The body of a climber who died on Longs Peak over the weekend has been identified as 41-year-old Jeffrey Carlin of Denver, according to the Boulder County Coroner’s Office.
Rocky Mountain National Park search and rescue personnel were notified early Sunday afternoon of an incident on Kiener’s Route, a mountaineering route on the upper east face of the 14,259-foot peak, according to the National Park Service.
Rescuers determined the climber had died, but park officials did not release details about the circumstances surrounding the death.
Kiener’s Route was closed overnight Sunday while recovery operations were conducted. The route reopened on Monday after the recovery was completed.
Teton County Search and Rescue provided helicopter support and assisted Rocky Mountain National Park personnel during the recovery, park spokesperson Kyle Patterson said.
Carlin was a senior claims representative with BITCO Insurance Companies in Denver and an active member of F45 Training Uptown Denver.
In a social media tribute, the fitness studio described Carlin as a “disciplined, hardworking, and supportive individual” who “showed up on the days it would have been easier to stay home, gave 100%, and still somehow pushed the person next to him to do the same.” The post added that “beyond showing up for himself, he showed up for his people — every milestone, every community event, every race, every challenge.”
Longs Peak, the highest summit in Rocky Mountain National Park, has claimed more than 70 lives since the park was established in 1915.
Kiener’s Route is named for Swiss-born mountaineer Walter Kiener, who, with Agnes Vaille, completed the first ascent of the route in 1925. Their achievement ended in tragedy during the descent when Vaille fell down a steep slope and later died from exposure. Kiener suffered severe frostbite, losing several fingers and most of his toes.
Today, Kiener’s Route is considered one of the most popular mountaineering routes on Longs Peak. Although often described as the easiest technical route to the summit, it requires intermediate alpine climbing skills and is typically completed over one or two days.