67-year-old climber plunges to his death from 450-foot monument, Colorado rangers say

UPDATE: The man was identified as Andrew Whiteside of Lutherville Timonium, Maryland, the National Park Service said in a May 9 news release. The Mesa County Coroner’s Office said he died from multiple blunt force injuries. The original story is below.

A 67-year-old climber fell to his death in a Colorado park, officials said.

The man was climbing Saturday, April 30, in Colorado National Monument park, about 257 miles west of Denver. He fell and died from his injuries, park officials said.

“Rescue crews hiked several miles and climbed up the rockface to reach the injured climber,” the National Park Service said in a news release.

Park rangers are investigating the death.

The man was climbing Independence Monument, a 450-foot rock formation. It’s the “largest free-standing rock formation in the park” that was formed by erosion, according to the National Park Service.

“Today a remnant of the once solid rock wall survives as Independence Monument, a free-standing monolith,” park officials said. “It too will eventually succumb to the ravages of time and weather.”

This story was originally published May 2, 2022 at 11:09 AM with the headline "67-year-old climber plunges to his death from 450-foot monument, Colorado rangers say."