A rock climber died on Sunday evening after he fell from Devils Tower National Monument, leaving his partner stranded, according to the National Park Service (NPS).
Stewart Phillip Porter, a 21-year-old male rock climber from Eau Claire, Wisconsin, fell shortly before 8 p.m. while rappelling the second pitch of El Cracko Diablo and sustained “major injuries,” the agency said in a news release on Sept. 23.
Devils Tower Law Enforcement arrived at the scene and found Porter and his unidentified climbing partner around 8:40 p.m., and Hulett EMS Paramedic pronounced him dead at the scene.
Porter’s climbing partner was stranded and later rescued from the wall of the Tower by officials with assistance from Devils Tower Lodge Climbing Guides and Buck Wild Climbing Guides, park officials said.
According to NPS, there have only been seven climbing deaths at Devils Tower National Monument over its more than 100-year history.
“While climbing fatalities at Devils Tower are infrequent, it is still inherently dangerous,” the agency said.
Previous Climbing Fatalities
The park service website reports around 5,000-6,000 climbers visit Devils Tower each year.
“Climbers from all over the world consider Devils Tower to be a unique and premier climbing area,” the NPS website states.
There have been six reported climbing fatalities since 1937, with three of these deaths occurring during a climber’s descent (rappelling) of the tower, according to the Park Service. Porter’s death would be the seventh recorded death and the fourth killed while descending the tower.
Two of the six deaths occurred in the 2000s, the most recent being 39-year-old Matthew Sorenson of Gillette, Wyoming, who died in June 2017. He was climbing the Sundance route with friends before falling and sustaining “major head injuries” after colliding with the rock. Park Service officials said he was wearing a helmet at the time.
The earliest recorded death occurred in August 1986 when a male was free climbing solo at the Leaning Column at 6 a.m. when he fell and struck his head. The agency said he was found two hours later at the base of the column before being transported to Spearfish, South Dakota, and pronounced dead on arrival.
Safety Tips For Climbers
The National Park Service provided safety tips for the public while climbing the Devils Tower.
The agency suggested that the public check local weather forecasts, pay attention to changing weather conditions, watch for animals living in the tower, and check for route closures before climbing.
The Park Service strongly recommends climbing helmets. Many climbing accidents and deaths occur during the descent of the tower, so climbers should check all anchors and back them up if necessary.
The NPS said climbers should know the location and distance of their rappel route before beginning and use technical rock climbing equipment to climb Devils Tower safely.
“In the event of an emergency, remain calm and attempt to call 911 or yell down to the Tower Trail. Assistance from local resources and monument staff may be available, though rescue is not certain,” the NPS said.