Update: Coroner releases identity of Rocky Mountain National Park skier, Carter Lake kayaker

Update: June 21: The Larimer County Coroner's Office has identified the man who died in a skiing accident in Rocky Mountain National Park as William Sater, 66, of Loveland. The release said he died of blunt force injuries.

The coroner also reported the identity of the man whose body was found in Carter Lake as Spencer S. Stetler, 29 of Loveland. The coroner said Stetler died in an accidental drowning.

 A Loveland man died while snow skiing in Rocky Mountain National Park, and the bodies of two men — one in Carter Lake near Loveland and one in Lake Estes — were found Saturday.

A 68-year-old Loveland man died while skiing Sundance Mountain, north of Trail Ridge Road between Forest Canyon Overlook and Rock Cut, according to a park news release.

Rangers responded to reports of an unconscious skier Sunday morning. The man was skiing alone but bystanders witnessed him falling approximately 400 to 500 feet in an uncontrolled slide down a snowfield into rocks.

The bystanders rendered aid to the man, who was wearing a helmet, but he died from injuries sustained in the slide.

The man's body was flown by Northern Colorado Interagency Helitack to a helispot in the Upper Beaver Meadows area of the park late Sunday afternoon. The body was transferred to the Larimer County Coroner's Office, which will release the man’s name and cause and manner of death after family is notified.

It is the second death in the park this year, according to the coroner's office. On March 31, Derick Martinez, 33, of Denver, fell 50 feet at the Many Parks Curve Overlook.

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Water recoveries

At 8:15 a.m. Saturday, a boater on Carter Lake notified the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office that he discovered what he believed to be a body in the lake southwest of Loveland.

Deputies and Larimer County Natural Resources rangers recovered the body of an adult male, according to a sheriff's office news release. 

The body was found on the west side of the lake and taken to the coroner's office, which will release the man's identity as well as cause and manner of death.

On April 11, a 29-year-old Loveland man, whose identity has not been released, launched his kayak from The Saddle boat launch on the far southern shore of the lake. His kayak and his dog, which was wearing a life jacket, were discovered, but the man was not. After a five-day search, the mission was suspended.

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Just before 11:30 a.m. Saturday, searchers found the body of a man who fell overboard into Lake Estes while on a rented pontoon boat Thursday, according to a sheriff's office release.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife searchers recovered the body submerged more than 8 feet  in the lake in Estes Park late that afternoon.

The Larimer Coroner's Office late Monday afternoon identified the decedent as 25-year-old Quentin S. Mbongue, of Westminster, Maryland

The incident was ruled an accidental drowning due to asphyxiation and cold water immersion.

The investigation revealed two adult males and two adult females left the Lake Estes Marina around 3:30 p.m. Thursday on a rented pontoon boat. One of the adult males, later identified as Mbongue, fell into the 41-degree water less than an hour later in the general area of Fisherman’s Nook on the north side of the lake.

The others on the boat tried to locate the man, who was not wearing a life jacket, and then called for help. The boaters said the missing man was visiting from out of state. The other man and two women are from the Boulder area.

The deaths are the second and third water-related fatalities in the county this year. A Fort Collins man drowned in Douglas Reservoir on May 1. 

Last year, there were a record 34 water-related deaths in Colorado. 

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Safety tips

Colorado waters are often cold because they are derived mostly from snowmelt. Sudden immersion in cold water can cause gasping and inhalation of water and hypothermia, resulting in unconsciousness or swimming failure even by competent swimmers as muscles become numb. Properly fitted life jackets can save you.

Here are some other safety tips:

• Dress for the weather. Consider wetsuits or layer your clothing to reduce loss of body temperature should you end up in the water.
• Have a means to regularly check the weather forecast before and during your trip. Download weather apps on your phone that forecast the local weather.
• Avoid boating alone, and if you do, let someone know where you are going and when you expect to return.
• Bring a cellphone or VHF radio in a watertight bag in case you need to call for help.
• Properly equip and carry essential safety gear, signaling devices and whistles.
• Don’t use alcohol or drugs.
• Bring something along to help you get back in your boat in case you fall out.
• Take a boating safety class.

Source: cpw.state.co.us/learn/Pages/BoatingSafety.aspx.

Editor's note: The bodies of two men were found in Larimer County lakes on Saturday. One reference was updated to reflect that day.

Reporter Miles Blumhardt looks for stories that impact your life. Be it news, outdoors, sports — you name it, he wants to report it. Have a story idea? Contact him at milesblumhardt@coloradoan.com or on Twitter @MilesBlumhardt. Support his work and that of other Coloradoan journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today.