American national park managers reported that a man died last week pursuing a dangerous hobby at Grand Canyon National Park.
The US National Park Service reported that a man passed away on Friday after attempting a BASE jump at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.
BASE jumping is a sport that entails leaping from high vantages and then deploying a parachute, as opposed to skydiving from airplanes. BASE is an acronym that stands for buildings, antennas, spans, and earth (as in cliffs).
NPS says the man, who they hadn’t identified at press time, fell about 500 feet (over 150 meters) to his death. His deployed parachute was located next to his body.
It’s unclear whether the BASE jumper didn’t deploy his parachute in time or if the chute malfunctioned.
“On Thursday, August 1, at approximately 7:30 a.m., the Grand Canyon Regional Communications Center received a report of a visitor who had attempted a BASE jump from Yavapai Point on the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park,” Grand Canyon National Park officials reported. “Park rangers responded and located the body of a deceased male approximately 500 feet below the rim, along with a deployed parachute.”
NPS said rangers had to use specialized equipment to recover his body, which was later evacuated by helicopter.
“BASE jumping, a high-risk activity involving parachuting from fixed objects, is prohibited in all areas of Grand Canyon National Park,” NPS said.
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Park Info
Park Name:
Grand Canyon National Park
Location:
Arizona, USA
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