*** Four Climbers Die in Colorado Mountains over Labor Day Weekend *** Wed Sep 6 11:50:56 1995 Letter : 6102419 From: Lee, Ron Address : RLEE@cosmpdaero.ftcollinsco.ncr.com Subject : Colorado fatalities, injuries To: SAR Info BBS Four climbers Die in Colorado Mountains over Labor Day Weekend. This weeked (September 2-4, 1995) was a bad one for climbers in Colorado. "There were a lot of people in the mountains that day," said San Miguel Sheriff Bill Masters. 30 year old Scott Ryan of Crown Point, NM tumbled down an ice field and over a cliff according to witnesses. Ryan was climbing alone. Search and Rescue teams from Dolores and San Miguel counties responded. A helicopter was brought in and landed near the scene. This attracted another climber into the staging area who was suffering from a head injury. Sheriff Bill Masters of San Miguel county recounted that "He told us he believed there was another fatality on El Diente," just a couple of miles away. Sondra Hughes, 57, a librarian for the University of Northern Colorado Laboratory School in Greeley,was climbing with her husband and two companions when she fell about a thousand feet from the 14,159 foot peak. A helicopter from High Country Helicopters spotted the body which was recovered by San Miguel county sheriff's Sgt. Eric Berg. Another climber was later found suffering from a leg injury, caused by a falling rock. Darkness halted the effort to recover Ryan's body until the next day. Two other climbers died in accidents near Aspen and Boulder during the Labor Day weekend. Another New Mexico resident died in a climbing accident Saturday. Mark A. Calvin, of Albuquerque died when he fell on the 14,010 foot North Maroon Peak near Aspen. C. Christian Shank, 21, of Boulder died climbing the Flatirons. A fourth climber was later found suffering from a leg injury, also the victim of a falling rock. ----------------------------