Climber dies from fall near Grinnell Point

For the fourth time this year, a man has died from a fall in Glacier National Park, and for the second time the victim was an employee at the Many Glacier Hotel climbing a nearby peak.

Rangers recovered the body of Matthew Needham, 21, of Simi Valley, Calif., on Thursday afternoon, July 25, near Grinnell Point in the Many Glacier area.

Needham reportedly was climbing the mountain with two other climbers when he fell at least 60 feet to his death. Park dispatch received a call from a Glacier Park Boat Company employee about 11:18 a.m. that a man had fallen from below Grinnell Point.

A group of eight hikers later reported they had found the climber but did not see signs of life. The area in which the fall took place is very steep, with cliffs and rocky terrain.

Park rangers traveled to the area via Minute Man Aviation helicopter and found Needham’s body in the afternoon. A 100-foot long line helicopter operation was utilized to recovery the body.

All three members of the climbing party were employees of Park concessioner Glacier Park, Inc. and worked at the Many Glacier Hotel. Grinnell Point is located near Lake Josephine in the Many Glacier Valley.

The Glacier County Coroner confirmed death, and the body was transported to a local funeral home. The incident is under investigation by the National Park Service.

On June 26, Charles Huseman, 64, of Packwood, Wash., died when he slipped on steep snow on the closed Highline Trail at the Rim Rock cliffs and fell about 100 feet onto the Going-to-the-Sun Road.

On July 9, Cesar Flores Jr., 21, of Davie, Fla., an employee at the Many Glacier Hotel, fell about 1,000 feet while climbing Apikuni Mountain. Initial investigations and witness statements indicated Flores lost his balance near the edge of a cliff and fell.

On July 12, the body of Cody Johnson, 25, of Kalispell, was found below The Loop on the Sun Road. He had been missing since July 7 after he got in a car with two unidentified friends and headed toward West Glacier. The coroner said Johnson died from a fall.