Rock climber plummets 100 feet to death while climbing with friend in Tennessee
A rock climber was climbing with a friend when he plunged 100 feet to his death, the National Park Service said.
The 34-year-old from Columbia, Tennessee, was climbing at Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area when he fell. Park officials said he was climbing without using any ropes or other equipment.
The two climbers were near Twin Arches, deemed one of the “most impressive” arches in the eastern U.S., according to the National Park Service.
The Twin Arches are made up of the North Arch and South Arch. The South Arch stands at about 103 feet tall and is the taller arch of the two.
“In the eastern United States very few bridges are as high or as broad as the South Arch,” the National Park Service said on its website. “If both components of the Twin Arches are regarded as parts of a single landscape feature, then very few natural bridges in the world equal the Twin Arches in size.”
Park officials did not say if the climber was on one of the arches when he fell. The man was not identified by the National Park Service.
Officials recovered the climber’s body with help from local emergency responders. His body was taken to the Big South Fork Medical Center in Oneida, Tennessee.
Big South Fork encompasses 125,000 acres of land with hundreds of miles of cliffs. Rocks at the park can be too loose or soft for rock climbing, and bolting new routes is prohibited.
“Visitors are reminded that all types of climbing are prohibited in areas of the park that are highly sensitive to activities, such as climbing,” the National Park Service said, which includes all arches in the area.
Clarification: Park officials originally said the climber was free-climbing when he fell. Free-climbers use some safety equipment on their climbs, but this man wasn’t using any rope or other equipment at the time. The article has been updated.
Hiker using cell app as guide gets stuck on cliff. Annoyed rescuers plan to bill him
Moose suddenly charges hiker filming it on Colorado walk. ‘Example of being too close’
Worker restoring bridge dies when he falls and lands on an island, WA officials say
