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| Brad Gobright: Free solo climber falls to his death | Brad Gobright: Free solo climber falls to his death |
| (about 4 hours later) | |
| A world-renowned American free solo climber has died attempting to descend the side of a cliff face. | A world-renowned American free solo climber has died attempting to descend the side of a cliff face. |
| Brad Gobright, 31, fell around 300m (1,000ft) to his death in El Potrero Chico in northern Mexico. | |
| His companion, fellow climber Aidan Jacobson, 26, fell a shorter distance and survived with injuries. | His companion, fellow climber Aidan Jacobson, 26, fell a shorter distance and survived with injuries. |
| Gobright was best known for free soloing, or climbing without any safety gear, but at the time the two were abseiling, a technique using ropes. | Gobright was best known for free soloing, or climbing without any safety gear, but at the time the two were abseiling, a technique using ropes. |
| Abseiling accidents are believed to be the most common cause of fatalities in the sport. | Abseiling accidents are believed to be the most common cause of fatalities in the sport. |
| The two men were simul-rappelling - a technique where two climbers descend opposite strands of an anchored rope, with their bodies acting as counterweights to each other - with an 80m rope, the Outside website reports. | The two men were simul-rappelling - a technique where two climbers descend opposite strands of an anchored rope, with their bodies acting as counterweights to each other - with an 80m rope, the Outside website reports. |
| "We started rapping," Mr Jacobson told the Outside website, using the North American term for abseiling. "I was a bit above him. I was on the left. He was on the right. Then all of a sudden, I felt a pop, and we started dropping." | "We started rapping," Mr Jacobson told the Outside website, using the North American term for abseiling. "I was a bit above him. I was on the left. He was on the right. Then all of a sudden, I felt a pop, and we started dropping." |
| While Mr Jacobson crashed through a bush, which cushioned his fall, before striking a ledge, Gobright fell to his death. | While Mr Jacobson crashed through a bush, which cushioned his fall, before striking a ledge, Gobright fell to his death. |
| "It was basically a blur," Mr Jacobson added. "He screamed. I screamed. I went through some vegetation, and then all I remember is seeing his blue Gramicci shirt bounce over the edge." | "It was basically a blur," Mr Jacobson added. "He screamed. I screamed. I went through some vegetation, and then all I remember is seeing his blue Gramicci shirt bounce over the edge." |
| Born in California in 1988, Gobright first started climbing at the age of six. | |
| He reportedly dropped out of an Orange County community college in 2009 and worked odd jobs to fund his climbs around North America, before his talent began to attract sponsorship deals. | |
| "I always worked for four months, climbed for eight, and started over," he told Rock and Ice magazine for a 2017 profile. | |
| Tributes to Gobright, who once held the coveted speed record on the Nose of El Capitan in Yosemite, have come in from across the climbing world. | Tributes to Gobright, who once held the coveted speed record on the Nose of El Capitan in Yosemite, have come in from across the climbing world. |
| Jim Reynolds, who set that speed record with Gobright, wrote on Instagram: "We will carry your spirit, dear friend." | |
| "The climbing world lost a true light. Rest in peace," said Alex Honnold, focus of the Academy Award-winning documentary Free Solo. | |
| "You will be dearly missed," Free Solo director Jimmy Chin wrote on social media, calling Gobright "a true climber's climber". | |
| "He had a magic about him on the rock, unlike anyone I've ever met," wrote Alice Hafer, one of Gobright's climbing partners. | "He had a magic about him on the rock, unlike anyone I've ever met," wrote Alice Hafer, one of Gobright's climbing partners. |
| "He was so supportive and encouraging, always pushing me harder and believing in me." | "He was so supportive and encouraging, always pushing me harder and believing in me." |
| It is unclear exactly what happened that caused Gobright to fall. But a Reddit climbing forum discussed the dangers of rappelling in the wake of Gobright's death, posting statistics which suggest more than a quarter of climbing accidents in North America happen during the descent. | |
| "It feels like it's always rappelling... it's not over till you're on the ground folks," wrote one commenter. | |
| Another said climbers can "let their guard down" after a long and tiring day, or become distracted in the rush to get down before the sun sets. | |
| "It takes all of 20 seconds to check yourself, check your partner, and knot your ropes." |