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RMNP UPDATE - May 31, 2022 Rocky Mountain National Park Search and Rescue Team members took advantage of a weather window earlier today to conduct recovery efforts by helicopter for the deceased male from Sunday’s avalanche. The man’s body was flown to a landing zone in the Upper Beaver Meadows area of Rocky Mountain National Park and transferred to the Boulder County Coroner’s Office. Boulder County Coroner’s office will not release positive identification until completion of an autopsy.
As is standard, the cause, circumstances and conditions of the rock fall and avalanche on Sunday are under investigation. At 9 a.m. Sunday morning, May 29, a rock fall and avalanche were reported near the Dreamweaver Couloir on Mount Meeker in Rocky Mountain National Park. The rock fall and avalanche were witnessed by climbers in the area. Three individuals were involved in the incident including a female and two males. Due to the location and severity of injuries of Michael Grieg, a 27-year-old from Albuquerque, New Mexico, Rocky Mountain National Park Search and Rescue team members requested assistance from a Colorado National Guard helicopter from Buckley Air Force Base to extricate him via a hoist operation, using a winch operated cable. This occurred at approximately 2 p.m. on Sunday, May 29, when there was a brief weather window. Rocky Mountain Rescue assisted with the helicopter hoist operations. Grieg was flown to Upper Beaver Meadows, transferred to Northern Colorado Med Evac air ambulance and then flown to Medical Center of the Rockies. Lillian Martinez, a 24-year-old from Albuquerque, New Mexico, suffered minor injuries and was flown to Upper Beaver Meadows at 4:15 p.m. Sunday, May 29 where she was transferred by ground to further medical care. Rescue teams worked in terrain above 11,500 feet and at times experienced winter like weather conditions throughout Sunday. At approximately 5:15 p.m. Sunday night, the deceased male was located by searchers who were using a RECCO device and probing in avalanche debris. Monday's winter weather conditions prevented the recovery from taking place. Several agencies assisted Rocky Mountain National Park’s Search and Rescue team on Sunday with this operation including Colorado Search and Rescue Association, Flight for Life, Rocky Mountain Rescue Group, Front Range Rescue Dogs, Colorado National Guard, and Med Evac. The public is asked to please respect the privacy of the individuals, friends and families of those involved in Sunday's incident. They are not interested in conducting interviews or speaking about their experience.
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 Rescue operations staged at Upper Beaver Meadows on May 29; photo taken by Barb Boyer Buck from Many Parks Curve (Trail Ridge Road). RMNP UPDATE - May 29, 2022, 4:06 pm Incident On Dreamweaver Couloir On Mount Meeker In Rocky Mountain National Park At approximately 9 a.m. this morning a rock fall and avalanche were reported near the Dreamweaver Couloir on Mt. Meeker. The rock fall and avalanche were witnessed by climbers in the area. Three individuals were involved in the incident including a female and two males. The female suffered minor injuries and is still on scene. Due to the location and severity of injuries of one of the males, Rocky Mountain National Park Search and Rescue team members requested assistance from a Colorado National Guard helicopter from Buckley Air Force Base to extricate him via a hoist operation, using a winch operated cable. This occurred at approximately 2 p.m. when there was a brief weather window. Rocky Mountain Rescue assisted with the helicopter hoist operations. The man was flown to Upper Beaver Meadows, transferred to Northern Colorado Med Evac air ambulance and then flown to Medical Center of the Rockies. Rescue teams are working in terrain above 11,500 feet and are experiencing winter like weather conditions. A search is continuing for the second male who is still missing in the area where the avalanche occurred. Several agencies are assisting Rocky Mountain National Park’s Search and Rescue team with this operation including Colorado Search and Rescue Association, Flight for Life, Rocky Mountain Rescue Group, Front Range Rescue Dogs, Colorado National Guard, and Med Evac. A temporary flight restriction is in place. Upper Beaver Meadows Road is currently closed in the park for potential continued air operations. No further information is available at this time.  Avalanche debris on Dreamweaver Couloir on Mount Meeker May 29, 2022; Courtesy Rocky Mountain National Park RMNP UPDATE - May 29, 2022, 9:04 pm Deceased Male Located In Avalanche Debris; Other Two Individuals Rescued At approximately 5:15 p.m. tonight a deceased male was located by searchers who were using a RECCO device and probing in avalanche debris. The recovery operation will be delayed due to winter weather conditions. The ages and hometowns of the three individuals are being withheld until family members are notified. At 9 a.m. this morning a rock fall and avalanche were reported near the Dreamweaver Couloir on Mt. Meeker. The rock fall and avalanche were witnessed by climbers in the area.  Incident Mount Meeker May 29 2022; Courtesy Rocky Mountain National Park Three individuals were involved in the incident including a female and two males. Due to the location and severity of injuries of one of the males, Rocky Mountain National Park Search and Rescue team members requested assistance from a Colorado National Guard helicopter from Buckley Air Force Base to extricate him via a hoist operation, using a winch operated cable. This occurred at approximately 2 p.m. when there was a brief weather window.  Rocky Mountain National Park Search and Rescue Team members Mount Meeker incident May 29, 2022; Courtesy Rocky Mountain National Park Rocky Mountain Rescue assisted with the helicopter hoist operations. The man was flown to Upper Beaver Meadows, transferred to Northern Colorado Med Evac air ambulance and then flown to Medical Center of the Rockies. The female suffered minor injuries and was flown to Upper Beaver Meadows at 4:15 p.m. where she was transferred by ground to further medical care. Rescue teams worked in terrain above 11,500 feet and at times experienced winter like weather conditions throughout the day.  Photograph from helicopter of Dreamweaver Couloir slide on Mount Meeker; Courtesy Rocky Mountain National Park Several agencies assisted Rocky Mountain National Park’s Search and Rescue team with this operation including Colorado Search and Rescue Association, Flight for Life, Rocky Mountain Rescue Group, Front Range Rescue Dogs, Colorado National Guard, and Med Evac. No further information is available at this time.  Helicopter operations during incident on Mount Meeker May 29 2022; Courtesy Rocky Mountain National Park Trail Ridge Road opens for the season, timed-entry reservations are required starting today5/27/2022 RMNP Update - May 27, 2022  Trail Ridge Road on May 27, 2022; NPS/ROMO photo This afternoon, Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park opened for the season. Due to melting snow on the road and the potential for freezing temperatures visitors should be prepared for icy conditions. At this time, night-time closures will not be implemented. However, because weather conditions may change rapidly, and winter weather is forecast for higher elevations this holiday weekend, including freezing temperatures and some snow accumulation, park visitors should be prepared to adjust travel plans accordingly and are encouraged to call the park’s Trail Ridge Road recorded status phone line at (970) 586-1222. Park staff will update the recorded line when/if the road status changes.
Alpine Visitor Center is tentatively scheduled to open Saturday, May 28. Trail Ridge Store will likely be opening later in the week. Timed Entry Permit Reservations Effective Today, May 27 Rocky Mountain National Park is implementing a pilot timed entry permit reservation system which began today, May 27. Rocky Mountain National Park is one of the busiest national parks in the country, with over 4.4 million visitors in 2021. Visitor crowding and congestion have led to increased negative impacts to visitor and staff safety, resource protection, visitor experience and operational capacity. The park has piloted various visitor use management strategies since 2016, including first-come, first-served as well as different park wide Timed Entry Permit Reservation systems in 2020, 2021 and again in 2022. There are two types of reservations available. One permit is for the Bear Lake Road Corridor, which includes the entire corridor and access to the rest of the park. This reservation period is from 5 a.m. to 6 p.m. The second permit is for the rest of Rocky Mountain National Park, excluding the Bear Lake Road corridor, and includes Trail Ridge Road. This reservation period is from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Permits issued using the reservation system will allow park visitors to enter the park within two-hour windows of availability. The reservation system will apply to all areas of the park. To learn more visit https://www.nps.gov/romo/planyourvisit/timed-entry-permit-system.htm Trail Ridge Road historically opens on Memorial Day weekend; last year the road opened on May 28. The earliest the road has opened was on May 7, 2002; the latest June 26, 1943. Trail Ridge Road is the highest continuous paved road in the United States, climbs to 12,183 feet and connects the towns of Estes Park and Grand Lake. Trail Ridge Road officially closed for the season last year on October 25. National Park Service plow operators began clearing the snow in the middle of April. Crews from the west side of the park and crews from the east side of the park move along the road and eventually meet at the Alpine Visitor Center. The visitor center is the highest in the National Park Service, sitting at 11,796 feet above sea level. Spring storms often impact plowing activities. This year, crews ran into average to below average snowpack and a heavy spring snowstorm in late May. For more information about Rocky Mountain National Park visit www.nps.gov/romo or call the park’s Information Office at (970) 586-1206. For a recorded status line on Trail Ridge Road please call (970) 586-1222.  Alpine Visitor Center, located at 11,796 feet along Trail Ridge Road, is the highest visitor center in the National Park Service. NPS/ROMO photo RMNP UPDATE - May 26, 2022 Mother Nature has provided some beautiful wet spring snow for Rocky Mountain National Park snowplow operators to contend with the last week at high elevations along Trail Ridge Road. We are grateful for the much needed snowpack and moisture! On schedule last week to open the road for the Memorial Day weekend, park snowplow operators are now plowing 2 to 5 foot drifts from Rock Cut to the Alpine Visitor Center located at 11,796 feet. Stay tuned for when Trail Ridge Road will open for the season - recorded Trail Ridge Road status line (970) 586-1222.  Road Crew Plowing Trail Ridge Road Above Milner Pass_May 25 2022 NPS/ROMO photo  Rocky Mountain National Park snowplow operators plow sections along Trail Ridge Road encountering 2 to 5 foot drifts in upper elevations. NPS/ROMO photo  Photo of Adams Falls by Dave Rusk RMNP UPDATE
Thursday afternoon, May 19, a 21-year-old female from Virginia, Illinois, died after falling into Adams Falls in Rocky Mountain National Park. Her body was recovered last evening. Adams Falls is located on the East Inlet Trail on the west side of the park. Grand County Sheriff’s Office, Grand County EMS, Grand County Search and Rescue, and Grand Lake Fire assisted the park. Her body was transferred to the Grand County Coroner. The woman’s name will be released after next of kin are notified. Park visitors are reminded to remain back from the banks of streams, rivers and waterfalls, especially during spring runoff. Rocks at streamside are often slippery. Water is extremely cold and can be deceivingly deep and swift. Always provide proper supervision for children, who by nature, tend to be attracted to water. Powerful currents can quickly pull a person underwater. RMNP UPDATE - May 19. 2022
Due to an incoming forecasted major winter snowstorm, Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park is currently closed on the east side at Many Parks Curve and on the west side at the Colorado River Trailhead. Previously, the closures were at higher elevations along the road at Rainbow Curve on the east side and Milner Pass on the west side. Trail Ridge Road has not yet opened as a through road for the season. Wild Basin Road has also closed at the Sandbeach Lake Trailhead. |
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