Woman falls to death at indoor climbing gym in Colorado

FORT COLLINS, Colo. (AP) — Police say a woman fell about 40 feet (12 meters) to her death at an indoor climbing gym in northern Colorado.

Fort Collins police spokesman Brandon Barnes tells The Coloradoan the woman fell at Ascent Studio Climbing & Fitness on Saturday, and it appears she became unattached from the auto-belay system. Investigators did not find any faulty equipment.

The Larimer County coroner’s office has not released the climber’s name.

The climbing gym in Fort Collins released a statement Tuesday calling the fall a “tragic event” and expressing sympathy for the climber’s friends and family. It also said the auto-belay systems that keep climbers from falling will not be used at least until a full investigation is completed.

The Coloradoan reports fatal accidents at indoor climbing gyms are extremely rare, with only a handful in the United States in the last decade. In 2014, a man died while climbing indoors at the Boulder Rock Club.