Climber watching friends rappel falls to his death when ledge breaks under him in Utah

A climber was watching his friends rappel a Utah cliff when the ledge broke under him, and he fell to his death, authorities said.

Craig Barlow, a 50-year-old man from Salt Lake City, was sitting on a boulder on a ledge in the Upper Black Box on Friday, April 15, the Emery County Sheriff’s Office said. Barlow stopped to watch his friends rappel the canyon and the ledge broke under him.

“The man was sitting on a boulder on a ledge watching his friends rappel when the ledge broke loose and the man fell approximately 50 feet, landing in two to three feet of water,” deputies said on Facebook.

Barlow’s friends rushed to get help. They hiked to a spot that had cellphone service and called for aid, according to deputies.

Other members of the group stayed with Barlow after he fell.

A helicopter crew was sent to the scene first and determined the man would need to be rope rescued, deputies said.

“Classic Air was able to land on a shelf in a tight area farther up the canyon and paramedics made their way down the canyon through water,” deputies said. “They immediately began treating the man.”

Rescuers rappelled into the canyon, but they couldn’t hoist the man out because of loose rock and overhangs, according to the sheriff’s office. Barlow was carried up a 40-foot embankment to the helicopter.

He was taken to a hospital, where he died.

The Upper Black Box is a narrow slot canyon that was carved by the San Rafael River. Canyoneering there requires wading and swimming, and in some places the walls are 400 feet high, according to Climb Utah.

The incident was not the only fatality in the region over the weekend.

Arlo Lott, a 41-year-old man from Steamboat Springs, Colorado, died April 16 after falling about 70 feet in a Utah canyon, the sheriff’s office said.

Lott was rappelling into Farnsworth Canyon when his rappel anchor broke loose, deputies said.

Rescuers had to call off a helicopter rescuer because of high winds. Instead, crews rappelled to Lott and had him ready to be taken to the hospital when the winds died down.

“The man’s condition worsened as he was being raised out of the canyon,” deputies said. “Once the man was out of the canyon, the medical flight crew administered lifesaving measures for nearly one hour before pronouncing the man dead at the scene.”

This story was originally published April 20, 2022 at 9:22 AM with the headline "Climber watching friends rappel falls to his death when ledge breaks under him in Utah."