ZION NATIONAL PARK — The name of the BASE jumper whose body was found in Zion Sunday was released by the Zion National Park Service today. The jumper was 38-year-old California resident Sean Leary, Zion National Park Spokesperson Aly Baltrus said.
Leary was a husband and expectant father, and also regarded as one of the most prolific rock climbers of his generation according to a post by Climbing Magazine. He married his wife Mika in 2010 who is expecting their child.
Leary has broken climbing speed records with famous partners such as Alex Honnold and Dean Potter. Many of his climbing records were set in the preeminent climbing destination, Yosemite National Park, according to a post by the climbing magazine Rock and Ice.
Leary was also one of the most prolific wingsuit flyers and BASE jumpers off American cliffs in history according to a post by EpicTV. Leary also performed notable jumps internationally, off El Mocho in Patagonia and Mt. Asgard on Baffin Island, according to Rock and Ice.
Leary also worked as a stuntman and rigger for TV series such as Leverage and Grimm.
Body found in Zion
Authorities located the body, later announced as Leary’s, just before 3 p.m. on Sunday in Zion National Park. The overdue BASE jumper’s body was found in the vicinity of West Temple at 6:42 a.m., Sunday, according to a release issued by Baltrus.
Details about the cause of the incident have not yet been released.
This is the second BASE jumping fatality ever recorded in Zion. The first Zion BASE jumping death occurred less than a month ago.
BASE jumping is an activity which involves jumping with a parachute from tall structures such as buildings, bridges and natural features.
BASE jumping is illegal within Zion National Park for resource protection and safety reasons.
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- Canyoneer dies from fall in Zion’s Subway
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I guess that jump video won’t be going on youtube then?
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hows this?: famous rock climber, prolific wing suit flyer, renowned stuntman, and huge attention whore?
Can’t you hold back on being rude? I know it’s easy to be a jerk behind a keyboard. I’d like to see you spout off with your ignorant comments in a room full of Sean’s friends.
Yes Jim, that’s why I left the 2nd comment…
What a powerful motivator fear is. Can readily make people cocky and dismissive of others — others who live their lives closest to who they are. Death is a given. Nothing else is. And that’s where the wonder resides. Celebrate it. Don’t demean it.
RIP flying birdman/batman
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGwXbA3gMP0
Doesn’t matter who he WAS.
All that matters now is who he is… dead.
It was an idiotic way to die, but we can take comfort in knowing that it was quick.
You don’t even know this man yet you are judging him. He has friends, family, a wife and an unborn-baby. How dare you sit behind your computer and mock his death while his friends and family are grieving. How dare you sit there and say people should be comforted by the fact that his death was quick. God forbid you suffer a death in your family and some stranger mocks the death of your family member. Place yourself in the shoes of those who loved him for just a moment and think how you would feel if someone made such a rude and ignorant comment about someone you loved. The only idiot here is you. You have a right to an opinion sure, but this is not the place or time. How hard would it have not said anything at all?
See this, among many, tribute to who he was AND is. Perhaps in some ways more alive than ever. http://www.highinfatuation.com/blog/sean-stanley-leary/
ANYWAYS RESPECT TO THE DUDE FOR REAL… RIP
Great writing, flows nice, concise, like it.
God rest this poor man’s soul. My prayers are with his family. May God grant them grace in the face of this sad loss. May he surround them with compassionate, merciful and selfless people who genuinely care for their wellbeing. I am so sorry for your tragic loss!
More like a great man’s soul, if we don’t dwell on the typical sense that death means a soul is somehow “over.” Life may not be the tragedy we’ve been raised to think it is. Yes, shock and sadness are real. And so are many other emotions, including laughter. Compassion, indeed.
And another fatherless child…