Death of climber Maya Humeau on Mt. Spalding considered a tragedy

The death of climber Maya Humeau on Tuesday on the Black Wall of Mt. Spalding near Mt. Evans is a tragedy being felt even among those who tried to rescue her. 

"It's a really sad day… week really," said Alpine Rescue's Dawn Wilson. 

Humeau was an experienced climber even at the age of 22. She had tangled with some of the most difficult and challenging climbs in Colorado. The Black Wall was among them. A sheer face, it rises in a gulch north of Summit Lake on Mt. Spalding, a 13er that sits to the north of Mt. Evans. She was rappelling down the face of the wall at the time of her fall. Preliminary information suggests she fell from a ledge at a time when she was not secured to the wall, said Wilson. The fall was about 100 feet.

Maya, who was a student at CU, was not only an accomplished climber but an avid kayaker. She is from a family of great athletes. Her father and mother are legendary kayakers. Her father is a champion slalom canoeist and her mother, Dana Chladek is a champion at the slalom as well, winning a silver and bronze medal for the United States in the 90s.

"Maya was an amazing human being," said family friend Paul Schelp. "She had an unquenchable thirst for adventure and will be dearly missed, but her spirit will surely live on among her family and friends."