London: Brad Gobright, a renowned rock climber from the US, has died after falling off a mountain in northern Mexico.
Gobright (31) fell around 300m (1,000 ft) to his death on Wednesday on an almost sheer face known as Sendero Luminoso on the El Potrero Chico peak near the northern city of Monterrey, The Guardian quoted the civil defense officials.
His fellow climber Aidan Jacobson (26) fell a shorter distance and survived with injuries.
Gobright — best known for free soloing or climbing without any safety gear — was abseiling along with Jacobson — a technique using ropes — at the time of the fall.
“Brad set up the rope for a short rappel and didn’t use the middle point,” Jacobson said in a message sent to another American climber, Ryan Borys. “I tried to pull more rope on Brads (sic) side but he said he was fine. We started simul rapping and Brad rapped off his rope.”
Alex Honnold, the world’s leading free climber and who features in the Oscar-winning documentary Free Solo, paid tribute to Gobright on Instagram.
“He was such a warm, kind soul – one of a handful of partners that I always loved spending a day with,” Honnold wrote in a heartfelt post.
“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. And for all of us who were so positively affected by his life. So crushing. Brad was a real gem of a man,” he added.
