Jake Whisenant, record-setting speed climber, dies at 30 in climbing accident

U.S. newsJake Whisenant, record-setting speed climber, dies at 30 in climbing accidentWhisenant, known in the climbing community for his speed ascents in Yosemite National Park, fell while climbing in the mountains of Tulare County, California.Listen to this article with a free profile00:0000:00ShareAdd NBC News to GoogleAug. 10, 2026, 3:07 PM EDTBy Sophie ZiedalskiA climber known for setting speed records in Yosemite National Park has died in a climbing accident in California.Jake Whisenant, 30, of Mammoth Lakes, died on Aug. 3, according to the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office Coroner.The sheriff’s office website lists the cause of death as “accident” and officials have not released additional details. Tulare County includes Sequoia National Park and the southern Sierra Nevada mountain range.Bailee Moore, who described Whisenant as her lifelong friend, told NBC News on Monday that he died in a fall while climbing and that the details surrounding the fall are still being investigated.She called his death an “unimaginable loss.”“There’s no words that could possibly encapsulate the kind of person he was,” Moore said.Whisenant was known in the climbing community for his speed ascents, including record-setting climbs in Yosemite.In October 2024, he and South Lake Tahoe climber Brant Hysell completed the Lurking Fear route on Yosemite’s El Capitan in 2 hours, 55 minutes and 32 seconds.The pair’s speed record came two days after they completed the same route in just over four hours.In October 2024, Whisenant and South Lake Tahoe climber Brant Hysell set a speed record on El Capitan’s Lurking Fear route, finishing in 2 hours, 55 minutes and 32 seconds, according to a post on Jake’s Instagram account.Two days earlier, the pair had completed the same route in just over four hours.Following the achievement, Whisenant continued taking on challenging routes in Yosemite. In May, he and fellow climber Noah Fox climbed El Capitan’s famed Nose route twice in one day, posting the duo...