A speed flier died on Saturday morning, Aug. 27 after launching from Peak 6, according to Summit County Search and Rescue. 

At 10:29 a.m. on Aug. 27, four team members of the team were paged to the top of Peak 6 from the Breckenridge side to search for the speed flier that had been reported missing. Speed flying is a recreational sport of gliding down a slope or mountain. It uses a similar canopy to a paraglider, but it is much smaller in size and designed to be faster.

Simultaneously, Flight For Life’s Lifeguard 2 flew over the area and spotted the missing person’s body from the air. From there, the Lifeguard 2 team landed and hiked down to the deceased. According to Summit County Search and Rescue, the victim’s speed wing was found tangled up “with the broken-off top of a tree.”

Three members of the search and rescue team flew to the top of Peak 6, with Lifeguard 2 carrying technical gear and ropes to help the terrain vehicle crew evacuate the body.

The victim’s friend called 911 after realizing his friend had not landed in the Far East Parking Lot at Copper Mountain Resort as planned. The reporting party called the victim’s cell phone but there was no answer. 

The victim’s body was taken down a ravine on the Copper Mountain side of the Tenmile Range known as “K Chute.” By 6:45 p.m., rescuers had returned to the Far East parking lot and the body was delivered to the coroner.

At this time, the identity of the victim has not been released. Further information will be released by the Summit County Coroner’s Office.