A woman died Sunday when she fell roughly 500 feet to her death at Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado, marking the second fatality at the park in the month of July.
The 26-year-old Boulder woman was free-solo climbing on the Four Aces of Blitzen Ridge, according to a Monday press release from the National Park Service (NPS). The woman’s climbing partner, a 27-year-old male, notified park rangers about the fall via cellphone.
A 26-year-old Boulder woman died after falling 500 feet from Blitzen Ridge in Rocky Mountain National Park Sunday https://t.co/C0fSFh9lMV
— Denver7 News (@DenverChannel) July 11, 2023
Free-solo climbing is a type of technical rock climbing done without any gear that would offer protection in case of a fall, such as bolts and rope, according to Evo Rock. Free soloists typically only use climbing shoes and a chalk bag.
Due to the man’s location, a Colorado Air National Guard helicopter was dispatched from Buckley Air Force Base to rescue him, according to the NPS. (RELATED: Man Plunges Over 4,000 Feet To Death At Grand Canyon)
“Early this morning, Rocky Mountain National Park Search and Rescue Team members hiked to the area above Ypsilon Lake to prepare for a helicopter long-line recovery,” the press release reads. “The victim’s body was flown by Northern Colorado Interagency Helitak to a helispot in the Upper Beaver Meadows area of the park. Her body was then transferred to the Larimer County Coroner/Medical Examiner’s Office who will determine the cause of death.”
A Rhode Island man died after he fell and was pulled underwater at West Creek Falls in Rocky Mountain National Park over the July 4 holiday weekend.