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Eau Claire rock climber dies in fall at Devils Tower in Wyoming

By FOX 9 Staff
Published  September 24, 2024 9:03pm CDT
Wyoming
FOX 9
article

Devils Tower National Monument, and Grazing Longhorn Cattle. (Photo by: Bernard Friel/Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images) (Getty Images)

The Brief

    • A 21-year-old climber, Stewart Phillip Porter, fell while rappelling at Devils Tower National Monument, sustaining fatal injuries.
    • Porter's climbing partner was stranded but successfully rescued with the help of local climbing guides.
    • The incident marks only the seventh climbing fatality in over a century at Devils Tower, highlighting the inherent dangers of rock climbing despite its rarity.

(FOX 9) - A rock climber from Eau Claire, Wis. died after falling from Devils Tower National Monument in Wyoming on Sunday evening.

Stewart Phillip Porter, 21, fell while rappelling the El Cracko Diablo route around 8 p.m. National park officials say he was seriously hurt after the fall and later pronounced dead at the scene by EMS.

Porter's climbing partner was stranded but later rescued with help from local climbing guides.

Officials say this is only the seventh climbing death at the Tower in over 100 years.