Mountaineers witness solo climber fall 200 feet to his death from El Cajon ... trends now

Mountaineers witness solo climber fall 200 feet to his death from El Cajon ... trends now
Mountaineers witness solo climber fall 200 feet to his death from El Cajon ... trends now

Mountaineers witness solo climber fall 200 feet to his death from El Cajon ... trends now

A group of 'traumatized' mountaineers witnessed the horrifying fall of a 22-year-old rock climber - who plummeted 200 feet to his death - while climbing San Diego's El Cajon Mountain on Sunday.

Witnesses say the climber, whose name has not been released, had been 'free soloing' - rock climbing that is done without the use of a rope or protective equipment -  just before noon when the tragedy occurred.

A group of climbers propelled over to help the young victim but it was too late. When search and rescue arrived the climber was pronounced dead.

James Faerber said he was 'traumatized' witnessing the man fall to his death off the popular mountain, known as El Capitan or El Cap, that has a summit of 3,677 feet.

'I've been through a huge range of emotions for sure,' Faerber told the San Diego-Tribune.  

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On Monday, crews walked the hazardous terrain to recover the victim's remains, hiking two hours on foot, as a helicopter was in the air assisting in the recovery mission

On Monday, crews walked the hazardous terrain to recover the victim's remains, hiking two hours on foot, as a helicopter was in the air assisting in the recovery mission

 Search and rescue teams had a difficult time retrieving the body due to the treacherous terrain.

'By the time we were able to get to where the climber was, it's about 2,500 feet in elevation, and it's about a two-hour hike to get to the climber. So it made yesterday's recovery impossible,' Lt. Ruben Medina with San Diego County Sheriff's Department said.

Another obstacle the crew was facing, the sheriff said, was nightfall. The darkness complicated getting back down the mountain.

On Monday, crews hiked the hazardous terrain to recover the victim's remains, located near the Lakeside area of the mountain, as a helicopter was in the air assisting in the recovery mission.

The rock climber was rescued more than 12 hours after he fell from the mountainside.

The cause of the young man's fall remains unknown and is being investigated.

Billy Ortiz, who has lived near El

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