The Grand County Sheriff’s Office says the two men were jumping in the remote area of Mineral Bottom, about 30 miles southwest of Moab, when the incident occurred. Both died at the scene.
The sheriff’s office identified the 39-year-old Lewis, also known as “Sketchy Andy,” as one of those killed. The performer and outdoor adventure guide was known for his stunts in and around the Moab area, including tandem BASE jumps, and posting them to social media.
He was also featured performing tricks on a slackline during Madonna’s 2012 Superbowl Halftime performance.
In late 2020, Lewis drew national attention after he claimed to have helped remove a mysterious silver obelisk from a remote area of San Juan County’s high desert.
A 50-year-old man who also died in the accident has not yet been identified.
BASE stands for the four categories of objects jumpers take off from, including buildings, antennas, spans or bridges and Earth (cliffs or mountains) and is said to be significantly more dangerous than skydiving from an airplane.
The Wisconsin Skydiving Center says BASE jumping has a fatality rate of 1 in 2,300 jumps versus 1 in 357,00 jumps for skydiving.
