Authorities identify man killed in 100-foot fall at Zion National Park

Zion National Park, Utah, date not specified | Photo courtesy of Zion National Park, St. George News

SPRINGDALE – Zion National Park officials have released the name of a Nevada man who died Saturday after falling 100 feet while canyoneering in Zion National Park.

The man who died has been identified as Bryan Artmann, 24, of Henderson, Nevada.

Artmann and three other canyoneers were attempting to complete Heaps Canyon at the time of the incident, which occurred at about 7 p.m. Saturday, according to a press release issued Tuesday by Zion National Park. He reportedly fell 100 feet, unroped, into a side canyon.

Due to the remoteness of the area, Artmann’s companions were not able to fully exit the canyon and notify the park of his fall until almost 11:30 p.m., the press release said.

A helicopter crew was brought in from Grand Canyon National Park Sunday morning to assist in what started out as a rescue. Two Zion Search and Rescue team members, who were short-hauled into the canyon above where Artmann had fallen, rappelled down and found that he had died. The mission then became a recovery operation rather than a rescue.

Heaps Canyon is a strenuous, challenging technical canyon with an approximately 3,000-foot descent, according to the press release. Heaps Canyon usually takes between 12 and 20 hours to complete and consists of a number of rappels into cold water, ending with a final 280-foot rappel to the Upper Emerald Pool area.

A search and rescue team comprised of 16 rangers, technical rescuers and helicopter crew members contributed to the recovery of Artmann’s body, according to the press release.

A memorial service for Artmann is scheduled to take place Saturday at Community Lutheran Church in Las Vegas.

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