He set records on El Cap, died alone on a first ascent

Record-breaking climber Jake Whisenant, who held speed records for scaling El Cap, died Aug. 3 after falling during a first ascent in Sequoia-Kings Canyon.

He was 30 years old.

Whisenant lived in Mammoth Lakes.

The Tulare County Sheriff’s Coroner told TMZ the cause of death was blunt force trauma. The manner of death was ruled an accident. The coroner is still waiting for toxicology tests.

Whisenant was climbing alone in a remote area, but TMZ is reporting there were witnesses who saw him falling and said he died instantly.

It took two days for rescue crews to reach his body.

Whisenant was attempting what’s known as a “first ascent,” meaning the first successful and documented climb to the top of a mountain or rock face.

Deciphering precisely what may have happened to such an experienced climber my be difficult.

There has been speculation he may not have been clipped in, underscoring the risks for even an experienced climber.

Whisenant’s death was widely reported online and drew an outpouring of coverage on social media, reflecting in no small part the explosive growth of climbing as a sport in the U.S.

Yosemite National Park is still a mecca for the sport. It was for Whisenant.

In October 2024, Whisenant and Brant Hysell climbed El Capitain’s Lurking Fear route in under three hours, setting a new speed record.

On May 22, along with partner Noah Fox, they did a “double NIAD” (Nose-in-a-Day), scaling The Nose of El Capitain twice in one day in 14 hours and 38 minutes.

Whisenant’s fiance, Emma London, wrote a tribute to him for Climbing magazine, recalling how he never took the easy route.

“The hard route — the one Jake would have taken — is the one where you choose to linger at the horizon long after the sun sets, basking in the incomprehensible beauty of the magic you were lucky enough to have witnessed,” London said.

“For Jake, I am trying to choose the hard route,” she said.

A long-time friend, Bailee Moore, paid tribute to him on social media.

“Our family is absolutely devastated by this news, but find solace in the fact that Jake died doing what he loves in the beautiful Sierra Nevada,” Moore wrote.