A weekend BASE jumping accident in a Utah canyon killed two people, one of them a daredevil athlete best known for performing onstage with Madonna at the 2012 Super Bowl, authorities said.
The sheriff’s office in Grand County, Utah, confirmed one of the dead was Andy Lewis, an extreme athlete known for feats in BASE jumping, a dangerous sport that involves parachuting to the ground after jumping from a tall fixed object such as a building, a bridge or a desert cliff overlooking a deep canyon.
In BASE jumping circles, Lewis had a huge following and a reputation for pushing the envelope — leaping into tighter spaces or deploying his parachute later than his peers would dare, said John McEvoy, a BASE jumping instructor in Twin Falls, Idaho, who has jumped with Lewis.
FILE – U.S. slackliner Andy Lewis of Calif. balances on a slackline in Bangkok, Thailand, July 23, 2014. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit, File)
“He had an incredible level of athleticism and skill that was developed over years of practice,” McEvoy said. “But then he would take an incredible amount of risk.”
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Lewis’ other sport made him an overnight celebrity, thanks to Madonna
Lewis was also a prominent figure in the niche sports of slacklining and tricklining, which combine elements of high-wire walking with aerial acrobatics — sometimes at perilous heights.
Lewis went from obscure athlete to overnight celebrity when he appeared onstage in Madonna’s 2012 Super Bowl halftime show. Dressed in a Roman toga, Lewis bounced and executed tricks on his inch-wide line like it was a trampoline while Madonna sang behind him.
“My phone actually rang itself to death three days in a row,” Lewis said soon afterward in an appearance on Conan O’Brien’s late night show.
FILE – Andy Lewis appears during Madonna’s halftime performance at the NFL Super Bowl XLVI football game between the New York Giants and the New England Patriots, Feb. 5, 2012, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)
Emergency responders were dispatched Sunday to a report of people injured in a BASE jumping attempt at Mineral Bottom, a remote desert area near the Utah-Colorado line, according to the sheriff’s office. Lewis and an unidentified 50-year-old man died at the scene, the sheriff’s office said in a news release.
Sheriff’s Lt. Al Cymbaluk confirmed to The Associated Press that it was Lewis the extreme athlete who died. He said he had no further details on the fatal accident.
BASE jumping is far more dangerous than skydiving
Though there’s no official tally of BASE jumping deaths, a list compiled by the website BASEaddict.com shows 540 total fatalities worldwide since 1981 — including 30 people killed last year. Prominent deaths include BASE jumper Dean Potter and his climbing partner, Graham Hunt, who were killed in 2015 while attempting a wingsuit flight in California’s Yosemite National Park.
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A study focused on BASE jumping in Norway, published in a medical journal in 2007, estimated that BASE jumping carried risks of injury or death five to eight times greater than skydiving.
Lewis openly acknowledged the sport’s inherent danger.
“It’s weird to think about how many people are dead, because it’s like a normal thing,” Lewis told documentary filmmaker Ella Warnick in an interview published last year.
Lewis owned BASE Jump Moab, a business that offered excursions to inexperienced customers using tandem jumps, in which the customer was harnessed to a guide wearing the parachute.
Sheriff’s spokesperson Cymbaluk said he didn’t know if Lewis and the other man killed were performing a tandem jump.
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Tandem BASE jumping carries additional risk because it straps together two people, one of whom generally lacks experience, under a single parachute, McEvoy said. But because they involve novices, they also tend to be the most low-risk, basic types of jumps.
“Within BASE, it’s a very controversial topic,” McEvoy said. “There’s a lot of people who say it’s the stupidest thing in the world and others arguing: `No, we’re giving people the experience of their lives.’”
No one immediately returned phone, text and Facebook messages left Monday for BASE Jump Moab.
Lewis won four straight world championships in competitive slacklining from 2008 through 2011. Lewis set a Guinness World Record for slackline surfing, swaying his feet side to side in a rocking motion that mimics surfing, while keeping his balance above China’s Diaoshuilou waterfall in 2011.
In 2014, he walked a slackline suspended between two hot air balloons more than 4,000 feet above the Nevada desert.
The Chicago Stars earned just their fourth win of the season Sunday, defeating Utah Royals 3-2 to end the visitors’ franchise-record 10-game unbeaten streak. Chicago got two goals from striker Jordyn Huitema and a stunning solo effort from centerback Sam Staab to earn the victory.
Huitema, who was acquired in a preseason trade with the Reign, got the scoring started in the 20th minute, sliding in to finish off a cross from Brianna Pinto. Another Canadian, Cloé Lacasse, leveled the score for Utah just before halftime. Cece Delzer (nee Kizer) gave the Royals the lead from the penalty spot in the 54th minute. The penalty was awarded after a VAR review.
Staab evened the game up again with a brilliant direct free kick goal in the 59th minute. It was just the second direct free kick goal in club history, the first also coming from Staab.
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Huitema would then secure her first brace as a Star, scoring the game-winner from a corner kick in the 86th minute. The win moves Chicago into 14th place with 12 points, five points out of playoff contention. Utah still sits among the top teams with 24 points.
A Jordyn Huitema brace! First goals of the season for Utah’s Cece Delzer and Chicago’s Sam Staab plus a banger by Cloé Lacasse! Chicago comes out 3-2 after a barnburner at home.
MURRAY, Utah — People with ties to Venezuela gathered in Murray on Sunday, sharing stories from families who lost loved ones and from those whose relatives are on the ground delivering resources to communities impacted by the disaster.
On June 24, Venezuela experienced two major earthquakes with magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5, which have killed thousands of people since then.
The gathering was hosted by an organization called Alianza Venezolana Utah.
People in the community sang and shared moments of silence for parents, cousins and siblings in Venezuela at Murray Park. One of those people was South Jordan resident Ludmila Ruiz.
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Ruiz said her younger brother met up with friends at his home in La Guaira to watch the World Cup when tragedy struck. She shared videos of his building where he lived, now destroyed.
She said they still have not found his body.
“When I feel sad, I think of my brother and that he would want me to help others right now,” Ruiz said. “My brother was a special man.”
Eighteen-year-old Leander Guevara said he was on a routine call with his mom back home that day.
“Randomly, everything starts shaking and the signal goes off and all I hear is screaming,” Guevara explained.
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He said their home in Caracas is safe. He says his mom runs a church in Venezuela and that she and others are handing out food and clothes to people who need it.
“They made arepas, they’re offering clothes, they actually used the church as a sleeping shelter,” Guevara said.
Still, he says rebuilding will take time.
“It’s actually pretty hard right now to rebuild everything in Venezuela,” he said. “It’s going to stay like this a long while. This is not just right now — next months, this is going to be hard. This is only the beginning.”
Ruiz said that while her brother is gone, he would have wanted her to carry his spirit forward by helping their loved ones back home.
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“We know our community needs food, medicine,” she said. “I’ll use that energy, that emotion, and work for my community.”
SALT LAKE CITY — The United States is often considered among the best countries to go road tripping, each state offering its own unique experience. With beauties dotting the country, such as Glacier, Yosemite, Zion and Great Smoky Mountains national parks, the 50 states each offer something different to attract visitors.
And according to a new WalletHub study, Utah is the second-best state in the nation in which to pack up the car and drive.
“Taking a summer road trip can be a very exciting way to experience a new place, but with the prices of gas, food and accommodations still impacted by inflation, you’ll want to be in a state that makes this type of vacation affordable,” according to WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo.
“Safe roads are also key, and so is having plenty of worthwhile attractions to stop at along the road. The best states for summer road trips, therefore, are those that keep costs low while providing the best driving experience and most fun activities.”
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Why Utah is ranked so high
Coming in as the top road-tripping state is Minnesota due to its relatively cheap cost and its high spending on parks and recreation. But Utah comes in second for its “breathtaking scenery, outdoor recreation and safe driving conditions,” according to WalletHub.
Arches National Park is pictured on April 17, 2021. Utah is ranked second nationally for road trips and for good reason. Here are some tips for touring the state. (Photo: Annie Barker, Deseret News)
While Utah ranks 34th in the country in terms of costs, the state makes up for it in road safety. Utah ranks in the top 10 for least amount of car thefts per capita and is fourth in fewest fatalities per 100 million miles driven.
Cumulatively, Utah is the sixth safest state to road-trip in.
Also boosting its rating are its amusement parks, where Utah ranks seventh.
The top five states for road trips include:
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Minnesota
Utah
Louisiana
New York
Florida
The bottom five round out to:
Maryland
California
Connecticut
Delaware
Rhode Island
The ‘Mighty Five’ and Utahraptor State Park
If you come for activities like amusement parks and zoos, Utah has you covered with Lagoon and Utah’s Hogle Zoo, accompanied by a plethora of water parks. However, Utah is perhaps best known for its stunning natural formations.
Located 15 miles outside Moab, Utahraptor State Park is the newest addition to Utah’s state park system. Utah is ranked second nationally for road trips and for good reason. Here are some tips for touring the state. (Photo: Lee Benson, Deseret News)
Boasting the second most national parks in the mainland U.S., only behind California’s nine, Utah’s five national parks make for a no-brainer trek. Starting at Canyonlands National Park, you can hit Arches National Park and Utah’s newest park, Utahraptor State Park, in a matter of 35 miles, give or take.
From Utahraptor State Park, another two hours will take you to Capitol Reef National Park, two more hours brings you to Bryce Canyon National Park and another two will land you in the second most visited national park in the country, Zion National Park.
In roughly seven hours of driving, travelers can cross five national parks off their bucket list while witnessing the scenic stretch from eastern Utah to the southwest part.
Utah also has the second-highest spending per capita on parks and recreation, and there are plenty of state parks to check out while in the desert state.
Utahraptor State Park
If you are a dinosaur enthusiast, Utahraptor State Park is a great place to stop. Officially opened to the public in May 2025, the park features one of the largest bone beds with over 5,500 fossils discovered, representing more than 10 different species at Dalton Wells Dinosaur Quarry.
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Among the species is the Utahraptor, which spans 20 feet long and stands 5 feet tall, estimated to weigh 1,000 pounds.
The park also features various sites where you can see ancient tracks embedded in the sandstone, made by theropods, sauropods, ornithopods and even prehistoric crocodiles.
You can discover more at the park website.
Road trip tips
As the U.S. experiences brutal prices at the pump, which are also affecting the prices of other various services like food, it is even more important to plan ahead.
“If you want to make your money stretch, you have to ditch the luxury mindset and channel your inner 19-year-old on a broke, wild mission,” Lynn University associate professor Andrew Burnstine told WalletHub.
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Here are some tips experts gave:
Plan ahead.
Look for local deals.
Bring snacks from grocery stores.
Download apps to track down cheap fuel.
Bypass highway tourist traps.
Use campsites instead of hotels.
Check into hotels on the outskirts if a bed is a must.
Keep tires inflated.
Keep trunk light.
These are simple tips for making your trip financially less burdensome, but “even these small savings can make a visible difference by the end of a trip,” said Minnesota State University Moorhead professor Wooyang Kim, per WalletHub.
The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.
