GRAND COUNTY, Colo. — Recovery efforts have been called off for a hiker who fell while climbing a Colorado thirteener.
The Grand County Sheriff's Office said in a release that on Aug. 28, they learned about a hiker who had fallen about 300 to 400 feet off Arikaree Peak in Grand County.
The initial recovery attempt involved several different agencies including the Grand County Sheriff's Office, Grand County Search and Rescue and the Colorado Air National Guard. The release said adverse weather conditions and dangerous terrain prevented the teams from safely reaching the hiker. A physician on board the helicopter determined that he had not survived the fall.
On Sept. 6, there was a second attempt that also involved several agencies. But the steep, rugged terrain surrounding Arikaree Peak again made conditions too dangerous for a recovery, the release said.
“Our teams made every possible effort to safely reach the site of the fall, but conditions remain too dangerous for us to proceed,” said Grand County Search and Rescue Field Director Greg Foley in a statement. “The safety of our personnel must come first."
The release said a final multi-agency decision was made to halt further recovery efforts due to the "extreme" risks posed to team members.
The Grand County Sheriff's Office and the Grand County Coroner's Office have been in contact with the victim's family, the release said. The hiker's name has not been released, but the sheriff's office said he was a 31-year-old man from Boulder County.
