Illegal BASE Jumpers Take to Yosemite’s El Capitan Amid Government Shutdown
As the federal government shutdown continues, some thrill-seekers appear to be taking advantage of reduced staffing in Yosemite National Park to engage in illegal BASE jumping off El Capitan.
Videos shared by climber and runner Charles Winstead (@bigwalltrailrunner) on Instagram show jumpers leaping from the towering granite face, more than twice the height of the Empire State Building,and gliding across Yosemite Valley.
“Base jumpers coming off El Cap in the middle of the day,” Winstead wrote in one post. “Must be taking advantage of the government shutdown to get away with it.”
BASE jumping is strictly prohibited in all national parks, including Yosemite. A 2024 Department of the Interior memo stated that while the activity may be permitted under rare, pre-approved circumstances, no such permits currently exist for Yosemite.
“You hear them before you see them,” Winstead told the San Francisco Chronicle. “Then the parachute pops and there’s no more noise.”
The National Park Service has warned that while parks remain open during the shutdown, services and staffing are limited. Officials have denied reports of widespread lawlessness, saying law enforcement rangers continue to monitor visitor activity and enforce park regulations.
Still, Yosemite employees have reported “lots of squatters in the campgrounds” and a sense among some visitors that “they can do whatever they want because of the lack of rangers.”
For now, the BASE jumpers seem to be proving that theory, one leap at a time.
