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Joshua Tree Rock Climber Fell To His Death When His Rope Snapped

JOSHUA TREE NATIONAL PARK (AP) — Authorities say a rock climber was killed at Joshua Tree National Park when his rope snapped and he fell 150 feet.

Park spokesman Joe Zarki says 33-year-old David Pinegar of Loomis died Monday when he was climbing with a friend near Saddle Rock off of Ryan Mountain.

Zarki told the Riverside Press-Enterprise the men were rock climbing along a spiny ridge with a 600-foot vertical face.

They had reached the summit and were rappelling down around 1 p.m. Zarki says Pinegar's partner had already reached the ground when the accident happened.

Pinegar died on the Riverside County side of the park, which is located 160 miles east of Los Angeles.

(© Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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