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SALT LAKE COUNTY, Utah, May 21, 2021 (Gephardt Daily) — The body of a man who fell during a Saturday morning climb on Mount Olympus is being recovered by air and ground crews.
Authorities were notified at 9 a.m. Saturday of a rock climber who had fallen, said Detective Ken Hansen, Unified Police Department.
“He and his friend were going rock climbing on the west face of Mount Olympus,” Hansen said. “They were about halfway up. As one climber was preparing to get his equipment on, he fell and landed in a crevasse. It was a significant fall, and his head landed on rock. It was all rock.”
Search crews were lowered in by Life Flight and Department of Public Safety helicopters, and confirmed the victim was deceased. They flew out his male climbing partner since it was obvious the victim’s recovery would take some time, Hansen said.
The victim was 54, and died of head injuries, Hansen told Gephardt Daily.
There’s still a little snow in the area this time of year, but it’s unknown whether the climber slipped due to the wet surface.
“It’s just a tragic accident,” Hansen said.
This man’s body was the second to be recovered from northern Utah mountains in the past day. The first was 31-year-old Brent Rane, whose remains were found Friday morning after he he failed to return from a hike Thursday in Little Cottonwood Canyon.
