Overdue Climbers from the First Flatiron

Boulder County, Colo. - On Friday, July 12, 2019, about 11:40 p.m., The Boulder County Sheriff’s Office was notified of a group of climbers who had not returned from climbing the first Flatiron.

Three people had gone for an evening climb at the first flatiron. They had planned to climb the east face standard route about 7:30 p.m. and return by 9:30 p.m. When they failed to return on time, a concerned family member made attempts to reach them by telephone. When they could not be reached by phone, the family member drove to Chautauqua Park and located their car in the parking lot and promptly called 911.

Once notified, rescue personnel responded to the Blue Bell Shelter and began efforts to locate the missing climbers. About an hour after the initial 911 call, one of the climbers sent a text message to family indicating they were all okay and at the base of the first Flatiron. Rescue personnel located the climbers and escorted them all out safely. The climbers told rescue personnel the climb simply took longer than they anticipated and they were unable to get a message to family members until they were off the Flatiron.

The Boulder County Sheriff’s Office was assisted in the rescue by the Rocky Mountain Rescue Group and the City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks.

The associated Boulder County Sheriff’s Office case number is: #19-3922

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/s/ Deputy Kyle Zimmer