A 31-year-old Grand Junction man reported via SOS message he had fallen from between 150-200 feet while attempting a BASE jump from a cliff in southwestern Colorado on Monday, July 6, according to a social media post from the San Miguel County Sheriff’s Office.
At approximately 2:45 p.m., Monday San Miguel County deputies and San Miguel County Search and Rescue (SAR) personnel responded to a Garmin SOS activation from an injured individual in the Columbine Basin, approximately six miles south southeast above Bridal Veil Falls near Telluride.
According to deputies, the man reported via the SOS message that he had fallen between 150-200 feet, and believed he had broken his leg, couldn’t walk and required assistance.
San Miguel deputies said motorcycles and UTVs transported rescuers to the Lewis Lake area where they hiked an additional 1.5 miles carrying a litter and other rescue equipment to reach the man.
Several members of San Juan County SAR also responded to assist and began their ascent from their county access point, according to San Miguel deputies.
Deputies said a Care Flight helicopter was deployed from the base of Bridal Veil Falls in Telluride, then flew to the scene of the incident at approximately 13,000-feet-in-elevation.
San Miguel deputies said the helicopter was carrying a SAR member on board, and ffter landing, the crew prepared to transport the patient to Montrose Regional Hospital.
Details from the incident and rescue
The San Miguel County SAR ground team was first on scene and found the man walking around.
According to the ground team, the man told rescuers he was BASE jumping off a cliff when his chute failed to deploy. The man sustained his injury when he fell 150 to 200 feet to the ground.
BASE jumping is an activity whereby individuals jump off a fixed structure and deploy a parachute.
According to deputies, the man is a member of a SAR team in another region, and stated to the San Juan County SAR he was an experienced BASE jumper. He also said he was alone when the incident occurred.
San Miguel deputies said the man declined helicopter transport and stated “he no longer wanted Search and Rescue assistance despite the recommendations of rescuers.”
The man then descended on foot and under the observation of the San Juan County SAR personnel with a friend, who had hiked up to meet the man following the incident, back to safety.
San Miguel deputies said the San Miguel County SAR team had to endure a prolonged egress back to Bridal Veil Falls, but safely exited the rescue field shortly before 10 p.m. The rescue was officially closed at 11:30 p.m., according to San Miguel deputies.
Who was this BASE jumper?
The man has previously required extensive Search and Rescue resources and assistance.
According to a published media report from NBC, the man was injured during a BASE jumping accident in the Swiss Alps in August 2016 and was stranded for 13 hours during a rescue involving nearly two dozen rescuers and three helicopters.
NBC reported in the 2016 article the man’s name is Coleman Sperando.
The San Miguel County Sheriff’s Office has not released or confirmed the man’s identity as of Tuesday, July 7.
“Our SAR team consists of skilled professionals who risk their own lives to help others in need,” San Miguel County Sheriff Dan Covault said. “This individual chose to participate in an extremely dangerous activity alone, and particularly given his prior rescue history, his actions demonstrated a disregard for the risks involved and the resources required to rescue him.”
Sheriff Covault also said the man’s decisions unnecessarily diverted emergency resources, including a Care Flight helicopter, that may have been needed for other emergencies.
“The fact that he was able to hike back down shows a profound lack of respect for the tremendous effort and resources devoted to this rescue,” Sheriff Covault said.
According to San Miguel deputies, it took approximately 20 Search and Rescue personnel and deputies, including members of San Juan County Search and Rescue to fulfill the rescue.
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