This Lifelong California Climber Cleaned Up Crags and Always Took the Hardest Pitches
Every January, we share a tribute to members of our community who we lost last year. Some were legends, others were pillars of their community, all were climbers. Read the full tribute to Climbers We Lost in 2025 here.
James Pinter Lucke, 81, September 17
James Pinter-Lucke passed away on September 17, 2025, in Claremont, California at age 81. Born in Portland, Oregon, he discovered a love of the outdoors early, when he started hiking and backpacking as a Boy Scout. He earned a BA in mathematics from Whitman College and a PhD from Duke University, then devoted four decades to teaching mathematics and computer science at Claremont McKenna College in California.
An accomplished climber and mountaineer, Pinter-Lucke explored Joshua Tree, Idyllwild, the Sierra Nevada, and the North Cascades. David Stevenson, a longtime friend and climbing partner, recalled Pinter-Lucke’s “quiet strength and impeccable mountain judgment.” He reflected that “even though we always swapped leads, he invariably ended up with the hardest pitches … he would never acknowledge this.”
Together, Pinter-Lucke and Stevenson shared countless adventures: climbing Whodunit at Tahquitz, summiting Sierra peaks at sunset, Pisco Oeste and Alpamayo in the Cordillera Blanca, and excursions into the Alaska Range. Stevenson remembered their “golden days” together. Long drives home after Tahquitz. Beers in the dirt at sunset. And moments of calm heroism. He recalled pulling Pinter-Lucke from a cornice on Alpamayo or guiding him past a crevasse on Explorer Peak.
Pinter-Lucke’s’s dedication to the climbing community extended beyond personal achievement. He served as Southern California Regional Coordinator for Access Fund, receiving the Reese Martin Award in 2010. He also founded the nonprofit Idyllwild Climbers Alliance, organizing annual Adopt-a-Crag trail clean-ups. Locally, he volunteered with the California Botanic Garden and the Friends of the Claremont Hills Wilderness Park.
A creative spirit and devoted family man, Pinter-Lucke was also an accomplished woodcarver and tennis player. He is survived by his wife Claudia; children Lysa and Michael; and four grandchildren.
Read the full tribute to Climbers We Lost in 2025 here.
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