A Colorado Climber With Hundreds of First Ascents Passed Away in Shelf Road

Every January, we share a tribute to members of our community who we lost last year. Some were legends, others were pillars of their community, all were climbers. Read the full tribute to Climbers We Lost in 2025 here.

Bob Robertson, 78, January 31

A fixture of the Colorado climbing scene for more than five decades, Bob Robertson embodied the purest form of devotion to the craft. “Bob was just a climber through and through,” said one friend. He remembered him as a route developer, storyteller, and tireless presence at the crag.

Starting in the 1970s around Colorado Springs and the Garden of the Gods, Robertson became known for his endless appetite for new lines. Some became local classics; many remain obscure, their authorship long forgotten.

Those who know Robertson’s work can still spot the relics of his early efforts: homemade red-painted hangers cut from angle iron, scattered on cliffs throughout the region. He bolted anything—good, bad, or ugly—and left behind hundreds, perhaps thousands, of first ascents across the Pikes Peak region, Shelf Road, Phantom Canyon, and the South Platte.

For the last decade, one of Robertson’s closest climbing partners and friends was Staci Suter. They developed routes, traveled together, and spent long days wandering walls, searching for potential new lines. Suter, the mother of a competition climber, loved learning the old-school history and craft from him; Robertson never tired of her questions about bolts, strategy, and ethics.

Robertson’s and Suter’s final route together, Nap Time (5.10a), was bolted on December 26, 2024, in Phantom Canyon, Colorado. Since Robertson had recently undergone a hip replacement, Suter placed the bolts while he sat in a camp chair belaying, repeatedly nodding off. When she yelled down, he’d jolt awake: “You’re still on belay!” She now feels the route’s name resonates more deeply than she ever imagined. Of all his routes, Suter says he was most proud of Ghost Dancer Arete (5.10+) in the Black Canyon of the Gunnison.

Even after hip and knee surgeries, Robertson was a familiar face at the gym and the crag, often climbing better than he could walk. He was equally devoted to his daughter, Carrie, whose health struggles he met with unshakable patience and love.

Robertson died suddenly on January 31, 2025, after a day of climbing at Shelf Road’s Piggy Bank. His last route was a 5.8 called Pig City Nights. He is remembered for his humor, his loyalty, and a lifetime spent exactly where he wanted to be: on the rock. He was 78.

Read the full tribute to Climbers We Lost in 2025 here.

The post A Colorado Climber With Hundreds of First Ascents Passed Away in Shelf Road appeared first on Climbing.