The 17-year-old who Sunday was from Minnesota and was visiting friends in Longmont.
The Boulder County Coroner’s Office identified the teen Wednesday as Carter Christensen of Maple Grove, Minn.
The Boulder County Sheriff’s Office said Christensen was free-soloing — climbing alone, without the use of ropes or gear — on the First Flatiron on Sunday when he fell possibly more than 100 feet and suffered “massive traumatic injuries.”
Nobody witnessed the fall, but several people in the area heard it and responded to help. Rescuers discovered Christensen near the bottom of the First Flatiron. He was unconscious, without a pulse and not breathing. He was declared dead at the scene.
Christensen posted a picture on social media from near the top of the First Flatiron shortly before the fall was reported by a hiker at 6 p.m., but investigators were not immediately sure whether taking the photo was related to his fall.
According to a statement from his family, Christensen, a recent high school graduate, was visiting friends in Longmont before enlisting in the Navy with hopes of becoming a Navy SEAL.
“Carter was a lover of the outdoors and an adventurous spirit and was experiencing joy in summiting the First Flatiron in Chautauqua Park,” the family said in its statement. “Carter will be loved and missed by all of his family and friends.”
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