July 30, 2025 — A local teacher of 25 years, Rick Karden, has been identified as the rock climber who fell to his death above Officer’s Gulch yesterday.
In a letter to parents Summit School District calls Rick “a friend, a mentor, and a champion for students.”
Today, July 30, was Rick’s birthday. He would have turned 57 years old.
Rick taught computer science at Summit High and was an avid outdoorsman, teaching ski school at Beaver Creek and kiteboarding on frozen Lake Dillon. He published several books on local rock-climbing routes and a guide to Colorado disc golf courses.
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FRISCO, Colo. July 29, 2025 — A rocker climber was killed today in a fall above Officer’s Gulch on the west side of the Tenmile Range near Frisco.
Summit County Sheriff’s Office confirms the call came in around 11 a.m. from two other climbers in the victim’s group. They were ascending a bolted climbing route known as “Hasta la Vista Amichi” when the victim fell with most of their gear, stranding the other two.
Sheriff’s deputies and Summit County Rescue Group helped the stranded climbers off the rock face in a four-hour mission. The surviving climbers were uninjured. Details on how the victim fell have not been released.
The victim’s name and age are pending through Summit County Coroner.
“Hasta la Vista Amichi” is rated at 5.7 with four pitches on 400 vertical feet, according to Mountain Project.