US Rock Climber Brad Gobright Falls 1000 ft to his Death

Published 11/30/2019, 7:30 AM EST

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Renowned American free solo rock climber Brad Gobright has died during an attempt to descend the side of a cliff face.

Gobright, 31, was known to be making an attempt in El Potrero in Northern Mexico, along with fellow climber Aidan Jacobson.

Brad Gobright, fell around 300m (1,000ft) to his death, Mr. Jacobson, fell a shorter distance and survived with injuries.

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“We started rapping (North American term for abseiling),” Mr Jacobson told the Outside website. “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.”

“It was basically a blur,” he added. “He screamed. I screamed. I went through some vegetation, and then all I remember is seeing his blue Gramicci shirt bounce over the edge.”

“Brad set up the rope for a short rappel and didn’t use the middle point,” he said in a message sent to another American climber, Ryan Borys as per the Guardian. “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, paid tribute to Gobright on Instagram.

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“He was such a warm, kind soul – one of a handful of partners that I always loved spending a day with,” Honnold wrote in an Instagram 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.”

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I’m so sorry to hear that @bradgobright just died in a climbing accident. 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. And for all of us who were so positively affected by his life. So crushing. Brad was a real gem of a man. For all his strengths and weaknesses (like his insanely strong fingers, or living out of a Honda Civic…) at the core he was just a good guy. I guess there’s nothing really to say. I’m sad. The climbing world lost a true light. Rest in peace…

A post shared by Alex Honnold (@alexhonnold) on

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“In some ways, I think he was such a fixture of the climbing community and such a big character on the scene, I feel like I’ve always known him,” Gobright’s friend Alex Honnold said “He spent almost every day of his life doing exactly what he wanted to be doing.”

 

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Written by:

Saketh Kandadai

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