Free Solo Climber Dan Osman (video)

Dan Osman died November 23, 1998 at the age of 35 after his rope failed while performing a “controlled free-fall” jump from the Leaning Tower rock formation inYosemite National Park. Osman had come back to Yosemite to dismantle the jump tower but apparently decided to make several jumps (over a few days) before doing so. The failure was investigated by the National Park Service with assistance from Chris Harmston, Quality Assurance Manager atBlack Diamond Equipment. Harmston concluded that a change in jump site angle probably caused the ropes to cross and entangle, leading to the rope cutting by melting. Miles Daisher, who was with Osman when he made the jump, stated that the ropes used in his fatal jump had been exposed to inclement weather — including rain and snow — for more than a month before the fatal jump, but that the same ropes were used for several shorter jumps on the previous and same day.