Man Falls to His Death on Colorado's Capitol Peak Rescue crews have recovered the body of a man who fell 200 to 300 feet while descending Capitol Peak west of Aspen, Colo. The Pitkin County sheriff's office says Ryan Joseph Palmer, of Vail, decided to climb down the north face of the peak Friday instead of crossing the exposed "knife edge" route again. The 35-year-old's climbing partners crossed the knife edge and watched him make his way down the face. They called authorities when Palmer did not return to camp. The sheriff's office says search and rescue crews found Palmer's body at the base of the north face just after 2 p.m. The body was recovered Sunday. Capitol Peak rises to an elevation of 14,130 feet.