Stranded canyons in Utah’s Zion die while dangling in ropes

A man who was trapped while rappelling in Zion National Park died after spending hours dangling from a rope in a ravine, park officials said.

Andrew Arvig, 31, of Chesapeake, Virginia, was in the company of three canyoneers set out on a route through Heaps Canyon on Saturday. “They had a hard time negotiating the last few rappels in the canyon, which delayed their exit,” the report said Monday from the park.

On the last rappel, Arvig went first, down towards the Upper Emerald Pools. He crossed a ledge – “Bird Perch”, about 280 feet above the basins – where he had to stop and anchor the rope again for the last part of the descent. He could not get back to the ledge, 20 feet above him, and he did not have enough rope to go down.

His two companions used a backup method by using their “pull cord” to get down to the edge, but they were unable to reach Arvig and they did not have the equipment to get down – so they were also stuck.

Due to poor telephone reception, it took them several hours to contact the emergency authorities. Rangers began rescue operations early Sunday that involved more than 30 people and two helicopters.

When the party was found, the two on the ledge were rescued safely and Arvig was lowered the 260 feet to the ground. He was later pronounced dead.

The Washington County Sheriff’s Department and National Park Service are investigating the cause of death.

Heaps Canyon is a difficult route, and many canyons divide it into two days. In particular, the last three rappels are described as long and difficult, requiring solid skills and full attention.

On the latter, the overhanging lip where the rope is anchored means the rapper is about 50 feet away from the wall as it goes down.