Free-solo climber dies after falling hundreds of feet from ridge in Colorado's Rocky Mountain National Park

CNN

The park reported that a 26-year old woman from Boulder in Colorado died on Sunday after she fell approximately 500 feet when free-solo-climbing a ridge at the Rocky Mountain National Park.

National Park Service released a statement Monday stating that the woman's 27 year-old climbing companion called rangers and reported his partner fell from Blitzen ridge on Ypsilon Mountain.

Climbers who free-solo are at risk of falling if they don't have safety gear, ropes or assistance.

The park stated that the search and rescue team reached the climbing partner uninjured Sunday night. However, his location forced them to request assistance from the Colorado Air National Guard. Buckley Air Force Base helicopter hoisted the man up.

According to the release, a search-and-rescue team began hiking early Monday to prepare the area above Ypsilon Lake for a helicopter to recover the woman's remains. The body was flown to a different part of the park, and then taken to the medical examiner’s office to determine the cause.

The second death reported in Rocky Mountain National Park is this month. Last week, a 25-year old man drowned after being pulled under water at West Creek Falls in Rocky Mountain National Park.