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Climber Dies in Backcountry Accident at Rocky Mountain National Park

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Published Date

November 21, 2010

Rangers were working Sunday in Rocky Mountain National Park to recover the body of a Denver man who died in a climbing accident on Thatchtop Mountain, according to park officials.

The 42-year-old man, whose name was not immediately released, was killed Saturday while on an ice climbing route above Mills Lake called "All Mixed Up," the park reported.

The victim was part of a two-person climbing party; his partner was uninjured, the release said. Details of the accident were not available.

Thatchtop Mountain is located between the Loch Vale and Glacier Gorge drainages.

While park officials were notified about 2:30 p.m. Saturday, recovery operations were delayed until Sunday due to the "remote location, difficult terrain, limited daylight hours and weather conditions."

Shortly before daylight Sunday a park technical rescue team left the Glacier Gorge Trailhead en route to the scene of the incident. They reached the victim at 10:15 a.m. Additional teams involved consist of park personnel assisted by members of Rocky Mountain Rescue and Larimer County Search and Rescue.

Mills Lake is roughly 3 miles from the trailhead, according to the park. The base of the climb “All Mixed Up” is approximately 1,200 feet above the lake on Thatchtop Mountain and is in extremely difficult and dangerous terrain, officials said. It is steep, with loose talus, ice and unconsolidated snow. Winter storm conditions made the recovery even more challenging.

The incident was under investigation.

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