El Capitan speed climber Jake Whisenant dies after Sequoia fall
Elite climber Jake Whisenant, 30, died from blunt-force trauma after a fall at Sequoia National Park. A record-setting climber on El Capitan, he notched a 2:55:32 speed ascent on Lurking Fear in Oct 2024 and, in May, climbed the Nose route twice in one day with Noah Fox, finishing in 14:38. His death was confirmed by the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office, and friends mourn him while psychologist Michael Gervais discusses the mental demands of elite climbing.
