The Greater Fool: Brad Gobright and the Blinding Shine of Originality

For as long as stories have been told, we’ve had a peculiar fascination with the wayward among us, with those we call the fools.

Our histories are flush with those who stand at the edge of reason, of those who see what others cannot. Among the archetypes, the Greater Fool holds a most special place within the canon. Standing there unphased after the dust and the punchlines settle, the Greater Fool is the one who hangs on when all others let go, the one who turns into the storm when all common sense and foot traffic points the other way. Where the world around them sees only an empty promise, the Greater Fool maintains there is yet worth to be discovered still.

Intrepid and unwitting as they may be, they’re also the ones we need. As irony would have it, in every Greater Fool there’s just enough magic to pull us back in their direction. Just enough light for truth to shine an arc of redemption. This is the story of Brad Gobright, one such anomaly who shined for us all a most special and unending light.

Brad Gobright was an American climber known for free solo climbing. He was born in Orange County, California, and began climbing when he was six. Gobright dropped out of college and worked odd jobs to finance his climbs and travels.

On November 27, 2019, Gobright fell to his death on the El Sendero Luminoso climb at El Potrero Chico in Mexico. The accident happened while simul-rappelling, a technique in which two climbers descend opposite strands of an anchored rope, down the face of El Sendero Luminoso with his partner after the pair had completed a quick climb of the face.