Climber's Body Recovered By Helicopter After Peak Fall

The Pitkin County Sheriff's Office used a helicopter to recover the body of a 41-year-old Dillon man who died while climbing in the Maroon Bells Wilderness Area.

The climber, a 41-year-old David Morano, fell and died after summiting Pyramid Peak on Saturday. His hiking companion hiked out and called deputies.

Morano's body was found in the Thunder Pyramid area, about one mile south of Pyramid Peak, according to the

Pitkin County Sheriff's Office.Deputies said the man was climbing at least two of the peaks in the area when he fell 200 to 300 feet over the east side of the ridge.

The sheriff's office said crews recovered the body Wednesday morning, using a helicopter and a longer cable than normally used in such operations because of the steep, rugged terrain.

Pyramid Peak is a "14er," a peak over 14,000 feet in elevation. Pyramid Peak's summit is at 14,018. Nearby Thunder Pyramid Mountain is 13,832 feet high.

The Pyramid massif is in the same general area as the well-known Maroon Bells.

"He died doing something he loved doing. He was a meticulous climber. He was doing all the right stuff, and this is a fluke accident. It was bad rock and a piece let loose and he must have stumbled and fallen from the loose rock," said his wife, Dr. Adele Morano.

David Morano was an experienced mountaineer and had climbed 129 of the top 200 Colorado peaks, according to his wife.