Man pleads guilty of two BASE jumping incidents at Zion National Park

Professional athlete, Marshall Miller, plead guilty to two counts of BASE jumping in Zion National Park. BASE (Building, Antenna, Span and Earth) jumping is a sport where you jump from fixed objects and then use a parachute to safely land back to the ground.

On March 28, Zion Rangers received an anonymous tip that a group was planning to BASE jump off of either the Great White Throne or Cable Mountain. Rangers then observed one individual jump from the Great White Throne.

The person was identified as Marshall Miller from Salt Lake City. Miller was apprehended later that night. Miller has also been a person of interest in a BASE jumping incident that took place during the government shut down in January of 2018.

Miller plead guilty to jumping from the Great White Throne. He also confirmed his involvement in the January 2018 BASE jumping incident. The court ordered a $5,000 fine and a two year ban from Zion National Park.

BASE jumping is illegal in all National Parks. Since 2013 the Zion National Park Search and Rescue Team has recovered two bodies related to BASE jumping in the park.

“BASE jumping is an extremely dangerous sport,” said Zion National Park Chief Ranger, Daniel Fagergren.  “When a fatality occurs, the Search and Rescue Team often has to manage an additional amount of risk while recovering the body from the extreme vertical terrain.  We would like to thank the United States Attorney’s Office in Saint George, Utah for their support in prosecuting this important case.”