Dean Potter traversing a high line in Yosemite National Park as the moon rises. File Photo: Mikey Schaefer/File

Dean Potter, one of the generation's top rock climbers and charismatic personalities, was one of two men killed in a BASE-jumping accident at Yosemite National Park in California on Saturday.

Potter, 43, and the other man, Graham Hunt, 29, leapt near dusk off Taft Point, a promontory about 3000 feet (914 metres) above the floor of Yosemite Valley, not far from the iconic granite masses of El Capitan and Half Dome. Flying in wingsuits, they tried to clear a notch in the granite cliffs but instead smashed into the rocks in quick succession.

Neither of the men pulled a parachute.

Dean Potter was one of two men killed in a BASE-jumping accident at California’s Yosemite National Park. Credit Jim Hurst for The New York Times Photo: Jim Hurst/New York Times

Rescue parties began searching late Saturday, and the bodies were spotted by helicopter Sunday morning and retrieved early in the afternoon, said Mike Gauthier, Yosemite's chief of staff.

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"It's tremendously sad," said Mr Gauthier, an occasional climbing partner of Potter, who lived in Yosemite. "Dean was part of this community and had such an impact on climbing. He was a luminary and in the pantheon of climbing gods."

BASE jumping, which is essentially parachuting from a fixed structure or cliff, is illegal in the national parks, and Yosemite officials have tried to curtail the practice. But Potter fought and flouted the rules for many years.

Sinewy and strong at 195.5 centimetres and 81.6 kilograms, with dark hair often at shoulder length, Potter stood out for his looks and audacious achievements. He was a prosthelytiser for climbing, BASE jumping and living free.

"Part of me says it's kind of crazy to think you can fly your human body," Potter told The New York Times in 2008. "Another part of me thinks all of us have had the dream that we can fly. Why not chase after it? Maybe it brings you to some other tangent. Chasing after the unattainable is the fun part."

Potter, who grew up mostly in New Hampshire, bloomed on the Yosemite climbing scene nearly 20 years ago. In 2001, he climbed the nose route of El Capitan in a record 3 hours 24 minutes. He was the first to free-climb (no ropes except to catch falls) both El Capitan and Half Dome in 24 hours.

In 2008, he was featured in The Times for highlining, essentially extreme tightrope-walking between cliffs. This month, Potter made it to the top of Yosemite's Half Dome in 1:19, and he completed the round trip in under 2:18, considered a record.

Potter could be a divisive figure. His 2006 climb of the iconic Delicate Arch in Arches National Park was heavily criticised and cost him his sponsorship from Patagonia, the outdoor clothing and equipment maker.

Potter was often accompanied on his climbs and jumps by his miniature Australian cattle dog, Whisper, who became a bit of a celebrity, too, although Whisper was not on the fatal flight.

"Dean truly loved Yosemite," said Jenn Rapp, Potter's longtime girlfriend. "His heart, spirit and passions soared in the valley; it was his home. The beauty of Yosemite inspired him to be the best possible artist, partner, father and friend. This is exactly where he'd want his rule-breaking, fringe-pushing, counter-culture spirit to live forever."

New York Times