Climber Who Set El Capitan Speed Record Dies in Fall

A star in the world of big-wall speed climbing has died in a fall in California's Sierra Nevada. The New York Times reports the National Park Service confirmed that Jake Whisenant, 30, was fatally injured while climbing a first ascent in Sequoia & Kings Canyon on Aug. 2 and was found by rangers after a two-day search. Whisenant had recently gained attention for pushing the limits on Yosemite's granite walls. In October 2024, he and partner Brant Hysell raced up Lurking Fear on El Capitan in 2 hours, 55 minutes, shaving nearly nine minutes off the previous record, set in 2003, for a route that usually requires four days to tackle.

He later set another speed record on The Prow and, in May, climbed El Capitan's Nose route twice in a single day. In an obituary for Whisenant posted on Climbing.com, fiancée Emma London wrote, "Speed climber, first ascensionist, FKT'er, route developer, ski mountaineer, peak bagger, cyclist, surfer, fruit forager, chef, DJ, son, friend, brother, fiancé. Somehow Jake managed to be all of the above."