A Colorado woman died Sunday after falling 500 feet while climbing a ridge in Rocky Mountain National Park, authorities said.
The unidentified 26-year-old died while climbing the Four Aces of Blitzen Ridge, on Ypsilon Mountain on the east side of the park. according to information released by the National Park Service on Monday.
Free-soloing is a form of climbing “where the climber foregoes ropes, harnesses, and other protective equipment while ascending and relies solely on physical strength, climbing ability, and psychological fortitude to avoid a fatal fall,” according to a glossary of NPS. .
The woman’s unidentified 27-year-old male climbing partner, also from Boulder, notified park rangers of his fall, the federal agency said. Members of the park’s search and rescue team located the man Sunday night and rescued him with the help of the California Air National Guard, who used a helicopter to fly him to safety, according to NPS. The man was unharmed.
Members of the park’s search and rescue team recovered the woman’s body early Monday morning, NPS said, adding that the Larimer County Medical Examiner’s Office will determine the cause of death.
The woman will be publicly identified after her family has been notified, according to NPS.
The fatality marks the second death at the park this month: An unidentified 25-year-old Rhode Island man died July 2 after falling and being swept underwater at Rocky Mountain’s West Creek Falls on the east side of the park. park. said the SNP.
A representative for the park could not immediately be reached for comment Wednesday morning.
