Bill Davidson
Born1948 (1948)[1]
Died2003 (aged 5455)
Goose Islands, British Columbia, Canada
Occupation(s)Rock Climber, Kayaker, artist
Known forBig wall climbing, Kayaking,

Bill Davidson (1947–2003) was born on 12 October 1947 in Alberta, Canada, and grew up in an orphanage. Bill was a pioneer in the Canadian rock climbing-scene during the 1970s. After an early free ascent of the North America Wall of El Capitan, Yosemite National Park, in 1970, Bill returned to his native Alberta where he introduced extreme climbing to the Canadian Rockies.[2] Around 1975, Bill suffered a near-fatal fall and left the climbing scene. On a visit to British Columbia, he purchased a green and white double Frontiersman kayak, reduced his belongings to what he could carry with him, and traveled the north coast of British Columbia establishing campsites on many remote islands.[3] "Kayak" Bill often spent winters in Sointula on Malcolm Island where he became a self-taught "outsider" artist—painting fanciful watercolors during the winter months and selling his paintings to purchase supplies for his kayaking travels.

Kayak Bill Davidson died in December 2003, while camping in the Goose Islands group near Hakai, British Columbia. He made daily journal entries and on 6 December he mentioned experiencing "lower back & stomach pains". His last entry was made the next day on 7 December. It is believed that he died on 8 December 2003. Bill is survived by one son, Westerly Davidson.

In books

  • Pullan, Brandon (October 2021). To Be a Warrior: The Adventurous Life and Mysterious Death of Billy Davidson. Rocky Mountain Books. ISBN 978-1771604376.

Notable ascents

References

  1. The River Killers By Bruce Burrows
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Mountaineering & Climbing | Alberta Sports History Library". Ashfm.ca. Retrieved 30 April 2017.
  3. "Kayak Bill – A Requiem". October 2005. Archived from the original on 24 June 2013. Retrieved 30 April 2017.


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