Liability concerns have reportedly resulted in the summit closure of another 14,000-foot peak in Colorado.

According to a 14ers.com forum post made by Lloyd Athearn, the Executive Director of the Colorado Fourteeners Initiative, the summit block of Mount Lindsey has been closed to the public by the landowner, which is Trinchera-Blanca Ranch. A sign has been posted on the approach trail informing hikers of the change.

According to Athearn, the closure has been a point of conversation for several years, with the Colorado Fourteeners Initiative attempting to obtain legal public access through a formal agreement. The landowner’s concern reportedly stems from a court case that has caused many landowners to fear that the Colorado Recreation Use Statute offers insufficient protection in the event of an injury. This statute basically protects landowners that invite the public to enjoy their space recreationally, free of charge. It does not protect landowners in some cases, including when there is a willful failure to guard against dangerous conditions.

Read that statute in its entirety here.

Athearn’s post goes on to explain that the Colorado Fourteeners Initiative continues their mission to publicly open the Mount Lindsey summit, but that this will take time and could even mean waiting for state laws to change. Athearn ends the announcement by asking the public to respect the closure and expressing hope that the trail has reopened by next climbing season.

Mount Lindsey is typically climbed in the summer via one of two class three routes. One route means a relatively exposed, albeit short, climb up a rock face and the other means scrambling through a loose and dangerous gully. While injuries and fatalities aren’t common on the peak, both routes can carry significant risk for unlucky, underprepared, and inexperienced climbers.

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