The view from the Shafer Canyon Overlook towards La Sal mountains in Canyonlands National Park in Utah. (Photo by: Andrew Lloyd/Loop Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
A California man has died after falling about 400 feet while speed flying in eastern Utah, authorities said.
The Grand County sheriff's office and first responders responded to a report of the fall Friday around 4:30 p.m. north of Canyonlands National Park border near Mineral Bottom, The Salt Lake Tribune reported.
Grand County EMS Director Andy Smith said rescue personnel climbed up about 1,000 feet to reach the man. He was found without a pulse and declared dead at the scene.
Deputies identified the man as Gaje Anthis, 23, of Long Beach, California. Smith said crews could not recover the body until the following morning because of treacherous and dark conditions.
Rangers from the Bureau of Land Management also responded to the scene and is now considering shutting down Mineral Canyon for such activities in an effort to protect wildlife.
Speed flying is a faster form of paragliding and requires participants to jump from a cliff's edge.
