UPDATE: According to a GoFundMe campaign page related to this accident, the student is currently stable though fighting swelling in the brain, along with other related injuries. Identified in this GoFundMe campaign as Zach Ramirez, a sophomore at UC-Boulder, Zach is described as “one of the most honest, outgoing, compassionate, and fun loving people,” and “the type of guy who casually back flips while walking down the street.”

A University of Colorado Boulder student, 19, faces a severe head injury after falling an estimated 60 feet while scrambling on a rock formation in Gregory Canyon, located west of Boulder. According to the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office, the teen was with a group of friends that had been free-climbing prior to when the accident occurred. Free climbing often involves minimal equipment to assist in climbing, though safety measures are typically taken to protect from falls. In this instance, no helmets or other gear was being used to prevent injury.

After the fall, technical rescue techniques had to be used to get the teen out of the rugged canyon over the course of 75 minutes. Rescuers located him roughly 1/2 mile up Gregory Canyon trail. He was then transported to Foothills Hospital in Boulder in critical condition. The most updated information in the press release states that the man was unconscious but alive during transport, and headed into surgery.

A GoFundMe campaign has been started to with the stated goal of assisting the family of the student with medical bills.

This is a developing story.

Here’s where Gregory Canyon trail is located: