30-year-old who set El Capitan speed record dies in climbing accident

A 30-year-old Mammoth Lakes climber who held a speed record on Yosemite’s El Capitan died in a climbing accident earlier this month at Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks.

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Jacob “Jake” Whisenant, a prominent athlete in the climbing community, died on Aug. 3, according to records from the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office. Ashley Schwarm, a spokesperson for the sheriff’s office, told SFGATE that his cause of death was “blunt force trauma injuries sustained as a result of his fall.”

Officials did not reveal the specific circumstances surrounding Whisenant’s death; however, the National Park Service also confirmed the accident in an email to SFGATE. According to the Park Service, authorities were called to a “climbing-related incident” in the Sequoia-Kings Canyon Wilderness on Aug. 2, prompting a search and rescue operation throughout the next day.

Bailee Moore, who was raised alongside Whisenant and refers to him as a brother, told SFGATE that the family is still piecing together what happened and learning the details. Moore said it’s unknown if Whisenant’s equipment malfunctioned but confirmed that the accident happened on Aug. 2 and involved a fall.

Moore said Whisenant was always athletic and played multiple sports growing up, but it wasn’t until after he graduated from UC Santa Barbara that he took an interest in climbing. She described him as “completely devoted” and “passionate” about the sport. 

In October 2024, Whisenant and another climber set a speed record of 2 hours, 55 minutes and 32 seconds for El Capitan’s steep Lurking Fear route. Lurking Fear is a demanding, 2,000-foot big-wall climbing route on the left side of El Capitan, according to the Mountain Project, a website for rock climbing routes and guides. 

In an Instagram post after Whisenant broke the record, which had been set in 2003, he described the experience as a “magical day.” 

“We both tapped into a flow state, fully committed to our plan, and most importantly had an absolute blast on our favorite rock,” Whisenant wrote. 

Whisenant and climber Noah Fox set another milestone on May 22 when they completed the Nose, an iconic climbing route on Yosemite’s El Capitan, twice in a single day. The pair finished both ascents for a total time of 14 hours and 38 minutes, according to a newsletter from the Yosemite Climbing Association, amid overcast skies and some rain showers. 

In an obituary written by Whisenant’s fiancee, Emma London, she described Whisenant as “utterly captivated” by the mountains, especially El Capitan itself and Yosemite Valley in general.

“Countless people have shared with me how much Jake’s drive and creativity in the mountains continually inspired them. He approached climbing with a fresh, passionate eye that is rare and unique. The diversity of accomplishments within the sport—and in a short amount of time—put him into a category of his own,” London wrote in Climbing magazine.

London, who met Whisenant in college, also said he packed “special memories” into every day.

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“Jake brought his love of food into every aspect of his craft,” she continued. He was “tremendously generous and thoughtful,” she wrote, organizing cookouts and sharing food during his adventures with other climbers.

“Jake is remembered by me and the myriad of friends that time and distance could never separate him from. If he loved you once, he loved you forever,” she added.

Moore, who described Whisenant as a “daredevil” with a “gentle spirit,” said as his passion for climbing grew over the years, she often reminded him to be careful. 

“He would just kind of laugh at me because I’m not very outdoorsy,” Moore said. “… But you know, there was no stopping him. That’s how he always was.”

Moore said Whisenant’s father died when he was 5 and his mother died two years ago, which she believes were losses that inspired Whisenant to live life to the fullest. She said Whisenant wanted to “soak up as much of every moment” as he could. 

“I think that that is really how he lived. So there’s some peace in knowing that he was never afraid for this to be the outcome,” Moore said. “Even if he wasn’t ready, and it is a tragedy, I don’t think that he died afraid.”

Moore said she and Whisenant were raised in the same household by their mothers, who were best friends and single mothers. She lives in Scottsdale, which is Whisenant’s hometown, and said learning of his death was an “unimaginable loss.” 

“I collapsed to the ground involuntarily, and I was just screaming like, ‘no, no, this cannot be real,’” she said. “I’ve unfortunately had a lot of life loss in my life, and this is the greatest loss of my life so far.”

Moore launched a GoFundMe fundraiser for Whisenant, saying his loved ones hope to “create meaningful memorials in the places he loved most.”

“Jacob truly was multitudes, and he is already so, so missed,” Moore wrote on the GoFundMe page.

This story has been updated.