LOS ANGELES: Dean Potter knew the risks every time he flew off a cliff in a wingsuit.
The extreme athlete lost a friend to a BASE jumping accident last year, and at that friend’s memorial service he spoke about the death-defying nature of the sport.
“He always recognized how dangerous the sport was and at the same time how magical it was — the tension between those two things,” said fellow climber Chris McNamara.
Potter, renowned for his daring and sometimes rogue climbs and BASE jumps, was one of two men killed after jumping from a 7,500-foot (2,290-meter) promontory called Taft Point in Yosemite National Park.
Someone called for help late Saturday after losing contact with Potter, 43, and his climbing partner, Graham Hunt, 29.
Park ranger Scott Gediman said a search-and-rescue team looked for the men overnight but couldn’t find them. On Sunday morning, a helicopter crew spotted their bodies in Yosemite Valley.
The men wore wingsuits — skin-tight suits with batwing sleeves and a flap between their legs — to help them glide. However, parachutes designed to slow their descent had not been deployed, Gediman said.
BASE stands for buildings, antennas, spans (such as bridges), and Earth (such as cliffs and mountaintops) that jumpers can parachute from. The sport is illegal in all national parks, and it was possible the men jumped at dusk or at night to avoid being caught by park rangers.
“BASE jumping is the most dangerous thing you can do ... every time you jump it’s a roll of the dice,” said Corey Rich, a photographer who documented some of Potter’s feats. “The odds are not in your favor, and sadly Dean pulled the unlucky card.”
Potter and Hunt, who lived near Yosemite, were prominent figures in the park’s climbing community, Gediman said.
“This is a horrible incident, and our deepest sympathies go out to their friends and family,” Gediman said. “This is a huge loss for all of us.”
Potter is famous for pushing the boundaries of climbing by going up some of the world’s most daunting big walls and cliffs alone, using his bare hands and without ropes. He took the sport to an extreme level with highlining — walking across a rope suspended between towering rock formations while wearing a parachute for safety in the event of a fall.
He drew criticism in May 2006 after he made a “free solo” climb of Utah’s iconic Delicate Arch in Arches National Park. Though the climb was not illegal, outdoor clothing company Patagonia dropped its sponsorship of him, saying his actions “compromised access to wild places and generated an inordinate amount of negativity in the climbing community and beyond.”
Potter defended his ascent, saying his intention was to inspire people to “get out of their cars and experience the wild with all their senses.”
Last year, Clif Bar withdrew its sponsorship of Potter and four other top climbers, saying they took risks that made the company too uncomfortable to continue financial support.
In recent years, he combined his love of climbing and flying with BASE jumping. He also produced a film that chronicled his adventures BASE jumping with his beloved dog, Whisper.
In 2009, he set a record for completing the longest BASE jump from the Eiger North Face in Switzerland by staying in flight in a wingsuit for 2 minutes and 50 seconds. The feat earned him the Adventurer of the Year title by National Geographic magazine.
Potter indicated in his writings that he knew the inherent danger of his sport. Last March, his friend and climbing partner Sean “Stanley” Leary died in Zion National Park in Utah after apparently clipping a rock outcropping during a BASE jump. Potter was among a group of people who recovered Leary’s body.
“Though sometimes I have felt like I’m above it all and away from any harm, I want people to realize how powerful climbing, extreme sports or any other death-consequence pursuits are,” he wrote in an October 2014 blog posted on his website. “There is nothing fake about it whether you see it in real life, on YouTube or in a glamorous commercial.”
Gediman estimates that about five BASE jumping deaths have occurred in Yosemite. He said he himself watched a BASE jumper leap to her death in 1999 when her borrowed chute failed to open.
The woman was participating in a protest against the National Park Service’s ban on BASE jumping.
Extreme athlete Dean Potter killed in BASE jumping accident
Extreme athlete Dean Potter killed in BASE jumping accident
Toney penalty leads Al-Ahli to victory in final moments of Saudi Pro League’s Matchday 15
- Al-Ahli defeat Al-Taawoun 2-1 thanks to Ivan Toney penalty in the 14th minute of injury time
- Al-Shabab end 11-game run without a win after comeback against NEOM
RIYADH: The battle for second place in the Saudi Pro League heated up on the final day of Matchday 15 when the Al-Inma Stadium played host to a tense encounter between Al-Ahli and Al-Taawoun. The hosts, boasting the best defence in the league, came up against a visiting side brimming with confidence after a stellar start to the season under the returning Péricles Chamusca at the helm.
Getting past Al-Taawoun would be no easy feat. The Qassim-based side came into the game well-prepared, with Al-Ahli failing to break past their compact block. The trio of Andrei Girotto, Waleed Al-Ahmed and Muteb Al-Mufarrij proved tough opposition for Ivan Toney in particular.
All signs pointed to a draw as the half-time whistle approached. Roger Martínez had different ideas in stoppage time, as he fended off Roger Ibañez to win the ball in the right channel, squared the ball to Ângelo Fulgini who was brought down by Merih Demiral for a penalty. Martínez coolly finished past Abdulrahman Al-Sanbi, as the Wolves went into the break with the narrow lead.
Al-Ahli, backed by their passionate fans, entered the second half with renewed vigour. With Riyad Mahrez back in SPL action after Algeria’s elimination from AFCON, his creative prowess between the lines gave his side an added impetus.
It would be Wenderson Galeno who played an imperative role in their first goal. In the 62nd minute, he spotted Toney making a run in space behind the full-back, launching a cross that marginally escaped a clearance from Al-Mufarrij, as the Englishman delivered an accurate follow-up to Zakaria Hawsawi to head in the equaliser.
Both sides knew that a draw was not enough. Al-Taawoun would still move into second place with a point, albeit with all of Al-Nassr, Al-Qadsiah and Al-Ahli breathing down their necks.
Al-Ahli, meanwhile, needed a win after Al-Qadsiah’s dominant display earlier in the evening. Despite numerous attempts, the score remained even.
In the 82nd minute, a dangerous challenge on Martínez by Ibañez saw the defender sent off for the second time in three games. After getting a yellow card earlier in the half, the referee showed no hesitation in giving him his marching orders.
Drama ensued in the final moments of the game when Demiral was brought down in the Al-Taawoun box. After a tense wait for the VAR review, referee Mohammed Hoish ultimately decided on a penalty in the 11th minute of stoppage time to the delight of the home fans.
Toney, as per usual, converted with confidence as Al-Ahli saw out a 2-1 victory to move level on points with Al-Taawoun and Al-Nassr in second place.
Elsewhere, Al-Qadsiah produced a perfect performance in their home game against Al-Fayha, winning 5-0, with Julián Quiñones bagging a hat-trick. Brendan Rodgers’ side now sit in fifth place with 30 points, just one behind the trio of Al-Taawoun, Al-Nassr and Al-Ahli.
Meanwhile Al-Shabab, enduring one of their worst starts in the top flight to date, managed to win their first game since Matchday 2. Despite going 2-1 down to NEOM, a four-minute brace by Yannick Carrasco propelled them to a 3-2 victory.
Matchday 16 kicks off on Friday, as Al-Ittihad face Al-Ettifaq that evening, Al-Nassr welcome Al-Shabab on Saturday and Al-Hilal travel to NEOM on Sunday for the round’s headlining fixtures.
