From Wikipedia:
Defying attempts at preservation, including the use of cables and spikes for most of the 20th century, the formation collapsed to the ground between midnight and 2 a.m., May 3, 2003.[2] Centuries of wind, snow, and rain, as well as freezing and thawing cycles, finally caught up with the profile.
From Mike Pelchat park ranger who worked on the Old Man:
"There's only so much you can do," said Mike Pelchat, a state parks official who hiked up the mountain Saturday to make sure there were no signs of foul play.
"With heavy rains and high winds and freezing temperatures, the combination was just right to loosen him up," he said. "We always thought it was the hand of God holding him up, and he let go."
I live right next door to the old man 6 months a year for 30 years. There was never any speculation of any kind of rock slide or avalanche that brought the Old Man down. It has been held in place artificially for decades and the forces of freeze/thaw and natural erosion finally took over. There certainly was a rock slide but that was the profile itself falling.
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SIKSUKR
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