Tragic fall claims life of avid Montana ice climber Kyle Allen Rott during Hyalite Canyon expedition
BOZEMAN, MONTANA: A tragic avalanche on Saturday, November 25, in Bozeman, Montana, claimed the life of ice climber Kyle Allen Rott, 36, who died while ice climbing in Hyalite Canyon near Grotto.
According to a news release from the Gallatin County Sheriff's Search and Rescue, authorities received two 911 calls on Saturday afternoon regarding an incident close to the Grotto Falls in Hyalite Canyon.
The canyon is a portion of the bigger national park, located north of Yellowstone National Park, and spans over 3 million acres, as reported by CNN.
Kyle Allen Rott was an avid ice climber
According to Kyle's obituary, per KBZK, Kyle Allen Rott was born on February 11, 1987, in Denver, Colorado, to Joel and Janet (Kasper) Rott, and was raised in Aberdeen, Scotland.
Kyle is survived by his mother, his sister, a niece, his grandmother, and several uncles, aunts, cousins, and friends.
During his junior year of high school in 2003, Kyle's family relocated to Brookings, South Dakota.
He spent a year attending Brookings High School before returning to Aberdeen for a brief period of time to complete his high school education there, one semester ahead of schedule, in December 2004.
In the spring of 2005, Kyle relocated to Missoula, Montana, and enrolled at the University of Montana.
With a strong sense of self-motivation, Kyle was ready to explore and accept his inherent free spirit. According to a Gallatin County Sheriff Search and Rescue statement, Kyle was an avid ice climber.
Kyle might wax eloquently for hours about his passions and loved to discuss them with everyone who expressed interest.
Kyle Allen Rott was hard worker who pursued his dreams
Despite his intense work ethic, he worked to support himself, so he traveled and took on an array of professions that allowed him to live independently and pursue his dreams.
He worked as a guide with Montana Alpine Guides in Montana. Along with these services, he performed several odd jobs for friends, including painting, yard maintenance, pet sitting, and more.
After graduating from college, he relocated to the Wolf Keep Wildlife Sanctuary, close to Missoula. He worked there for a year, providing care for the wolves.
Kyle was also a student at Livingston, Montana's NordBlom Institute of FootZonology; and helped with an IMAX film shoot.
The Black Hills of South Dakota, Yosemite Valley in California, Devil's Tower in Wyoming, and Hyalite Canyon in Montana were a few of his favorite climbing destinations.
Kyle also had a lot of other interests. He cherished education. He was a mandolin player and adored bluegrass music in particular.
He worked as a climbing guide at Yosemite National Park, on a crew that restored rivers, and on various farms in California. He was also employed with Montana Alpine Guides in Montana.
He held great regard and affection for every animal. He cherished gardening and plants. He was extremely passionate about maintaining his health.
Being thoughtful and courteous, he also enjoyed using his knowledge to assist others he cared about.
Kyle Allen Rott's injuries initially reported by use of GPS monitoring device
According to Visit Montana, the Hyalite Canyon Recreation Area is well-known for its wintertime cross-country skiing and ice-climbing options.
At around 3.20 pm on Saturday, dispatchers received a call from a GPS gadget monitoring service informing them that a device had been triggered close to Grotto Falls in Hyalite Canyon, per the Gallatin County Sheriff's Office.
Rott's injuries were initially discovered by officials due to a GPS tracking gadget that went off in the canyon close to Grotto Falls.
The sheriff's office claims that an eyewitness then dialed 911 to report that a climber had fallen.
After receiving emergency calls, five search and rescue teams attended to Rott's injuries on the spot, as per FOX News.
Rott was given medical attention by the responding teams before being lifted aboard and taken to Bozeman Health Deaconess Regional Medical Center, where he eventually passed away from his wounds.
Coroners from the sheriff's office confirmed that Kyle had died accidentally due to blunt force injuries to the head, which had been sustained during an ice climbing fall.
Other deaths at Hyalite Canyon
According to a news release from the Gallatin County Sheriff's Office in 2019, a 5-year-old child drowned at Hyalite Canyon Reservoir and died.
The press report stated that family members and onlookers had discovered the boy after he had been underwater for a brief while.
After trying unsuccessfully to revive the infant, medical staff declared him dead at the hospital, per KTVQ.
In 2016, state troopers discovered 27-year-old Jeffrey Theodore Baysinger of Belgrade dead in Hyalite Canyon after discovering his car abandoned in a ditch, per the Associated Press.