A climber fell 200 feet to his death Wednesday evening while descending a steep section of Colorado’s 14,163-foot South Maroon Peak.
An effort to retrieve the 61-year-old man’s body continued late Thursday, according to the Aspen Daily News. Authorities had not yet released the man’s hometown or identity.
Jesse Steindler, patrol captain with the Aspen-Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office, said that members of Mountain Rescue Aspen had located the body, and that a helicopter was set to fly to the site.
The man had been climbing with three others and fell on the way down from the summit. The fall occurred at about 12,600 feet.
One of the climbers, who stayed behind and did not make the summit, hiked out Wednesday night to report the incident. He had been in touch with the other climbers via walkie-talkie.
The other two climbers hiked out Thursday morning.
The Aspen Times reports that this is the first fatality of the summer climbing season in the Aspen area.
South Maroon Peak, together with North Maroon Peak, comprise the Maroon Bells, located about 12 miles southwest of Aspen.
–Image showing North and South Maroon Peak is via Wikipedia
