Climber falls to his death at Devils Tower, leaving partner stranded

DEVILS TOWER, Wyo. (Gray News) - A rock climber died from injuries sustained during a fall at Devils Tower National Monument in Wyoming.

The climber, identified as 21-year-old Stewart Phillip Porter of Eau Claire, Wisconsin, was rappelling off the second pitch of El Crack Diablo on Sept. 22 when he fell, according to the National Park Service.

Devils Tower law enforcement was alerted of the incident at about 8 p.m. and located Porter at about 8:40 p.m.

Porter was pronounced dead at the scene by a responding paramedic.

The incident remains under investigation and no further details on the nature of what led to his fall have been provided at this time.

After Porter’s fall, his partner was left stranded on the wall without a rope, Devils Tower National Monument Superintendent Doug Crossen told the Associated Press.

They were heard crying for help and rescued three hours later with the help of Devils Tower Lodge Climbing Guides and Buck Wild Climbing Guides, according to the park service.

“Devils Tower expresses appreciation for Devils Tower Lodge, Buck Wild Climbing Guides, Hulett EMS, and the Crook County Sheriff’s Office and monument staff who assisted in search and recovery efforts,” the park service said. “And offer condolences to the family.”

Devils Tower is considered “one of the finest crack climbing areas in North America,” according to the park service, and boasts routes of varying technical difficulties.

El Crack Diablo is described as a two-pitch climb on the southeast face that offers a summit of the tower. It has a technical difficulty rating of 5.8, according to the online climbing resource tool, Mountain Project, and is considered a classic climb at the tower by the Wyoming Mountain Guides.

According to the Associated Press, the pair had submitted the tower and were making their way down when the incident happened.

The park service said there have only been seven deaths reported in the more than 100-year history of climbing at Devils Tower.

About 6,000 people climb the formation every year, according to the Associated Press report.

“While climbing fatalities at Devils Tower are infrequent, it is still inherently dangerous,” the park service said in their statement.

The park service said that a majority of climbing incidents and deaths at Devils Towers have happened during rappels.

They advise climbers to inspect all permanent anchors since the park service does not maintain fixed hardware on climbing routes, and to back them up if necessary.

Climbers are also advised to review the length of their descent as well as the length of their rope before rappelling, since some descents at Devils Tower may require two ropes.

The American Alpine Club recommends climbers secure themselves while setting up their rappels, use backups in case of loss of control during a rappel, manage the ends of their ropes, such as knotting the ends, and avoid entanglements.

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