Rock Climbing

October 7, 2026 Michael Levenson

Hiker, 16, Is Rescued From ‘Widowmaker’ Ledge After Using Chatbot to Plan Route

Bryce Vincent Gowryluk used Claude, Anthropic’s A.I. chatbot, to help him chart a course for the top of Crown Mountain, north of Vancouver, British Columbia. Things did not go as planned.

California Rock Climbing US news West Coast

August 11, 2026 Coral Murphy Marcos

Record-breaking El Capitan climber dies in Sierra Nevada fall

Jacob ‘Jake’ Whisenant died in Sequoia and Kings Canyon wilderness in ‘climbing-related incident’, authorities sayA 30-year-old California climber known for breaking speed records died after falling in the Sierra Nevada wilderness last week, according …

Accidents and Safety California Deaths (Fatalities)Deaths (Obituaries)El Capitan (Mountain)National Parks, Monuments and Seashores Records and Achievements Rock Climbing Sierra Nevada Region (US)Yosemite National Park (Calif)

August 11, 2026 Francesca Regalado

Jake Whisenant, Who Raced Up Yosemite’s El Capitan at Record Speed, Dies in a Fall

Authorities in California said he died in a climbing accident. He set a record in 2024 for climbing El Capitan’s Lurking Fear route in under three hours.