A 20-year-old climber died Saturday near Aspen after being struck on the head by a rock and tumbling about 600 feet into a couloir.
Spencer James Nelson, a student at the University of Colorado at Boulder and a member of its nationally ranked ski team, already had summited one of the 14,000- foot Maroon Peaks and was headed back down with seven other people, including his father.
On the traverse between the north and south peaks, at about 13,000 feet, one of the hikers dislodged a rock that hit Nelson on the head and he fell into the Bell Chord couloir, said deputy Alex Burchetta, spokesman for the Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office.
Nelson was wearing a helmet at the time.
His companions lost sight of him after he fell.
Members of Mountain Rescue Aspen, the Aspen Volunteer Fire Department, the Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office, the U.S. Forest Service and Flight for Life began a search at 11:45 a.m., Burchetta said. A Black Hawk helicopter from the Colorado National Guard also helped transport equipment and personnel for the effort.
Two off-duty Mountain Rescue members who happened to be hiking in the area found Nelson. Saturday evening, authorities confirmed that Nelson, of Winter Park, had died. Recovery operations will resume today.
“His family wanted everyone to know he was an outdoor enthusiast and ski racer for CU’s Division I ski team who was eagerly seeking to summit all the Colorado fourteeners,” Burchetta said.
Just two months ago, Colorado Ski Country USA recognized Nelson in its Double Diamond Awards as male all-star athlete of the year for helping CU’s ski team to a second-place finish in NCAA competition. Honoring him at its June dinner in Denver, the organization noted that less than a year earlier, Nelson had broken his back in a motorcycle accident.
“His fantastic alpine skiing record and his academic accomplishments highlight his determination, work ethic and perseverance,” the organization said at the time.
Nelson majored in finance and marketing at CU.
Kirk Mitchell and Kevin Simpson, The Denver Post
