Speed climber who conquered El Capitan route at an astonishing rate dies on another adventure

A well-known amateur rock climber who had set at least two known speed-climbing records at Yosemite National Park died in a climbing accident at Sequoia National Park last week.

Jacob Whisenant, 30, of Mammoth Lakes was found dead Aug. 3 in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, according to officials. Search and rescue teams responded to “a climbing-related incident” in the parks’ Sierra Nevada wilderness Aug. 2, eventually finding Whisenant’s body, said Holly Streit, a spokesperson for the park.

His death was ruled an accident by the Tulare County sheriff coroner. Officials declined to share details about the accident or exactly where Whisenant was climbing before he died.

Whisenant’s fiancee Emma London, in an obituary she wrote for Climbing Magazine, said he fell to his death while climbing a “first ascent,” a mountaineering term for when someone makes the first known climb on a particular mountain or route. She said he was passionate about developing new rock climbs across the state.

“He approached climbing with a fresh, passionate eye that is rare and unique,” she wrote. “The diversity of accomplishments within the sport — and in a short amount of time — put him into a category of his own.”

A longtime friend said his death had devastated their community, but we “find solace in the fact that Jake died doing what he loves in the beautiful Sierra Nevada,” the post from Bailee Moore said.

Whisenant had frequently posted about his adventures across the Sierra Nevada, not only rock climbing but also skiing, biking and camping across the mountains, according to his Instagram page.

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In 2024, he helped set a speed record for climbing El Capitan’s “Lurking Fear” route in Yosemite National Park, a feat that had previously been held for more than two decades, according to Gripped, a climbing magazine. Whisenant and Brant Hysell climbed that route in 2 hours, 55 minutes and 32 seconds, they reported, several minutes faster than the previous record.

In an Instagram post about the climb, Whisenant called it “a truly magical day that I’ll never forget.”

“In a place where so many legendary figures have written history, it’s easy to talk yourself out of your potential, especially when you just climb for fun and don’t get paid to do it,” he wrote in the post. “I’m grateful for a partner who is down to find the limit, and for Yosemite and all of the lessons it has taught me. No doubt I will continue to be humbled and taught lessons by this place.”

A group that tracks several Yosemite climbing records also reported that Whisenant and Hysell set another speed record in 2025, climbing the Prow route on Washington Column — often considered one of the most classic rock climbs in the park, and good practice for El Capitan — in 2 hours, 52 minutes and 29 seconds. The pair also posted about that feat on Instagram, calling it a “proper challenge.”