‘Experienced climber’ falls more than 300 feet to death on Colorado mountain, cops say
An experienced climber fell almost 400 feet to his death while ascending a 14,000-foot mountain in Colorado, rescuers said.
The 53-year-old climber from Rochester, New York, was hiking Wilson Peak along the Rock of Ages trail alone, the San Miguel County sheriff said on social media Wednesday, Sept. 25.
Another climber spotted him and called 911 for help, the sheriff’s office said.
The climber injured his head in the fall, the sheriff’s office said. When rescuers reached him, they found he had died of his injuries.
Rescuers transferred his body to the San Miguel County coroner via rescue helicopter, the sheriff’s office said.
“The San Miguel Sheriff’s Office and SAR extend our deepest sympathies to the victim’s family,” the sheriff’s office said.
The Rock of Ages trail is about 9.25 miles round trip and is considered a challenging route, with loose rocks and steep climbs up 3,800 vertical feet, according to AllTrails.com.
Wilson Peak has an elevation of 14,021 feet and is among the 58 Colorado 14ers, a term used to distinguish mountain peaks of at least 14,000 feet. It is about a 15-mile drive southwest from Telluride.
