YOUR AD HERE »

BASE jumper rescued after falling 2,000 feet near Rifle

John Gardner
Post Independent Staff
Glenwood Springs, CO Colorado

RIFLE, Colorado – Emergency crews were able to rescue a man who fell close to 2,000 feet Wednesday, after BASE jumping from the Roan Plateau near Rifle.

Authorities confirmed that Ted Davenport, 28, fell between 800 and 1,000 feet to the ground after his parachute “partially deployed” after jumping from the Anvil Points area.

A post on Davenport’s website, http://www.teddavenport.com, also listed his current “spot” location using a Global Positioning System as being near Anvil Points at 9:16 a.m. Wednesday. Just 30 minutes before the Rifle Fire Protection District received the call of the injured jumper.



There is also a video clip of a previous jump of Davenport from Anvil Points.

Ted Davenport is the brother of famous extreme skier and Aspen resident Chris Davenport.

Support Local Journalism



According to Deputy Fire Chief Chad Harris of the Rifle Fire Protection District, authorities received a call about 9:50 a.m. Personnel hiked in from below and were unable to access the victim due to the complex and vertical terrain, according to a press release.

Harris said that it took EMT’s 26 minutes to reach Davenport. They were able to stabilize his condition on the mountain but were unable to get him safely down until afternoon.

“It’s a highly technical rescue and it’s not something that we can facilitate quickly without all the safety mechanisms in place,” Harris said.

“The victim remained conscious and alert throughout the duration of the incident,” a statement from the RFPD read.

While authorities did not release Davenport’s condition Wednesday night, the release stated that he complained of “abdominal and back pain,” but no obvious deformities, signs or symptoms of “critical injuries” were apparent at the scene.

Davenport was air lifted by a Flight for Life helicopter to Saint Mary’s Hospital in Grand Junction.

Harris said that the rescuers were able to safely conduct a helicopter rescue using a “long line”, where Davenport was secured to a basket and lowered off the mountain by a National Guard Blackhawk helicopter and crew.

Participating in the rescue were the Rifle Fire Protection District, Garfield County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue and Mesa County Search and Rescue, Colorado National Guard with two Blackhawk helicopters and St. Anthony’s Flight for Life out of Frisco.

Anvil Point is a popular spot for the extreme sport of BASE jumping, Harris said. BASE stands for the four categories of fixed objects a person can jump from: Building, antenna, span and earth.

jgardner@postindependent.com


Support Local Journalism