Mountain climber, cliff diver die in separate incidents at national recreation spots in the West
Ross D. Franklin, Associated Press
Low water levels at Wahweap Bay at Lake Powell along the Upper Colorado River Basin are shown, June 9, 2021, at the Utah and Arizona border at Wahweap, Ariz.SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A mountain climber and a cliff diver have died in separate incidents at national recreation spots in the West, officials said.
Cory Ryan Ehrnschwender, 36, of Cincinnati died while cliff-jumping at Lake Powell, the Salt Lake Tribune reported Saturday. The lake is located in southern Utah and northern Arizona in the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area.
Witnesses reported a person jumping off a cliff from a height of about 50 feet (15 meters) and then not resurfacing Thursday. The Utah Department of Public Safety Dive Team located Ehrnschwender’s body Friday using a side scan sonar.
State and federal officials are investigating the incident.
An Idaho mountain climber died after falling about 50 feet (15 meters) from a jagged peak in Wyoming’s Grand Teton National Park.
Braydan Duree of Kuna, Idaho, was with two other climbers Thursday when he fell at the Owen Chimney pitch while taking the Owen-Spalding climbing route of the Grand Teton, one of three mountains in the Grand Teton Mountain Range.
Rangers said Duree’s injuries were significant, and he died in the park, the Idaho Statesman reported.
His body was recovered by a helicopter, and the other two climbers were also taken from the mountain.