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Avalanche Kills One, Injures Two Others At Rocky Mountain National Park

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Published Date

May 30, 2022

An avalanche down Dreamweaver Couloir in Rocky Mountain National Park killed one climber and injured two others/NPS aerial view of slide

An avalanche killed one climber and left two others injured in Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado, where a late spring storm brought wintry conditions to the park's high country.

The river of snow and rocks swept down the Dreamweaver Couloir on Mount Meeker in the park around 9 a.m. Sunday. Other climbers in the area in the heart of Rocky Mountain saw the slide and notified park authorities. 

The slide hit a team of three climbers -- a woman and two men -- at an elevation of about 11,500 feet on Mount Meeker, which climbs 13,916 feet above sea level. The female suffered minor injuries and remained on the scene, while one of her colleagues was flown off the mountain by a Colorado National Guard helicopter from Buckley Air Force Base around 2 p.m. when a break in the storm made the rescue possible. The man, who was hoisted into the helicopter, was flown to Upper Beaver Meadows, transferred to Northern Colorado Med Evac air ambulance, and then flown to Medical Center of the Rockies. 

The woman was flown to Upper Beaver Meadows about 4:15 p.m., and an hour later the body of the third climber was located by searchers who detected a RECCO device -- a location system based on radar reflection that is sewn into outdoor clothing -- and probing in avalanche debris. Recovery of his body was delayed by the weather.

Names and hometowns of the individuals were not immediately released.

Search-and-rescue team members head to the search area/NPS

Ground view of the avalanche debris in Dreamweaver Couloir/NPS

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