A woman in Colorado died while guiding customers on a privately owned via ferrata route on September 20 near the town of Idaho Springs. The Idaho Springs Police Department reported that 26-year-old Olivia Copeland fell while in a rappelling portion of the route—but the direct cause of the accident remains unclear.

At the time of her death, Copeland was guiding customers at Mount Blue Sky Via Ferrata, a climbing excursion owned by AVA Rafting and Zipline located about one hour west of Denver. Rated for climbers aged 12 and up, AVA describes the Rocky Mountain route as being up to three hours long and including iron rungs, cables, ziplining, rappelling, and a “50-foot controlled freefall.”

A via ferrata, the Italian name for “iron path,” is a hybrid between a ropes course and a rock climbing route. Via ferratas are built in natural environments, like cliffs and ridgelines. Unlike traditional rock climbing routes, which are typically protected with via bolts, via ferratas feature extensive, permanent hardware. Instead of using natural handholds in the rock, via ferrata climbers move almost exclusively using artificial hardware drilled into the rock face, such as chains, cables, bridges, and ladders, and are attached to these fixtures via a tether and harness at all times.

Via ferrata routes have long been popular in Europe, particularly in regions like the Austrian Alps and Italian Dolomites, where they were used as a method of travel in technical alpine terrain by military units during World War I. However, “iron paths” are also becoming increasingly common in the United States. Popular mountain towns such as Telluride and Ouray in Colorado, Mammoth Lakes and Lake Tahoe, California, Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and Taos, New Mexico have all opened via ferrata routes in recent years, and these routes are even appearing in urban areas. In 2022, a via ferrata built into the side of a limestone quarry opened just a few miles outside of downtown Columbus, Ohio.

A review published by the International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation found that via ferrata routes give non-experts “the opportunity to approach mountains and vertical walls that would [not] be climbable” by them otherwise.

“With this fixed equipment it is then possible to grant almost to everybody the emotion of altitudes and the excitement of vertical walls, without taking major risks and without being involved, possibly, in dangerous situations,” the group concluded.

Although via ferratas don’t necessarily require the skill and experience level of a traditional rock climbing route, they can still be dangerous. The majority of serious incidents occur in the Alps, however, where the routes are often public and thus unguided. Fatalities remain relatively rare on via ferrata in the U.S., where most are privately owned and commercially guided. In 2021, however, a 53-year-old woman died in a 200-foot fall off a via ferrata in Telluride—one of the few public via ferrata in the country.

An in-depth analysis of via ferrata accidents in Austria was published in 2021 in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. The study found 62 deaths from 2008 to 2018, and noted that “falling while climbing unsecured” was the most common cause of death. In addition, “the mortality rate was highest in technically easy-to-climb sections,” indicating that most accidents are a result of complacency. The study also noted that accidents and rescue missions increased by more than 60 percent during the study period, due to the increasing popularity of the activity.

“Olivia was a vibrant, adventurous, and deeply loved young woman whose light and kindness touched all who knew her,” her family wrote on Facebook. “Our family is still in shock, and we are struggling to comprehend this sudden loss … even in the midst of this sorrow, we cling to the hope we have in Jesus Christ and trust that Olivia is now safely in His arms.”

“At this time, we do not yet fully know what happened,” her family added, “and we ask for grace as we grieve and seek understanding. We are profoundly grateful for the outpouring of love and support from friends, neighbors, and our community.”