A young American woman is dead after attempting to descend a challenging rock face in New Zealand.
The aspiring scientist was identified as 28-year-old Lauren ‘Kimi’ Worrell, an avid adventurer who had just finished her master’s degree at the University of Auckland.
Her distraught family have issued a statement via the New Zealand Police force, warning other climbers to be mindful of equipment that is permanently erected onto rock faces.
A young American woman is dead after attempting to descend a challenging rock face in New Zealand
Ms Worrell died on Sunday while attempting to descend a challenging 120 meter rock face at Castle Rock
‘This equipment will naturally be affected by UV rays and other elements of nature affecting its condition and reliability,’ the family said.
Ms Worrell died on Sunday while attempting to descend a challenging 120-metre rock face at Castle Rock, near the town of Whitianga in the Coromandel on New Zealand’s North Island.
The family, who travelled to New Zealand from California, said they wanted to thank two rock climbers who tried to rescue Worrell, as well as search and rescue crews, police, friends and the U.S. consulate.
The aspiring scientist was identified as 28-year-old Lauren ‘Kimi’ Worrell, an avid adventurer who had just finished her master’s degree at the University of Auckland
The local community is organizing a fund in Kimi’s memory, the proceeds of which will be used for the purpose of maintaining existing hardware and fixed lines in rock-climbing areas around New Zealand.
New Zealand police said in a statement they are working on making climbing accessible and safer to everyone, with a goal to prevent avoidable deaths like this in the future.
The family said Worrell had just received an A-plus for her thesis on sustainable transport policy, an area in which she planned to work.
According to her LinkedIn page, Ms Worrell graduated with a bachelor of science degree from thte State University of New York
According to her LinkedIn page, Ms Worrell graduated with a bachelor of science degree from thte State University of New York.
She also worked as an environmental scientist in the San Francisco Bay area.
During her studies, she was also the director and co-founder of an a cappella singing group and served on the president’s student advisory council.
There will be a private memorial service held on Sunday to celebrate the young woman’s life.
Ms Worrell’s death is still being investigated by the Coroner, however the family hoped her death would serve to highlight the risks to the climber community.
The New Zealand police said in a statement they are working on making climbing accessible and safer to everyone
There will be a private memorial service held on Sunday to celebrate the young woman’s life