Jason Wells, 46, of Boulder, Colorado, and Tim Klien, 42, of Palmdale, California, fell from the famed granite rock wall on Saturday, the agency said. Park rangers responded at 8:15 a.m.
“Yosemite Park Rangers and Search and Rescue staff responded to El Capitan. The two climbers did not survive the fall,” the agency added. “This investigation is ongoing and no further details are available at this time.”
According to Climbing.com, the two men were roped together when they dropped 1,000 feet to their deaths.
"Tim told me that Jason was the strongest and best partner he ever climbed with," a friend, Wayne Willoughby, told the site.
The site
says: "[The] sad news marks the 25th accident resulting in a death on El Capitan. In recent years, Ryan Gordon died on the Nose in 2015 when he hit a ledge after an accident made while rappelling. In 2013, Felix Kiernan died on the East Buttress after being hit by rockfall dislodged by the leader. In 2013, Mason Robison died when a block detached from the Muir Wall and cut his lead line. The first accident by a climber on El Capitan was by Jim Madsen, in 1968, who rappelled off the end of his line while descending the wall to check in on a team on the Dihedral Wall."
According to Climbing.com, the two men were simul-climbing. That's when both climbers climb at the same time, on the same rope. The leader places the climbing protection as they ascend, while the last in the group removes it.
"The circumstances around the fall are under investigation, and we are working to understand what happened," Park Ranger Jamie Richards told
CNN.
Last month, a hiker died after falling from Yosemite's famous Half Dome trail, according to reports. It was the first visitor fatality in 2018 at the park.
One year ago, climber Alex Honnold reached El Capitan's peak in under four hours using the "free-solo" method, meaning, he didn't use any safety gear, NPR
noted.
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