ASPEN, Colo. (AP) - A 20-year-old climber is dead after tumbling
about 600 feet into a canyon near Aspen.
Authorities identified the victim in Saturday's accident as
Spencer James Nelson, a student at the University of Colorado at
Boulder and a member of its nationally-ranked ski team.
Nelson had summited one of the 14,000-foot Maroon Peaks and was
headed back down with seven other people, including his father,
when he was hit by a rock from above and fell from the
mountainside.
Deputy Alex Burchetta, a spokesman for the Pitkin County
Sheriff's Office, says he fell into what's known as the Bell Chord
Couloir.
Officials say efforts to recover the body were suspended because
of darkness and would resume Sunday morning.
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