Two prominent Base jumpers, Dean Potter and Graham Hunt, died in a wingsuit accident in Yosemite national park this weekend.

Potter, 43, was a climbing and wingsuit pioneer and the creator of “freebase,” a hybrid extreme sport that combined rock climbing without ropes and skydiving.

Potter and Hunt, 29, crashed late on Saturday after leaping from a promontory called Taft Point, 3,000ft above the valley floor, park ranger Scott Gediman said.

A friend called Yosemite search and rescue on Saturday night when the pair failed to return from their jump. Their bodies were not recovered until Sunday morning, with the assistance of park rangers and a California highway patrol helicopter. Neither of the men appeared to have deployed their parachutes.

Base jumping in Yosemite is illegal and those who attempt it risk being arrested and fined.

Potter was one of the most recognisable figures in extreme sports. His independent spirit and inclination to push the boundaries of what was possible in climbing and Base jumping made him a revered presence in the tight-knit community.

Dean Potter crossed the Enshi Grand Canyon in central China’s Hubei province, 1,800 metres above sea level, in 2012 Guardian

Earlier this month, Potter set the record for the fastest ascent of Half Dome, one of Yosemite’s iconic monoliths. He completed it through a combination of trail running and free-soloing, or climbing without a rope. Among other records and first ascents, Potter completed the longest wingsuit Base flight, covering nearly four miles (6.5km) of ground in two minutes, 50 seconds, after jumping from the Eiger in Switzerland.



In November, after the release of the adventure film Valley Uprising, sports nutrition company Clif Bar dropped its decade-long sponsorship of Potter, along with four other athletes that were shown Base jumping and free-soloing. Clif indicated that the athletes’ degree of risk made the company uncomfortable. The energy-bar maker cut financial support for the athletes but continued to promote the film.

Potter made his home in Yosemite with girlfriend Jennifer Rapp and his dog, Whisper. Though his dog had accompanied him on previous jumps, she was not in Potter’s backpack on Saturday.

In an interview with climber Jimmy Chin last spring, Potter explained he had become more committed to flying safely as he lost friends to the sport. “This past month, four friends died wingsuit-flying, one of whom was my very good friend and wingman, Sean Leary,” Potter said. Leary, 38, died on a solo flight in Utah’s Zion National Park.

Potter said he was studying aerodynamics and aerospace technology and was committed to developing safer gear and flying protocols.

Potter’s determination brought human flight to the edge of what was possible. He developed the skill to climb difficult walls without ropes, relying on a small chute on his back in case he fell. “I love the idea that I can change the worst possible thing to the best possible thing – dying to flying,” he said in a video from Sender Films. “Everybody kind of fantasises about it – flying – and it’s an amazing place in history right now that man actually has the ability to pull it off.”

An investigation into what caused the men to crash into the cliff face is ongoing.