Public Safety and Solicitor General
The BC Coroners Service has confirmed the identity of a man who died after a free-climbing incident at Turtle Mountain near Vernon on May 14, 2016.
He is Martin Hieltje Wolbers, aged 32, of Vernon.
Shortly after 4 p.m. on May 14, passersby walking their dog along the Turtle Mountain Hiking Trail just west of Vernon came upon Mr. Wolbers lying unresponsive on the trail below a section of steep basalt cliff-face. He could not be resuscitated. Mr. Wolbers was known to frequently free-climb on the rock faces near where he was found and preliminary investigation indicates he fell while doing so.
The BC Coroners Service and RCMP continue to investigate this death.
Mr. Wolbers’s family has been notified of his death. On behalf of family members, the BC Coroners Service requests that the media respect their privacy during this difficult time.
