Climber dies in 1,000-foot fall on Glacier Park peak

A Florida man working at Many Glacier Hotel fell 1,000 feet to his death Tuesday on Apikuni Mountain in Glacier National Park.

Park rangers on Tuesday evening recovered the body of the Davie, Fla., man from the in the northeast area of the park.  

He was climbing the mountain with three other climbers when he fell to his death, according to a news release from Glacier Park. 

All four members of the climbing party are employees of the park’s concessioner Glacier Park Inc. and work at Many Glacier Hotel. Apikuni Mountain, with a summit elevation of 9,068 feet, is located a few miles north of the hotel.

At approximately 11:15 a.m. on Tuesday, a climber called park dispatch from the Many Glacier Entrance Station to say a member of a climbing party had fallen.  

The climbers could not see or reach the fallen climber and indicated he was not responding to any communication. The area is very steep, with cliffs and rocky terrain. 

Park rangers searched for the climber until finding the body at approximately 6 p.m. Tuesday. 

A helicopter and specialized short-haul rescue team from Parks Canada helped Glacier rangers recover the body. 

Witness statements indicate the four climbers left the Many Glacier area for Apikuni Mountain at approximately 7:45 a.m. Tuesday.  

The Glacier County coroner confirmed the death; the body was transported to a local funeral home. The incident is under investigation by the National Park Service. 

Short haul involves a rescuer being carried on a rope from a hovering helicopter to a victim below. The rescuer rigs a harness to the victim or places the victim in a litter basket and the helicopter lifts both to safety a short distance away. 

Tuesday’s fatality is the third involving a fall in Northwest Montana this summer.

On June 26, Charles Fred Huseman, 64, of Packwood, Wash., slipped and fell 100 feet to his death from a closed, snow-covered trail near Logan Pass in Glacier. 

On July 2, the body of Lukas G. Leigh, 18, of Kalispell was found after he fell 80 feet from a cliff near Lakeside.