Colorado Climber Plunges 30 Feet Down Mountainside After Gear Failure in Horrific Rescue Effort

A climber who plunged 30 feet down a Colorado mountainside fell due to what rescue teams described as a 'gear failure' during scaling efforts. Firefighters spent hours on the scene carrying out a complex high-angle rescue before successfully extracting the injured climber. The incident occurred around 2:17 p.m. Monday, with the specifics of how it happened still under investigation. Crews were able to stabilize the climber and provide medical treatment en route to the hospital.