Rare death of a climbing guide on Idaho Springs via ferrata launches state, federal investigations
Olivia Copeland, a 26-year-old climbing guide, died in a fall while rappelling with her group on the Blue Sky Via Ferrata in Idaho Springs
Parker Yamasaki/The Colorado Sun
A 26-year-old guide with Arkansas Valley Adventures Rafting and Zipline died last month while guiding a group on the company’s Mount Blue Sky Via Ferrata in Idaho Springs. The Idaho Springs Police Department said in an online post that guide Olivia Copeland fell during a rappelling portion of the via ferrata course while guiding a group on Sept. 20.
“Olivia was a beautiful person who brought joy to everyone around her,” AVA owner Duke Bradford said. “We are devastated by her loss. Our thoughts and prayers go out to her family.”
The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration on Sept. 22 opened an investigation into the fatality. Falls were the second leading cause of workplace deaths in 2023, according to the AFL-CIO’s 2025 “Death on the Job” report. Ziplines and via ferrata courses are regulated by the Colorado Division of Oil and Public Safety’s Amusement Rides and Devices Program, which inspects and certifies commercial via ferratas in the state. The division will investigate the accident as well as OSHA.
Via ferratas – Italian for “iron way” – feature cables and iron rungs built into exposed cliff faces. Traversing a via ferrata route requires less technical expertise and athleticism than vertical climbing. Still, harnessed climbers must use a pair of carabiners and lanyards to navigate the steep routes. The Mount Blue Sky Via Ferrata, which can only be accessed with a guide, takes about three hours to traverse and opened in 2017.
Read more from Jason Blevins at ColoradoSun.com.
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