Refrigerator-sized rock falls off cliff, sends climber to his death, NH officials say

A rock climbing enthusiast died Sunday after experiencing every climber’s worst nightmare: A large boulder came loose, sliced his rope and sent him plummeting, according to the New Hampshire Fish and Game Law Enforcement Division.

The climber was identified in a Facebook post as Benjamin Kessel, 34, of Somerville, Massachusetts.

He died around 4 p.m. Sept. 20 on Cannon Cliff in Franconia Notch State Park, about 90 north of Manchester, officials said

“It was determined ... that a rock the size of a refrigerator had dislodged as the climber approached from below,” officials said. “The rock then slid over the climbing rope severing it and knocking the climber approximately 150 feet down the cliff before becoming lodged in some small spruce trees.”

Investigators say a search team was sent after multiple witnesses called 911 from the scene.

Climbers rappelled down and found Kessel dead at the base of the cliff around 5:30 p.m. Sunday, officials said. However, a recovery operation was postponed until Monday morning, due to “the onset of darkness and cooling overnight temperatures,” officials said.

His body was hoisted to the top of the cliff and carried down the mountain around 12:30 p.m. Monday, a release said.

Cannon Mountain is a 4,101-foot peak in the White Mountains that is “known for both its technical rock and ice climbing,” according to CamptoCamp.org. Cannon Cliff is “largest vertical rock face in the Northeast at roughly 300 m (984 feet) in height and more than 1.6 km (5,249 feet) long,” the camping site says.

“There is a log book climbers are asked to sign into and out of. If an unusual amount of time passes before a climber signs out, a search party is formed,” CamptoCamp.org reports.

This story was originally published September 22, 2020 at 3:10 PM with the headline "Refrigerator-sized rock falls off cliff, sends climber to his death, NH officials say."