A mountain climber on the Maroon Bells near Aspen was rescued Sunday morning after falling roughly 20 feet when his hands slipped off a hold.
The Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office was called just after 10 a.m. on reports that a climber was in distress on the traverse between Maroon Peak and North Maroon.
“An off-duty Mountain Rescue Aspen member was climbing with a separate group when he came upon the injured climber at approximately 13,800 (feet),” the sheriff’s office said in a news release.
Officials say the climber was unable to walk due to a suspected leg break. He had also sustained injuries to his hip, back, ribs and head as a result of the fall.
The climber was flown from the area of his fall by a Blackhawk helicopter from the High Altitude Aviation Training Site in Gypsum to medical care.
Jesse Paul: 303-954-1733, jpaul@denverpost.com or
