A man died in an estimated 300-foot fall while he was hiking near St. Mary’s Glacier in Clear Creek County on Thursday afternoon, Alpine Rescue confirmed with CBS News Colorado.
According to the rescue agency, first responders began searching for a stranded or fallen hiker near the lake after a call was received just before 2:30 p.m. It’s unconfirmed at this time, but it’s likely that it was a bystander at the lake who called 911 when the hiker fell.
Clear Creek County first responders joined with Alpine Rescue and discovered the hiker, and he was pronounced deceased. Crews then performed a technical lowering down the snow slope below and to the right of the arrow in the provided image. The entire response lasted roughly two hours.
It was unknown on the day of the fall whether the hiker was a Colorado resident.
When CBS News Colorado spoke to Alpine Rescue, officials said the hiker was found with micro walking spikes on his shoes, but they weren’t considered helpful devices for the terrain that was being traversed — Class 3 terrain in steep snow.
Especially during this time of year, the snow can be hard to predict, so it’s important to know the terrain.
