WEST GLACIER, MT. - The hiker involved in a fatal fall on Monday, July 18 in Glacier National Park has been identified as 30-year old Nicholas Ryan from Omaha, Nebraska.
Ryan and two friends were hiking the Grinnell Glacier Trail in the Many Glacier Valley when Ryan fell 50-100 feet on a steep snow field.
At approximately 11:50 a.m. on Monday, July 18, an interpretive park ranger leading a hike on the Grinnell Glacier Trail received a report of a male hiker who had taken a slide on a steep snow field and needed medical assistance.
National Park Service Rangers, Kalispell Regional Medical Center’s (KRMC) ALERT helicopter and Minuteman Aviation responded to the incident.
Medical personnel pronounced Ryan deceased at approximately 1:53 p.m. on July 18. The Glacier County Coroner’s Office is establishing the cause of death and the National Park Service is conducting an investigation of the incident.
Visitors to Glacier National Park are reminded that snow and ice still exist on some trails, and travel in some areas is not advised. Trails may traverse steep and sometimes icy snowfields and hikers are strongly advised to have the appropriate equipment and skills on how to use the equipment.
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
