Colorado woman dies after falling 500 feet from Rocky Mountains

A Colorado woman died after falling more than 500 feet while free-solo climbing a mountain ridge at Rocky Mountain National Park on Sunday, park authorities reported. 

The unidentified 26-year-old woman was climbing Blitzen Ridge on Ypsilon Mountain without ropes, assistance, or safety equipment when she lost her grip and fell to her death, according to a press release issued by the National Park Service on Monday. 

The woman’s 27-year-old climbing partner called park rangers to report the incident. By Sunday night, search and rescue team members reached the climbing partner with the assistance of the Colorado Air National Guard, which had to hoist the man out with a helicopter due to his location.  

By early Monday morning, another team recovered the woman’s body with a helicopter long-line, according to the National Park Service. The body was transferred to the Larimer County Medical Examiner’s Office to determine the cause of death.

Free-soloing is a form of climbing "where the climber forgoes ropes, harnesses, and other protective gear while ascending and relies only on his or her physical strength, climbing ability, and psychological fortitude to avoid a fatal fall," according to a park service glossary. 

Rocky Mountain National Park is one of the parks where falls are one of the common causes of death, according to data from the National Parks Service. Between 2010 and 2020 there have been more than 18 fall fatalities, twice as many as the second most common type of death, which is natural causes. 

The woman is the second person that died in Rocky Mountain National Park this month. Last week, a 25-year-old Las Vegas man died after he fell off the edge of a waterfall and was sucked underwater on the east side of the park.