JOSHUA TREE NATIONAL PARK, Calif. (AP) — A rock climber died in a fall at Joshua Tree National Park last weekend, the second such death at the desert park this year.
The climber was identified as an experienced climber, Tina Fiori, by fellow climber Matt Himmelstein, 55, of Orange, The Desert Sun reported Monday.
The victim fell 80 feet Saturday near Sheep Pass Campground.
Park Superintendent David Smith earlier told The Desert Sun the victim was 50 years old but did not release the name.
Himmelstein said he and another person were climbing with Fiori, who got to the top and said she had secured herself.
Fiori had looped her safety rope through nylon webbing that had been left attached to a permanent anchor by someone who had previously made the climb, Himmelstein said.
She fell when the webbing failed, according to Himmelstein.
"The desert is not is not kind to nylon, so I can't tell you how old it was," he said, "but it doesn't take a whole lot. It doesn't take a whole lot of time sitting in the sun baking and also getting rained on being frozen and all that stuff."
On Jan. 16, a 35-year-old climber fell to his death in a climbing area called Sentinel Wall.
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