Climber, 22, Dies After Fall in Colorado Canyon

Mitchel Brian Halberg, 22, of Winona, Minnesota, died as a result of a rock climbing accident in Poudre Canyon, Colorado. Deputies responded to an emergency call on May 18 just before 8 p.m. and first responders and two members of the climbing party performed CPR, but couldn’t revive Halberg.

There are no details about the climbing accident and the death was determined to be an accident. The coroner’s office says Halberg died of a blunt force head injury. There’s no information about whether he was wearing a helmet.

Halberg was the president-elect of the University of Wisconsin-River Falls rock climbing club. “It is a blessing to know he was doing something he loved,” Halberg’s family wrote in his obituary, which you can find here.

An interview with Halberg was recently featured on MyClimb’s Instagram page here. In it, Halberg said, “My goals in climbing are to continue to push myself further and experience outdoor climbing more, especially out in Colorado.

“My most memorable climbing experience was climbing sugar loaf in Winona MN with some friends and the local college group while taking in the fantastic views of the bluffs around the Mississippi valley.

“I enjoy taller routes the most and hope to begin lead climbing many of them soon. I climbed several times throughout my childhood, but only about six months ago got into participating in it several times a week. My favorite climbing discipline at the moment is top rope.”

Our condolences to Halberg’s friends and family.