Dean Potter: BASE-jumper dies in Yosemite National Park accident after leaping off cliff

Potter was one of two men killed during the accident in the California national park

Dean Potter, pictured here in 2003 receiving his award for World Alternative Sportsman of the Year, died in a wingsuit accident in Yosemite (Getty Images )

An extreme athlete and BASE-jumper known for climbing some of the world's highest cliffs without ropes or aid, and for leaping from great heights with his dog attached to his back, has died in a cliff accident in Yosemite National Park, California.

Dean Potter, 43, was killed along with his climbing partner Graham Hunt, 29, as they attempted a wingsuit flight in the park on Saturday.

Someone called for help after losing contact with the pair late that evening and a search-and-rescue team looked for them overnight. A helicopter crew eventually spotted their bodies on Sunday morning.

The pair are believed to have leaped from a 7,500 ft promontory called Taft Point at dusk on Saturday, in an attempt to avoid capture by park rangers.

They had worn wingsuits; skin-tight outfits with batwing sleeves and a flap between their legs to help them glide through the air. Their parachutes had not been deployed.

“This is a horrible incident, and our deepest sympathies go out to their friends and family,” Gediman said. “This is a huge loss for all of us.”

Potter had been known for constantly pushing the boundaries of climbing and often scaled some of the world’s most daunting cliff faces alone and without ropes, climbing with his bare hands.

He drew criticism in 2006 after making a “free solo” climb of the Delicate Arch in Arches National Park, Utah, which cost him his sports sponsorship from brand Patagonia, but Potter defended his climb by saying his actions were intended to “inspire people to get out of their cars and experience the wild with all their senses”.

In 2009, Potter set a record for completing the longest BASE jump from the Eiger North Face in Switzerland by staying in flight in a wingsuit for two minutes and 50 seconds, earning him the title of ‘Adventurer of the Year’ from National Geographic magazine.

Dean Potter and his pet dog Whisper do a BASE jump together

Five years later he strapped his dog Whisper to his back and made his pet a canine BASE-jumper in a wingsuit as he leaped off a mountain in Switzerland.

Mr Gediman estimates that about five BASE jumping deaths have occurred in Yosemite. He said he himself watched a BASE jumper leap to her death in 1999 when her borrowed chute failed to open.

Last year Ramón Rojas, the record-breaking BASE-jumper known as “The Birdman,” died while flying using a wingsuit in Switzerland.

Additional reporting by PA