering (he consistently won his age division at the Phoenix Bouldering Competition, climbed Hueco V8s and 5.13), it was traditional first ascents and on-sights of 5.12+ trad that set him apart. Rosholt’s crack resume brimmed with stiff ticks like Ruby’s Cafe (5.13a) and Desert Gold (5.13a). Hailed as one of America’s best traditional climbers in the late 1990s, he was known for a methodical, almost scientific approach. Not only could Rosholt calculate the odds on a tough pitch, he could hedge his bets with precise footwork and a sober poker face.”