Condolences are pouring in for Canadian professional rock climber Will Stanhope, who died after a fall on British Columbia's Stawamus Chief, his family confirmed.
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Stanhope died April 23, one day after his family shared the news publicly.
"It is with shattered hearts that we share the news that our beloved Will passed away yesterday," the family wrote.
Squamish Search and Rescue said it was called to the Stawamus Chief on April 13 after a climber fell while attempting a route known as Rutabaga on the Grand Wall. Officials said the climber fell about 20 meters and suffered serious injuries.
"The subject was stabilized and due to the rough terrain and nature of the injuries, we arranged a long-line rescue to our forward operating base at St'a7mes School, where we were met by B.C. Ambulance," said Christy Allan of Squamish SAR.
B.C. Emergency Health Services said paramedics responded around 3 p.m. and transported the patient to a hospital in serious but stable condition at the time.
Stanhope's family later confirmed he was the climber involved and said he suffered a severe head injury during the fall.
Widely known in the climbing world, Stanhope was a free solo climber and a member of the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides. He was part of the first free ascent of the south ridge of Mount Combatant in British Columbia, according to climbing publication Gripped.
In past interviews, Stanhope described free soloing as "the most beautiful way to move over rock unencumbered."
His family remembered him as passionate, kind and adventurous.
"The rock was his home, and the climbing community was his family," they wrote.
A celebration of life is being planned in Squamish later this spring.
