ZION NATIONAL PARK – A woman’s BASE jump off the east side of Mount Kinesava, which is located on the southwest side of Zion National Park, proved fatal Saturday when her chute did not deploy, she died as a result of the 1,500-foot fall.
The woman had been hiking with a man who hiked out to reach park personnel. He was able to notify staff at 6:30 p.m. The body has not yet been recovered. On Sunday the park will perform a flyover to locate and recover the body.
“This is the first base jumping fatality,” Zion National Park spokeswoman Alyssa Baltrus said. “BASE jumping is illegal.”
BASE jumps are legal in Utah, but only in certain areas. It is illegal to BASE jump in Zion National Park.
Zion National Park describes Mount Kinesava as a remote, steep and very strenuous hike that takes the average hiker over nine hours to complete. From the Chinle Trailhead the hike is 4.5 miles long.
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Ed. notes – Lead sentence revised for clarification. While Baltrus identified the jump off Mt. Kinesava at the east, on further inquiry she said that the jump was off the east side of Mt. Kinesava, and Mt. Kinesava itself is located on the southwest side of the park. BASE has been capitalized consistent with predominant style.
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Too bad. I don’t understand this kind of risk taking.
I’m waiting for the stoopid comment of “She died doing what she loved”……
^RIP^
She died doing what she loved. 🙂
She may have died doing something she loved.
May have died doing something her boyfriend loved more than she did.
.
RIP adventure girl. 🙁
She died doing what she loved, and if that … learned how to spell stupid maybe she won’t look so stupid, na, too late.
Ed. ellipsis.
Too bad. I jump out of airplanes, so I do understand the risk taking.
Bacically, there are politically correct risky activities, and politically incorrect risky activities. If you free-climb, you risk death, but it’s cool. If you smoke, you risk death, but it’s not. Very few things are inherently good or bad. Mostly it’s fad and general opinion. Here’s another: Boxing used to be cool- now, bad. Backcountry use to be “foolish”, now, awesome!
That’s backcountry skiing…
Char how about not being an …, people say things like “at least she died doing what she loved” because it is better than dying on your commute to work. her last moments were fullsilling something she seeked out. for fun, for adventure. not something like some … t boned her while driving drunk.
Ed. ellipsis
well, she may have died doing what she loved…
Good on her base jumping and doing what she wanted.. maybe she was following her husband maybe she was not who cares she is gone now rest in peace..
She was an experienced sky diver and worked at Utah’s sky diving. She knew the risks, but it’s still sad because she was so young. Try to remember her family and loved ones may read these comments…so please be mindful.
What a waste of a life….