One of the world’s most renowned rock climbers, US national Brad Gobright, is dead after falling from a sheer rock face in northern Mexico.
Gobright, 31, and fellow American Aidan Jacobson, 26, were climbing a route known as the Shining Path in the northern state of Nuevo Leon on Wednesday when they fell, the state’s emergency response agency said in a statement.
Witnesses said the men had finished climbing the 900 m (2, 300 – foot) summit and were rappelling back down when the accident happened.
Jacobson landed on a rock outcrop, but Gobright bounced off and fell another 300 meters to his death, they said.
“Jacobson suffered lesions on his right ankle and various parts of his body. He was treated at our base,” the statement said.
Gobright “lost his life after falling around 300 m. “
The late rock climber was known for his gravity-defying solo ascents with no ropes.
Alex Honnold, star of the Academy Award winning documentaryFree Solo, paid tribute to Gobright on social media. )
“I suppose there is something to be said about being safe out there and the inherent risks in climbing but I don’t really care about that right now,” Honnold said. “I’m just sad for Brad and his family.
“So crushing. Brad was a real gem of a man.”
In 2017, Gobright and then climbing partner Jim Reynolds earned acclaim for setting a speed record ascending one of the world’s most technical and dangerous vertical routes known as the Nose, at Yosemite National Park’s famous El Capitan.
The pair reached the summit in two hours and 19 minutes.
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