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 Jeffery 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.
