Earlier this week, an accident presumably related to rock climbing claimed the life of 30-year-old Jake Whisenant, who held the speed record on the Lurking Fear route on El Capitan in Yosemite National Park, alongside Brant Hysell. Whisenant’s lifelong friend, Bailee Moore, shared a tribute to him on Instagram, saying he “died doing what he loves in the beautiful Sierra Nevada.”
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Although no information is currently available about the exact circumstances of the accident, a coroner’s release from the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office confirms Whisenant’s death on August 3, listing the cause as an “accident” in Mammoth Lakes, a town in California’s Sierra Nevada mountains.
Several people in the climbing community have begun to chime in, sharing memories of Whisenant and their heartfelt condolences on Moore’s post.
See Moore’s tribute to Jake Whisenant below.
This situation is still developing, and details may change.
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