Montana 'BASE jumper' falls to death in Glacier National Park

[September 16, 2014]  By Lori Grannis
 
 MISSOULA Mont. (Reuters) - A Montana hiker reported as missing after he set out alone to perform a BASE jump in Glacier National Park over the weekend has been found dead below the summit of Mount Siyeh, authorities said on Monday.

Authorities identified the man as 22-year-old Beau Weiher of Missoula, who was reported missing by family and friends on Saturday night after he failed to return as expected from his outing.

According to a statement from the park, Weiher’s family identified the general area of his hike in the Piegan and Mount Siyeh areas, and said it may also have included a BASE jump.

An outcropping of skydiving, BASE jump participants don parachutes and dive from fixed objects, such as cliffs and skyscrapers. The National Park Service has banned the practice.

Park rangers initiated a ground and aerial search on Sunday and found Weiher’s body that evening, according to Glacier Park spokeswoman Denise Germann. She said he fell about 1,500 to 2,000 feet off Mount Siyeh to his death.

“We don’t know whether he had attempted the jump at the time of his fall, or not, but he was attached to his parachute when the body was recovered,” she said.

Posts from Weiher’s Facebook page include shots of him flying or landing as part of the BASE jump lifestyle, and documents global travel undertaken within the last year to pursue the practice.

Those caught jumping in a U.S. national park can face fines as high as $2,000, plus the cost of any rescue operations.

(Editing by Cynthia Johnston and Peter Cooney)

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