X

YouTubers from High on Life channel die in waterfall accident

Ryker Gamble and Alexey Lyakh were reportedly trying to save Megan Scraper after she slipped and fell from the top of Shannon Falls.

Abrar Al-Heeti Technology Reporter
Abrar Al-Heeti is a technology reporter for CNET, with an interest in phones, streaming, internet trends, entertainment, pop culture and digital accessibility. She's also worked for CNET's video, culture and news teams. She graduated with bachelor's and master's degrees in journalism from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Though Illinois is home, she now loves San Francisco -- steep inclines and all.
Expertise Abrar has spent her career at CNET analyzing tech trends while also writing news, reviews and commentaries across mobile, streaming and online culture. Credentials
  • Named a Tech Media Trailblazer by the Consumer Technology Association in 2019, a winner of SPJ NorCal's Excellence in Journalism Awards in 2022 and has three times been a finalist in the LA Press Club's National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Awards.
See full bio
Abrar Al-Heeti
2 min read
youtubers-die-in-waterfall-accident

YouTubers Ryker Gamble, Alexey Lyakh and Megan Scraper died in a waterfall accident Tuesday.

 GoFundMe

Three social media stars died in a waterfall accident Tuesday at Shannon Falls near Squamish, British Columbia.

Ryker Gamble, Alexey Lyakh and Megan Scraper starred in a series of travel videos on the YouTube channel High On Life, which has over half a million subscribers. Scraper, who was Lyakh's girlfriend, slipped and fell from the top of the falls into the water below, according to the CBC. Lyakh and Gamble reportedly jumped in after her in an attempt to save her, but no one survived.

Local police declined to confirm their names, at the request of the deceased's families. 

The bloggers were all in their 20s and 30s, according to The Telegraph.  

The High on Life team uploaded a video Friday to commemorate Gamble, Lyakh and Scraper, and to encourage people to share inspirational messages using the hashtag #HOLInspired. 

"I followed them closely on social media platforms," one fan posted on Instagram. "They were such an inspiration and inspired me to start Instagram. No doubt they have inspired millions of viewers who watch their content to do the same."

This is such a tragic loss 💔 Ryker, Alexey and Megan knew how to live life. I followed them closely on social media platforms. They were such an inspiration and inspired me to start Instagram 📷 no doubt they have inspired millions of viewers who watch their content to do the same or even just put a smile on peoples faces 🙌🏻 Luckily the heart of them have been captured on film and they will truly never be forgotten. Sending love to their families at this devastating time ❤️. And Ryker, Alexey and Megan Thank you! ❤️ R.I.P x This is a little tribute video for these amazing creative high on life humans! ❤️ . . . @mindy @wanderlust @rykergamble . . . And the whole of the @highonlife Crew ❤️ . . . GoFundMe memorial fund at the link below: https://www.gofundme.com/ryker-alexey-amp-megan-memorial-fu… . . . . #instapassport #thecreative #artofvisuals #aroundtheworldpix #ig_masterpiece #theprettycities #flashesofdelight #travelog #mytinyatlas #visualmobs #theglobewanderer #forahappymoment #exploringtheglobe #travelon #awesome_earthpix #highonlife #visualoflife #awesome_naturepix #roamtheplanet #unlimitedparadise #dametraveler #planetdiscovery #discoveryearth #HOLinspired @instagram @gopro

A post shared by PLANET2WONDER (@planet2wonder) on

One blogger tweeted a picture of when she met the High on Life team. "Thinking of your team today," she wrote.

Gamble's girlfriend, Alissa Hassan, also posted a tribute on Instagram. "May we all send prayers to their souls as they transition," she wrote. 

Grief seems to bring everything to a halt. What was once possible seems irrelevant. The schedule is cleared, the mundane ignored. One moment a wave of catastrophic emotions, the next a cavern of emptiness. Death is not a request to stop living, it is a request for loving. It calls us to see fully what is in front of us. To see what needs healing. To see those for whom our hearts would break if we did not speak the words that need speaking. It asks us to tend to one another. To value this moment here and now. To face our own ephemerality. Death violently shakes us awake, time and time again. Words by @heyheatherobscura. . The only words I have right now to share are from my dear soul sister Heather. May we all send prayers to their souls as they transition.

A post shared by Alissa Hansen (@alissa.hansen) on

The High on Life team set up a memorial fund on GoFundMe campaign. At the time of publication, it had raised nearly $4,000 of its $50,000 goal.  

The group had received backlash in the past, after they were accused of going off a boardwalk at Yellowstone National Park to film next to the Grand Prismatic Spring. Lyakh and Gamble were reportedly sentenced to seven days in jail and banned from accessing US public lands for five years.