The dangers of BASE jumping have come alive as one of the world's top rock climber, Dean Potter, 43, accompanied with Graham Hunt, 29, died on Saturday in a BASE jumping accident, when they jumped from Taft Point, about 3,000 feet above the Yosemite Valley.

The mishap has prompted the National Park Service to ban the sport, which involves leaping from relatively low altitudes provided by ledges, buildings or antennae with a parachute.

Potter is credited with several daring exploits in the park and around the world as well. In 2001, Potted had enthusiastically stated, “The attractive thing about rock climbing is that there are no rules!”

Potter was the first person to free climb, in record time, the ‘Half Dome’ and the granite monolith, ‘El Capitan’, scaling with only his hands and feet and just using ropes to prevent him from falling.

Scott Gediman, the park spokesman, informed that early Sunday morning about 100 park rangers and volunteers launched a search-and-rescue operation after neither of the two, responded to radio calls or arrived at a preset meeting point in the park.

Gedimen stated that ultimately the crew in a California Highway Patrol helicopter spotted their bodies at two locations along the wall of rock at the Yosemite Valley. The investigations by the park officials have begun in full swing.

The climbers’ community at the Yosemite National Park is astounded by the tragic demise. Gediman told, “I can't emphasize enough how tragic this is. Dean just loved Yosemite. He loved the park and everything it stood for”.

Potter is survived his longtime partner, Jennifer Rapp, and three children, Rowan, Sabina and May and mother, Patricia Dellert. His mother recalled that Potter’s affinity for climbing began at a young age and by mid-20, Potter had solidified his reputation as one of Yosemite's finest climbers.