March 19, 1960
Karl Pfiffner and his party climbed La Plata to 13,000 feet on Ellingwood Ridge, and upon the descent, an avalanche swept the party down into La Plata Basin. George Hurley was dug out, but Pfiffner was buried and not found until two days later, when his body was carried out.Source: Accidents in North American Mountaineering, 1961
August 9, 1998
John Wang, a well-respected assistant astronomy professor was ascending the newly built trail when his partner suggested he turn back, as a thunderstorm was approaching. Instead, he continued on and fell down a gully on his ascent, and died before rescuers arrived.Source: Rocky Mountain News
June 10, 2000
A climber named Sangay fell down a gully while ascending the Ellingwood Ridge. He suffered serious head injuries in the fall that contributed to his death. "They were on Ellingwood Ridge, but were on a flat area. There was a boulder that Sangay was apparently trying to get around and when he put his weight on it it moved and knocked him off the ridge. He fell 25 feet at first and then another 75. They were able to scramble down to him but he was gone. His skull was fractured in 7 or 8 places."Source: Denver Post (additional detail from Kevin Craig)
March 20, 2004
Kyle Fitzgerald was glissading the west face with two other climbers, Davis Bennett and Joel Sabersma, when Bennett triggered a 100-foot wide avalanche and that buried Fitzgerald below. Bennett was partially buried and able to pull himself out of the debris. Bennett and Sabersma searched for Fitzgerald to no avail, who was found dead under three feet of snow the following day by Search and Rescue.Source: http://geosurvey.state.co.us/avalanche
Unknown Date 1990's+
A male climber was ascending Ellingwood Ridge with his fiancee when he fell to his death due to a handhold coming loose.Source: Erin Burr - Fourteenerworld Forum
La Plata Peak from Independence Pass