Legendary Climber Dean Potter Dead After Wingsuit Disaster

Extreme athlete and adventurer Dean Potter is dead after a failed attempt at wingsuit flight from Yosemite’s Taft Point. Potter held the speed climbing record for The Nose at El Capitan—one of climbing’s signature routes—three separate times, though his notoriety may stem from his more controversial acts, including a prolific career in BASE jumping and slacklining.

Those acts led Clif to drop him from their list of sponsored climbers; Potter had previously run afoul of sponsor Patagonia after he free climbed Utah’s Delicate Arch.

Potter was famous for his disregard for basic safety features; he was a famed free climber who regularly engaged in line walking without a harness or parachute.

Graham Hunt died alongside Potter in the wingsuit accident. Potter was 43. Here are some videos to better illustrate just why Potter was such a huge name:

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