A Colorado climber and skier died this week following a fall on Nepal's Jannu East mountain, and is being remembered as someone who 'refused to be boxed in by any label and pursued anything that intrigued him.

Colorado skier Michael Gardner, 32, died Monday while climbing the Jannu East mountain in Nepal alongside longtime climbing partner Sam Hennessey.

Michael Gardner, a Colorado-based ski alpinist and professional climber, tragically lost his life in an accident while attempting to climb Nepal’s Jannu East mountain on October 8, 2024.

Professional alpine climber Michael Gardner has died at age 32 following a fall. Gardner and his longtime climbing partner, Sam Hennessey, were trekking up the Jannu East Mountain in Nepal on Monday,

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Michael Gardner—a professional alpine-climber who scaled mountains in Denali, Alaska and Nepal—died from a fall while descending Nepal's Jannu East mountain on Oct. 7. He was 32.