A record-breaking free solo climber has died while abseiling down the side of a cliff face in Mexico, according to reports.
Brad Gobright, 31, is believed to have fallen 1,000ft to his death in a tragic accident in El Portero Chico, a national park in the northern part of the country.
Aidan Jacobson, who was climbing with him on the day, fell a shorter distance but survived with injuries after crashing through a bush which cushioned his fall.
He was left with an injured ankle after the accident on Wednesday.
Mr Jacobson said they hadn't tied knots in the rope.
The 26-year-old told Outside Online : "It was basically a blur. He screamed. I screamed. I went through some vegetation, and then all I remember is seeing his blue Gramicci shirt bounce over the edge."
He said: “I asked if we were good, and he said ‘Yes, we can untangle the rope on the way down.’ We didn’t tie knots in the rope, either."
He described being above and to the left of Mr Gobright when they were "rapping," the north American term for abseiling.
"Then all of a sudden, I felt a pop and we started dropping," he added.
Mr Gobright was known for free climbing but on the day of his death was said to be abseiling, a technique which uses ropes.
Mr Gobright once held the coveted speed record on the Nose of El Capitan in Yosemite with Jim Reynolds.
He and Mr Jacobson were thought to be doing a technique known as 'simul-rapping,' where a pair of climbers go down opposite strands of an anchored rope as their bodies act as counterweights to each other.
Tributes have been paid online from members of the climbing world.
Alex Honnold wrote in an Instagram post: "He was such a warm, kind soul - one of a handful of partners that I always loved spending a day with.
"I suppose there’s something to be said about being safe out there and the inherent risks in climbing but I don’t really care about that right now.
"I’m just sad for Brad and his family. And for all of us who were so positively affected by his life.
"So crushing. Brad was a real gem of a man.
"I’m sad. The climbing world lost a true light. Rest in peace..."
