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McClure Pass death was an accidental fall

Staff Report

The death last weekend of Longmont middle school teacher Matthew Barz, 49, was due to an accidental fall, Pitkin County authorities said early Friday evening.

Barz’s body was discovered at a campsite on McClure Pass on Monday morning.

Based on information obtained from the investigation and autopsy, the Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release that Barz apparently fell approximately 30 feet from his cliffside campsite onto Colorado 133.



The fall caused serious head trauma, but was not immediately fatal, the news release said. Barz was able to follow the road back to his campsite, where he succumbed to his injuries.

The investigation led to a long closure of the highway on Monday.



The Caller-Times of Longmont reported that Barz was a well-liked teacher at Longs Peak Middle School. Friends say one of the U.S. history teacher’s passions was spending time in the mountains. He had taught at Longs Peak from more than 20 years.


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