Alex Zakonov

Ken and Alex in Yosemite in 2003

Ken was my first climbing partner. Everything that I know about mountains I’ve learned from him. I watched Ken approaching extremely hard ice climbs that looked to me impossible to climb and saying “does not look bad…” and taking a lead on the climb. I also watched Ken making a decision to turn back on an objective that we planned and dreamed about for a year because it was not safe for the team. I’ve learned from Ken to respect mountains, I’ve learned from Ken to respect and value your climbing partners. Before our first big wall aid climb in Yosemite, we were in a visitor center checking weather forecast. A ranger learned about our objective and asked “What is the most important for you? Is it getting to the top?” and Ken’s answer was “No, getting to the top is not that important. The most important is to stay friends after the climb”. Those words truly represent Ken for me. He was great person and he was always taking care about people around him. I will miss Ken.