Californian free solo climber Brad Gobright died in a fall in the El Potrero mountains in Mexico on Wednesday.
The 31-year-old and his climbing partner Aidan Jacobson descended synchronously from the Sendero Luminoso on an 80-metre rope when the accident happened. Gobright, who according to Jacobson was at the shorter end of the rope and did not tie a knot, fell 300 metres into the depth. Jacobson's fall was stopped by a bush on a ledge after a few meters. He suffered a slight ankle injury.
"We didn’t tie knots in the rope, either. We started rapping. 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" Jacobson told Outside magazine.
"It was basically a blur. He screamed. I screamed. I went through some vegetation, and then all I remember is seeing his blue Gramicci shirt bounce over the edge"
Gobright started climbing at the age of six and was considered one of the best freeclimbers. He set several speed records. In June, together with Alex Honnold, he freeclimbed the El Nino route on El Capitan in 14.5 hours.
Honnold was shocked at Instagram at Gobright's death: "He was such a warm, kind soul - one of a handful of partners that I always loved spending a day with. I suppose there’s something to be said about being safe out there and the inherent risks in climbing but I don’t really care about that right now. I’m just sad for Brad and his family. "
