Rock climber falls to death in Yosemite
Posted 10/25/2006 5:38 AM ET
YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, Calif. (AP) — A renowned rock climber was killed when he fell 500 feet after taking a new route up a rock face, a park spokeswoman said Tuesday.
Todd Skinner, 47, was rappelling when he fell to his death Monday on Leaning Tower, Adrienne Freeman said. It was not immediately clear why he fell, but park officials planned to investigate.
Skinner, of Lander, Wyo., was celebrated for having climbed hundreds of rock faces from Yukon Territory to the Himalayas using a technique called free climbing, in which climbers use no artificial aids except for a rope to protect against falls.
He was the first to free climb a now-famous route on El Capitan, a granite monolith in Yosemite that rises 3,000 feet from the valley floor, according to his website.
Skinner, who wrote "Beyond the Summit," claimed to have set climbing records in 26 countries.
"Someone might have climbed a peak or a crag or a cliff before, but never the way Todd Skinner did," said fellow climber Hans Florine. "His mission was to be the first person to free climb all the biggest faces in the world."
Skinner and his party were climbing near Bridalveil Fall, one of the park's best-known waterfalls, Freeman said.
Wilderness forever,
Bruce Jensen
The Moon is Waning Gibbous (99% of Full)
Leaning Tower - Famous Climber Falls, Dies
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October 27, 2006 12:52AM |
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