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A young Alaskan mountaineering personality has tragically lost his life after plummeting from El Capitan, a renowned vertical rock formation in the state of California's Yosemite park.

The 23-year-old climber, twenty-three, was broadcast live on TikTok climbing up and then falling from the massive rock on Wednesday.

Through a heartfelt social media post confirming her child's death, his parent said: "My heart is broken into countless fragments. I don't know how I will get through this. I love him so much. I want to wake up from this horrible nightmare."

Circumstances of the Accident

Details of what caused the tragedy are unclear, but his sibling a family member revealed he was lead rope soloing - a technique that enables solo ascents while still protected by a rope - on a 730m route called Sea of Dreams.

He had finished the climb and was retrieving gear when he likely rappelled off the end of his rope, according to his brother.

A Yosemite-based photographer who observed the fall said he dialed 911 after the climber tried to free his backpack, which was stuck on a rock.

Background of the Young Climber

Hailing from Anchorage, the young alpinist grew up ascending peaks with his dad and brother.

He was an skilled mountaineer and gained global recognition for achieving the first solo ascent of Denali's Slovak Direct, which required 56 hours to complete, according to a post on his social media in the summer.

"He experienced probably one of the most impressive recent half-year of climbing of any climber I can think of," experienced mountaineer a climbing expert told a publication in mid-summer.

A second renowned Alaskan climber an elite climber compared him to the famous free soloist, who became the initial individual to climb without ropes a complete path on El Capitan.

Recent Accomplishments and Nickname

The climber had spent weeks solo climbing in Patagonia and the Canadian Rockies, successfully finishing a notoriously difficult ice climb called Reality Bath, which had been unrepeated for 37 years, according to a climbing publication.

He was known fondly as the "Guy with the Orange Tent", because of his distinctive campsite at the base of the rock face.

El Capitan and Park Incident Record

El Capitan, an enormous vertical granite rock face of roughly 3,000 feet, is a significant landmark in the national park and attracts big-wall rock climbers from globally.

This tragedy marks the third fatality at the California national park this year. In early summer, an teenager from the southern state lost his life in the area while climbing without a rope on a different formation.

And in August, a 29-year-old hiker died after being struck in the head by a sizeable falling limb.

Official Response

Park authorities stated in a release that they were investigating the event and "park rangers and emergency personnel acted promptly."