ASPEN – A climber who died on Capitol Peak over the weekend has been identified.
The Aspen Times reports the Pitkin County deputy coroner Wednesday identified the climber as 21-year-old Zackaria White.
Deputy Coroner Jennifer Diamond says the official cause of death is under investigation.
Police say White was climbing Saturday with Brandon Wilhelm when he decided to attempt a shortcut down the North Face of Capitol Peak against Wilhelm’s advice. White later fell approximately 600 feet when the shortcut ended at a cliff band.
Police say Wilhelm, who followed the standard route on Capitol Peak down the mountain, told deputies White had never climbed a 14,000-foot peak before and was stubbornly insistent about trying the shortcut.
White is the fifth person to die on Capitol Peak this summer.
