A beautiful day for climbing took a painful turn for two people at a popular climbing spot.
The Boulder County Sheriff’s Office responded to a 911 call of a fallen climber at Eldorado State Park at 1:05 p.m. Upon arrival, emergency personnel discovered a second victim.
“Apparently, the first man who fell had fallen on top of the belayer below, injuring him,” said Bill Powers, spokesman for the sheriff’s office.
The first man fell about 30 feet onto a rock ledge where the other man was assisting with his rope.
According to Dixon Hutchinson, a spokesman with Rocky Mountain Rescue Group in Boulder, the climber who fell received only cuts and bruises. The man he fell upon suffered more serious injuries, but those were not believed to be too extensive, Hutchinson said.
Though climbing falls are fairly common in Eldorado State Park, a climber falling on his belayer is extremely rare.
“I’ve never heard of that happening before, at least not in Colorado,” Hutchinson said.
Both victims were male. The first climber is in his 20s. The second victim’s age is currently unknown.
Emergency services from Boulder County are working the scene, Powers said. The full extent of the injuries will not be known until both men have been brought down from the ledge.
Rocky Mountain Rescue expects the operation to be completed by 6 p.m.
Jenel Stelton-Holtmeier: 303-954-1661 or jsteltonholtmeier@denverpost.com
