Man Dies After Falling Hundreds of Feet While Climbing Colorado’s Citadel Peak on New Year’s Eve: ‘Tragic End’

A climber in Colorado has died after plunging hundreds of feet during a New Year’s Eve outing along the Continental Divide.

According to CBS News Colorado and the Alpine Rescue Team (ART) — a volunteer organization that responds to emergencies, including avalanches and lost hikers — a man was climbing Citadel Peak on Wednesday, Dec. 31, when he fell from a ridge.

At 13,300 feet tall, Citadel Peak is a mountain north of Colorado’s I-70, visible from the Loveland Ski Area west of Denver.

The man — who has not been identified — was climbing with a 29-year-old Boulder woman, who first called ART at around 2 p.m. local time.

ART told CBS News that rescuers were able to quickly locate the pair because there was good cell service in the area.

Rescuers initially sent out multiple helicopters, including a Flight for Life helicopter, as a part of a large-scale response, but rising winds prevented them from landing, ART told the outlet.

“Obviously, it’s a sharp peak,” Steve Wilson of ART said while speaking with CBS News. “They can’t land right where our subjects are. And as we’re trying to find good places to land close enough to be useful, the winds just weren’t cooperating at the time. So they just had to abort.”

By dark, a Colorado National Guard Black Hawk helicopter from Buckley Space Force Base was deployed as a part of the rescue operations, CBS News reported. The Black Hawk then picked up ART volunteers at the trailhead while several ground teams approached the climbers on foot.

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Two rescue volunteers were eventually lowered down to where the man had fallen, where they found that he had died. Another volunteer was taken to where the woman was stuck, and she was safely brought down the mountain.

“She was up, still on the ridge, in a precarious position of her own,” Wilson said. “I don’t think she was in danger of falling, but it was very difficult to access her. It would have been very difficult to climb herself down.”

According to CBS News, the man’s body was removed by 8 p.m., and the ground crews left by 9 p.m.

ART said that they are still unsure of why the man fell, considering the clear weather conditions on Wednesday and the fact that the climbing pair were not amateurs.

“They seemed prepared, they seemed equipped. They seemed experienced,” Wilson told CBS News. “Accidents happen. That’s an unfortunate way to end the year. A tragic end.”

PEOPLE reached out to the Colorado National Guard and the Alpine Rescue Team for more information, but did not receive an immediate response.

“They were up above all of the snow. They were in the rocks. Tragic accident as far as we can see,” Wilson added. “They’re doing what they love. They’re enjoying the back country of Colorado, which is an amazing, beautiful place.”