National Park Service/FILE
An undated photo shows Mount Ypsilon in Rocky Mountain National Park, where a climber fell from one of the mountain’s ridges on Sunday.
CNN
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A 26-year-old woman from Boulder, Colorado, died Sunday after falling about 500 feet while free climbing in the state’s Rocky Mountain National Park, the park said.
The unidentified woman’s 27-year-old climbing partner called park rangers to report that his partner had fallen from Blitzen Ridge on Mount Ypsilon, the National Park Service said in a release Monday.
Free-soloing is a dangerous rock climbing technique in which climbers ascend without ropes, assistance or safety equipment – ​​leaving them unprotected in the event of a fall.
Search and rescue team members reached the climbing partner Sunday night, who was uninjured, but his location required assistance from the Colorado Air National Guard, the park said. A helicopter from Buckley Air Force Base was used to evacuate the man.
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Early Monday morning, a search and rescue team cleared the area above Lake Ypsilon by helicopter to prepare for the recovery of the woman’s body. The body was later transported to another area of ​​the park and then turned over to the medical examiner’s office, which will determine the cause of death, the release said.
This A second death was reported This month in Rocky Mountain National Park. A 25-year-old man died last week after falling and being dragged underwater at the park’s West Creek Falls.
