4 climbers fall several hundred feet in Rocky Mountain National Park; 2 carried out
By APThursday, June 11, 2009
4 fall several hundred feet in Rocky Mountain Park
ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK, Colo. — Two climbers have been rescued after falling 300 to 400 feet down a slope in Rocky Mountain National Park.
Park spokeswoman Kyle Patterson says three family members and a climbing guide were tied together Tuesday while descending a steep snow-covered slope. When one member of the group lost his footing, Patterson says, all four fell to the bottom of a gorge.
All the climbers were injured. Rescuers carried out two, while the other two walked out.
Steve Johnson, a 40-year-old guide from the Colorado Mountain School in Estes Park, suffered a broken leg. He was released late Tuesday from an Estes Park hospital.
A 15-year-old climber suffered deep neck bruises but was released the next morning.
The others suffered bumps, bruises and strains.
