A High Desert Wanderer Had More Friends Than He Knew

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.

David Ross Anderson, 55, August 18

Albuquerque native David Ross Anderson was a jack-of-all-trades. He discovered rock climbing while taking classes at the University of New Mexico in the ‘80s, which inspired him to prioritize freedom over work schedules, so he could climb as often as possible.

Anderson bounced from job to job—everything from background acting to DoorDash—and was always ready to hit the pause button and take off on a climbing trip to Rifle. “David loved Rifle,” Anderson’s long-time climbing partner Joe Tefertiller told Climbing. “We took a lot of trips there. Rifle almost ended up being an annual event for him.”

Tefertiller and Anderson spent a lot of time together at the old Duke City Climbing Gym in Albuquerque and went on to help develop routes and problems in the Placitas, New Mexico area, specifically at The Temple and Palomas Peak.

Anderson passed away on August 18, 2025, after a fall while climbing in Los Alamos. He was 55 years old. He is survived by his son, Ari, his brother, Scott, and his sister, Stacy.

“He always felt like a lone wolf,” Tefertiller said. “Like a guy who always just popped in and out of things. But then, when he passed away, so many people reached out. I think it would have surprised him how many people cared about him.”

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

The post A High Desert Wanderer Had More Friends Than He Knew appeared first on Climbing.