Boulder County, Colo. - On Thursday, August 26, 2021, at approximately 5:41p.m., the Boulder County Communications Center received a call reporting two people had fallen while climbing the Wind Tower in Eldorado Canyon State Park. The climbers were reported to have been at the top of the second pitch of the Wind Ridge route and starting the third pitch when the incident occurred. Based on reports from witnesses, the two male climbers, who were equipped with standard climbing equipment, fell approximately 150-200 feet before landing against a tree.

Bystanders who had been climbing a different route and witnessed the fall were able to access the fallen climbers and provide an update to rescuers. Additionally, those bystanders had a rope ready, allowing faster access by rescuers from Rocky Mountain Rescue Group. Upon arrival at the climber’s location, a doctor with Rocky Mountain Rescue Group pronounced one of the climbers, a male in his 30's, deceased at approximately 6:11p.m.

The second climber, a male in his 20's, was determined to have sustained very serious injuries and needed immediate evacuation. The injured climber was packaged into a litter and a high angle evacuation, followed by a scree evacuation was conducted to transport the injured climber out of technical terrain and to an ambulance. The injured climber was transported by ambulance to a MedEvac helicopter and flown to a trauma center in Denver.

Detectives from the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office and investigators from the Boulder County Coroner’s Office were then notified and responded to the scene to investigate. Rescue personnel from Rocky Mountain Rescue Group evacuated the deceased climber.

The death investigation is on-going. At this time, foul play is not suspected. The official cause and manner of death, along with identification of the deceased, will be determined by the Boulder County Coroner’s Office.

Rescue personnel from the following agencies responded to assist: The Boulder County Sheriff’s Office, Rocky Mountain Rescue Group, Mountain View Fire Protection District, American Medical Response (AMR), Medevac, and the Boulder County Coroner’s Office. All personnel were clear from the scene by 9:00 p.m.

The associated Boulder County Sheriff's Office case number is: #21-4076.

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/s/ Ryan Singer, Emergency Services Coordinator