Climber carrying group’s gear falls to death, stranding others in Colorado gulch
Three rock climbers were ascending a sport climbing route in a Colorado gulch when one of them fell to their death, officials said.
The climber who fell was carrying “most of the group’s climbing gear,” and they were left stranded on the “Hasta la Vista Amichi” sport climbing route in Officers Gulch, Summit County Sheriff’s Office said in a July 29 post on Facebook. The route is a bolted sport climbing route rated at 5.7, meaning it’s for advanced climbers, officials said.
Rescuers responded to the accident around 11 a.m. and pronounced the fallen climber dead at the scene, officials said.
They evacuated the two stranded climbers and later recovered the fallen climber’s body. Officials haven’t yet released the climber’s identity or cause and manner of death.
“This is a tragic loss, and our hearts are with the climber’s family and loved ones,” Sheriff Jaime FitzSimmons said in the post, adding that he was grateful to rescuers “for safely evacuating the surviving climbers and recovering the victim.”
Officers Gulch is about a 75-mile drive southwest from Denver.
This story was originally published July 30, 2025 at 3:10 PM with the headline "Climber carrying group’s gear falls to death, stranding others in Colorado gulch."
