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Date: June 8, 2008
Contact: Kyle Patterson, 970-586-1363

A sixty-six year old man from Fort Collins was killed in a fall above Emerald Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park, on Saturday June 7. Witnesses watched the man take a tumble fall at least 500 feet on a steep snow slope above the western edge of Emerald Lake. A witness called the park at 3:00 p.m. from a cell phone. When witnesses reached the man at 3:15 the victim had suffered massive trauma, had no pulse and appeared to have died during the fall. Park rangers arrived on scene at 5:05 p.m.

The accident occurred approximately 2.5 miles from the Bear Lake Trailhead. The man’s identity was confirmed at 8:00 p.m. when rangers were able to access his identification from his vehicle. Rangers reached the trailhead with the victim’s body at 10:00 p.m. The man was mountaineering in the area and was wearing crampons and a helmet. His name will not be released until next of kin are notified.