BIG COTTONWOOD CANYON, Utah, May 24, 2023 (Gephardt Daily) — A 26-year-old rock climber died Wednesday after a fall of about 100 feet in Big Cottonwood Canyon.
“We received the call at 12:22 (p.m.) of someone yelling for help,” Sgt. Melody Cutler, Unified Police Department, wrote in a message to Gephardt Daily. “The person yelling was our victim’s girlfriend.”
The man had been climbing Outer Corner, Cutler stated. It has a steep stone face and an angled corner that attracts climbers, according to multiple hiking websites.
Crews responding included UPD, Salt Lake County Search and Rescue crews, and a helicopter from the Utah Department of Public Safety.
“He was deceased when we arrived,” Cutler’s note said. “He was equipped with the proper safety equipment.”
She added it was unknown what occurred to cause the accident.
The death comes 12 days after another pair of ice climbers fell in a different area of Big Cottonwood Canyon, resulting in the death of one and the serious injury of the other. See that story here.
