A 22-year-old man was injured Thursday when he fell while rock climbing in Boulder Canyon.
The incident happened at about 5 p.m. in an area known as Practice Rock, according to a Boulder County Sheriff’s Office media release.
Reid Pletcher, a University of Colorado student, suffered lacerations on his back and head after falling about 30 feet, the sheriff’s office said.
Pletcher was technical climbing when two anchors gave way from the rock face, causing the fall. The sheriff’s office said Pletcher was not wearing a helmet.
Two other climbers at the scene helped Pletcher, keeping pressure on his head and kept him awake to prevent the possibility of going into shock, the release said.
The Nederland Fire Department, Pridemark Paramedics and Rocky Mountain Rescue safely removed Pletcher from a rock ledge and he was taken by helicopter to St. Anthony Central Hospital.
Pletcher’s medical condition was described as “stable.”
Boulder Canyon was shut down for about an hour as the rescue team lowered the injured climber to safety and the helicopter landed and took off.
Kieran Nicholson: 303-954-1822 or knicholson@denverpost.com.
