Stewart Phillip Porter Obituary, Death; – A rock climber tragically lost his life due to injuries sustained from a fall at Devils Tower National Monument in Wyoming.
The individual, identified as 21-year-old Stewart Phillip Porter, was in the process of rappelling from the second pitch of El Crack Diablo on September 22 when the accident occurred, as reported by the National Park Service.
Law enforcement officials at Devils Tower were notified of the incident around 8 p.m. and located Porter approximately 40 minutes later. A responding paramedic pronounced Porter dead at the scene. The circumstances surrounding the fall are currently under investigation, and no additional information has been released at this time.
Following the incident, Porter’s climbing partner was left stranded on the rock face. They were rescued three hours later with assistance from Devils Tower Lodge Climbing Guides and Buck Wild Climbing Guides, according to the park service.
The park service expressed gratitude to Devils Tower Lodge, Buck Wild Climbing Guides, Hulett EMS, the Crook County Sheriff’s Office, and monument staff for their support during the search and recovery efforts, and extended condolences to the family. Devils Tower is recognized as one of the premier crack climbing destinations in North America, featuring routes that vary in technical difficulty.
El Crack Diablo is characterized as a two-pitch climb on the southeast face, culminating at the summit of the tower. It has a technical difficulty rating of 5.8, according to the online climbing resource Mountain Project, and is regarded as a classic route by the Wyoming Mountain Guides.
The park service noted that there have been only seven reported fatalities in the over 100-year history of climbing at Devils Tower. While climbing fatalities at Devils Tower are rare, the park service emphasized that the activity remains inherently dangerous.
They also indicated that most climbing incidents and fatalities at Devils Tower have occurred during rappelling activities and advised climbers to thoroughly inspect all permanent anchors, as the park service does not conduct these inspections.
