ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK – A climber was killed and two others were injured Sunday after a rockfall and avalanche in Rocky Mountain National Park, officials said.
A woman suffered minor injuries, and a man who suffered more serious injuries was rescued by a Colorado National Guard helicopter using a hoist during a break in wintry weather, a park news release said.
The park’s search and rescue team was looking for another man who was with the other two climbers near the Dreamweaver Couloir on Mount Meeker at the time of the avalanche Sunday morning, it said. Search crews found his body in avalanche debris around 5:15 p.m. Sunday, said park spokeswoman Kyle Patterson.
The identity of the victims was not immediately released.
The man was flown to Upper Beaver Meadows, transferred to Northern Colorado Med Evac air ambulance and then flown to Medical Center of the Rockies, according to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center. The woman suffered minor injuries and was flown to Upper Beaver Meadows at 4:15 p.m. and transferred by ground for further medical care.
Several agencies assisted Rocky Mountain National Park’s Search and Rescue team, including Colorado Search and Rescue Association, Flight for Life, Rocky Mountain Rescue Group, Front Range Rescue Dogs, Colorado National Guard, and Med Evac.
Most park trails are still icy. Colorado safety officials warn that as temperatures rise, the risk of loose, wet avalanches increases.
The Colorado Avalanche Information Center attributed the avalanche to a rockfall. It reported that the risk of avalanches in Colorado’s northern Rockies was “moderate,” or Level 2. Risk in the northern and southern San Juans was considered “low,” or Level 1, on a five-point scale ranging from “low” to “extreme.”
Colorado Public Radio’s Paolo Zialcita and Nathaniel Minor contributed to this report.
