Body Of Climber Killed In Fall Recovered Days Later
ASPEN, Colo. (CBS4) - The body of a 35-year-old Parker man was recovered Wednesday from Capitol Peak after he died Sunday during a climb.
Mountain Rescue Aspen detailed the operation in a Facebook post following the recovery.
Rescuers trying to reach Jeremy Shull Sunday found him in a crevasse about 200 feet below the point from which he fell. Earlier reports indicated he fell from a distinct feature of the 14,131-foot mountain called "Knife Edge," but a spokesperson from the Pitkin County Sheriff's Office confirmed Thursday that Shull had fallen as he was approaching it.
"In talking with the guys from Mountain Rescue Aspen, it was probably one of the most difficult recoveries in the last couple of decades," said Michael Buglione of the PCSO, "mostly because of the depth and steepness of the crevasse and (the body's) location."
Shull was trailing his three friends Sunday at 8:20 a.m. and was out of their sight at the time of the accident. Climbers in front of Shull's group heard his fall. A team following Shull's called 9-1-1.
Mountain Rescue Aspen personnel visually confirmed Shull's death that day but decided his recovery was too risky to MRA personnel due to inclement weather. A Wednesday recovery was planned and Shull's family informed.
A helicopter with a team of three from Colorado Department of Fire Prevention and Control out of Montrose, Colorado, assisted in Wednesday's recovery.
Buglione confirmed Shull was an addiction counselor by trade. He was married and father to a two-month-old boy.
Jake Lord, 25, also of Parker, died ascending a couloir on Capitol Peak the morning of July 15th.
A survey of climbers on 14ers.com ranks Capitol as the most difficult 14er in the state.
