Park hotel worker killed in 1,000 foot fall identified

A 21-year-old Glacier Park Inc. employee died Tuesday, July 9, after reportedly falling about 1,000 feet on Apikuni Mountain in the northeast area of Glacier National Park.

The dead climber was later identified as Cesar Flores Jr., of Davie, Fla. This was his first year working for GPI. Flores was a cook at the Many Glacier Hotel.

The incident is under investigation by the National Park Service, but in a July 11 press release, Glacier Park spokeswoman Denise Germann said intiial investigations and witness statements indicate Flores lost his balance near the edge of a cliff and fell.

According to Park officials, dispatch received a report around 11:15 a.m. on July 9 from an individual at the Many Glacier Entrance Station saying a man in their climbing party had fallen.

The three other climbers could not see or reach the fallen climber because of steep cliffs and rocky terrain, and they indicated he was not responding to them.

Park rangers responded to the area by helicopter while other rangers searched for the climber from the air. The man’s body was located around 6 p.m. A helicopter and specialized short-haul rescue team from Parks Canada assisted Glacier Park rangers in recovering the body.

In a short haul rescue, emergency personnel are carried on a rope by a hovering helicopter to a victim below. The rescuer then rigs a harness to the victim or places the victim in a litter basket, and the helicopter lifts both to safety a short distance away.

 The Glacier County Coroner confirmed the death, and the body was transported to a local funeral home.

According to witnesses, the four climbers departed from the Many Glacier area for Apikuni Mountain at about 7:45 a.m. on July 9. All four worked at the Many Glacier Hotel.

Apikuni Mountain, sometimes spelled Appekunny Mountain, is 9,053 feet high and located about 4 miles northeast of the Many Glacier Entrance Station and about 2 miles north of Apikuni Falls, a popular short hike for tourists entering the Many Glacier area.

Climbers typically summit Apikuni Mountain either via a large scree slope above Apikuni Falls or along the southwest ridge after climbing nearby Mount Henkel, 8,770 feet. The terrain on Apikuni Mountain itself is mostly Class 3 scree and talus, but climbers choosing to descend by way of Apikuni Falls are warned about the cliff band on Apikuni Mountain’s south face.