Terry Kranning Memorial Climbers Scholarship
Terry Kranning, 57, of Pocatello, died of a head injury Sunday morning at Portneuf Medical Center after he fell during the Pocatello Pump rock climbing competition. He was not wearing a helmet said ISU Outdoor Recreation Coordinator Peter Joyce, who organized the event. “One of the things we promote in our classes is the use of a helmet, which obviously protects your head,” Joyce said. “It doesn’t matter if you fall 100 feet or 10 feet, you hit your head and it’s over.” The death was the first major accident in the competition’s 23-year history, officials said. “If you climb long enough, it will happen,” Joyce said. “This time, it happened to us, in our back yard, to our friend and family member.” Kranning had participated in the competition for at least 10 years. A well-known knife maker, Kranning also sponsored the competition, often donating his handmade knives to be given as awards, organizers said Kranning was also a member of a rock-climbing group called the Bumblies, named after a popular climbing wall, said fellow climber Justin Dayley.As part of the group, Kranning frequently volunteered to inspect the climbing routes to make sure they were safe for other climbers, and he nearly always wore a helmet, Joyce said.
Kranning may have decided to forgo the safety measure because he had made the climb selected for the competition dozens of times, Joyce said.