Remembering Climber, Route Developer, and Conservationist, Lee Hansche

Lee Hansche died in an accident while route setting at the Vertical Dreams climbing gym in Manchester, New Hampshire, on May 21. While the cause of the accident is unclear, Hansche, who had managed the gym for over two decades, was using the appropriate safety gear and was extremely comfortable with the rope systems involved with indoor route setting.

Hansche grew up in southern New Hampshire and started climbing with his father at a young age. Neither of the Hansches had any formal training, and the sneaker-clad duo embarked on many ambitious scrambles in New Hampshire’s Rock Rimmon Park. Shortly after, Lee’s father began taking climbing classes so he could set up top ropes for young Lee.

As Hansche’s skills developed, he’d join his dad and brother on adventures to Rumney, bushwhacking and swinging around on ropes draped from the upper reaches of the crag’s steep, overhanging walls. At the time, Rumney was a relatively new climbing area with little publicly accessible information, making the outings true adventures. According to Torie Kidd, Hansche’s wife, this is where his love for technical rock climbing was born.

Through the years, Hansche frequented various climbing areas throughout New England, but he maintained a special love for Rumney. One of his climbing goals was to send every route at Rumney that was 5.12 or easier, and at the time of his passing, he only had one to go: Catch the Wave (5.12c), a steep, overlooked route on the Waimea Cliff.

But Hansche’s love for adventure took him to cliffs beyond Rumney, with one of his proudest accomplishments being the first ascent of The Horcrux (5.13d) at New Hampshire’s Dickey Ledge in the Waterville Valley. The route, which ascends a pristine granite corner via small holds and stemming, has only been repeated once to date.

Hansche put up first ascents at cliffs throughout New Hampshire, including at Rumney, Pawtuckaway, and Yellowjacket crags. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Hansche spent several years establishing Merriam Woods, a new area with sport routes of all grades on over a dozen cliffs, with friends and climbing partners including Jay Knower and Mike Zarnowski. Arguably the crown jewel of Merriam Woods (also known as Russell Crag) is The Golden Ratio (5.12a), a Hansche route that combines technical, slabby face climbing with a wildly exposed roof that guards the chains.

For Hansche, sharing his love for the sport was just as, if not more, important than his personal climbing goals. “He had a passion for education,” said Kidd. “His favorite part of working at Vertical Dreams was teaching people how to climb and if someone was struggling on a V0 he’d help them out and cheer them on. He was probably more psyched for the person getting on their first 5.4 than for the person projecting 5.13.”

Vertical Dreams, and the people he befriended and coached at the gym, was a staple in Hansche’s life. He began climbing at the gym with his dad shortly after it opened in 1999, and continued to climb, work, and mentor others there through the rest of his life.

“Lee helped me navigate Covid, kept in touch during our shut down, and was eager to get the place back open when it was time,” said Corey Hebert, owner of Vertical Dreams. “I honestly couldn’t have reopened without him. He obviously cared as much for the place as I do.”

Hansche also spent many days replacing bolts and anchors at crags like Rumney in his spare time, ensuring others could safely enjoy the routes he grew up climbing. His roles on the Rumney Climbers’ Association’s board of directors, and as the vice president of the Central New Hampshire Climbers’ Association, positioned him to help preserve the places he loved and share the sport of climbing with others.

Like climbing, biking, art, photography, conservation, and all of his passions, Hansche excelled at everything he was involved in, including teaching.

“He was the kind of instructor that would take the time to make sure his students were absorbing his lessons,” said Jeremy Ballou, a close friend and climbing partner. “He would frame things in ways that each person could understand and then would share the stoke when it ‘clicked’ for the student.”

In 2022, Hansche and Jay Knower found a unique way to share the sport, launching the First Ascent podcast, which would go on to air 95 episodes covering topics that ranged from how to bolt and climbing ethics to sobriety in climbing. In one episode, the two discuss a peregrine falcon closure at Rumney and how the birds interact with climbers, highlighting Hansche’s dedication not just to climbing, but the natural landscapes and ecosystems that make it possible.

“[Lee was] a huge proponent for bird conservation—especially the peregrines,” said Kidd. “He worked with the Audubon [Society] for years, and would help with accessing some of these cliffs so that way they could band the peregrines.”

While Hansche impacted even those he never met through his development, stewardship, and conservation, those closest to him remember how he put others first, doing what he could to enhance the lives of those around him.

“When I was unsure of myself, Lee was there to cheer me on,” said Ballou. “He believed in me even when I couldn’t believe in myself. Lee was a beacon of hope in a universe of indifference. He was a beautiful soul and the climbing community and the world at large was a better place with him in it.”

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