Park employee falls to death while climbing Grinnell Point

A 21-year-old man fell 60 feet to his death July 25 while climbing Grinnell Point in the Many Glacier area of Glacier National Park.

Park officials report that the body of Matthew Needham, of Simi Valley, Calif., was recovered by rangers from a steep and rocky area of the mountain. Needham was an employee with park concessioner Glacier Park, Inc. and worked at the Many Glacier Hotel. He was climbing the mountain with two co-workers.

Park dispatch received a report from a Glacier Park Boat Company employee that a climber fell from below Grinnell Point. A group of eight hikers later reported they found the climber, but did not see signs of life.

Park rangers arrived on scene by helicopter via Minute Man Aviation and located the victim’s body this afternoon. A 100-foot long line helicopter operation was used to recovery the body.

Grinnell Point is located near Lake Josephine in the Many Glacier Valley. It is the false peak of 8,855 foot tall Mount Grinnell. Routes to the summit range from Class III scrambling to technical Class V climbing.

Thursday’s incident is the second climbing-related death of a Glacier Park Inc. employee in the park this month. On July 9, Cesar Flores Jr., of Davie, Fla., fell about 1,000 feet to his death while climbing Apikuni Mountain in the Many Glacier area. Flores was a cook at the Many Glacier Hotel.

Also this month, a 64-year-old Washington State man fell to his death July 3 while crossing a steep snow field in the Rim Rock area near Logan Pass.