Climber dies from Boulder Canyon fall

40-year-old man fell 15 feet from rock formation near Boulder Falls
By Erica Meltzer Camera Staff Writer
Posted: 09/17/2009 11:03:05 PM MDT

A climber who fell 15 feet from a rock formation near Boulder Falls on Thursday morning died en route to a Denver-area hospital, the Boulder County Sheriff's Office said.

A Colorado Department of Transportation worker found the fallen climber around 11:30 a.m. at the 34-mile marker of Boulder Canyon at the Cob Rock formation, authorities said.

The Rocky Mountain Rescue Group, Sugarloaf Volunteer Fire Department and the Sheriff's Office responded to the call. The 40-year-old man fell while being belayed on the Empor Route of the north face.

The man was unconscious when he was found. Rescuers performed a technical rescue and airlifted the man to the hospital, but he died on the way, said Sgt. Vinnie Montez, of the Sheriff's Office.

The climbers were using ropes and gear but were not wearing helmets.

Colo. 119 was closed as emergency crews worked the scene, and it reopened around 4 p.m.

Authorities have not released the man's identity pending notification of family members.
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really sad, anyone have any details?

Sad news as always...especially when all the jerks on the Daily Camera start commenting on a person's death.

It may not be the reason, but that's why I pretty much always wear my helmet. We have humpty-dumpty heads...

My condolences to the family.

Tragic news. I personally feel the start, which is where it sounds like he fell, is stout for the grade. Just something to keep in mind.

Wearing helmets is a great suggestion.

the gear is a little sparse and tricky at the start , if i remember correctly, it's a little nut, #1 or 2 BD, and if not well set, could pull easily. Sad... Condolences..

First thought...sad condolences to a person's family and friends.

Selfish afterthought...15'?? What? How does that happen? A broken ankle maybe...what did that poor soul do that I shouldn't do next time I climb a classic moderate??

Earlier thread on the subject

Jeff is a friend of mine. I am incredibly sad that he is gone. He is an awesome, hilarious person capable of providing consistent entertainment, simply by being himself. He is also deep and introspective. He is missed by many.

I have been struggling with the hows and the whys as many of you have. I need to understand to gain closure and to take away something to be learned from this. Here is the latest I've found on the internet:

Climber may have fallen 30 to 60 feet

Fall victim identified as Denver man
By James Collector For the Camera
Posted: 09/18/2009 11:08:20 PM MDT

A rock climber who died on the way to a hospital after falling from a rock formation near Boulder Falls on Thursday has been identified as Jeffrey John Brown, 41, of Denver, according to the Boulder County Coroner's Office.

At about 11:30 a.m. Thursday, Brown and a friend were traditional climbing the Empor Route on the North Face of Cobb Rock. While leading the route without a helmet, Brown fell.

"We don't know exactly how high above his last piece of protection he was when he fell, except that he was fairly close to the crux," said Deputy Chris Norcia of the Boulder County Sheriff's Office.

Norcia estimated that Brown may have fallen between 30 and 60 feet.

"There was gear still attached to the route, and nothing had failed that we could see," Norcia said.

The belayer lowered Brown, who was unconscious, to the ground and immediately ran to the nearby road for help. Most cell phones do not receive service around the Cobb Rock area, according to Jeff Sparhawk of the Rocky Mountain Rescue Group.

At the road, the belayer found a worker associated with the Colorado Department of Transportation who had pulled off onto the shoulder. The worker offered to try to aid Brown while his climbing partner stayed by the road to wait for rescuers.

Upon arrival, rescuers performed a technical rescue and airlifted Brown to a hospital. Brown died from his injuries on the way.

I'm saddened, and it hits close to home with the loss of a fellow climber.

Condolences to the family, and friends of Jeff; may you find peace.

Have all the details of how this tragedy happened been sorted out? did Jeff fall 15ft,, or 30-60ft? as i've heard two reports. I know the start is hard for the grade, and sustained in nature, with tricky small gear, right above a big boulder. a fall here of 15ft, could land the back of your head right into that boulder. A fall of 30-60 ft would lead me to speculate that Jeff was up higher (where the climbing is much easier) and running it out. (As I have done there many times) I'm taking two lessons away from this tragedy- wear a helmet, even on moderates you are comfortable on. And place plenty of gear, even if you are on easy ground. Because shit can happen. I wish we knew more about what happened.. No words can heal the hurt that his family and loved ones are feeling, but maybe we can learn something to avert tragedy in the future.

I have tried to find out the details for closure and learning. Once I know something factual, I will post it. I can't believe, that 2 weeks later, we still don't know.

Thanks Brandy. Condolences and prayers to all of Jeff's family and friends.

There was a lovely pah-tay (as Jeff would say) in honor of our wonderful brother Jeff today in Vail, Co. It was very special. My husband and I were late getting there, as we had been in Aspen all weekend, but they had a little ceremony and BBQ/beers in honor of Jeff's life. His partner brought all his photos and a box of his belongings for us to look through, and even take as a piece of Jeff for us to have. He is a hat freak! Never knew anyone with so many damn hats. I will be sporting his red flames knit hat in the chilly climbing months to come.....so if you see me screaming up a rock, say hello and I'll tell you a story about Jeff.

I was Jeff's SO. And this is what I know...
Jeff was near the top when he fell (and was doing the route in a single pitch). He had placed only 3 pieces of gear, but there was a piece after the dihedral. The Daily Camera was incorrect as to how far he fell. When the hospital first called me they said he fell 80 ft. When the rescue workers came and talked to me they said he probably fell 50-60 ft. And they said he may have been trying to place a nut when he fell as they found a piece on the ground that belonged to him. None of the pieces he had placed fell out.
It seems that somehow he fell upside down, because his belayer noticed when the rope got tight, Jeff's chalk ball hit the ground.
Jeff had been leading 12s all summer so his confidence was high. He had my helmet and his in his car, but chose not to wear his or have his partner wear mine. Because he was climbing with a novice climber, the belayer was not aware right away that something terrible had gone wrong. It may have been 20 minutes before he was lowered down, and 2 hours passed before he was in the helicopter from the time he fell.
I don't know if he had been wearing a helmet if he would still be with me or not, as it's obvious to me there were a series of mistakes. I do know that I will always wear my helmet from now on.
And I will always miss you Jeff!!!

Wishing the best to all friends and family. Makes me realize how fragile we all are. Climb hard, climb safe. Jaaron

thank you for sharing that Julienne

this is a sobering reminder for all of us

My condolences to Jeff's family and friends. This is such sad news in a series of unfortunate accidents this year.

Thank you Julienne for providing the facts. My thoughts are with you everyday.

Thank you Julienne. So sorry for your loss.

This has been a really messed up summer. I still cannot believe that Jeff is gone. He was always an extremely laid-back and fun partner with excellent climbing skills and he will be missed by many.
However, I still do not understand how he could have fallen at about 50-60ft. As I recall that would have put him in the 5.4 section. The upper handcrack starts at about 160ft as I recall. I just do not believe that Jeff could have lost it above the start much less on 5.4 moves.
Let's all remember to be safe, especially when we are doing stuff "below" our abilities.
My deepest condolences to Jeff's family.

Kevin, thank you for pointing that out, I did misread the post.
Thank you again Julienne, I really appreciate your information.

Logan, I too am completely surprised that Jeff could have fallen on this climb. Perhaps he was trying to place the nut and it came out when he pulled on it, causing him to lose his balance and fall upside down. Perhaps there was something physically wrong. I won't have the autopsy report for probably another 3 weeks.
But he did fall twice on me on two different days a few days before the accident when he was leading a 10+ and his foot slipped off. He was wearing brand new shoes (same ones he was wearing on Cob Rock) and was surprised both times that his foot slipped off because he had done that particular climb many times this summer and had never fallen. But if his foot had slipped on Cob Rock...I doubt he would have fallen upside down.
I still can't believe it happened and that he's gone. None of it makes any sense