Lauren Sobel Brooklyn climber falls 50 ft to her death in an accident while setting up protective gear along Mohonk Mountain Preserve. Avid adventurous remembered.
A 25-year-old Brooklyn woman fell to her death while rock climbing near New Paltz, upstate NY over the weekend according to reports.
Lauren Sobel was leading two other climbers at the Mohonk Mountain Preserve around 3:30 p.m. Sunday when she lost her grip while trying to set protective gear about 70 feet up the rock face, according to New York State Police.
Sobel fell 50 feet and died at the scene, cops said.
Offered the rock climber’s father, David Sobel via the nypost, ‘She was the lead, which means she’s on top.’
‘She was three feet above her hook and she was going to put another one in and that’s when she fell and apparently there were three different safety measures taken and all three failed.’
Certified and trained to lead
The father added that Lauren was certified and trained to lead this type of climb.
She was on vacation climbing with two friends at the time, the dad added.
The 59-year-old father described Sobel as an adventurer and who loved the sport so much that she even climbed in Brazil and Mexico.
David said his daughter picked up the hobby after helping amputee military veterans learn how to climb at indoor facilities.
Lauren, a municipal bond analyst at Bank of America Merrill Lynch.
Continued the father, ‘(Lauren) donated her time to helping military veterans who had amputated limbs learn to rock climb and she did that before she even knew how to rock climb because she believed in the cause,’
‘And from that, her interest developed and she became an avid rock climber.’
Avid climber passionate about her pursuits
Lauren even won an award through Bank of America for her hours of charity work with the veterans, David said.
David said Lauren climbed frequently whenever she had free time.
‘She had a job but she would try to find the opportunity to rock climb when she could,’ he said.
Lauren wasn’t married or in a relationship, David said. She had an older sister and loved her sister’s 5-year-old son ‘a whole lot,’ David said.
David said Lauren was ‘extremely energetic. She was always doing something.’
Posted Lauren’s elder sister, Ellie Sobel Whitcher, Monday on Facebook,’ In lieu of flowers, we ask that you please donate to the Adaptive Climbing Group of New York (ACG) where Lauren volunteered for years, becoming a Lead Volunteer and Outreach Coordinator during her last 2 years. Helping others, people with disabilities, and especially veterans, to inclusively participate in climbing was very rewarding for Lauren. We are grateful that at the end of her life, she was pursuing her passion.’
